Spaghetti

Spaghetti is a simple go to recipe that we usually always have the ingredients for.  No real recipe for this one just wanted it on the "remember me" list.  While I'm here though, here are just a couple tips.

• We use Hunts pasta sauce usually in the four cheese or garlic and onion variety but add about 1/4 cup of brown sugar to the sauce to sweeten it up and reduce the acidity.  
• Left over Spaghetti is a wonderful thing, which is good because we often make far too much
• Garlic Bread and Salad are great sides
• The husband doesn't usually eat meals without meat, but for a money saving family this can easily be done meatless

Kirsten Surprise

This meal was affectionately titled by one of my really good friends and her husband.  My friend and I were roommates and I would make this nameless dish and once they got married they made it too.  They needed a name to call it and so it became "Kirsten Surprise."

Ingredients

• 1 Box of Beef Rice-a-roni
• 1 Can of corn
• 1 lb beef
• Salsa
• Sour Cream
• Chips

Directions

1. Brown beef and set aside
2. Cook rice a roni as directed
3. Add can of corn during the last 5 minutes of cook time
4. Add Beef and mix together
5. Serve Rice mixture over chips and add salsa and sour cream to taste. 

Pasta Bake

Easy Pasta Bake

Ingredients 

• 1 lb dry pasta
• 1 jar of pasta sauce 
• 1 tub of cottage cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• 1 "jar-full" water
• 1 lb of cooked meat (hamburger, sausage etc)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 
2. Mix cottage cheese, sauce and water together in a bowl
3. Add meat and mix
4. Add noodles and mix
5. Dump into a casserole dish 
6. Top with Parmesan cheese
7. Cover with foil and cook for 30-45 minutes
8. Pair with a fresh salad and enjoy

Snacks

Here are some yummy and mostly healthy snacks that don't really require a recipe but are easy to forget about. This will be a ever-growing list.    

apple slices (w/peanut butter)
applesauce
avocados
bananas
blueberries
celery w/peanut butter
cucumber slices
deli meat (turkey or ham) wrapped in lettuce
granola bars
grapes (frozen)
gum
hard-boiled egg
homemade whole wheat bread
hummus w/carrots or celery
jello
mixed nuts (almonds)
oranges
peanut butter and banana on toast
peanut butter and banana smoothie

rice cakes
salad
strawberries
string cheese
sweet potato fries
yogurt, granola and fruit parfait 

Cake Batter Cookies

These easy cookies only take 3 simple ingredients.

• Box of cake batter (any variety)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup oil

Mix all the ingredients, spoon onto a pan and bake at 350 for 5-10ish minutes. 

OPTIONAL: add any candies or chips to the batter prior to baking

You can customize them any way you wish.  Tonight the version was Devils food cake with peanut butter chips.