Food!

Lately, I have been doing a lot of cooking and not because of the holidays.  As a matter of fact, I have done very little holiday baking/cooking.  We are trying to keep our eating out budget to a minimum so this requires me to cook more often.  Also, with Jason home during the week, dinner is a must in our house.  Before he was home I would just eat a PB&J or have a bowl of cereal for dinner.  Jack would get a healthy dinner, no worries.

Here is what I have cooked lately:

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Lasagna

Beef Enchiladas (no link.  I doctored a recipe I got from Betty Crocker and made it my own)

Spicy Chex Mix (the ONLY holiday baking I have done) - I double the recipe and add two tablespoons of Tabasco and about two teaspoons of cayenne.  Be warned, it's HOT.

Chicken and Black Bean Burritos (very similar to the linked recipe but in place of the salsa, I used Rotel and then also added a packet of ranch seasoning and some additional spices.  I shredded the chicken and we had it in burritos with a little cheese and salsa)

Spaghetti and Italian Sausages (no link.  If you can't figure out how to cook sausages and heat up sauce, you might be in trouble!)

Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans is what we are having tonight for dinner.

Tomorrow night will probably be leftovers since we still have some of the Chicken Burritos left as well as spaghetti and I know we won't eat a whole meatloaf tonight.

It's hard to plan so many meals during the week.  I am trying to keep them simple and inexpensive.  Simple so I can easily whip up something after I log off work, inexpensive for obvious reasons.

Here is my short list of meals that I want to have in my repertoire:

* Meatloaf and mashed potatoes
* Spaghetti with meatballs/sausages/meat sauce
* Baked chicken with sides
* Pork chops with sides
* Macaroni and cheese (homemade)
* Soup and sandwiches.  Taco Soup is a huge hit in this house
* Red beans and rice
* Casseroles of many varieties:  Tuna, hashbrown, chicken and rice bake etc.
* Breakfast for dinner
* Chicken pot pie (homemade)
* Slow cooker meals!
* Chili and cornbread
* American Chop Suey.  HUGE favorite in this house.

If you can think of any other good and cheap recipes to add to this list, let me know!  I would like to keep a good rotation in the works so we don't get bored. 

I give my sister props because she cooks dinner every night for her hubby, toddler and herself after chasing around an active toddler.  She better respond to this post because I bet she has really good ideas!