Smothered Chicken

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion
1 large green bell pepper
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Grill chicken until cook thoroughly.
Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Warm olive oil in pan, cook onion, bell peppers, and mushrooms until soft. Add in garlic and Italian seasoning and mix together and set aside.

Slice up chicken breasts and place in bottom of 8x8 baking dish. Spread dijon mustard across the chicken. Top with cooked vegetables and then add on mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly and melted.

Healthy Mexican Casserole

INGREDIENTS

2 red bell peppers
2 green bell peppers
1 jalapeno or 2 chipotle peppers (optional - just for more kick)
½ red onion
2 cups frozen corn
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoon cumin
salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon is a good ballpark measure)
2 cups Mexican cheese (mine was a Sargento blend)
18-20 corn tortillas
1 can refried beans
2 cups red enchilada sauce
cilantro, guacamole, or sour cream for garnishments.

INSTRUCTIONS

Roast the veggies: Dice the peppers and mince the onions. Heat a large nonstick skillet with NO oil over high heat. Add the onion and peppers, sprinkle with chili and cumin, and do not stir. This allows the peppers to roast and brown on the outside. After a few minutes, give the pan a shake or stir and let the peppers sit again for a few more minutes without stirring. Remove and set aside. Repeat the roasting process with the corn, sprinkling with chili and cumin, removing from the heat when browned and roasted on the outside. Sprinkle the roasted veggies with a little bit of salt and toss to coat.

Prep the ingredients: Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the tortillas into thin strips. Put the refried beans in a bowl and mix with a little bit of water to make them easier to spread.

Assemble: Spread a little bit of sauce on the bottom of the pan. Layer in order: half of the tortilla strips, ALL the beans, half of the veggies, half of the sauce, half of the cheese. Cover with the other half of the tortilla strips, veggies, sauce, and cheese.
Bake: Cover with foil (I usually spray mine with cooking spray) and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted. Serve with guacamole, fresh cilantro, sour cream, or anything in the world that you want.

One Pot Red Beans & Rice

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound cajun smoked sausage or other smoked sausage, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 (15.5-ounce) cans red kidney beans,  drained & rinsed
2 cups of instant rice
creole seasoning

Instructions:

Add the vegetable oil to a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sliced sausage and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onion, green pepper, and celery. Cook 7 to 8 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the beans and rice. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add creole seasoning to taste. Cover and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender.

Freezer-Friendly Breakfast Burritos

These are supposed to be close. To McDonald's breakfast burritos.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper
18 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chopped ham
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
20 flour tortillas

Directions:

Saute onions and bell peppers in butter. Beat eggs and milk together and pour into skillet with the onions and peppers.

Add the ham, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until eggs are set. Mix in cheese and let melt.

Scoop 1/2 cup egg mixture onto tortillas. Fold ends under and roll up. Freeze (see instructions below) or put all burritos in a baking dish, top with cheese (if you'd like) and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through. Serve with salsa.

Freezer Instructions:

Wrap burrito in a paper towel then in a sheet of foil. Seal tightly and place in freezer bags. When bag is full, remove air and seal. Freeze.

Serve:

Remove foil and put paper towel wrapped burrito in microwave. Reheat for around one minute. Serve with salsa.

BBQ Chicken

Makes 2 bagged meals

Ingredients:

Divide between 2 bags:

3 sweet potatoes, cubed
1 zucchini, chopped
1 onion, sliced
2 green bell peppers, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
4-5 chicken breasts, diced

In each bag, place:

8oz tomato paste
1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon mustard powder
1 garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Close up bag, mix a bit and freeze

To cook:

Add 3/4 cup water and mixture to crockpot and cook on low 8 hours

Beef Enchilada Stack

Ingredients:

1lb hamburger meat

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 medium green bell pepper (chopped 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup frozen corn

1 package taco seasoning or 1 tablespoon taco seasoning

1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes ins sauce, undrained

9 corn tortillas (6 inch)

1 can (10oz) enchilada sauce

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (8oz)

1/2 cup sour cream

3 medium green onions, sliced

Directions:

Heat oven to 350. Spray 9 inch glass pie plate or with cooking spray. In skillet cook beef and onion over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in bell pepper, corn, taco seasoning mix, tomatoes and enchilada sauce. Heat to boiling; remove from heat.

Spread about 1/4 of beef mixture in thin layer in pie plate. Top with 3 tortillas (tortillas will overlap), 1/4 of beef mixture and 1/3 of cheese. Repeat layers 2 more times, starting with tortillas and ending with cheese on top. Pie plate will be very full but should not overflow.

Bake about 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Top each serving with sour cream and green onions.

Mexican Rice

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cup minute rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded cheese

Directions:

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the rice, onions, pepper and garlic. Cook until the rice is browned and vegetables are tender. Stir in the water, tomatoes, chili powder, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat d simmer, covered, until the rice is tender, about 15 to 17 minutes. Stir in the cheese and transfer to a serving bowl.