Homemade Granola Bars

The other day I was in the search of a healthy snack at the grocery store. I've been eating some "warm cereal" kind of like oatmeal...but better. I found some loose granola that looked really tasty. I'd munched on a handful here and there when I got the idea to make it into granola bars. I just happened to have a 1/2 bag of marshmallows left over from another recipe, so these came together very quickly.

I can't even claim this as an actual "recipe", but maybe it's something you hadn't thought of and would like to give it a try. This "recipe" consists of 3 whole ingredients...the granola, marshmallows and a little butter. I microwaved the marshmallows and butter until melted and gooey. Poured in the granola. Patted it into a pan. And done!

 

 The next time I make them I'll be sure to buy 2 bags of granola and use a whole bag of marshmallows to make the recipe go a little further. And I'll admit, by the time you add butter and sugar (marshmallows) to granola...it's not quite as healthy...but it sure was tasty :)

What's for Dinner

As most of you know, I don't share many recipes on my blog. Why? Because I'm a terrible cook...LOL :) I only cook out of necessity and not out of pleasure. So I'm always in search of a quick and tasty recipe.

So today I thought I'd share a great recipe for all the cooks out there like me :) Wanna know the best part...there are only 4 main ingredients!

Quick Enchiladas
*2 Cans Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce (we use one hot and one mild)

*Shredded Cheese

*2 lbs. ground beef

*Burrito Shells

Super Easy Instructions: Brown and drain ground beef. Stir in 1 can enchilada sauce and 1/2 bag of cheese. Pour mixture down center of shells. Fold in ends. Place in 9x13 glass baking dish. Top with remaining can of sauce and cheese. Bake for 17 min. at 375. Top with favorite ingredients. We used sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes and black olives.

And in less than 30 minutes you have a tasty meal :) And even better, with just Jesse and I, we have left overs and I don't have to cook the next day...bonus!

 Have any fast and tasty recipes? Share them with me in the comments :)

What's For Dinner?

Most of you know, I'm not usually one to share recipes. I'm no gourmet chef by any means! But when I run across a great, easy recipe that we love, I like to share it :)

I found this recipe in a magazine and had to dash to the grocery store to find this Philly Savory Garlic Cooking Creme! I love that there are very few ingredients and it all cooks right on the stove! (Great for summer when you don't want to start the oven!)

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Here are the ingredients:

*1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces *1/2 cup halved red pepper strips *1 pkg. (6 oz.)baby spinach leaves *1 tub (10 oz.)PHILADELPHIA Savory Garlic Cooking Creme *2 cups hot cooked penne pasta *2 Tbsp. toasted pine nuts

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And you can find the entire recipe HERE.

I had no idea that I liked spinach! In fact I would have turned my nose up at it had I not used it in this recipe! I actually quite like it :) And I've used yellow peppers in place of the red ones as well. I don't usually bother with the pine nuts. That's what's great about this recipe...change it up/use what's on hand/add a few extras!

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PS...Do you say Supper or Dinner?

I usually say supper, but the title sounded better with dinner...LOL :)

What's for Dinner

I don't usually share recipes on my blog mainly because I'm not a very good cook...LOL :) We eat lots of casseroles so we have leftovers and I don't have to cook everyday! But the other day I found a new recipe that I just had to try :) I love chicken and am always looking for new ways to use it.

Applesauce Barbecue Chicken

The recipe says to brown the chicken in a skillet, but I prefer to use my oven when I can. So I put the chicken in a glass baking dish and baked it for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. I then mixed together all of the other ingredients, spread it on the chicken and baked for another 8 minutes. It was so tender and juicy!!! Not dry at all!!! And the best part...Jesse liked it too :)

So if you're looking for a quick, easy and tasty recipe...check this one out :)

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

Thanks to TheFabMissB for hosting our EtsyBloggers Blog Carnival this week :) Our two choices are:

1) Share your favorite Summer Recipe!

2) Tell us your top five favorite things about summer! (And tell us why, of course!)

Well...since I already shared about my summer fun here, I thought I would share a super easy, super yummy summer recipe with you today :)

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

Ingredients: 2 cups cold 2% milk (I use skim) 1 package (1.4 ounces) sugar-free instant chocolate pudding mix 2 tablespoons vanilla extract 2 large ripe frozen bananas, sliced (I found you need to slice the bananas before freezing!) 2 cups coarsely crushed ice cubes

Directions: In a blender, combine the milk, pudding mix and vanilla; cover and process until blended. Add the bananas and ice; cover and process until smooth. Pour into chilled glasses; serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.

I always get hungry in the afternoons and need a little snack. I'm trying to keep my snacks healthy, so I was excited when I found this recipe :) It is very easy to cut in half...and very tasty :)

Mmmmmmm!!!

Can you say yummy! And easy too! I don't normally share recipes with you...because I'm a bad cook. We pretty much live on casseroles! But the other day I got to craving fajitas and had the stuff to make them...so I gave them a try. This was actually my first attempt at fajitas...but won't be my last :)

All I did was cook some chicken, stir in the fajita seasoning and add the veggies! See, I told you it was easy! And you can put whatever veggies you want. I did green pepper and tomato and would have done onion...but didn't have one like I thought! I then just placed a tortilla on a plate and covered it with fat free swiss cheese, topped it with the mixture, and placed another tortilla on top!

It was soooo good! I think I might make them for supper Sunday night since Jesse didn't get to try one yet! This may be my new favorite meal to make :) Enjoy!

Blog Carnival: Recipes

At my family gatherings, we always do potluck style feasts. The funny thing is, every time, everyone brings the same dishes :) This way we know what to expect and know we'll love what's there. Last year at Thanksgiving I gave everyone recipe cards I had made and had them fill them out and bring them back at Christmas with their dishes. I photographed every dish and have a corresponding recipe card to go with it. My plan (eventually) is to put them all into an album...and hopefully make one for every family.

One of my favorite dishes is my Grandma's ham balls. They are just great :)

Ham Balls

• 3 lbs. ham loaf
• 1 can tomato soup
• 1-8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp. dry mustard

Form ham loaf into walnut sized balls and place in a 9x13 pan. Mix sauce and pour over ham balls. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

The best part about these ham balls is the fact that they are so easy. They don't just have to be made for special family gatherings. They can be whipped up on a busy week night. Just mix everything, pop 'em in the oven, and go get some work done for an hour :)

Here are the cards I made:

And here is the pic I took of Grandma's ham balls....YUM!