Spaghetti Squash Casserole

This recipe was just enough for the two of us. You may want to double it if you're cooking for 3 or 4 or more.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium spaghetti squash
• 1 tbsp butter, salt, and pepper for seasoning
• 1 tomato
• Kosher salt, basil, parsley, garlic powder
• Shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend)

COOKING THE SQUASH:

• Carefully cut squash in half (hot-dog style). Remove seeds.
• Bake in an oven-safe dish for about 45 minutes.
• Allow the squash to cool for about five minutes. Then start scraping out the "noodles" with a fork. You should be able to get about 4 cups of squash.
• Mix up the noodles with 1 tbsp of butter, salt, and pepper.

BEGIN LAYERING THE CASSEROLE DISH:

• 1/2 of the squash
• Half of the tomato slices
• Handful of cheese
• Spices

Continue layering with the remaining squash, tomato slices, cheese, and spices.

Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Taco Bake

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb ground beef
• Taco Seasoning packet
• 1/4-1/2 cup salsa con queso (mild)
• 3 Tortillas (I used the small ones for just the two of us... use the large ones for more people)
• Mexican blend of cheese

DIRECTIONS:

• Brown beef on a skillet. Stir in taco seasoning, per directions on packet.
• Mix in salsa con queso

Next, get ready to layer the tortillas onto a circular oven-safe dish, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Here are the layers...

1. Tortilla

2. 1/3 of beef mixture

3. Handful of cheese

4. Tortilla

5. Beef mixture

6. Cheese

7. Tortilla

8. Beef

9. Cheese

Bake at 350 for approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chopped up tomatoes.

Inside-Out Pot Pie

If you're looking for a fairly easy meal to make, chalked full of vegetables, this is it. It's certainly not a five-star meal, but we had seconds and it was perfect for a weeknight. The ingredients are portioned for a meal for two.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tube of biscuits
• Chicken breasts (3), chopped into small pieces
• Mixed vegetables (use about 1-2 cups out of the bag)
• 1 small can of cream of chicken soup (you might not need the full can)

DIRECTIONS:

• Begin cooking biscuits according to directions on tube.
• Meanwhile in pot, cook chicken breasts.
• After chicken is mostly cooked, add in vegetables and cream/chicken soup. Cook (covered) for about five additional minutes, stirring occasionally.

TO SERVE:

• This works best in individual servings. Place one biscuit (I chose to cut mine in half) on a plate and top with the mixture in the pot.

Spinach-Artichoke Pasta

INGREDIENTS:

• Butter
• Baby Spinach (2 bags)
• 2 cans artichoke hearts
• Noodles (Fettucine, Penne, etc.)- cooked
• 3 cups milk
• 2 tbsp flour
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups Mozzarella cheese
• Chicken Broth

DIRECTIONS:

• In large cooking pot, heat up 1 tbsp butter and add spinach. Cook until spinach just starts to wilt. Remove and place in a separate bowl.
• Heat another tablespoon of butter in original pot and cook artichoke hearts for about 2-3 minutes. Place on a separate plate.
• Heat another tbsp of butter, add flour, milk, salt, and pepper. Whisk together for 2-4 minutes.
• Add Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese to the mixture. Whisk together.
• If mixture is too thick, add chicken broth until it reaches the desired consistency.
• Add artichoke hearts to the mixture, followed by drained noodles, and spinach.

Pizza Quesadillas

These worked great for a Superbowl snack/dinner. They were quick to make and turned out as good and simple as I was hoping!

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 large tortillas
• Pepperoni Slices (about 32 total)
• 1 bag of shredded mozarella cheese (or a Mexican blend)
• 1 can of Pizza Sauce

DIRECTIONS:

• Cut each tortilla in half, making a total of 8 tortillas.
• Layer each slice with a thin layer of pizza sauce, a handful of shredded cheese, and 4 pepperoni slices.
• Fold in half and cook each side for 2-5 minutes.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This was the first time I had ever had Chicken Tortilla Soup, so I don't have much to compare it to. Still, we really enjoyed it. So give it a try and I hope you like it!

INGREDIENTS:
32 ounces of Chicken Broth
1 cup of Salsa (chunky, mild or spicy)
2 cups of cooked, cubed chicken
1 cup shredded tortilla chips
1-2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 avocado (peeled and chopped)
Cilantro

DIRECTIONS:
1. Boil broth, salsa, and cubed chicken.
2. Divide tortilla chips among serving bowls. Add soup to each bowl.
3. Top each bowl with 1/2 cup shredded cheese, avocado pieces, and cilantro.

Portabello Mushroom Pizzas

The ingredients can be switched out with any pizza toppings of your choice. I created these pizzas on baby bellas, but the large sized mushrooms would work best. I wish I had a picture to share with you. The sauce came out juicier than I was expecting, but the final product was delicious.

INGREDIENTS:

• Portabella Mushrooms
• Packet of pizza sauce
• Mozzarella Cheese (shredded or cut into slices)
• Olives
• Pepperoni

DIRECTIONS:

• Remove the stems from each mushroom and place on a cookie sheet.
• Pour a light serving of pizza sauce into each mushroom.
• Top with shredded cheese, 1/2 of an olive, and a slice of pepperoni.
• Bake for approximately 10 minutes.