Freezer to Oven Lasagna Casserole

What you Need:
1 Box of Rotini Noodles
1/2 Carton Fat Free Cottage Cheese
1 PKG Fat Free Italian Cheese
1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce
1 Can Crushed Tomato
1pd Ground Beef (or we use the Morning Star Crumbles for a vegetarian lasagna)

How to Make it:
Boil noodles until tender
Combine cottage cheese and crushed tomatoes until fully mixed
Brown ground beef or warm your Vegetarian Crumbles
LAYER:
Begin layering with the noodles followed by the cottage cheese mixture, the beef or crumbles, spaghetti sauce and top with cheese (add one more layer)

You can either take this straight to the oven at 350 for 30 min or cover tightly and put in the freezer for an easy go to meal.
Today, I doubled the recipe and made one for dinner tonight and the other for the freezer.  I love to cover and write on the top what it is and how to bake it if freezing. 

Why did I not use the regular lasagna noodles?  They weren't on sale! I only buy FREE pasta! If I can't get it free, I don't get it is my rule!!! Rotini was FREE had homeland (2 boxes of Smart Taste with coupon)!!!!!

Broccoli and Tuna Cheese Bake

Before you turn your eyes away from this one, let me say upfront - MY 3 YEAR OLD DEVOURED THIS!!!!
The titel doesn't sound to yummy, but the taste was quite good.  Good enough this mom ate it straight out of the pan instead of washing the left over down the drain.
What you Need:
1 Can of Tuna
1 Pkg of broccoli (thawed and drained)
2 C of Cottage Cheese
1 C Cheddar Cheese
3 Eggs

Layer a baking dish with your broccoli and then add a layer of tuna on top of the broccoli.
Mix the cottage cheese, cheese and eggs together until you have a saucey substance.
Pour Cheese Mixture evenly over the tuna and Broccoli

Heat at 350 for 20 min

Now, see how easy that was.  It's even easier if you make an extra to freeze so next time your in a rush you can just pop one from freezer to oven.

This was a last minute meal at our house last night.  It was alsi one I had all the ingrediants right there in my own pantry!

Try it out and share your thoughts. 

Tricky Little Cupcakes!

I found this recipe the day before April Fool's Day and made a batch to "trick" my kids and a few of their friends!

For the Mashed Potato and Gravy Cupcakes you will need:
1 Box of White Cake Mix
1 Can of Vanilla Whipped Frosting
Yellow Starburts (as many as cupcakes you make)
1 Bottle of Pour on Carmel Syrup

Cook your cupcakes as directed and allow to cool. After cooling top with Frosting.  Make it lumpy and fun.  Insert and Yellow Starburt in the middle and drizzle with Carmel syrup!

For the Peas and Carrots on top of Mashed Potatoes Cupcakes you will need:
1 Box of White Cake Mix
1 Can of Vanilla Whipped Frosting
1 Box of Mike and Ike Candy's (not tropical go with the regular ones)
Orange Starburts

Cook cupcakes as directed and allow to cool.  After cooling top with frosting.  Make them lumpy and fun! Cut your mike and ikes in half using green ones only.  stick to the top of cupcake. Cut your orange starburt in to small squares.  Place on top of cupcake.  The fuller the  more realistic!

Taco Stuffed Shells

What you will need:
1 Box of Jumbo Pasta Shells (you will use as many as your family needs)
1 can of Santa Fe Philidelphia Cooking Cream
1 Bag of Morning Star Crumbles (or 1 pd of Ground Beef)

What to do:
Boil your noodles until soft and drain

If using ground beef brown your ground beef and then add in the Cooking Cream
If using Crumbles warm them on stove and add cooking cream

Fill each shell to the top with Beef or Crumble filling

Bake on 325 for 15 min

I would make double what you think your family will eat.  Mine ate more than expected! These will also freeze well.

To freeze: Place in an air tight container (the new Pyrex that goes from the freezer to the oven or the glad ones would be perfect).  Allow to thaw in the fridge.  Bake as directed above.

You could mix these up with spaghetti sauce and Beef or Crumbles too.  Although the Shells seem to never be on sale this was still a very inexpensive meal to make.  We served our with Ranch Beans and Chips and Salsa.

This mom hasn't been cooking much!

Well it's hit that time of year where our schedule is as crazy as rush hour in Dallas.  My poor family has eaten alot of Taco Bell, McDonalds, and Cheezie's Pizza.  1 more month and I hope to soon return to the kitchen to cook yummy healthy meals for my family again.

I will be posting over the next few days some recipes that are simple throw it together and chow it down quick meals that we have used on the fortunate nights that the six of us gather together at the table.  Some of these easy meals to come will be Stuffed Taco Shells (sounds fancy, but trust me it's a BREEZE and Cheap!), Bleu Cheese Burgers, and Lasagna Casserole (this one freezes beautifully).

I have also discovered a few simple products out there in the grocery store that will now become stapels in the Fredin Pantry.  I think you will enjoy finding new ways to use them as much as I have.  Old El Paso has come out with Enchillada Stuffers they are found in the Mexican Food Aisle and right now a lot of stores have a rebate you can try them for free with.  We recently bought the Garlic Chicken.  It had CHICKEN AND RICE in the package already and all you do is pop it in the microwave for a few min and stuff away.  We filled Taco Shells the other night with them.  Another new Favorite is Philidelphia Cooking Cream (again you can get this for free at a lot of stores right now with the $1.50 off coupon found last month in the paper).  We love the Santa Fe Blend. Our Stuffed Taco Shells Recipe comes from this product.  For my vegetarian friends, we have fallen in love with Morning Star Crumbles! These are a great substituition for Beef in taco's, spaghetti sauce, and even Hamburger Helper!!!!!

Until I cook again, I hope you enjoy the quick simple recipes!

Pizza Cups

The new favorite go to meal of the Fredin's!

This is an easy appetizer if you are looking to make something fun for a Dinner Party or Game Day Party.  This is also a simple go to meal.  This is not only a Fredin favorite, but My best friends husband request these all the time.

What you Need:
1 Can Grands Biscuits
1 Jar pizza Sauce or Italian Spaghetti Sauce will work too
1 pd of ground beef (we use Morning Star Vegetarian Crumbles, so if you're not a Beef eater you can still eat this!)
2 C of mozzerella or Italian Cheese

Form your biscuits in to a oil or butter sprayed muffin pan.  I would let them set in the fridge for about 10 min to hold their form

Cook ground beef (or warm up your crumbles) and add in your sauce.

Scoop enough filling in to reach about the top of each biscuit but not overflowing

Bake according to Biscuit Package.  Sprinkle Cheese on top of each one to your liking and cook for no longer than 5 min.

DELISH!!!! See how simple this was.  I bet it will be a family favorite for you too! (one day I will learn how to make my pictures of food pretty!)