Meatloaf Burgers ***

I've made these before, and we've always loved them.  They're so easy, and they combine two of our favorite loves: meatloaf and hamburgers.  :-)  This time, however, I subbed ground turkey for the beef (as I always do in my recipes).  The first time I make a recipe, I stick to it as-written, so last time, we had it with the beef.  I will just say that without a doubt, this is not a turkey-friendly meal.  I did take into account that the turkey would cook faster, and it was done in about 5 hours.  Way too dry, though.  Next time, it's back to the good old beef on this one.  I will say, though, that the flavor is still phenomenal!

MEATLOAF BURGERS
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Taste of Home)

1 large onion, sliced
1 celery rib, chopped
2 pounds lean ground beef
1-1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups tomato juice
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 bay leaf
6 hamburger buns, split

Place onion and celery in a 3-qt slow cooker. Combine the beef, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper; shape into six patties. Place over onion mixture. Combine the tomato juice, garlic, ketchup, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, and remaining salt. Pour over the patties.
Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours or until meat is tender. Discard bay leaf. Separate patties with a spatula if necessary; serve on buns.

Cole Slaw with Beans and Bacon ***

Man, I love this stuff!  We've had it before, but it's pretty much just a summer thing.  Tonight was the first time we've had it this year.  Oh man, it's good!  Even anti-kidney bean dh likes it.  The kids aren't all that crazy about the cabbage part, but they compromised and ate all the beans in their portions.  Since there are quite a lot of beans to it, it was a fair trade.  ;)  It's pretty near perfect on its own, so I don't really make too many subs.  I use dehydrated minced onion, so that the kids won't notice.  I just make it ahead of time and throw it in the fridge.  It's better cold anyway.  I also used the "real bacon pieces" from the bacon bits aisle and preshredded coleslaw mix.  I like that the mix has carrots in it as well as the cabbage. 

Photo courtesy of Recipezaar

COLE SLAW WITH BEANS AND BACON
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Recipezaar)

2-1/2 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 cup diced celery
1/3 cup diced onion
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
15-1/2 ounces red kidney beans, drained
4 slices crisply cooked bacon, crumbled
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon sugar

Lightly mix together the first 6 ingredients.
Whisk together the 5 dressing ingredients and pour this over the salad mixture.
Toss all lightly and serve.

Easy Chicken Parmesan ***

The kids adored this one!  Dh has been working mega OT lately, so he hasn't had a chance to try it yet.  It's a winner for the rest of us, though.  I'm not thrilled that it uses the premade patties, but that's actually what I was specifically searching for when I found this recipe.  I had some in the fridge that I needed to use up.  I do like that these are things I can throw together last minute, though.  You can't beat its simplicity, that's for sure.  Throw in a nice salad, and you have a full meal!  Yummy!

EASY CHICKEN PARMESAN
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Food.com)

4 frozen breaded chicken patties
1 jar of prepared spaghetti sauce
4 slices mozzarella cheese
8 ounces angel hair pasta

Bake chicken breast patties according to directions on package.
When finished, cover patties with the spaghetti sauce.
Bake an additional 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
Cover each patty with a piece of cheese and bake until melted.
Serve on a bed of cooked angel hair pasta.

Julie's Chicken ***

I've made this at least a zillion times now, and it's always a winner.  I keep trying to change it up each time, to make it work even better for us.  Last time, I used shredded zucchini in it, which we loved.  This time, I was out of zucchini, so I used about half a bag of the coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots).  Couldn't tell at all after it all cooked down, and my kids ate every bite.  :)  I always, always, always make this in the crockpot.  I have actually never even attempted it in any other way.  That just works for us.  I double the sauce and throw everything in the crock for about 5 hours.  Today, I had forgotten to thaw out my chicken, so I threw them in frozen and just cooked it an extra hour.  It was actually even better than usual!  Starting the chicken from frozen kept it even more moist.  After it's done cooking, I add about 6 cups of cooked rice and shred the chicken.  I kid you not when I say that my 7-year-old (who has been complaining about nearly all meals lately) actually licked his bowl!  It was awesome!

JULIE'S CHICKEN
(heath ~ BabyCenter)

4 boneless chicken breasts
1 pkg Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 sm. bottle of Wishbone Russian Salad dressing (must be that brand of dressing)
1 jar apricot preserves

Heat oven to 425*.
Place chicken in baking dish.
In a med. bowl, mix together dry soup mix; salad dressing and preserves.
Pour over chicken and bake for 40 minutes.
* Amy’s notes: I double the sauce mixture, use 1 package of thawed (or frozen) b/s chicken breasts, add about 1-1/2 cups of shredded zucchini or cabbage, and cook in the crockpot for 5-6 hours (add an extra hour if breasts are frozen). I then shred the chicken, cook 3 cups of rice (6 servings), and mix it all together.

Overnight Crockpot Oatmeal **

I really enjoyed this one.  I loved waking up and having breakfast ready for the kids.  That in itself was wonderful.  I liked the flavor too, though.  One of the kids liked it, and the other didn't, so I guess I'll just be making it for myself in the future.  I may try some other flavors to see if I can persuade him.  We'll see.  I didn't have apples or raisins, so I just used Craisins.  I don't like raisins anyway, so that was no big loss for me.  I did stir some milk into each bowl when I served it, since it became pretty thick.  I have a larger crockpot, so I only cooked mine for about 6 hours. I think I'll leave the nutmeg out next time, since it just didn't seem to "fit" with the flavors.  Of course, I'm not a big nutmeg fan anyway, so others may think it's fine.  Either way, this was a yummy, easy breakfast for a cold morning.  Can't beat that!

Photo courtesy of Food.com

OVERNIGHT CROCKPOT OATMEAL
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Food.com)

2 cups rolled oats
4 cups water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 apple, diced
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Spray inside of crockpot with cooking spray.
Combine all ingredients, cover and cook on low setting overnight (around 8 hours).

Beefy Pizza Ramen Skillet ****

Dh and I had this when I very first started cooking - back before I started rating my recipes.  I saved it in a file on the computer and forgot all about it.  I pulled it back out to give it another try, and I am so glad I did! We all loved this.  The kids both ate every bite and oohed and ahhed the entire time.  This is such a keeper in my book.  It's so simple and good.

BEEFY PIZZA RAMEN SKILLET
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

2 (3-oz) packages beef-flavor ramen noodle soup mix
1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef)
24-30 slices pepperoni (1 to 1-1/4 inches in diameter)
1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, undrained
1-1/2 cups water
1 small green pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (1/2 cup)
1 cup (4 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

Break blocks of noodles in half (reserve seasoning packets) and set aside. In large skillet, cook beef and pepperoni over medium-high heat 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain.
Stir tomatoes, water and seasoning packets into beef mixture. Heat to boiling. Stir in noodles and bell pepper. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until noodles are tender and water has evaporated.
Sprinkle cheese on noodle mixture in ring around edge of skillet. Cover and let stand about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Meatball Skillet ***

This was really good.  I didn't notice until I started cooking tonight that this only serves 4.  I normally like stuff to serve 6, so that I have enough to send with dh for lunch the next day.  I added an extra cup and a half of water and an extra cup of white rice.  I also used the entire 2-lb bag of meatballs.  I added an extra handful or so of green beans too.  We all enjoyed it, though.  Of course, the kids would eat just about anything if it had meatballs in it, lol.

MEATBALL SKILLET
(Sandy~Bettyinthekitchen)

1 pkg garlic rice and vermicelli mix
1-1/2 cups water
1 lb frozen fully cooked meatballs or Easy Meatballs, cooked
2 cups frozen French cut green beans
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare the mix according to package instructions, adding 1/2 cup more water and adding the meatballs along with the water and seasoning packet. Five minutes before the rice is done, stir in the green beans. Cook until rice and pasta are tender. Remove from heat, stir in sour cream and cheese. Cover and let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4