Easy Meals

Macaroni & Cheese with Smoked Sausage

You can feed your family a hot meal without having to spend a long time in the kitchen.  We have had several meals from my "easy" category lately.  I will be the first to admit they are not always the healthiest meals, but easy...they are!

Easy Meal #1:  The meal pictured above is macaroni and cheese with smoked sausage.  Because I have 2 growing twin boys and a growing husband, I prepared 3 boxes of macaroni and cheese according to package directions.  While the pasta was boiling, I cut into small pieces 21 ounces (1/2 of a 42-ounce package) of Ekrich Skinless Smoked Sausage.  I put the smoked sausage in a glass bowl and heated it in the microwave for about 3 minutes or so.  Once the mac and cheese was prepared, I folded in the smoked sausage.  This is soooooo easy!!  Serve it with a salad or green veggie and it adds some healthy back into the mix.

Sloppy Joes

Easy Meal #2:  Sloppy Joes.  I tend to buy ground beef in bulk and freeze it in one-pound increments.  For these sloppy joes, I defrosted 2 pounds of ground beef in the microwave then browned it over medium-high heat.  I drained the meat and added it back to the skillet.  I stirred in a little garlic salt then added 2 cans of Great Value sloppy joe sauce.  Normally I use 1 can for 2 pounds of ground beef, but we had open-faced sloppy joes so the sloppy can be a little sloppier.  While the meat was defrosting, I threw some Kroger seasoned fries in the oven (they need approximately 20 to 25 minutes in the oven plus preheat time) and served those with the sloppy joes.  I ate chips with  mine; hence, the potato chips seen on my plate above.  I usually serve this with a veggie, but I didn't this time...oopsie.

Easy Meal #3....Hamburger, Chicken or Tuna Helper.  I accidentally stumbled upon Beef Pasta HH and that has turned out to be my absolute favorite!  I'm not a HH fan, so I don't fix it often, but occasionally it hits a sale paper and I have a coupon and I can get it for super cheap!  Season it up just right and it can be delicious!  Always yummy with a salad and/or veggies for the side.  How hard is it to open a bag of salad and throw dressing on it or open canned veggies?  Cooking doesn't have to be complicated!

Easy Meal #4....Frozen breaded chicken tenders, macaroni and cheese, and green beans.  Last night I threw frozen breaded chicken tenders in the oven.  While those were cooking, I prepared 2 boxes of macaroni and cheese on the stove top and opened 2 cans of french-cut green beans, dumped them in a glass bowl, seasoned them with lemon pepper and ran them through the microwave for 3 minutes.  What kiddo doesn't love breaded chicken tenders?

Easy Meal #5....Smoked Sausage, Macaroni and Cheese, and Ranch Style Beans.  Please do not ask me where this meal came from, but we all love it.  Slice the smoked sausage and place it in a preheated 350-degree oven for 20 minutes.  Prepare 1 to 2 boxes of macaroni and cheese according to the package directions.  Open a couple of cans of RS beans, dump then in a glass bowl, and run them through the microwave for 3 minutes.  You can also replace the RS beans with canned green beans.  I love green beans seasoned with lemon pepper!

Easy Meal #6...Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans.  I place 3 pounds of ground beef in a large glass mixing bowl then add an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce, 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 3 large eggs, 3 tablespoons A-1 Original Steak Sauce, 1 cup crushed seasoned croutons (any brand), 1 cup crushed french-fried onions, and 1 packet of onion soup mix.  Wash your hands, take off your jewelry, and dig in!  I mash mine all together with my hands until it is blended together.  I then give my hands a good washing, place the meatloaf in a metal 13 x 9-inch baking dish, and place it in a preheated 350-degree oven to cook for 30 minutes.  I like to cook my meatloaf in a 13 x 9-inch pan, because it seems to cook more evenly and takes less time.  While the meatloaf is in the oven, prepare some instant mashed potatoes according to package directions.  Open a couple of cans of green beans, place them in a glass microwaveable bowl, add lemon seasoning and run them through the microwave for about 3 minutes.  This is excellent served with Texas toast!  Basically just butter both sides of some plain white Texas toast bread (made by Mrs. Baird's or Sunbeam), pop it in the toaster and when it is golden brown, it's ready!

I'm sure I have a ton of other easy meals like this, but here are just a few to get you started.  And for my friends out there who say they can't cook....I say YOU CAN!  This is cooking, folks!

Nifty Noshing!!

Love ya,
Collette :)