Smothered Tacos

2 lbs ground turkey (or ground beef)
1 lg onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 packet Taco Seasoning
1-2 cans refried beans
Colby Jack Cheese
18-20 hard taco shells
1 can green enchilada sauce
Optional Condiments
lettuce
chopped tomatoes
avocado
mango salsa (can be purchased at Costco)
cilantro
sour cream

In a pan, brown the ground turkey with the onion and garlic. Add taco seasoning and mix well. Add tomato sauce and 1 can of refried beans. If you want more beans, add the second can. Mix well. Spoon mixture into taco shells and place into a 9x13 casserole dish, standing up. Sprinkle cheese and spoon/pour green enchilada sauce over the top of the tacos. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the tacos are heated through. Remove from oven and add toppings of choice. 8-10 servings.
*My older two kids had 3 each and LOVED them!!

Grilled Chicken & Pineapple Quesadilla

Thank you again Pioneer Woman! http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/

• 8 whole Flour Tortillas
• Butter Or Margarine
• 2 cups Grilled Pineapple, Sliced
• 3 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 3 cups Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
• 1 whole Jalapeno, Sliced
• Cilantro
• 3 Tablespoons Barbecue Sauce

Preparation Instructions

(To grill pineapple: cut wedges, stick on skewers, and grill over low heat. Cut into slices.)

(To pound chicken, place inside a Ziploc bag and pound with a mallet or large can to flatten to uniform thickness.)

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and Cajun spice (or cumin/cayenne, etc.) Drizzle olive oil on a grill pan and grill on both sides until done, brushing with barbecue sauce. Set aside and slice into very thin slices.

Warm griddle over medium heat and put sizzling butter or margarine in the pan. Slightly warm and toast tortillas on both sides, then remove from griddle and set aside.

To assemble, sprinkle four browned tortillas with grated Monterey Jack. Arrange chicken slices evenly over the surface. Add pineapple slices and jalapeno slices. Sprinkle on cilantro. If desired, drizzle extra barbecue sauce over the top. Add second browned tortilla on top of each one. (You’ll have four complete quesadillas at this point.)

Add to oven to warm, or back to skillet to warm, until cheese is melted. Cut each quesadilla into six wedges. Serve with sour cream, pico de gallo, and lime wedges.

Mexican Pizza

My family loved this and it was pretty easy to make!

8 oz. extra-lean ground beef
1/3 cup minced onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/4 cup each grated carrot and diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup frozen or canned corn
1/4 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. each salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1 12-inch pre-baked, thin-crust pizza shell
1 cup packed shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp. minced green onion
Light sour cream, salsa, and guacamole (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Spray a large, non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Add beef, onion, and garlic. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until beef is no longer pink. Add tomatoes, carrot, green pepper, corn, and beans. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add cilantro, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook 1 more minute. Remove from heat.
Spread pizza sauce evenly over crust. Top with half the cheese. Spoon beef mixture evenly over pizza. Top with remaining cheese, followed by green onion.
Place pizza directly on middle oven rack and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until cheese is completely melted and crust is lightly browned.
Tastes great with fajita-like accompaniments such as sour cream, salsa, and guacamole.

I left off the carrots and green pepper. Add or take away as you please and you will love it!

Mexican Casserole

I got this idea from one of my favorite recipe blogs, Divas Dinners, and tweaked it a bit for our family. The kids loved this casserole. They said it tasted like the inside of a burrito.

4 cups of cooked rice (I used 2 prepackaged spanish rice packets and cooked according to directions)
4 large chicken breasts, diced and cooked
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn, drained
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 small can green chilis (optional)
1 small can chopped olives (optional)
2 Tbls fresh cilantro, chopped

If you don't use a prepackaged spanish rice mix then also add:
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp oregano

In a large bowl, combine all of your ingredients and mix well.

6-8 Tbls butter
6-7 Tbls flour
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups milk
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt for
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

In a medium saucepan melt butter. Add flour and mix well until well blended. Gradually stir in chicken broth and milk and add salt and pepper. Slowly bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly so the milk doesn't burn to the bottom of the pan. Boil for a couple of minutes until thick and bubbly. Add to chicken and rice mixture and mix well. Stir in cheddar cheese until evenly distributed. Pour mixture into a sprayed 9x13 casserole dish and cook at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Spanish Rice

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups of medium or long-grain white rice
2 14 oz cans chicken broth (or vegetable stock if vegetarian)
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
Pinch of oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 - 1/2 tsp chili powder
OPTIONAL: small can tomato sauce and 1/2 can drained corn kernels.

Pour all ingredients into your rice cooker and press start.

OR:

1 In a large skillet brown rice in olive oil, medium/high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook onion rice mixture, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes, or until onions are softened.

2 In a separate sauce pan bring stock to a simmer. Add tomatoes, oregano, salt, pepper and chili powder. Add rice to broth. Bring to a simmer. Cover. Lower heat and cook 15-25 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes.

Free Meal Planning at Aldi.com

http://www.aldimeals.com/

The above link is a free meal planner.  You can find recipes and organize them into a weekly calendar.  Then it will generate a shopping list for you.  I tried it this weekend and shopped at my favorite grocery store (Macys!!!!).  We have already tried a couple of the recipes they have available on the site.  I am posting one below.  We had it for dinner last night, it is your classic meat/noodle/tomato recipe with Steak instead of ground beef.  I also added some corn.  

Beefy Chili Mac - 4 servings

Preparation: 10 min.   Cooking: 25 min.   Total: 35 min.

• 1 tbsp Cooking oil
• 1 lb cube steak, cut lengthwise into 1 in. strips and then crosswise into 1 in. pieces
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 3-1/2 cups canned Mexican style diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1-1/2 cups rotini pasta, or other spiral pasta, uncooked
• Corn
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese, shredded
• 
  

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Cook beef and onion 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently until beef is browned. Stir in tomatoes, pasta and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover tightly and simmer 15-20 minutes or until pasta is tender. Sprinkle with cheese before serving.

Taco Beef Soup

2lb ground beef
1 c chopped onion
6 cups water
2 (26 oz) cans stewed tomatoes, undrained
4 (16 oz) cans kidney beans, undrained
2 (16 oz) cans tomato sauce
2 (1.5 oz) envelopes taco seasoning mix
Cheddar cheese, grated
Tomatoes, chopped
Tortilla chips
Sour Cream
Avocado, sliced

In a large saucepan cook ground beef and onion until meat is browned. Add water, stewed tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato sauce, and taco seasoning. Bring to a slow boil on medium heat and then simmer for 15 minutes. Top with cheddar cheese, chopped tomatoes, sour cream and avocado and don't forget to use those tortilla chips for dipping!

Makes 12 servings