Baked Chimichangas

For Tasty Tuesday, I've got another simple + yummy recipe for you!

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1 can refried beans
about 6 oz Mexican cooking sauce (we use half of a 12 oz Herdez Traditional Chipotle)
shredded cheese (whichever kind you prefer)
8 burrito size tortillas

Directions
1. Brown the ground beef.
2. Add the refried beans and mix well.
3. Add the Mexican cooking sauce.
4. Heat until warm.
5. Add a large spoonful onto a tortilla, top with cheese, roll like a burrito and place into 9x13 pan. Repeat until all 8 are done.
6. Brush the tops with melted butter and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until browned.

DIY Mason Jar Home Decor

It's...... MAKE IT MONDAY!

Today I am sharing some mason jars that I actually made for my wedding, but they turned into home décor after the wedding day. :)

This is literally the easiest DIY home décor project that even the least skilled crafter can do.

SUPPLIES:
mason jars
chalk paint
foam paint brushes
sand paper
twine
fake flowers

STEP 1:
Go to the store to get all your supplies! This can be a one stop shop at somewhere like Michaels (my favorite), Hobby Lobby, or Joann's.

STEP 2:
Paint, paint, and paint again! You're going to need probably at least 3 coats of paint for the mason jars to get a solid look. You can do less, but it will be a lighter color and it's more likely to show the brush strokes.

*the trick is to make sure the paint is completely dry before adding another coat of paint. Otherwise, the paint gets smudgy.

STEP 3:
As soon as the last coat of paint is completely dry, next is the fun part! Take your sand paper and distress the paint a little bit to get more of a "shabby chic" look.

STEP 4:
Add twine (I doubled up on the strands to get a fuller look).

STEP 5:
Add flowers and you've got yourself the cutest and easiest pieces to add to your home décor!

The Best Green Smoothie

It's Favorite Friday! And I decided I should share my favorite green smoothie recipe!

I love a good green smoothie! I used to have them every morning for breakfast, so I have tried lots of different combinations. I love the variety of flavors you can come up with. And as someone who is not a veggie fan, I love getting a veggie serving in first thing in the morning! Starts my day off to a great start and sets the tone for the rest of my meals.

Ingredients

coconut milk or 100% orange juice (about one cup)

two handfuls of spinach

one banana

one orange

4-5 strawberries

ice

Blend all ingredients and enjoy!

**TIP: freeze all of your ingredients and you won't even need ice!

What's your favorite green smoothie combo?!

Homemade Oreos

Hooray for Thursday Treats! 

There's not much that's better than Oreos, am I right?? They are definitely one of my favorite treats. But they're even better homemade! If you haven't tried them or are looking for the BEST recipe for them, look no further!

My mouth is watering just looking at those Oreos!

Ingredients

Cookies

2 boxes of Devil's Food Cake Mix

3/4 cup olive oil

4 eggs

Frosting

1/2 cup softened butter

8 oz. softened cream cheese

3 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

a pinch of salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix all of the cookie ingredients until mixed well.

3. Roll dough into a ball (or use a small cookie dough scoop) and place onto a sprayed baking sheet.

4. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

5. While cookies are baking, cream together the softened butter and cream cheese.

6. Add powdered sugar and mix until smooth.

7. Mix in vanilla and salt.

8. When cookies are cooled, sandwich frosting between two cookies and place in an airtight container to lock in freshness!

The Easiest French Dip

IT'S TASTY TUESDAY!

If you're a sucker for super simple, yet delicious recipes on weekdays (or always!), you'll want to make this recipe part of your dinner rotation! It takes only four ingredients and is ready within minutes!

Ingredients

hoagie sandwich rolls

roast beef lunch meat (we use about 3 slices per sandwich)

swiss cheese

au jus dry packet mix

mayo, optional

Directions

1. Start with making the au jus, following the directions on the package.

2. Place the roast beef and cheese on the hoagie.

3. Put the sandwiches on a baking sheet, keeping the hoagie open-faced, and broil on high until cheese is melted and bread is toasted. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn!

4. If desired, spread mayo on one side of the hoagie. 

5. ENJOY!

**a secret tip that our family does is bake up some homemade fries to go with it. And we put the fries ON the sandwiches. Sooooo yummy!

If you want to try it out, here is how we make our fries:

Ingredients

russet potatoes, however many you'd like

olive oil

garlic powder

onion powder

french fry seasoning

Directions

1. Peel and slice potatoes into strips/wedges, however you like them.

2. Place the potatoes on a sprayed baking sheet and drizzle them with olive oil and add seasonings.

3. Bake at 450 for about 30 minutes or until they are browned and cooked through, stirring and flipping them up occasionally.

4. Enjoy them as a side or put them on your sandwich for a whole new world of flavor!

Make it Monday-Valentine Craft

We're getting ready to have a Valentine's party at our house with 15 preschoolers running around! My kids are super excited. I thought we better be prepared with some games and crafts to do. We plan to make these little valentine holders to use for our valentine exchange! Super easy and cute! I love Pinterest!

What You Need:

Brown paper bag

Various colored papers

Scissors

Stapler

Glue Stick

Marker

What To Do:

1. Cut out a large heart shape. Ours is about 5 inches big

2. Cut out strips of paper for 2 arms and 2 legs and 1 handle

3. Draw eyes and mouth on the heart.

4. Staple the handle by using a strip of paper on the front and the back of the bag.

5. Fold the other strips back and forth to give it a crinkle. Unfold and glue to the heart.

6. Glue the heart onto the paper bag.

You're done!

Favorite Friday-5 Healthy Breakfast Recipes to Add to your Rotation

I hate waking up and having to decide what I should eat for breakfast. Until I had some go-to healthy recipes, it was always a struggle. For our "Favorite Friday" I thought I'd share my 5 favorites breakfasts. Bonus=they're mostly quick and easy!

1. Granola, Greek Yogurt and Berries

Simple and easy! Just get your favorite granola and mix with your favorite berries-fresh and frozen. Add some greek yogurt and you're good! Sometimes I like to add honey as well.

2. Ham and Egg Muffin

I like this when I'm craving something savory. Just toast a whole wheat English muffin, fry an egg, add your favorite cheese (my fave is swiss) and ham and you're good to go!

3. Breakfast Skillet-Full Recipe found HERE

This is something I make every couple of weeks. I like to double the recipe and store some in the freezer so I can just pull it out when I'm in a rush. It takes a little time to prepare the initial time, but it's delicious and hearty!

4. Peanut Butter Toast

This is probably what I eat most. I use Dave's Killer Bread for the toast. I add sliced bananas, a drizzle of honey and some cinnamon. I like to eat the berries with it too.

5. Breakfast Burritos

These are so versatile cause you can just use what you have on hand. I typically use a whole grain tortilla. I add scrambled eggs, sweet potato hash (just shredded sweet potato cooked with coconut oil), salsa and I'll sometimes add some chicken sausage or bacon! Top with cheese and it's complete.

I hope you try some and have some new go to favorites!