Mock Chicken Cordon Bleu

I should state right up front that this blog has nothing to do with nutrition. Scotty and I are awful at eating veggies. It's just not our strong suit. If I mention a meal and include a vegetable in the rundown, he'll probably tell me he doesn't want the entire meal. Anyway, this meal is definitely not what you would call low-fat, but it's a favorite of mine! It started when I was in in high school taking French class. I was assigned to bring Chicken Cordon Bleu for Food Day. Well, my mom made it her own! And, I've changed it a bit from what she did back then...because I'm lazy!

Mock Chicken Cordon Bleu

Preheat 350

Ingredients:

Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts

Sliced Swiss Cheese (I buy the pre-sliced packages)

Two 26 ounce cans of Cream of Chicken Soup

1/2 pint of heavy whipping cream (you can use milk in a pinch, but it just won't be AS good)

7-14 ounces of chicken broth

Canadian Bacon (optional)

Boil the chicken until the outside is no longer raw. I don't worry too much about it being cooked all the way through, because I'm going to bake it, too. However, I often forget to defrost, so I just toss them in frozen. Meanwhile, pour Cream of Chicken Soup, whipping cream, three torn up slices of swiss cheese, and about 7ounces of broth into a pan to warm and melt cheese and combine ingredients. **You may want to use less broth if you use regular milk. When the chicken is white on the outside, place into a 13x9 pan coated with cooking spray and top with slices of swiss cheese (and Canadian Bacon if you choose). Bake for a few minutes to melt cheese in place. Once the cheese is melted, pour the sauce over the chicken and bake for 30-45 minutes until bubbly. My brother loves this meal with mashed potatoes, but I prefer rice! Whichever you choose, the sauce makes an awesome gravy! Enjoy - just don't count the calories or sodium content.

Last Grocery Total and Beef Enchilada Recipe

So, I've been really lousy at tracking my grocery expenses and sharing what I've purchase. I spent $170 on the last two weeks in groceries. This rate of spending will get me in under $350, so I'm happy with that. I have to admit there's no way this will happen in the month of December. I have 4 Christmases!!! It's just not gonna happen. So, my New Year's resolution will be to maintain this blog more completely. AND, to meet my budgeting goals better. This may include trips to Wichita to shop at Aldi's. Anyway, here's the first recipe of the night. Yes! I said first. There will be a bonus recipe later this evening.

Beef Enchiladas
Preheat 350

Ingredients:
Ground Beef
Taco Seasoning
Tortialla shells (We don't like corn tortillas, so we use flour Azteca shells)
2-4 cups of shredded cheese (I use the shredded Mexican style cheese)
2 cans of mild enchilada sauce

This recipe is so easy! And, kids love it. I usually make 2 pounds of taco meat at a time, and I freeze the excess. That's generally what I'm using to make enchiladas, so this meal is even easier!

Pour a thin layer of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Simply stuff the tortillas with beef and cheese to the amount of your liking. Roll them up, and line them in the pan. Pour sauce over the top of enchiladas, making sure they're completely covered. Top with shredded cheese to taste. I also then sprinkle a little of the beef on top of the cheese. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes,and it's done! These are great to freeze and eat later. I enjoy them even more left over!!

Check back later tonight for the bonus recipe! It's a fave!

Confessions of a Tuesday Night Snack Tray

I must confess that when I embarked on my first shopping trip two weeks ago, I spent $200. The problem? Do you remember my MONTHLY goal? It was to spend $200. I broke the bank for two weeks. And, tonight, the night before I head out for another two week long shopping spree, I crashed. I took a fifteen minute nap and woke up with a hankering for a "snack tray". We went to Wal-Mart and spent nearly $40 on games and snacks for dinner tonight. It was a grand affair. I'm only admitting this because I ran into my cousin while I was there and her first question was, "Are you gonna mention this on your blog?" So, here you go, Kerri. My snack tray confession.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, here's the  two week menu I plan to shop for tomorrow:

Quesadillas
Pork Chops
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Shrimp & Pasta
Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese
Bierocks
Meatloaf
Pork Tenderloin
Spaghetti
Chili Dogs
Creamy Chicken & Rice
Breakfast
Fish

This endeavor - especially with the documentation for the blog - requires a lot of planning and effort. I sort out my coupons I plan to use before I leave for the store, and I take a calculator along to track where I'm at as I make my way around the store. I think this keeps me from impulse shopping. I did save $15 on my $200 shopping trip by using coupons. Go me! However, I plan to try to split my shopping trip tomorrow into three parts rather than two. . I'm hoping to save even more money by adding in a stop at Dollar General before hitting Wal-Mart and finishing up at Braums.

I think I really over compensated last time I shopped. I was terrified I'd have to go back to the store, so that might have been part of the problem with my spending. Over half the meals I have planned for the next two weeks are mostly stocked in the house, so I expect this trip to be much better! I guess we'll see...

The Launch!

I recently quit my full-time job with a commitment to my husband that I would cook more. It's the end of the second week, and I'm also nurturing a conviction that we should spend less money. I've read blogs and seen television shows about families of 6 eating on $65/week or a family of 8 spending $350/month on everything including paper goods and HBA. So, my goal is to get our grocery bill down to $200/month and refrain from repeating meals as long as possible. To begin, I've developed a starting list of meals we are willing to eat in our home. We are horrible with veggies, and I am pickier than my hubs. Here's the list! Feel free to comment with other suggestions. I'm only listing the main dish (in no order), but will list everything when I begin to post my menus (sometimes with recipes) before I shop for two weeks of groceries at a time. Enjoy!

Paninis
Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
Beef Enchiladas
Chicken Parmesan
Chicken Fried Steak
Meatloaf
Quesadillas
Creamy Chicken & Rice
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Pork Cutlets
Pork Chops
Breakfast Pizza
Chinese Food (I know this is vague!)
Meatball Subs
Tater Tot Casserole
Porcupine Meatballs
Steak
Roasted Chicken
Roast or Brisket
Taco Soup
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Twice Baked Potatoes
Italian Chicken
Nachos
Tacos
Lasagne
Shrimp & Pasta
Fish
Soup & Grilled Cheese
Salad
Beef & Noodles
Breakfast Food
Chicken & Dumplings
Ribs
Chili Dogs
Pigs in a Blanket
Taco Bake
Salisbury Steak
Chicken Pot Pie
Cheeseburgers
Fried Chicken
Calzones
Bierocks
BBQ Chicken
Chicken Nuggets
Montereys
Ham
Bratwursts

Meals to make for Hubs when I'm not home: Chili, Goulash, Shepherd's Pie

I'll be out, but will be attempting to build my first 2 week long menu next Friday!