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We are in a very busy season of our life right now. We’re sometimes tired – and constantly have a lot going on. But the things that are keeping us busy are ALL good things! Being busy is not something that we don’t want to do. This is the good kind of busy. Hence the inspiration for this post on easy meals for busy seasons.

It’s really easy, when you’re busy, to compromise on food.

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For those of you who don’t follow along with my videos on Facebook, this post was actually a part of a recent Facebook Live series about my top 10 lists. My Top 10 Favorite Online Stores was a big hit – as was my Top 10 Kitchen Gadgets – so I wanted to share this with y’all too! One thing you should know about me…

Hi. My name is Stacy, and I am a kitchen gadget and appliance hoarder.

Even when I Konmari-ed my house and got rid of ALL the things, I kept most of my kitchen gadgets because you know what…I love kitchen appliances. I’m not ashamed; I’m not embarrassed. And you know what? I plan to keep on adding.

But I do not keep my kitchen gadget and appliance collection on my counter.

That drives me crazy! Counter clutter makes me nervous. I keep them all down in the basement on a special shelf that Barry built me. Before I get going on the key top ten kitchen gadgets list, I am going to shock you by mentioning what DIDN’T make the list this time…my crock pot! You know I use my slow cooker ALL.THE.TIME. However, this list is a little less obvious than that. 😉

In no particular order, here’s my top ten kitchen gadgets and appliances:

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I tend to get a lot of questions about how I am cooking from scratch for my family, especially over on Instagram, where I post weekly meal plans, meal prep, favorite cookbooks, etc., as well as pictures of lots of food! Today, I’m answering a handful of those questions and my hope is that this is a help to y’all as you brave the cooking from scratch terrain in your own kitchens. [Read more…]

Today, I’m sharing Part 2 of my very favorite main dish recipes! Y’all know I love cook (and eat!), so one post didn’t quite cover all my favorites! Let’s dig right in:

Beef:

Crock-pot Cheeseburger Meatloaf – This is quite possibly my favorite meatloaf recipe of all time. And that’s saying a lot! If you don’t want to make this in your crockpot, you can bake in your over for an hour and it’s just as good.

Texas Hash – It may not look appetizing, but it is soon good. It’s a recipe that my kids AND I both love. I always love a hash because it’s easy to throw together for a quick dinner.

MaMa’s Crock Pot Cube Steak – This recipe came from my friend Tia and while it is a little time-intensive, it is worth every single second! If you have not made this before…you need to put it on your meal plan for sure! I do use homemade cream of mushroom soup in this recipe. It cooks all day long and turns into a pot of glorious happiness.

Pressure Cooker Pot Roast – Obviously, I am not paleo…Hello bread.  But I do love a good pot roast! This recipe was really easy and the meat turned out super tender.

Easy Ground Beef Stroganoff – My family and I love easy main dish recipes. This is definitely one of those! Mel’s Kitchen Cafe is a great blog and this recipe is by far the best I’ve ever found.

Pressure Cooker Mongolian Beef – Y’all know I love my pressure cooker! This is one of my favorite pressure cooker recipes. It’s got this rich, flavorful sauce that just soaks in to some fluffy rice perfectly. Barry is a big fan of this recipe.

Mom’s Salisbury Steaks – This is (surprise, surprise) my mom’s recipe. She (oddly enough) uses cornflakes in this recipe. This is the only reason I ever buy cornflakes. LOL. But these are always delicious!

Fish:

Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia – This is one of the few fish recipes I make. My kids always say, “Yum! This is good chicken, mom!” 😉

Salmon Burgers – While I may not be very fond of fish, I don’t mind canned salmon or tuna. These burgers a fun alternative to my usual tuna melt.

Pasta:

Super Easy Skinny Veggie Crock Pot Lasagna – this recipe is almost exactly like my Crock Pot lasagna,  except it uses vegetables instead of meat. It’s delicious. We love having this meatless meal in our rotation!

Pasta with White Bean Alfredo Sauce. This is from Kitchen Stewardships’ Everything Bean cookbook. We love this pasta! I always puree the beans and my kids don’t even know they are in there! It’s a great meatless meal option.

Italian Chicken Casserole – This is a really old recipe from Tasty Kitchen, The Pioneer Woman’s contribution site. We love it, and it travels well, if you have to take a dish to an event.

Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole – I feel like I have shared this recipe with y’all 700 times. But I can’t help it. We just love it! It’s perfect to take to church potlucks or to bring to new moms. We also love that it is a meatless meal!

Spaghetti Comodoro with Homemade 15 Minute Meatballs – This recipe had me at 15 minute meatballs. Seriously awesome!

Light Fettuccini Alfredo – Don’t get me wrong, I love a good Fettuccine Alfredo. But this recipe is so creamy and delicious, but not as heavy as some the recipes out there. I love that we never feel “heavy” after eating this.

One Pot Spaghetti – This is one of the most popular main dish recipes on my blog – I mean, HANDS down. It’s easy, delicious and super affordable to make.

The Pioneer Woman’s Cajun Chicken Pasta – It’s no secret that I absolutely love The Pioneer Woman. Every recipe of hers that I have ever tried has been delicious! And this one is my favorite recipes of hers of ALL Time. It’s incredibly good!

Sandwiches:

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs – This recipe was adapted from Everyday with Rachel Ray. My kids absolutely love these. They are basically pizza muffins – how can you go wrong? These make a fun dinner for family movie night.

Bacon Cheeseburger Quesadillas – These are so simple and delicious. You can go wrong with bacon. And cheeseburgers. AND quesadillas!

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps – Another family favorite that is perfect for summer time. These are very flavorful – just so, so good!

BLT Quesadilla Wrap – This one is a fun twist on a traditional Mexican quesadilla and it’s a great meal in the summertime!

Mini Corndog Muffins – This is a special treat meal that I make for my kids sometimes. I know hot dogs are still processed meat, but I buy uncured nitrate/nitrite free beef hot dogs at Walmart and feel better about feeding those to my family.

Mexican:

Gringa Mexican Rice – This is one of my newer main dish recipes that I’ve recently started making and I must say…everyone loves it! Rice, meat, and corn – it’s simple and really yummy.

7-Layer Dip Burritos – Y’all – this recipe will blow your mind. Seriously. These are delicious.

Best Chicken Enchilada Recipe Ever – I know it’s hard to believe that these are actually the best enchiladas ever…but I have made A LOT of them and these are just so, so good

Soups, Salad, and More:

Crock-Pot Cincinnati Chili –  I’ve gotten a lot of emails from people from Cincinnati who tell my chili is not ACTUALLY true Cincinnati chili because it has no cocoa powder in it. But just keeping it real y’all, I prefer mine without it. And also, because I get asked this a lot, Cincinnati chili is TOTALLY different from regular chili – and you eat it over noodles instead of cornbread.

Cornbread Salad – This recipe is almost too easy to be considered a recipe! It’s just crumbled cornbread with ranch and whatever veggies you’ve got on hand. We love it and make it a lot in the summer time.

Egg Salad – Nothing fancy about my recipe, but it’s one of my go-to main dish recipes for the summer time when I don’t want to crank up the oven.

Crock-pot Beanie Weenies – For some reason this super simple dish is a kid favorite in my house. And I love that it doesn’t take much effort and just cooks in the Crock Pot all day.

Broccoli Cheddar Baked Potatoes – I realize this doesn’t sound like it should be one of my main dish recipes, but it’s a great affordable and delicious meatless meal option. It’s very filling! I cut the milk in half whenever I make this recipe because I like my cheese sauce to stand up and walk. If you prefer a runnier cheese sauce, then go ahead and make it as the recipe is written.

Phew! And now I’m hungry for dinner 😉

Comment below with your favorite main dish recipes and let me know if you think there is something I should add to my collection.

I have several requests to talk about my favorite recipes by category so today we’ll get into my favorite main dish recipes! I will have to split this category up into two posts (click here for part 2)…because it would be WAY too long to do in just one.

One of my tricks for meal planning is having easy access to ALL my favorite and most-used recipes.

To make things convenient, I print them out and store the recipes in page protectors in a 3-inch binders. I divide them up by category (breakfast, dinner, etc.) When I make my meal plan, I chose one or two new recipes and then the rest are old standbys from the binder. I clean it out a few times a year to make room for new recipes we try and love. Here are my Favorite Main Dish Recipes! [Read more…]

In this family, we really enjoy Crock Pot Lasagna. I even have a Black Bean version in my Crock On Cookbook. This is just another doozy to add to my arsenal. It’s great for serving to company. Let’s hop to it! [Read more…]

One thing you probably already know about me is that I have quite the collection of cookbooks. I know I can find recipes online with the swipe of a finger. But there’s something about holding one of my favorite cookbooks in my hands, flipping through the pages… well trying to, because let’s be honest… they’re often stuck together with oats and syrup. But I just love my cookbooks. [Read more…]

One thing y’all have to know about me…I love me some leftovers.

There is almost nothing better than knowing you don’t have to worry about what’s for lunch because you’ve got leftovers in the fridge! And because I would love to make your lives easier too, I’ve got some easy tips for reheating leftovers that I would love to share.

Sometimes lunch sneaks up on me and the little people are hungry, but there’s no food prepped. That’s why I cook extra food! I actually try to intentionally cook more than enough food at meal times so I know that I will have leftovers for lunch the next day. We can have leftovers at lunch here, and I also send some to work with Barry so he doesn’t have to eat out.

I’ve been asked often, “Stacy, how do you reheat leftovers so they actually taste good?”

Today, I’ll share just a few tips for reheating leftovers so you can no longer fear them. Instead you can embrace leftovers and actually plan your menu in advance to ensure that you have them. [Read more…]