Rancho Baked Beans

I have never tested beans that were as good as these!!!I got them from my wonderful neighbor Betty, and I can't thank her enough! My family and I couldn't stop eating them, and there are pretty simple to make as well!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup chopped onion ( 1 onion)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup of ketchup
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 (1lb) cans pork and beans
• 1 (1lb) can kidney beans, Drained

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Brown ground beef and onion

• Drain excess fat
• Add seasonings and beans, blending well

• Bake uncovered for 30 minutes

• Enjoy with some cornbread! 

Zesty Italian Vegetable Chicken

My family and me LOVE chicken! And I love vegetables so this recipe is one of my favorites. Its really simple because you just throw every thing together, bake it, and it tastes and smells wonderfully!

Ingredients:

• Package of Chicken tenderloins
• 1 bunch of green beans, chopped
• 1 onion, sliced
• 4-6 medium carrots, chopped
• Zesty Italian Dressing
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• Salt, pepper, and any seasonings(oregano, parsley,rosemary) to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• After washing chicken place in a baking dish 
• Place chopped carrots throughout the dish and on chicken
• Then place green beans on top 
• Sprinkle onions throughout the dish
• Sprinkle garlic over dish
• Pour Italian dressing evenly on dish (using about 3/4 of bottle)
• Season with salt an pepper( and other seasonings)
• Cover with aluminum foil
• Bake for 1 hour
• Let cool and enjoy it with some mashed potatoes! 

Healthy "Ice Cream" Sandwiches

I love ice cream and I LOVE ice cream sandwiches so when I found this picture on Pinterest, I had to try it! And it turned out really good! It's a nice cold dessert that tastes like treat, but is actually healthy and low in calories! It is simple to make and can lastfor a long period of time in the freezer. I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:

• 1 box of Graham crackers (I used chocolate and regular)
• 1 cup of light cool whip
• 1 1/2 cups of fresh or frozen sliced strawberries (or more if needed)
• 1 cup of vanilla or strawberry Greek yogurt 
  

Directions:

• In a blender, combine the yogurt, strawberries, and cool whip 
  

• Blend until mixed and thick, but not overly smooth ( if it becomes runny, it will not stay on sandwich crackers) 
  

The feeling should be a little thicker than pictured, so you will be able to spread.

• If needed, add more of any ingredient for desired taste or thickness
• Spread mixture on both sides of halved cracker
• Wrap in aluminum foil or saran wrap and place in freezer 
  
• Repeat until out of feeling or desired amount of sandwiches
• Allow to freeze for at least 2 hours and enjoy!
• These will last for at least a week in the freezer! 
  

Seasoned Chicken Bake

This is a wonderful, juicy chicken recipe that my sister gave me from a coworker, Phyllis, who is an awesome cook and baker! My family loved this recipe, even the picky eaters! Its simple and you just put it in the oven and let it do its thing for a couple hours, and WALA! It's yummy goodness!

Ingredients:

• Package of chicken tenderloins or breasts
• 1 Green Pepper
• 2 Tomatoes
• 1 Onion
• 1 bottle of Italian Dressing
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees
• Wash chicken and place in a 9 by 13 inch baking dish

• Chop onion and sprinkle over chicken

• Chop tomatoes into medium chunks and place over mixture

• Chop pepper and sprinkle over top

• Pour nearly all of the dressing over top (about 3/4)

• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cover dish with aluminum foil
• Bake for 3 hours( If you are able to, flip chicken half way through)
• And ENJOY!

Pink Peanut Butter Apple Sauce Cookie Muffins

This recipe is already listed, but I've changed it up a bit. They were originally cookies, but they have a cakey taste to them. So it was Valentine's Day yesterday so I thought it would be fun to die them pink and put them in festive muffin cups! And they taste just as good!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter (softened)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup apple sauce
• Red food coloring
• Decorated muffin liners

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Cream butter and sugar together with mixer until combined
• Add peanut butter and mix well

• Combine flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg together
• Then slowly blind together with mixture

• Spoon in apple sauce and stir
• Add food coloring until desired color on low speed

• Line muffin pan with pretty muffing cups and spray each lightly with nonstick spray
• Scope and fill about 1/2 to 3/4 full for each muffin

I put some chocolate chips on a few for my mom because she loves chocolate as much as I do.

• Bake until passing the fork test (15 to 20 minutes)

• Cool and enjoy!

Veggie Pasta

This recipe was created by my mom and me. We pretty much just added any vegetables we could find to our pasta, and created a wonderfully yummy dish! Any vegetables could easily be substituted in or out of this recipe. We've been waiting to be able to make a meal like this because my dad refuses to eat almost any vegetable. He likes meat and potatoes, so this may be described as a "girly" dish, but the guys would love it if they tried it! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
• Lemon juice
• 8 oz package of linguine
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 1 1/2 cup of sliced zucchini 
• 1 1/4 cup peas (canned or frozen)
• 1 small can or mixed vegetables
• 3 cups of fresh spinach
• Oregano
• Basil
• Parsley
• Black Pepper
• Sea Salt
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente

• While cooking pasta, pour the olive oil, sliced onion, and garlic into a large skillet over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally

• Add a few drops of lemon and stir
• Add the zucchini and mushrooms stirring for about 2 minutes

• Add peas and mixed veggies along with a few shakes of each seasonings, stir for a couple minutes, or until slightly browned, reduce heat to low

• Add the spinach then pasta and stir until spinach is wilted

• Remove from heat and enjoy it topped with some Parmesan cheese!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 3/4 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup of old fashioned oats
• 1 cup of flour
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees
• Line cookie trays with wax paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray
• In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars with electric mixer until combined
• Add the egg and vanilla and combine

• Next add the baking soda, cinnamon, oats, and flour and mix until well combined, but don't over do it
• Stir in chocolate chips and any other mix ins you'd like( M&M's, nuts, etc)

• You can refrigerate the dough if you have time for an hour or so, or scoop it out onto lined pans and slightly press on each piece of dough

• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or unto slightly brown around the edges

• Enjoy!!