Parmesan Garlic Spaghetti from Damn Delicious

 

Parmesan Garlic Spaghetti

Super easy and delicious of course! My husband loved it, but he said it wasn't super filling.....which was suprising with all the butter and carbs lol. Next time maybe I'll serve it as a side to some chicken, but he did ask me to make it again which is actually kind of a rare thing. But it is a Damn Delicious recipe and he seems to always love those. I made it as written.

The broccoli was just steamable frozen broccoli with some Kinders Woodfired Garlic seasoning.

Click here for the Parm Garlic Spaghetti Recipe

Cheesy Crockpot Meatball Pasta

 

Cheesy Crockpot Meatball Pasta

Super easy and delicious, a nice change from just my regular spaghetti recipe. Usually frozen meatballs aren't that great, but this brand was really good....we were impressed! The only change I made was I added an onion, because I had one already chopped. I liked that it was pretty much dump and go, without being too salty and generic like most easy crockpot recipes are.

Click here for the Cheesy Crockpot Meatball Pasta by Cooking In The Midwest

Gnocchi With Spring Vegetables

 

Gnocchi With Spring Vegetables

This was so good! My son and I loved it, my husband just said it was okay....but he's not a big fan of gnocchi. Weirdo :P It was super fast and fresh tasting, I'd definitely make it again. 

Click here for the Gnocchi With Spring Vegetables recipe from BudgetBytes

Bread Machine Garlic Herb Pepperoni Bread

 

Bread Machine Garlic Herb Pepperoni Bread

This was super good but you can't even taste the pepperoni for some reason lol. It just tastes like delicious garlic bread. I'd definitely make it again except I'd just leave out the pepperoni next time to see if it really did make a difference. I used the oven baking method and got 2 loaves out of it. So far we've just eaten it with butter, and made toast....but I bet it would be amazing as a grilled cheese!

Click here for the Bread Machine Garlic Herb Pepperoni Bread recipe from Food.com

Traditional Fettuccine Alfredo

 

Traditional Fettuccine Alfredo

My family liked this, I did not. It just tasted like noodles with too much garlic butter, you could hardly taste the cheese and it was pretty oily from the whole stick of butter. I wouldn't make it again unless requested by my family. Or actually I'd cut down on the butter and add more cheese.

I did like the veggies, they were a frozen "grilled Mediterranean blend" that I air fried. 

Click here for the Traditional Fettuccine Alfredo recipe from BudgetBytes

Postpartum Meal Prep

 

Postpartum Meal Prep

 I only got a few pictures because I'm exhausted now. Here's what I made:

- Instant Pot Pinto Beans by BudgetBytes. I made bean and cheese burritos with them, and a few of them I filled with a microwaveable Spanish rice packet so they are bean/cheese/rice. 5 cups of beef broth for 49 minutes in the Instant Pot.

- Slow Cooker Sesame Honey Chicken by Skinnytaste. I left out the cornstarch because I read it doesn't freeze well. So I'll just throw it in the crockpot or Instant pot and serve over rice. 

- Mandarin Teriyaki Chicken. This was just using up ingredients of what I had. I had a half bottle of Panda Express Mandarin sauce and a half bottle of Lawry's Pineapple Teriyaki Marinade. So I threw that in a bag with sriracha, sesame seeds and some squeeze ginger with jarlic along with some chicken.

- Freezer breakfast sausage burritos. I cooked up a pound of breakfast sausage along with scrambling 18 eggs with heavy cream (only because I had some, if I didn't I would have just used milk), salt and pepper. Then I made burritos with the sausage, eggs, and cheddar cheese wrapped in a tortilla.

- Freezer breakfast sandwiches recipe by Tastes Better from Scratch

- Slow cooker Pesto Ranch Chicken recipe by She's In Her Apron. I did add some garlic and pepper and I'll probably serve it over mashed potatoes with a side of frozen veggies.

- Veggie & Beef Lentil Chili. This was another clean out the pantry meal. 1 lb ground beef, 1 can lentils, 1 can corn, 1 can white beans, 1 can chili beans, 1 can Rotel. I also added bell peppers, zucchini, celery, onions, garlic, 1 can tomato paste, 2 cups beef broth. Spices I used were (about 1 & 1/2 tsp of each): chili powder (2 tbs), garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne, salt/pepper, 1 tsp sugar. I just warmed it up on the stove then transferred it into 2 freezer safe Ziploc bags. I could serve it with frozen Texas Toast, cornbread or even like a small quesadilla. I'll see how I feel when the baby is here lol.

- Mini lasagna's. The pans were a little too small, but I didn't want to make a huge 9x13 pan because that's too much. I just grabbed a generic lasagna recipe, I based it off of this one by About A Mom. I used 1lb ground beef & 1lb Italian sausage. I only had 1 container of ricotta so that was kind of lacking, and only 1 & 1/2 24oz jars of marinara, so I also added a bottle of pizza squeeze lol. I also added a zucchini since we have so much from the garden. 

Here's some of the dinners plated that I made post partum!

EveryPlate Creamy Tomato & Pork Sausage Linguine

 

EveryPlate Creamy Tomato & Pork Sausage Linguine

This was really good, easy to recreate at home too. I threw in half a chopped giant zucchini since we have so much from the garden, and some red pepper flakes. Other then that I made the recipe as written! I'd get it again for sure. I really liked the ciabatta with the homemade garlic & herb butter!

Lemon Salmon Pasta with Asparagus and Garlicky Green Beans

 

Lemon Salmon Pasta with Asparagus and Garlicky Green Beans

This pasta was a mixture of these two recipes:

Canned Salmon Pasta by Salt & Lavender

Creamy Salmon & Asparagus Pasta by Salt & Lavender

  I followed the canned salmon pasta recipe, but Walmart was out of fresh parsley, so I used a squirt of the refrigerated tube basil for the freshness. I also added some dried dill because I was worried it would be missing out on flavor. Oh and I also used angel hair pasta instead of spaghetti, I felt it would be a better texture.

  I also wanted to stretch it some so I added a half bunch of chopped asparagus, 1/4 cup of heavy cream and a handful of shredded parm like the 2nd recipe. Next time I would double the 1st recipe because even with the additions, 4 oz of pasta isn't enough for 3 of us. 

  I normally buy steam in the bag green beans, but Walmart was out and replaced it with a giant bag of fresh green beans. So I steamed/boiled/skillet? Cooked the green beans in about a cup of chicken broth, 3 tbs butter, salt/pepper/garlic/dill/tube parsley for about 10 minutes. It was a bit too long so they got a little mushy, but the flavor was super good. After they cooked I tossed them in some leftover lemon zest and the other half of the lemon, squeezed. 

  My teenager also got some garlic toast because teenager. I LOVE this. The freshness of the herbs and salmon with the lemon, and the creaminess of the cheese and heavy cream. Perfection. Plus it's super quick!

Skillet Lasagna with Taylor Farms Jalapeno Popper Salad Kit

 

Skillet Lasagna with Taylor Farms Jalapeno Popper Salad Kit

Walmart was out of full fat ricotta so I got low fat instead. Apparently low fat doesn't brown when broiling! I kinda burnt the mozzarella when I was trying to get some color on the ricotta. So weird. Oh well I know better for next time and it was still good.

I've made skillet lasagna before, but I've usually done like sugar free sauce, drained the fat etc trying to make it healthier. This time I didn't drain the fat and I used the Italian sausage and garlic Prego. Full fat cheeses and all the flavor lol. It was so good! Normally Italian's not my fav, but I really liked this.

There's 4 cups of spinach in it, and my husband doesn't like when I put spinach in recipes. But it's so good for us and the recipe called for it so I did it anyway. He kinda made a face while I was cooking, but he said he didn't even taste it and he loved the dinner.

This salad kit was also super good! I was kinda worried it would be too spicy for my son (he's not a huge lover of spicy) but nope, it's just full of flavor. The dressing tastes like ranch which is always good. 

My teenager also got some bread & butter and watermelon because he's always hungry. Bread and butter always reminds me of being young and my dad, I really don't know why. I mean I remember him once microwaving bread & butter, but I'm not sure why that stuck with me lol.

Click here for the Skillet Lasagna recipe by Olive & Mango

Easy Weeknight Spaghetti

 

Easy Weeknight Spaghetti

Sometimes I don't want to spend the extra money getting a mixture of pork & ground beef, or spend the time making my homemade sauce. Right now I'm 20 weeks pregnant and I work full time so I'm tired lol. So my quick spaghetti "recipe" if you'd even call it that is a pound of ground beef with 1 jar Prego, garlic knots and a caesar salad kit. 

After I brown the ground beef with a chopped onions and a little Italian seasoning, I drain it then put it back on the skillet with jarlic, and with the jar of sauce + about 1 cup water that I shake in the jar. Then I add extra Italian seasoning, pepper, red pepper and a little garlic powder. If I make it early enough and plan to simmer it, I'll add a bay leaf. If not I just serve right away over noodles and topped with parm & red pepper.

Hello Fresh Pork Meatloaf Parm

 

Hello Fresh Pork Meatloaf Parm

I'm not a huge spaghetti person. I mean I *like* it, but I'd never order it or say "Let's go out for spaghetti!" But this was SO GOOD. The sauce was very flavorful for only being cooked for like 10 minutes. The meatloaf was super good too, the coating added a nice crunch. The only thing I did differently is that I added garlic in both the sauce and the meatloaf. I'd definitely order this again. 

Creamy Parmesan Tortellini with Nashville Hot Salad

 

Creamy Parmesan Tortellini with Nashville Hot Salad

Super quick and easy meal. It's just 1 bag of family sized refrigerated tortellini with a jar of creamy pesto sauce. After I cooked the tortellini I did sauté some jarlic in the same pot and once I added in the pesto sauce I added a squirt of tube basil and a bunch of black pepper. Then I topped it with red pepper flakes and shredded parmesan. Now that I'm typing this I remembered that I have some spinach in the fridge I could have tossed in.

The salad kit is just the "Nashville Hot" kit from Walmart, I love it...it's delicious. Very quick dinner!

Meatball Subs

 

Meatball Subs

I needed to use up spaghetti sauce since I made so much and everyone was tired of spaghetti. Walmart had these fresh three cheese meatballs in the meat department. I browned them in a skillet then added the leftover spaghetti and simmered until the meatballs were cooked. I toasted some mini subs with Italian mix cheese and red pepper flakes. Super quick and delicious. 

Italian Chicken Sausage Alfredo with Roasted Broccoli

 

Italian Chicken Sausage Alfredo with Roasted Broccoli

    This was pretty much a random clean out the pantry meal. I had some Italian flavored chicken sausage that I sliced and cooked in butter & EVOO with a chopped onion. Then I added jarlic with a squeeze of basil from a tube, and seasoned it with Italian seasoning, salt, pepper garlic and red pepper. Then I added a jar of alfredo and filled that with hot water and shook it around and added it to the pan. Then I plopped in some chicken boullion and the egg noodles and let it cook with the lid on for 10 minutes. After it was cooked I added a couple handfuls of spinach and some grated parm.

   Delicious! Everyone loved it. The broccoli is tossed in EVOO, salt, pepper garlic and air fried at 400 for 15 minutes. Then I tossed it in a little spray butter, lemon juice and canned parm. 

Hello Fresh Sausage Rigatoni Rosa

 

Hello Fresh Sausage Rigatoni Rosa

    So the sausage actually smelled off I think, so I subbed in some chopped chicken thighs instead. I did add Italian seasoning, salt & pepper to the chicken to make up for the loss of seasoning of the sausage. Other then that it was the same recipe. It was good, kinda generic even with the sausage. But it's quick and easy so I like that!

Hello Fresh Penne Rustica With a Kick & Garlic Bread

 

Hello Fresh Penne Rustica With a Kick & Garlic Bread

    This was excellent, it's really fresh tasting with the lemon. I added the garlic bread (Texas Toast), it wasn't part of the recipe so it didn't come with the Hello Fresh box. But it wouldn't of been enough for a hungry guy and a teenage boy, and my son did also have a turkey & cheese sandwich since he was still hungry. We'll definitely order this again though, it was delicious. 

  Oh I did omit the almonds since my sons allergic though.

High Fiber Gnocchi Skillet

 

High Fiber Gnocchi Skillet

     Delicious! I used ground chicken because I wanted to make it lighter, but of course it would be tastier with beef. I didn't even know that you could buy cauliflower gnocchi! Next time I'll make a veggie side, but this was kinda spur of the moment. I also used mozzarella because we already have a huge bag from making homemade pizza, I added an onion while cooking the meat, and I seasoned the meat with garlic and Italian seasoning. Definitely in our rotation!

 The recipe is from Miranda Galati | Dietitian's tiktok. Click here for the recipe. 

Spicy Orecciette with Chicken Sausage and Kale

 

Spicy Orecciette with Chicken Sausage and Kale

   This was really good, I'd definitely make it again. The only change I made was that I threw in a handful of cherry tomatoes I had to use up, and I could only find a sundried tomato basil chicken sausage. Oh yeah, and I used rotini because you can't find orecciette anywhere around here. I love that it was an easy quick dinner to make after work and you can throw in a ton of veggies. 

Click here for the recipe from BudgetBytes

Easy Baked Ziti

 

Easy Baked Ziti

   Remember, I'm not a photographer lol. This was the first time I've made baked ziti but I know it's a staple in households. It was easy, kinda quick and I'll definitely make it again. I had a caesar salad kit that I was going to use but it was bad, so we just had the baked ziti. Everyone loved it. The only difference I did was that I added garlic and some salt to the sauce. 

Click here for the recipe for Easy Baked Ziti by BudgetBytes

Sausage, Pepper and Onion Hoagies

 

Sausage, Pepper and Onion Hoagies

    I make this recipe several times a year, it's super easy and always a hit. I just sauté an onion, 2 or 3 bell peppers and 1 package of some type of smoked sausage kielbasa thing in some EVOO. I season with salt, pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning and a little bit of red pepper. Then I toast the hoagies with some provolone and dinner is ready!