Ranch Chicken & Smashed Potatoes

Combine: 3/4 cup crushed cornflakes. 3/4 cup parmesan cheese. 1 packet of hidden valley ranch dressing mix. Dip 8 chicken halves in melted butter and then roll in cornflake mix. Place in greased 9x13 pan. Bake @ 350 for 45 min.

My modifications:
I used Fresh Parmesan Flakes
I cooked it on the same temp as the potatoes so the chicken got extra crispy 
Also added a little bit more ranch seasoning

The reviews:
All around delicious! Asher must have said 5 times "mommy this is really good"

Ingredients

• 12 whole New Potatoes (or Other Small Round Potatoes)
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt To Taste
• Black Pepper To Taste
• Rosemary (or Other Herbs Of Choice) To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.

On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.

With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.

Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)

Bake in a 425 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

The Reviews:

Really yummy! I did turn on the broiler for 2 minutes after I removed the chicken just to crunch them up a bit more. We also had 4 red potatoes and then a bunch of little potatoes so used what we had in the kitchen. (that is why there are yellow and white potatoes in my picture) 

Dorito Chicken

Mexican Dorito Casserole 
Serves 4-6

2 c. shredded cooked chicken
1 c. shredded cheese (or more if you are a cheese hound)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes (canned tomatoes with jalepenos-mild)
1/2 packet taco seasoning (or more- to taste)
Bag of doritos

1. Pre-heat oven to 350-f degrees.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except doritos.

3. In a greased 2 qt baking dish, put a layer of crushed doritos (about 2 cups), then a layer of the chicken mixture. Repeat once more, ending with a layer of chicken mixture. Top with more shredded cheese, cover, and bake for 30-35 minutes, till bubbling hot.

My modifications:
My only modification: I used the rest of the rotisserie chicken from Monday night. 


Reviews:
All 4: Big thumbs up!!

I totally forgot to take a picture but, it was totally yummy!

Chicken Crescent Roll Casserole

2 (8 ounce) cans Reduced Fat Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup, undiluted
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese or swiss cheese (or any cheese of choice)
1/2 cup milk
Filling

4 ounces cream cheese (very soft) * I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese*
2 tablespoons butter (very soft but not melted)
1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tsp minced onion flakes
2 large cooked chicken breasts, finely chopped (or use about 2 cups, can use cooked turkey)
1/2-3/4 cup finely grated cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper (or to taste)
2 Tbsp. milk
1-2 cup grated cheddar cheese (for topping)

Set oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 dish with cooking spray. Mix together milk, 3/4 cup cheese and undiluted chicken soup (can season with black pepper if desired).

For the filling --- (make certain that the cream cheese and butter are very soft) in a bowl, mix the soft cream cheese with butter until very smooth, then add in garlic powder. Add in the chopped chicken, onion and cheddar cheese; mix well until combined. Add in 2 tablespoons milk; mix to combine (add in a little more if the mixture seems too dry). Season with seasoned salt or white and black pepper to taste. Unroll the crescent rolls. Place 1 heaping tablespoon chicken mixture (or a little more) on top of each crescent triangle, then roll up starting at the thicker end. Drizzle a small amount of soup mixture on the bottom of the dish. Then place the crescent rolls seam-side down on top of the creamed mixture in the casserole.
Drizzle the remaining sauce on top (you don't have to use the full amount of cream sauce, just use as much as desired) and sprinkle with 1 cup (or more) grated cheese, or amount desired. Bake for about 30 minutes.

My changes:

I used a fresh 1/4 cup yellow onion instead of minced onion flakes

Garlic Salt instead of powder

Only half a can of cream of chicken soup

Rotisserie chicken (usually this is cheaper then chicken breasts and tastier in recipes like this)

I let the cheese brown on top so it would be a bit crispier (Jeff doesn't love soggy)

Reviews:

Jeff: liked it and is now on the remake list

Aly & Asher: Mostly liked it... should have diced the onion a bit more

Me: Definitely a comfort food meal will add it to the fall/ winter recipe list

Let's give it a shot

Life is a bit hectic but, I love cooking and menu planning for my family. I get asked quite often to share my weekly menu and the recipes. I have been thinking of a few different ways to do this and I finally decided to do it on a blog. Pinterest is a great place to get recipes but, where do you begin once you pin the lovely pin, especially if you don't have the time to open all of your pins and see what recipes work for your budget and things that actually taste good. I will post my husband and my kids reviews of easy meal as well (they don't mind being Guinea Pigs :). I am a mom of 3 on a budget so although the meals I make are low cost they are still super yummy. I believe there is a common misconception that good food means "BIG" grocery bill. Also being a mom of three means that I don't have an hour to stand in the kitchen to prepare a meal. I work full-time and value spending time with my kiddos so my nights cannot be consumed with me in the kitchen. 

I plan on posting my menu for the week every Sunday night. I am still trying to figure out the best way to post the recipes (any tips would be helpful) I will review the recipes as often as possible with what the family thought, modifications that I made, and how long it took from start to finish. I have two freebie nights Friday night is always Pizza night and Sundays is usually leftovers because we are at church most of the day. I also obviously don't cook when my hubby takes us out to dinner. But, since going out to dinner is usually a last minute decision I always have a meal planned for that night. I love crock pot meals, grilling in the summer, and meals that both my husband and I and the kids will enjoy. I will be the first to tell you that I have recipe failures often but, I love experimenting and trying new things and changing up recipes to be better. 

My budget to feed our family is $350 a month. This includes EVERYTHING (breakfast, snacks, lunches, dinner, guilty pleasure treats once in awhile, and formula when needed). Remember ALWAYS shop in your pantry before going to the store. 

Please feel free to comment with recipe changes or email me your menu for the week and I can post it. I believe this can be really helpful for all of us stuck in the spaghetti rut! 

Let's see how this goes! It should be fun (at least for me)

--Marlys

Week of 8/20 Menu
(this week has a bunch of chicken because that is what was in the freezer)

Monday 8/20 Chicken Crescent Rol Casserole w/ Caesar Salad
Tuesday 8/21 Brats w/ Macaroni Salad
Wednesday 8/22 Crispy Ranch Chicken w/ Green Chili Corn
Thursday 8/23 Green Chili Cheeseburgers w/ Potato Salad
Friday 8/24 PIZZA NIGHT
Saturday 8/25 Mexican Dorito Casserole w/ Lime refried beans