Quick and Easy Meal.

Josh found this meal online the other day and we tried it last night because the cubed steak we'd taken out had not thawed completely yet.  Oddly enough we had the exact ingredients it called for, right down to the same brand of sauce.  
It was really good and so easy Teagan could have done half of it by herself, seriously. The only complaint I had was the lack of protein.  Next time we will be adding chicken or sausage and probably some veggies just to add some nutritional goodness.

What you'll need:
1 box penne pasta
1 (15 oz.) jar Alfredo sauce
1 (24oz.) jar Marinara sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

What you need to do:
Cook pasta according to directions and drain.
Mix the sauces together in a large bowl.
Add the mozzarella and stir to combine. Then toss in the penne and toss to coat.
Pour pasta into 9x13 baking dish and cook on 350 for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese and bake for another 5 minutes. 

*we also didn't bake it this go 'round but next time we probably will*

What kind of goodness are you going to add to this recipe?

Thanks Betty Crocker!

My sister-in-law bought us the wedding version of the infamous red Betty Crocker Cookbook for our wedding present.  I've dabbled with a few recipes in the past but here recently I've started searching for quick, easy and healthy meals for the family.  Seeing as we all get home around 6pm and the girls go to bed between 7:15pm-7:45pm.  That doesn't leave a lot of time for cooking and eating and bathing and brushing teeth and...you get the picture.
I was flipping through the cookbook the other night and found the Wild Rice & Beef Casserole.  I'll give you what the recipe calls for and then tell you how we modified it and plan on modifying it even more next time for quicker cooking. 

1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef

1 package (6.2 oz) fast-cooking long-grain and wild rice mix

1 can (10.75 oz) condensed tomato soup

1/4 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)  

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 2-quart casserole with cooking spray.In 10-inch skillet, cook beef over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain.Meanwhile, make rice mix as directed on package—except omit butter. Stir rice mixture, soup, milk and pepper into beef. Spoon into casserole.
Cover and bake 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered 5 to 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and mixture is hot.

*Here's how we altered it and plan on altering it next time*
Instead of beef we used fresh pork sausage.  I think it would have been too plain with just hamburger meat.
We didn't use Cheddar cheese.  We just used whatever was in the refrigerator.  I think it was the taco mix kind?   
Next time I will prep the night before.  Cook the meat and maybe even the rice so I can just throw it together as soon as we get in the door and it will be done 30 minutes later.  I also might throw some corn or peppers in there to get some veggies in.  The possibilities are somewhat endless!