Turkey, Pineapple, and Cream Cheese Wraps **

I fixed this one up for a quick lunch, but since I was the only one eating, I spread the cream cheese on the tortilla, sprinkled some crushed pineapple evenly over it, and then laid a couple deli-thin slices of turkey on top and rolled it up.  Pretty good!  I didn't do the celery, since I didn't have any.  I love wraps, but I have the hardest time figuring what to put in them besides the basics.  This was a nice little treat in my day.  :)

TURKEY, PINEAPPLE, AND CREAM CHEESE WRAPS
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ via The $120 Food Challenge)

1 tbsp cream cheese (or mayo)
Finely diced turkey (sliced turkey from deli)
Spoonful of crushed pineapple
Small stick of finely diced celery, optional
Tortilla

Mix a tablespoon of cream cheese or mayonnaise with finely diced turkey (sliced turkey from the deli is the cheapest), a spoonful of crushed pineapple or some finely diced fresh pineapple and a small stick of finely grated or diced celery. Good in a tortilla.

Red Potatoes,Green Beans and Ham ***

This is obviously nothing special, but we all really liked it.  Next time, though, I would make the ham pieces a little larger than bite-sized.  I used more than 2 cups of ham and about 20 oz of frozen green beans.  I also used an entire box of the chicken broth.  My kids loved it.  Hubby and I added a little Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning to ours. 

Photo courtesy of Food.com

RED POTATOES, GREEN BEANS, AND HAM (SLOW COOKER)
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ via Food.com)

8 red potatoes, scrubbed and halved
1 (16 ounce) package frozen green beans (or fresh)
1 large onion, cut into about eight wedges
2 cups ham, cut into bite sized pieces
1 -2 can vegetable broth or 1 -2 can chicken broth
salt and pepper

Add all the ingredients and cover, cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
If cooking on the stove  in a Dutch oven, you may need more broth, but since the crockpot makes broth as it cooks, you shouldn't need any more.  Use your own judgment on the amount of broth.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Crescents ****

The kids absolutely adored these things!  The 8-year-old says they were "to die for yummy."  I didn't bother drizzling with the chocolate syrup, and I just use regular milk chocolate chips, since that's what I had.  So stinking easy to throw together in the morning last minute!  I love it!

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP CRESCENTS
Amy (amylz)

1 tube of crescent rolls
peanut butter
mini chocolate chips
chocolate syrup

Begin by unrolling crescent rolls and spreading peanut butter over each. Older kids can use a butter knife to do this. For younger kids, I would offer the backside of a spoon to spread the peanut butter. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips over top of peanut butter. Starting with the fat end of the crescent, roll up each triangle. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 11-13 minutes. Top with chocolate syrup and enjoy!

Busy Mom Puffins (Pancake Muffins) ***

True to the title, I was an extremely busy mom this morning, so I didn't get to take a picture of this one.  They were actually pretty good, though.  I sprinkled them with the "real bacon pieces" that you get in a bag, because I let the kids eat our blueberries for dessert.  :)  We really enjoyed them, but they really stuck to the muffin tin liners I used.  I had some that were foil and some that were paper.  The foil ones did much better.  I'm thinking you could add a bit more pancake mix to it.  Either that, or maybe cook them 17-20 minutes, to make them less mushy.  My kids really liked them, though.  I'd make them again.

BUSY MOM PUFFINS (PANCAKE MUFFINS)
(via Pinterest)

1 cup pancake mix
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup syrup
Toppings, as desired

Preheat oven to 350, mix pancake mix, water, syrup. Mix together, pour in greased muffin pan. Top with banana, blueberries, chocolate chips, pecans, sausage, bacon….etc. Bake for 12-14 minutes and serve. Easy, fast, delicious, and no syrupy mess!!

Carrot Chips **

These weren't too bad.  I ended up having to cook them quite a bit longer, and they never did crisp up.  I'm going to give it another try, though.  Hubby said he'd like them with a little brown sugar and/or cinnamon on them, so I might try half a batch with that.  Instead of doing the long strips as in the recipe, I went with the presliced bag of carrots, since I already had some on hand.

CARROT CHIPS

(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ via Pinterest)

4 carrots

salt

olive oil

Peel carrots into thick slices.

Toss slices in olive oil and salt.

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes.

Cool and enjoy!

Berry Cobbler **

This wasn't the best cobbler I've ever had, since I prefer more of a cake-like texture to the cobbler part of it, but it was still pretty good.  Especially when you take into account that it only has three ingredients and is so easy to make.  Gotta love that!  The kids really enjoyed it.  I made the mistake of getting the "berry medley" mix from Walmart, and it had strawberries in it.  Wasn't the best addition, in my opinion, so next time I'll stick to raspberries and blackberries.  It gets a little too much liquid in there for my tastes too, but again, for something so simple, who can complain?  :)

CAKE MIX BERRY COBBLER
(Pinterest ~ Living a Changed Life)

Two 12-oz bags frozen mixed berries
1 box white cake mix (no pudding)
1 can of diet 7-up or sierra mist (clear soda)

Place frozen fruit in a 9x13 baking dish. Add dry cake mix over the top. Pour soda slowly over cake mix. DO NOT stir the cake mix and the pop - this will give you a 'crust'. If you stir the two, you will hsve a cake like topping.
Bake 350 for 45-50 min.
You may be able to use frozen peaches instead of mixed berries.
Serves 16; 4 PointsPlus

Shrimp and Wild Rice Casserole ***

I've been craving wild rice lately, for some reason, so I went on Pinterest in search of something new.  True to form for Paula's recipes, this one is laden with butter.  Honestly, I would probably cut the butter in the rice down by at least half and then saute the onions and green peppers in olive oil.  I used two lbs of shrimp, because I had an extra bag that I wanted to use up.  I started mine from frozen, so I just boiled them for a little while longer.  I really don't think that a pound would have been enough.  We love shrimp, so I didn't want it to be too rice-y.  This is definitely a good dish, but it's so very rich.  I'd like to experiment with it a little more and see how it is without the cream soup.  I'll definitely be cutting back the butter next time, though.

Photo courtesy of Food TV

SHRIMP AND WILD RICE CASSEROLE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Paula Deen)

1 (8-ounce) package wild rice
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 (10 3/4-ounce can) condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 cups grated sharp Cheddar
Salt and pepper

Cook the rice according to package directions minus 1/4 cup water. Drain and cool.
Bring 2 cups water and 1/2 tablespoon salt to a boil in a medium saucepan and cook the shrimp for 1 minute. Drain immediately and set aside.
Heat the butter in saucepan and saute the pepper and onion until soft, about 5 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine the rice, soup, 1 1/2 cups of cheese, shrimp and vegetables. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Mix well. Spray a 9-inch square aluminum cake pan or an 11 by 7-inch glass casserole dish with vegetable spray. Place the mixture in the pan and top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly.
*Amy's notes: I used 2 lbs of frozen medium shrimp.

Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken and Rice ***

This was nothing special at all, but it was actually pretty good.  I doubled it, so that we can have leftovers one night, and it made LOTS, lol.  It was perfectly cooked after 7.5 hours in the crockpot.  Oldest boy loved it, hubby loved it, and youngest said it was "just okay."  It's possible his tastes are off with the cold he's got, though.  All in all, I'd say it's a keeper.

SLOW COOKER CHEESY CHICKEN AND RICE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ via Southern Plate)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 large onion, chopped (I use Vidalia)
1 (8 ounce) box Zatarain's Yellow Rice Mix, cooked according to directions
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 (10.5 ounce) can cream of chicken soup (regular or fat free)
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker. Scatter chopped onion over top. Spoon cream soup over top of that. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours. A few minutes before serving, add in cooked rice, corn, and cheese. Stir to combine. Serve hot.

Apple Pie Breakfast **

I have a bigger crockpot, so I doubled the recipe and used an extra cup of water to make it cook for 7 1/2 hours on low (overnight).  It came out pretty bland, so before serving this morning, I added about 1/2 cup of Splenda brown sugar, another 1/2 tsp or so of cinnamon, and an extra cup of apple juice.  It ended up being pretty good.  The kids actually both liked it, which is practically a miracle in itself.  :)  I'd be lying if I said it tasted anything at all like an apple pie, though.

Photo courtesy of Cooking with Jax

APPLE PIE BREAKFAST
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ via Cooking with Jax)

1 cup of steel cut oats*
3 diced apples (I use Gala)
1 cup apple juice (I use Oasis)
3 cups water
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Directions - Slow CookerFor Best Results: Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook for 2-4 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low until it reaches the consistency that you like. Be sure to stir every hour or so.
* You can also cook longer without stirring, but you have to add more water liquid and it does come out a bit mushier. Add an extra cup of liquid for 7-8 hours in the slow cooker.
* It must be steel cut oats when cooked in the slow cooker, as regular oats get very soggy when cooked this way. You can find steel cut oats in your local grocery store (sometimes they are called "irish oats" or "pinhead oats"). If you would really rather use rolled oats, be sure to use the stovetop method below and adjust your liquid/cooking time accordingly.
Directions - Stovetop MethodA few people have asked me about a stovetop method since not everybody has a slow cooker, and let's face it, sometimes we don't know what we want for breakfast until the morning of. Below is a stove top method and it tastes similar, but I still prefer the slow cooker version better (the oats become softer the longer they cook).
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 30 minutes, or until it reaches the consistency that you like.

Sassy Water ***

I was pretty skeptical about this one, since I'm definitely not a fan of cucumbers.  I actually really like it, though.  The water tastes so refreshing, and the mint covers up some of the cucumber taste.  I can't say how it works as far as weight loss, but for taste and meeting your daily water requirements, it's definitely a winner.

Photo courtesy of Carolina Charm

SASSY WATER
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ via Carolina Charm)

8 ½ cups water
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 medium cucumber, sliced thin
1 large lemon, sliced thin
12 mint leaves

Mix all ingredients together in a pitcher and refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, strain and drink all 8 ½ cups throughout the day.
Repeat for 4 days in a row...trying your best avoid any other beverages (coffee, soda, alcohol, etc.)

Roasted Squash Chips ***

These don't really come out like "chips," per se, but we enjoyed them anyway.  It would probably be best to make them in a large baking sheet with a cooling rack on top.  That would allow for a crispier texture, but I love them and their squishy goodness.  The slightly thicker rounds were actually my favorite, even though the thinner ones seemed to hold the flavor of the salt and pepper better.  I guess it depends on what you're aiming for, taste-wise.  I could have easily eaten an entire batch of these myself, but I am really crazy about my squash.  :)

ROASTED SQUASH CHIPS
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

4 medium yellow squash
Olive oil cooking spray
Sea Salt
Papper

Preheat oven to 375. Slice squash into thin circles, about 1/4" thick. Spray baking sheet evenly with cooking spray. Lay out the squash on the sheet, close but not touching. Spray squash with cooking spray, and sprinkle with salt and pepper as desired. Cook for 30 minutes, turning halfway through.

Taco Bake **

This was pretty good.  Nothing special or anything, but it made for a fairly quick and easy meal on a weeknight after a long day at work.  I doubled it and put it in a 9x13, so that I'd have enough for two nights.  My only complaint is that the spice is a little strong, between the taco seasoning and the salsa.  It also upped the salt content a bit too much for my tastes.  I did use low sodium and mild everything, and I also used ground turkey in place of the ground beef.  Next time, I think I will double everything and only use one packet of seasoning.  Other than that, though, we all liked it.

TACO BAKE
(twinners00 from KraftFoods.com)

1 pkg. (14 oz.) KRAFT Deluxe Macaroni and Cheese Dinner
1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. (1-¼ oz.) TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Taco Seasoning Mix
¾ cup water
¾ cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
1-½ cups KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided
1 cup TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Prepare Dinner as directed on package. While Macaroni is cooking, brown meat; drain. Add taco seasoning mix and water to meat; simmer 5 min.
STIR sour cream into prepared Dinner. Spoon half of the Dinner mixture into 8-inch square or 9-inch round baking dish; top with layers of the meat mixture, 1 cup of the cheese and remaining Dinner mixture. Cover.
BAKE 15 min. Top with salsa and remaining ½ cup cheese. Bake, uncovered, an additional 5 min. or until cheese is melted.