Brisket Tacos

I got this recipe for brisket tacos from one of my best friends, Christina, and man I am glad I made it! It was so simple and yet so tasty!

Brisket Tacos
From: my friend, Christina

Ingredients:
Trimmed Brisket
A brisket marinade (I used Claude's barbecue Brisket Marinade Sauce)
Tortillas ( I used flour)
Tomatoes, Cheese or anything else you would like to put on your tacos

Place trimmed brisket in a ziplock bag and pour your marinade sauce over brisket (I used approx 2 oz per pound). Seal bag and refrigerate over night.

Place brisket in a deep cooking pan with marinade, cover with foil and cook at 300F for approx for 4 hours.

( The last 30 minutes or so, I removed the foil cover and cooked the remaining amount uncovered).

Shred brisket while still hot and it is ready for your tacos!

**You could also pour some of the juices from the pan over the meat to add additional flavor and tenderness.

Taco Mac

This was another quick, easy and husband satisfying meal. It is one of those meals you can throw together with basic staples you have in your pantry. I was kind of worried about the point value since the original recipe stated it served 4, but as you can tell from the picture that would be some large servings! I measured it out to be 8 1 cup servings which comes to only 7 points a serving! I served this with a side salad for a filling meal.

Taco Mac
tastykitchen.com

Ingredients

1 pound Ground Beef
1 can Diced Tomatoes (15 Ounce Can)
1 cup Frozen Corn
1 package Taco Seasoning (1 Ounce Package)
2 cups Uncooked Pasta (I Used elbow macaroni)
2 ¼ cups Hot Water
2 cups Shredded Taco Or Mexican Flavored Cheese

Cook ground beef in big skillet over medium-high heat until browned. Drain if necessary.

Add tomatoes, corn, taco seasoning, pasta and water. Stir together and bring to a boil. Stir once more, cover and turn down to medium-low heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender.

Turn off heat and add 1 cup cheese and stir. Serve sprinkled with remaining cheese.

Enjoy!

French Dip Sandwiches

As everyone probably knows, I love my crockpot. Roast was on sale the other day, so I picked up two. In attempts to expand my cooking knowledge (I only know how to make pot roast with a roast) I found this recipe for French Dip Sandwiches. This turned out great! It only took five minutes in the morning before work to put it all together and all I had to do was shred and load up on a hoggie when I got home. Now that is a quick dinner!!

French Dip Sandwiches Recipe

by OurBestBites.com

Ingredients

2.5-3 lb. beef roast (I used a frozen roast )

2 Tbsp. olive oil, salt and pepper

2 1-ounce packages dry onion soup mix

2 c. water

2 cans beef broth

6-8 large buns (or more...6 would be VERY generous servings!)

Swiss, provolone, or mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced. (I used mild cheddar slices)

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and rub roast with salt and pepper.

When very hot, carefully place roast in pan and sear on all sides. You're not cooking the meat, you're just browning it quickly on all sides to add flavor and seal in the juices.

Place in crockpot and sprinkle with onion soup mixes. Pour water and beef broth over roast.

Cook 8-10 hours on low or cook 4-5 hours on high and another 3-4 hours on low. It's hard to screw this part up; basically, the longer it cooks, the more tender it will be. But you know it's done when you pop a fork in it and the meat just falls apart. (I put on low for about 10 hours)

When meat is ready, shred with a fork. Place meat in crusty rolls. Top with cheese and broil open-faced in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes, until bread is golden and cheese is melty.

Ladle juices into small cups for dipping and enjoy!

BBQ Meatball Subs

I know, I know-its been forever since I have posted any new recipes. I am so sorry. I really don't have an excuse except I have been on a hiatus of cooking lately. My poor husband! But I'm back and with tons new recipes. This one we just had tonight.
I loved how simple and easy it was to make and definitely was a hit with the husband's taste buds to boot. To be completely honest I am not sure where I got this recipe, but chances are it was from someone on Tastykitchen.com. I love that site! I should also mention that the recipe is really for them to be an appetizer but I decided to make it a meal by putting into hot dog buns. I used turkey meatballs instead of the beef ones to make it a little healthier and point friendly. I served mine on a 1pt hot dog bun and the husband got the regular ol white kind. Per my husbands request, we will be having this one again in the future!

Super Secret Grilled Meatballs
Aprox 4pts (3 meatballs) (*Points will vary with choice of meatballs and buns)

Ingredients
1 cup Your Favorite BBQ Sauce
2 Tablespoons Cajun Seasoning
1 bag (20-24 Oz. Bag) Frozen Meatballs (Plain, Not Italian-style)

Hot Dog Buns

Preparation Instructions
Open the bag of still-frozen meatballs, pour in the bbq sauce and sprinkle the seasoning on top. Close the bag and shake it around to coat the meatballs with the sauce and seasoning. If you need to add more sauce, go ahead now.
Return the bag to your fridge and allow the meatballs to thaw overnight. Turn the bag a few times, if you remember to.
When the meatballs have thawed completely and you’re almost ready to eat, heat your grill to medium/medium-high.
Skewer the meatballs, leaving no space between them.
Cook until the sauce has caramelized, turning once.
Remove from skewers, put on a bun and chow down!

Asian Beef & Noodles

I found this recipe on the WW community board and it looked great! We buy our ground beef at Sam's club in bulk and I have a hard time coming up with different ideas on what to make with it. I thought I would give this one a try. We both loved it and I will be making it again!

Asian Beef and Noodles
From: WW Community Board

Serves 4
~10pts

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef or turkey

2 packages (3 ounces each) Oriental ramen noodles, crumbled

2 ½ cups water

2 cups frozen broccoli stir-fry vegetables

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 Tablespoons thinly sliced green onions (I omitted)

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until no longer pink; drain. Add the contents of one ramen noodle flavoring packet; stir until dissolved. Remove beef and keep warm.

In the same skillet, combine the water, vegetables, ginger noodles, soy sauce and the remaining flavoring packet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Return beef to the pan; cook for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Stir in green onions.

Salisbury Steak

Although this one isn't the most pretty to look at, it definitely packs alot of flavor. My husband loves this one and has already started to request it again for dinner! It does take some time to bake, but the assembly is fairly easy.

Salisbury Steak
approx 8pts
(Half recipe, but make 4 patties, 6pts if make 5 patties)
From: http://marinscreations.blogspot.com/

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten1 small onion, minced
1 26 oz. OR 2 10.75 oz. cans of cream of mushroom
1 envelope onion soup mix

In a bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, and onion.

Form into 5-6 patties.

In a separate bowl, combine cream of mushroom and onion soup mix.

Place patties in a lightly greased 9X13 pan and pour soup mixture over patties.

Place foil over pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees. Remove foil the last 30 minutes.

Baked Shells with Pesto, Mozzarella, and Meat Sauce

We really enjoyed this dish. I am a huge lover of pasta so am always on the lookout for new, fun recipes. My husband isn't the biggest fan of pesto, but with the combination of the tomatoes, it wasn't strong and he really enjoyed this one. I did make the adjustments that were suggested by Cooking This and That as noted below. Enjoy!

Baked Shells with Pesto, Mozzarella, and Meat Sauce
From: http://cookingthisandthat.blogspot.com/
amounts adapted from Food & Wine
Makes about 8 servings
10pts/serving
**Probably should half recipe
**Add some tomato sauce

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 package (usually about 1.25 pounds) ground beef
28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup store-bought or homemade pesto
1 pound medium pasta shells
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat either a 15 x 10 baking dish or two 8 x 8 baking dishes with cooking spray.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally until it starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until meat is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Drain off any excess fat.

Add the tomatoes and salt to the pan and bring to a simmer. Cook until most of the liquid evaporates, about 10-12 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and stir in pesto.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente as directed on package, about 7-8 minutes. Drain and toss with the sauce.

If using a 15 x 10 dish: Put half of the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with one cup mozzarella and 3 tablespoons of the Parmesan. Repeat with the remaining pasta, mozzarella, and Parmesan.

If using two 8 x 8 dishes: Put 1/4 of the pasta mixture in each of the prepared dishes. Top each with 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1 1/2 tablespoons Parmesan. Repeat layers in each dish.
Bake until bubbling and slightly browned on top, about 15 minutes.

Crock Pot Pasta Fagioli

As winter approaches, I tend to turn to my crock pot for most our dinners. I love my crock pot! This was a new recipe that I am glad I tried. It was warm, delicious and very filling. It taste alot like the Pasta Fagioli soup from Olive Garden. It made a ton so if you aren't cooking for a large group, I would try to half the recipe. Definitely a remake!

Crock Pot Pasta Fagioli

From: A Year of Slow Cooking

Ingredients.

1 pound lean ground beef, browned and drained

1/2 large red onion, chopped (I just put in onion powder)

1 cup carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, sliced

2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (and juice)

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed

4 cups beef broth

1 jar (16.5 oz) pasta sauce

2 tsp oregano

1 T Tabasco sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup dry pasta, to add at end of cooking time

Brown the meat on the stove top, and drain well. Let it cool a bit.

Chop up the carrots, onion, and celery. Add it to the empty crock pot. Drain and rinse the beans, and add them. Add the whole cans of tomatoes, and the pasta sauce. Add the beef broth. Add the salt, pepper, oregano, and Tabasco sauce. Stir in your meat.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4. When the vegetables are tender, stir in the 1/2 cup of dry pasta.

Cover and cook for another hour on low, or until the pasta is tender. It will swell quite a bit. Serve with a bit of parmesan cheese if you have it.

**Use a 6 quart or larger crock pot, or cut the recipe in half.

Taco Rice Skillet

This is a great one pot meal for any busy week night supper. It was easy to make and easy to clean up! I definitely recommend this one. My husband got the tortillas out and used it as a filling for a burrito.
Taco Rice Skillet
Serves: 3-4
Approx 8pts (without cheese)
From: http://lovestonom.blogspot.com/

Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped onion (I used onion powder)
1 package taco seasoning
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup salsa
1 cup frozen corn
1 1/2 cups uncooked instant rice
1 cup shredded cheese

In a skillet, cook turkey and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain if necessary.

Stir in taco seasoning, water, salsa and corn; bring to a boil. Add rice. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

Sprinkle with cheese; cover and let stand until the cheese is melted.

Twice Baked Taco Potatoes

Who doesn't love twice baked potatoes and tacos? I thought this recipe sounded delicious and it was! I think I might add some butter or milk to make it a bit more creamy, but over all it was yummy and very filling. The husband also love it (which is a plus). I served it with a side salad with low fat ranch.

Twice Baked Taco Potatoes
1 Potato= 4 points
From: http://www.freewebs.com/raggedyann/familyfriendlyrecipes.htm

Ingredients:
4 medium potatoes-baked and scooped out. Save the shell
1/2 cup salsa (or more to taste)
1Cup chicken breast chicken taco meat (I used lean ground beef)
1/2 Cup chopped green onions
FF cheddar cheese shredded ( I place a slice of ff cheese on each one)
FF sour cream

After you've scooped out the potatoes, mix the potato guts, salsa, chicken meat, and onions.

Put the mix back into the potato shells, and bake for about 20 minutes in a 325 degree oven.

Top with 1 TBSP cheese, and 1 TBS FF sour cream if you like. Enjoy!

Mexican Shepard's Pie

This recipe was great! I loved it. My husband added some more cheese to it, but he is a cheese guy. I loved it as is. The portion size was huge and for low points. It was pretty easy to assemble for a weeknight dinner. I might use a packet of taco seasoning next time to give it a bit more of a Mexican flavor, but definitely a remake!


Mexican Shepherd's Pie
From WW Community Board
Servings 8
Estimated Points per serving 6

Ingredients
1 medium onion ( I used onion powder)
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb extra lean ground beef
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp black pepper
8 oz can tomato sauce
15 oz can diced tomatoes
8 oz can diced green chili peppers
15 oz can dark red kidney beans, drained
2 boxes Jiffy Corn Bread Mix
1 8oz bag reduced fat Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese

Instructions

1. In a skillet, saute onion, garlic, and diced red pepper until tender

2. Add ground beef, chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook until ground beef is browned

3. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, diced green chili peppers, and drained kidney beans to meat mixture. Simmer until warmed

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

5. In a bowl, mix Jiffy Corn Bread mixes per package instructions

6. In a baking dish/pan, spread the meat mixture on the bottom

7. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of the meat mixture

8. Pour Corn Bread batter on top of the shredded cheese, spreading evenly

9. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the Corn Bread is golden brown. Enjoy!

Barbecued Ribs

Ribs were on sale at Kroger the other week, so I decided to pick some up. Who doesn't love ribs? I have never used the same recipe for ribs more than once. I found this recipe in my Better Homes and Garden Cookbook. It was good and my husband loved them. It isn't' exactly what I am looking for. I am still looking for that perfect oven baked ribs recipe. Although the recipe is really easy, I may try to make a few changes next time. Just haven't figured out what yet.
Barbecued Ribs
From: Better Homes and Garden Cookbook
Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients:
3 to 4 pounds pork loin back ribs
3/4 cup catsup
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 cup finely chopped onion ( I omitted)

1. If desired, cut ribs into serving-size pieces. In a large shallow roasting pan place the ribs with the bone sides down. Bake, covered, in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Carefully drain off liquid in roasting pan.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine the catsup, water, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, chili powder, black pepper, salt and red pepper. Stir in onion. Pour mixture over ribs. bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes more or until ribs are tender, basting once with sauce. Pass sauce with ribs.

Nutrition Facts per serving: 298 cal, 15g total fat, 1g fiber

BBQ Meatballs

I got this recipe from the famous Pioneer Woman's website and like always she never fails to give a great recipe. My husband loved this meal and said that the leftovers were even better! It was fairly easy to make. I think next time I will keep them in the freezer a bit longer because some of my meatballs fell apart when I tried to brown them. But never fail, over all it was a success! I made about 23 large sized meatballs, and surprisingly they were fairly low in points. You can probably make some more adjustments or smaller meatballs for lower points. I served these with some mashed potatoes. Yummy!

(My husbands plate)

BBQ Meatballs - Comfort Food to the Max
From: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/
(I made 23 meatballs at 2pts per meatball)

Meatballs
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I used 93% lean)
3/4 cup oats
1 cup milk (2%)
3 tablespoons very finely minced onion
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
Plenty of ground black pepper

Sauce
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
4 to 6 tablespoons onion (I omitted)
Dash of Tabasco

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all meatball ingredients. Roll into medium-small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place sheet in freezer for five minutes.

Remove from freezer and immediately dredge in unseasoned flour. Brown meatballs in canola oil until just brown. Place into a baking dish.

Combine all sauce ingredients. Pour over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or crusty french bread.

Enjoy!

Deep Dish Cheesy Lasagna

This is a great, easy lasagna recipe. My husband loves it! It does take some time to make since you have to let the sauce simmer for about an hour and a half, but well worth the wait. A friend of mine just had a baby so I made this and split it into two dishes making a meal for us and them! We had garlic bread ( bad, I know-but so good!) and salad. Sorry I forgot to take a picture. :( I am not sure where I got this recipe, so if it is yours-Thank you!


Deep Dish Cheesy Lasagna

Ingredients:
12 uncooked whole wheat lasagna noodles ( I used regular lasagna noodles)
2/3 cups chopped onion (omitted)
1 lb extra lean ground sirloin (I used lean ground beef)
3 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1.5 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried oregano
4/5 tbsp freshly chopped parsley, divided
2.5 tsp salt, divided
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan
1/2 cup water
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 6.5 oz tomato sauce
1-2 6.5 oz cans tomato paste
16 oz part skim or fat free ricotta cheese
3 cups part skim shredded mozzarella cheese (I used mozzarella cheese slices)
1 egg

In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook ground beef, and add in onions and garlic till browned, drain. Return to pot, and stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, paste(you can just add one can and add more later to thicken), and water. Season with sugar, basil, oregano, Italian seasoning, 2 tsp salt, pepper & parsley. Simmer covered for about 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook lasagna noodles about 8-10 minutes, or I will cook about a minute less than according to directions. Drain & rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine 1/2 salt, egg, ricotta & 1/2 tbsp of parsley.

In a greased 9 x 13 baking dish, spread 1.5 cups of sauce, and layer 4 noodles and spread half of the ricotta mixture, 1 - 1.5 cups of sauce, 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat this layer again, and the last layer will be noodles, sauce & mozzarella cheese.

Bake covered in preheated oven for 25 minutes, remove foil, and bake 20-25 more minutes. Let lasagna cool 10 minutes before serving.

8 Servings, 9pts