Cheesy Baked Penne

This recipe is super quick to put together and have on the table in less than an hour.  It would also be a good recipe to take half and freeze for another night!

Ingredients
1 box of Penne noodles (16 oz)
1 jar of Alfredo sauce (10 oz)
1 container of Ricotta cheese (15 oz)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup freshly cut parsley (you can sub dried parsley)
1 1/2 - 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
1.  Cook Penne according to package directions and drain.
2.  Combine Penne and Alfredo sauce.
3.  In a separate bowl, combine Ricotta, eggs, Parmesan, and parsley.
4.  Spray a 9x13 dish with non-stick spray.
5.  Put half of the Penne in the dish then top with Ricotta mixture, put remaining Penne on top.
6.  Top with shredded mozzarella cheese.
7.  Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

Note - if you are going to freeze, before baking cover with foil and freeze.  To cook, thaw completely and then bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Cereal Bars

These are fast, easy, and were a hit in my house!  Great for a quick breakfast or snack on the run.

Ingredients:
2 cups Quick Oats
1 1/2 cup Crisp Rice Cereal
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions:
1.  Line a 8x8 pan with aluminum foil.
2.  In large bowl combine Quick Oats and Crisp Rice Cereal.
3.  In a microwave safe bowl, combine peanut butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and Vanilla.  Microwave on high for 30 seconds.  Stir and then microwave for another 30 seconds and mix well.
4.  Pour peanut butter mixture over cereal and combine.
5.  Press mixture into foil-lined pan.  Allow to cool for 1 hour and then cut into bars.

Freezer Cooking Days!

So I am joining Money Saving Mom and Life as Mom on their freezer cooking days again for March.  I am not as adventurous as others but I do get a few things ready for easy to go to meals for the month.  My plan is to do my freezer cooking this Saturday, Feb 27th and Sunday, Feb 28th!

1.  Meatballs from 2 # of ground beef
2.  Lasagna - 2 pans  
3.  Chicken Tetrazinni (1 pan - its a new recipe for the family)
4.  Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole (same as above)

Freezer Cooking Day - Part 2 (Meatballs)

So I had some more time to do some freezer cooking so I whipped up a batch of meatballs to freeze for meatball subs. My meatball recipe is:

1 lb ground beef
1/4 c. onion
3/4 c. seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg slightly beaten

Mix them all up and then shape into meatballs should yield about 24-27.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Once cooled, place in plastic bag and freeze!  These freeze for up to 6 months!

Freezer Cooking Day - Part 1

So I am joining MoneySavingMom and LifeasMom in their Freezer Cooking Day (well weekend). I am trying to do what I can since I have my niece's birthday party today and my son's tomorrow. So I managed to score some BOGO Top Round so I made up some Fajita Kits!

I had 2 - 1 lb packs of Top Round, 2 Green Peppers, and 1 LARGE onion. I chopped the onion and green peppers up and put them in bags. I then sliced the meat and put it in smaller bags and placed the smaller bags in which the veggies. I will freeze these and defrost when I am ready to cook and use my McCormick Fajita Seasoning and some tortillas!

So I managed to made 2 dinners for a very low cost:

Top Round - $4.70 for 2 packs

Peppers - $2.32

Onion - $0.98

Total of - $8.00 or $4 per meal!