Mushroom Swiss Burger

Another Easy, Cheap meal. LOL, do you see a trend here. Can you tell I'm always looking for an economical, easy, healthful dinner to throw together.

Here is our Mushroom Swiss Burger.
(We eat pretty much all our burgers without the bun. It's something I learned to do long ago when I was on a mission to loose weight. So any burger recipe you'll see of mine will be bun less.)

Whatcha Need.
1 lb of ground hamburger (All recipes say this will make 4 burgers. I can only get three good size burgers out of 1 lb of hamburger) seasoned and shaped into hamburger patties
1 Small jar of sliced mushrooms (Drained)
1/2 Onion, sliced
Swiss Cheese for top
Seasoning...Salt, Pepper, McCormick Hamburger Seasoning.


Whatcha do with it.
Cook Hamburger Patties in Skillet. I usually do about 7-8 min per side. I like well done burgers. Once done remove and set to the side.



Saute Sliced Onion and mushrooms in skillet until they are tender.


Return Hamburger Patties to skillet and top with cheese until melted and warmed through. Once cheese is melted, plate it up with the sauteed onions and mushrooms on top. Viola, serve with salad and you've got yourself a winner.



Oh and here are the boys. Not a fan of sauteed onion and mushrooms so they split a hamburger. They also get a side of salad and cheese.

Crock Pot...Pot Roast

This one is for the boys. They all LOVE it. This is probably the first thing I ever made in my crock pot. Since then, the crock pot has become almost as important in my kitchen as our stove. I use it ALL the time and I have a feeling as the boys get older I'll use it even more when trying to juggle schedules.

So here is the Crock Pot, Pot Roast.

Whatcha Need
2 lb roast. (I buy on sale and freeze them. I always have one or two in the freezer.)
2 handful of carrots
4 potatoes cut up into quarters
1 onion cut up (for some reason on this day I forgot the onion.)
1 onion soup Lipton packet sprinkled over roast
3/4 cup Beef stock or water poured over roast
Seasonings...Salt, Pepper and whatever ya like.
(Sorry no pic of ingredients.)

Whatcha do with it
Throw it in the crock pot. It doesn't get easier than that.
Here is what mine looks like before it's cooked.



Set the crock pot on low for 8 hours and viola....ya got dinner.
(Don't go over 8 hours for a two pound roast)

Canadian Bacon Fettuccine Alfredo

EASY, EASY, EASY and CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP and FAST, FAST, FAST!!!!!

I don't make this a whole lot. It's super easy and cheap to make...and it's a favorite in our house, but I know it's not good for us. I try not to serve it with bread and usually do a green vegetable instead. It makes me feel a little better knowing we are eating a vegetable with this super bad for us meal.

This is a great meal to have on hand at all times. I always have the Fettuccine Noodles and Alfredo Sauce in the pantry and Canadian Bacon in the freezer. It's great to have for the nights when I get home too late to make what I originally wanted or if we need to throw together something quick.

Whatcha Need
1 lb Fettuccine Noodles
1 Jar of your favorite Alfredo sauce. I usually stick with whatever is on sale.
1 Package of Canadian Bacon
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Flour
Milk to make a rue. (Not Pictured)


Whatcha do with it

Cook pasta...while the pasta is in the water cut Canadian Bacon into bite size pieces and warm it up in skillet.


Pull Canadian Bacon out and set aside. Let's make a rue.
2 Tbsp Butter Melted + 2 Tbsp Flour + Milk to make a cream sauce...ya know the universal rue :o) It coats the back of the spoon (seasoned with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning)


Add the One jar of Alfredo sauce and Canadian bacon back into the skillet.
**My sister asked why I make a rue and also use a jar of alfredo. I use both because a jar of alfredo doesn't seem to go far enough for an entire package of Fettuccini and the rue makes it a lot richer and creamier sauce for the dish. **


Add the cooked pasta to the cream/Alfredo mixture


Season with Italian Seasoning, lots of pepper, and nutmeg ...Stir together


YUMMMMMMMM...we served with good ole Green Trees (or broccoli for those who don't have toddlers.)

Taco Dip

OK, I can't say enough about this casserole. It's been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. I've modified my moms version just a little. I've attempted to make it a little more healthful, but I don't know how well I've succeeded at that. I defend it's nutrition in that a little goes a long way and you get full pretty quick.

This is often a meal we have on Monday nights in the fall cause this goes great with a Beer and Football!!!!

Taco Dip

Whatcha Need...
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans (I get the kind with jalapenos added)
1 can re fried beans (this can easily be omitted)
Taco Seasoning
1 can of condensed Cheddar cheese soup (OK, I know this is probably terrible for you, but I've tried to make it without it and it's just not the same)
1 Cup shredded Mexican cheese
Tortilla Chips



Whatcha do with it
Brown ground beef and onion until done.
Add one packet of Taco seasoning (Omit the water it calls for on the back of the package)
Add Black beans and pinto beans to ground beef mixture.


Poor Beef/Bean mixture into casserole dish that has a very thin layer of crushed up tortilla chips
(Sorry no Pic)

Add layer of re fried beans to casserole
Add layer of canned cheese soup to casserole


Looks something like this before putting it in oven.


Bake at 400 degrees for 15 min.

Top with extra shredded cheese and bake for an additional 15 minutes.


Serve with Tortilla Chips, sour cream and salsa.

Cheesy Chicken Skillet

Here is another super easy meal to throw together. Really economical too, we always have left overs that Josh usually takes to lunch with him. I'm doing lots of economical meals right now since I'm trying to stock up our outdoor freezer and save money for when I'm off work with Jacob.

Whatcha Need...
1 lb chicken (cut into bite sized pieces)
2 cups of pasta
1 1/4 cups salsa
1 cup corn (I would add a bell pepper too, but Josh and Justin dislike them.)
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese (didn't make it in the picture)



Whatcha do with it all...
Cook the 2 cups pasta

While the pasta is cooking cook chicken in big skillet, season with salt, pepper and McCormick Hamburger seasoning. Cook about 10 minutes or until chicken is done.


Add the 1 1/4 cup mild salsa and 1 cup of corn to the cooked chicken



Drain cooked pasta and add to chicken, salsa, corn mixture.


Stir in one cup of shredded cheese


This is whatcha get...
A yummy, quick, and filling dinner. Pretty healthful, not one of the best though. I know it's under 500 calories a serving though, because I rarely make anything that's over 500 cal a serving.