Tatertot casserole

This one is easy to make, with little prep time, but it does take an hour to cook! Meat? Good! Potatos? Good! Serve with a side of veggies and it's dinner time!


Ingredients:

1 lb Ground Turkey
2 lb bag of frozen tater tots
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 can of 2% milk (1 can of evaporated milk for a richer flavor)
paprika
1/2 lb shredded colby jack (if desired.)

Directions:

1. Brown the ground turkey, Season to taste, and drain. (I used onion powder, garlic powder, salt & pepper)

2. Layer the turkey in a 9X13 baking dish

3. Top the turkey layer with the 2 lb. bag of frozen tots.

4. Mix both cans of soup with 1 can of milk, and pour onto the dish, covering all tots.

5. Top with a light sprinkle of paprika, and 1/2 lb of shredded cheese if you'd like.

6. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and let set 15 minutes before serving.

Mexican Lasagna

This is a very simple version of this dish, because I have kids with sensory issues when it comes to food, so we try to keep the textures simple! You can also add things like peppers, black olives, mexi-corn, whole balck beans, pico de gallo, diced tomatos, etc. to suit your taste. I often add a dollop of sour cream to the top of mine, although no one else in the house will...except maybe Aiden. He'll eat anything!


 
Ingredients:

1 lb. ground meat
1 can refried beans (I used the Meijer organics Black mean and pepper style)
1 can enchilada sauce
1 lb of shredded cheese (colby jack, Mexican blend, or whatever you prefer)
1 package of small corn tortillas
1 pkt. Taco seasoning

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9 X 13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray or prefered greasing method.

2. Cut 12 tortillas in half. Lay 2 whole tortillas in the center of the 9 X 13 pan, and line the outside edges with 6 halves per layer.

3. brown ground meat with taco seasoning and can of beans.

4. Layer 1/3 can of enchilada sauce to lightly coat all tortilas. Spread 1/3 of meat & bean mixture on top of the enchi sauce. Top with 1/3 lb. (approx 1 1/3 cups) of shredded cheese.

5. Repeat layering twice more just the same as before :)

6. Cover tightly with foil and bake 45min, or until hot and bubbly.

Let stand covered 15 minutes before serving.

You can also freeze this!

9/12/09 Out of the Darkness Community Walk

enjoy nature...or trying to...

We're in the woods and the peaceful ways of nature have been quite enjoyable. The interruptions have been quite unenjoyable. There's a local pub nearby with a live band...which wouldn't be so bad if they sounded decent.

Testing Blogger mobile

Testing out the Blogger mobile from my phone for the 1st time today! I'm sure it will post as a friggin Facebook note, because that's how I set up my  blog. Sure wish I could figure out how to remove that feature.

So, here I sit bloggin' from our campsite!

9/4 It's Friday Fragments & Freewrite! (Thanks Liz)

I've been trying to figure out this whole blog thing, and as I read Eternal Lizdom today it occurs to me that many bloggers have days where they have a set blog theme. The two Mems above are linked to the bloggers who have started the Friday Freewrite and Friday Fragment movements, so be sure to visit them for inspiration too! 
This may be the best bloggin' idea I've found in 10 years, LOL! I've not been in the blog scene with any matter of consistency. How can I make Facebook and IMLM a priority and not make my writing a priority here? We'll see how this helps!

Now...onto todays Fragments!

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Do you ever just get so tired of feeling like you will never dig yourself out of debt? I know I do. No matter how small the debt is it seems to always be there! From medical bills, to taxes, to unexpected home repairs...it's never ending! 
If I could turn back time to before the kids got used to the way we live I'd move into a tent and just live off the land. I can't stand it when I think we are finally getting afloat only to find that one child needs xrays, and another needs a tooth pulled, and another is overdue for his EKG. 
I just thought life was supposed to be easier in America than this! Lots of life lessons to teach my kids I suppose. Paying on student loans up until my oldest starts college has been a huge eye opener for me. I will work to pay for my kids educations if it kills me to avoid them having to face the stresses of student loans for the next 15 years of their adult lives! I'll also be sure they understand the expense of continuing education and to not take it lightly! Know what you want to be when you grow up before you start! None of this switching Majors 6 times stuff!

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~I would love to find time to have a yard sale in the coming weeks so I can reclaim my garage before winter! I have been purging and purging the kids rooms, the kitchen, basically everywhere...and I still have tons more. Every time I purge I look around and think "That should have gone. So should have this." It's another seemingly never ending facet of life!

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~I have been contemplating quitting my job for months now. Last night I jumped to the other end of the spectrum. Seems like I think I now need a 2nd job in an effort to pay off some debt. I don't know what to do. I would need something part-time working in the evenings, preferably at 7pm so I can do homework with the kids and attend all the weekend daytime sporting events with my children. I don't know what kind of job would offer such hours, but I am on the hunt!

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I've been having the hardest time getting Andrew to be more organized with his school paperwork. His responsibility level has not matured past age 5. It becomes more noticeable as his siblings get older. Seeing his 7 y/o brother and 10 y/o sister mature over the past year has really shown us just how behind he is in social skills too. While I completely relate to the way his brain works, as mine is much the same, I cannot figure out why he doesn't try harder. Instead he just cries, sulks, whines, complains, and placed blame. It's always the teachers fault, the siblings fault, etc.

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I have this hideously ugly bathroom that needs retiled. I would love to do it myself. I thought about watching craigslist for some free tile postings, since I cannot spend on such things right now. I wonder what the chances are that I'd find some? I once needed mulch and I found that a business had posted free mulch on craigslist and when I called it was already gone. Bummer!

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Well, that's it for my Friday posting. I have a Mommymoon Network board meeting at 10:30. This one is a live chat online, so I get to work in my Jammies. Yay!

Have a great day!

Leticia



 

A month without spending?

In an effort to pay off some medical bills I have decided to try out a month of no extras as suggested by Suz Orman. No more picking up a stocking stuffer here or there. No more picking up clearance clothing for next season. No extras!

This is going to be extremely challenging for me because the way I spend is how we save money, but I need to see the savings right now instead of next season, or next holiday.

So, I plan to inventory the pantry today, plan meals around what we have on hand, do all of my shopping at Aldi to discourage impulse buys, clearance racks, and to save $$ on some meats. If I see a meat sale at a Kroger or Marsh I may go there as well since they don't sell clothes, and much in the way of toys, etc.

This is going to be a rough challenge. I plan to blog my daily results if I find there's much to chat about with it.

Wish me (us) luck!