We’ve all seen Mississippi pot roast recipes and they’re all amazingly full of flavor. After craving some and not finding any chuck roast on sale, I just gave in and bought a bottom round roast Sind they were buy one get one free. So, I took my roasts home disappointed, but still determined. Little did I know I was out of 2 of the 5 ingredients this recipe contains. Fail. Well, I made substitutions and to my surprise it turned out BETTER than recipe I usually use. So much better that our oldest son asked for multiple servings and my husband (without prompting) said, “This is the best roast you’ve ever made!”. Ok, new recipe unlocked!
Ingredients
2+ lb bottom round roast
Ranch seasoning packet
Brown gravy packet
Banana peppers (to taste)
1/4 cup butter, cut into 4 pads
Directions
Place roast in slow cooker. Add ranch packet, gravy packet, bell peppers (10-15 rings of bell pepper seem to be a good amount for this recipe), and pads of butter to top of roast.
I was searching for some good St. Patrick’s Day foods to go with corned beef and cabbage and while this doesn’t exactly “go” with it, I thought the recipe was pretty interesting, so I decided to try it. The original recipe is from Food Dolls. While this recipe is delicious, it makes A LOT of mac and cheese. The recipe I’ll provide below is the full recipe, but I recommend halving this recipe if you’re not feeding many people. This makes a very large portion, but it’s absolutely delicious!
Ingredients
4 cups fresh spinach, packed
1/2 cup parsley
2 cloves garlic (optional)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 3/4 cups whole milk, divided
1 lb cooked macaroni pasta
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper (more or less to taste)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup white cheddar cheese
Directions
In a food processor or blender, add spinach, olive oil, parsley, garlic cloves, and 3/4 cup milk. Process until smooth.
In a large pot, add butter and flour on medium-high heat, cook for about 1-2 minutes or until mixture is a golden color.
Add WARM milk, and seasonings. Stir until it starts to thicken. Turn heat to low and add cheeses.
Add “green” sauce and mix until it comes together. Add cooked pasta.
This recipe checks all of the boxes: great, healthy ingredients, filling, and easy and quick to make. A friend gave me this recipe from Life Love Liz and it’s definitely one of our favorites. Now that warmer weather is headed our way, this is a great weeknight meal. We love our leftovers, so I sometimes double the amount of ground turkey in this recipe. Adjust the ingredients according to your family’s needs and tastes-it’s totally customizable!
Ingredients
3 small or 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 3 cups)
1 lb ground turkey
1 yellow bell pepper (or whatever color you prefer)
1 cup onion, diced
½ cup mozzarella, shredded
½ cup water
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 ½ Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
Directions
In a large cast iron skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute and then add ground turkey. Use a wooden spoon to break apart meat and continue cooking approximately 8 minutes until browned.
Add cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir well to incorporate.
Add onion and bell pepper, and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add diced sweet potato and water. Stir and cover with a lid for approximately 6-8 minutes until the sweet potatoes soften. Add additional water during this process if needed to keep the meat from drying out.
Remove lid and add additional salt and pepper if needed. Top with shredded mozzarella and allow it to melt. Remove skillet from heat and garnish with fresh cilantro before serving.
Greek salad, Greek pizza, Greek pasta… I will take it in any form! Kalamata olives, capers, artichoke hearts, and feta make this dish one of my favorites. The best part? It’s sooooo easy! I adapted this recipe from the original recipe from The Salty Marshmallow. Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 lb Fettuccine Pasta
¼ cup olive oil
3 Tbsp Butter
¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1-14 ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
½ cup kalamata olives, cut in half
1-14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
2 Tbsp capers
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
½ tsp dried dill weed
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
½ cup feta cheese
Directions
Cook the fettuccine according to package directions, drain and set aside.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced onion and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft.
Add the garlic to the pan, cook stirring constantly for one minute.
Add the artichoke hearts, olives, tomatoes, capers, and seasonings to the pan. Stir for 2-3 minutes until warm, then add the sauce mixture to the cooked fettuccine noodles.
Top with feta cheese as desired. Serve immediately.
Tacos al pastor are delicious, BUT… they’re hard work, y’all! I gathered all of the ingredients for what sounded like an awesome recipe (minus the spit it would take to slow roast the pork…) then realized the pork I had in the freezer was in fact a pork tenderloin, not a pork shoulder butt. Fail. So, I did what any person determined to use the ingredients they have would do in the middle of an all time high inflation… I asked the Google. I found what seemed to be a fairly easy recipe that might get a bit of the flavor of original tacos al pastor using ground turkey. I needed fast and easy, and to make use of the ingredients I currently had on hand. Unfortunately, my cilantro had wilted beyond repair, so I had to use dried cilantro, but I made it work. If you have fresh on hand, definitely use the fresh ingredients! This recipe uses 2 lbs of ground turkey because we love leftovers in this house, but it can easily be halved to use 1 lb of ground turkey. While this definitely isn’t true tacos al pastor, it’s a quick and easy alternative in a pinch. Enjoy!
Ingredients
2 lb ground turkey
3/4 cup diced pineapple
2 chipotle peppers (I didn’t have any on hand, so I used 1 Tbsp of paprika, which is a similar flavor to chipotle peppers)
In a small bowl, mix cajun seasoning, chili powder, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano to create a seasoning blend. Set aside.
In a blender or food processor, add pineapple, chipotle peppers, and garlic. Blend until pureed and set aside.
Add extra virgin olive oil to a pan heated to medium high heat. Add onion and saute about 5 minutes. Add 1 tsp of seasoning and blend and mix well.
Add ground turkey to pan and mix well. Season with 2 tablespoons of season blend, reduce heat to medium, and cook for approximately 10 minutes, breaking up turkey with a spoon or spatula. Season with the remaining seasoning blend and mix well.
Add chipotle, pineapple, and garlic puree. Mix well, reduce heat to low, and cook for approximately 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cilantro and mix well.
Serve in soft or crispy taco shells with desired toppings.
Target’s marketing department must love me… seriously, guys. So, I keep putting the Dash Mini Waffle Makers in my cart. At first I was like, “Why? Why am I doing this?”, but I have to tell you… I’m glad I did. I’ve realized how easy waffles are to make and how much the kids love them on holidays. I have officially cut myself off from buying more mini waffle makers, BUT… I’m continuing to look for new recipes. By recipes I mean thinking about what I can add to boxed waffle mix. Hey… the kids like them, they’re easy, and they’re fun!
Ingredients
Boxed waffle mix
Fruity Pebbles
Whipped cream
Chocolate coins
Directions
While preheating the waffle iron, mix the waffle mix per box instructions. Add desired amount of Fruity Pebbles to the mix. Reserve some Fruity Pebbles in a small bowl for topping waffles.
Pour waffle mix onto waffle iron. Sprinkle some Fruity Pebbles on top of the mix before closing the waffle iron.
Add whipped cream to your waffles, sprinkle with Fruity Pebbles, and add chocolate coins on the side.
Pasta should be considered the 6th love language… at least for me. It would definitely come in a close second for my top love language. Well, maybe coffee would, but anyways… back to pasta. This recipe is from Food Dolls and has quickly become one of our favorites. It’s a great meal on its own or paired with a protein or salad. Once of our favorites is Italian sausage links, but chicken would also be a great addition to this meal.
Ingredients
16 oz spaghetti, uncooked (I recommend pot-sized spaghetti-Target’s Good & Gather is excellent in this recipe!)
16 oz jar pasta sauce
3 cups water
1 tsp oregano or Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt, more or less to taste
1 tsp black pepper, more or less to taste
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, sliced thin or diced
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 Tbsp olive oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Add all the ingredients except for the mozzarella cheese. Stir well.
Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir. Replace lid and bake covered an additional 25 minutes.
Top with mozzarella cheese and bake uncovered for an additional 8-10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.
I always seem to prepare asparagus the same way: steamed. I have made sheet pan meals with asparagus that have turned out well, so I figured, why not try baked in foil? This method had zero cleanup, a lot of flavor, and perfectly cooked asparagus with practically no effort so I call this one a win!
Ingredients
asparagus
butter, to taste
salt, to taste
grated parmesan, to taste (optional)
herbs or seasonings, to taste (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 360 degrees F.
Cut the ends off of the asparagus to remove the tougher portions. Place the asparagus on a piece of aluminum foil large enough to create a foil packet for the asparagus and place the foil and asparagus on a baking sheet for easy cleanup in case the foil packet leaks during baking.
Place pads of butter, salt, grated parmesan, or other desired seasonings on the asparagus. Cold the foil over the asparagus and add an extra piece around the delicate tender ends of the asparagus to keep it from over cooking.
Place the asparagus in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Keep the asparagus in the foil packet until serving.
I’m trying to think spring thoughts, people. Recipes like this help me keep the positivity going! This one has all of my favorites-crispy baked chicken (crowd pleaser for kids), tomatoes, mushrooms, asparagus, garlic, and lemon. This is a light, but satisfying sheet pan meal. Or, if you’re like me and like leftovers, maybe grab an extra sheet pan! This recipe is adapted from a recipe given to me by a friend that comes from EatingWell.
Ingredients
Lemon Vinaigrette
1 lemon
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese (or more if you love feta like we do!)
½ tsp honey
Greek Chicken with Roasted Spring Vegetables
2 (8 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut in half lengthwise (I usually use more to make this recipe stretch a little further)
¼ cup light mayonnaise
6 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup panko bread crumbs (additional if you use more than 2 chicken breasts)
3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper
Nonstick olive oil cooking spray
2 cups 1-inch pieces asparagus (or additional if you prefer)
1 ½ cups sliced fresh baby bella (cremini) mushrooms (or additional if you prefer)
1 ½ cups halved grape tomatoes (or additional if you prefer)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Snipped fresh dill
Directions
Prepare vinaigrette: Remove 1/2 tsp zest and squeeze 1 tablespoon juice from lemon. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon zest and juice and the remaining ingredients. Set aside.
Prepare chicken and vegetables: Place a 15×10-inch baking pan in oven (or two large sheets if you’re preparing more than one chicken breast and extra vegetables). Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
Meanwhile, using the flat side of a meat mallet, flatten chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap until 1/2 inch thick.
Place chicken in a medium bowl. Add mayonnaise and 2 of the garlic cloves; stir to coat. In a shallow dish, whisk together bread crumbs, cheese, 1/4 tsp of the salt, and 1/4 tsp of the pepper. Dip chicken into crumb mixture, turning to coat. Lightly coat tops of chicken with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine asparagus, mushrooms, tomatoes, oil and the remaining 4 cloves garlic and 1/4 tsp salt and pepper.
Carefully place chicken in one end of hot pan and place asparagus mixture in other end of pan (or on separate large pans if opting for larger quantities of chicken and vegetables). Roast 18 to 20 minutes or until chicken is done (165 degrees F) and vegetables are tender.
Drizzle chicken and vegetables with vinaigrette and sprinkle with dill and extra feta.
I love coffee. Hot, cold, large, small, flavored, unflavored, in an IV… you get the point. This recipe is the easiest I’ve found for cold foam for cold brew. I love it because it’s ingredients I keep on hand and requires minimal effort. If you’ve never made cold brew, you can find my favorite cold brew maker here!
Ingredients
Cold brew, any amount according to caffeine need 😉
3 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp half and half (heavy cream will work, too!)
1 Tbsp vanilla syrup (or other flavored syrup of choice)
Directions
Pour cold brew over ice in a glass.
Combine milk, half and half, and flavored syrup in a cup and mix with milk frother. I typically use my Keurig K-Cafe to froth the mixture using the iced latte setting and it works great!
Pour frothed milk mixture over cold brew and enjoy!
The Engineered Mama 