Beef and Fresh Veggies over Polenta

I know this isn't the most beautiful picture of food, but it really was good! Its loaded with fresh green beans and zucchini. The veggie filled meat sauce tops a yummy creamy Parmesan polenta. I have tried polenta with my family several ways and they did not like it, but this time around...everyone ate it. Carl even said it was OK. I love polenta, so I'm happy to have found a way to get it into the rotation. I got this from this month's Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine.

The next day, I took the meat and veggie mixture and minced it all up with a food chopper, into a pulp pretty much. Then I froze it into 1/2 cup servings in freezer bags. Its so easy to grab a bag and thaw it in warm water. Its thawed by the time you have pasta or rice cooked and makes for an easy, healthy, veggie packed meal for kids.

Beefy Polenta and Veggie Pie (adapted from Rachael Ray)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

One small zucchini, thinly sliced

1 onion, chopped

1 1/4 pounds ground beef

Salt and pepper

One 14.5-ounce can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes

1 cup instant polenta

1/2 cup half and half

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling

One 10-ounce package frozen green beans, thawed and drained In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and zucchini and cook, stirring, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the beef, season with salt and pepper and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, lower the heat and simmer. 2. In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups water and 3/4 teaspoon salt to a boil. Whisk in the polenta until thickened, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the half and half, Parmesan and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until smooth; pour into a large casserole dish. 3. Stir the green beans into the beef mixture and cook over medium heat, stirring, until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture over the polenta and top with more Parmesan.

Ortega Taco Casserole

Another recipe I spotted in a blog I read, Milk & Honey. Anyways, this is a pretty classic taco casserole. It came off the back of the Ortega Taco Shell box. Its been awhile since I tried a recipe off the box like this. It was actually very good. We ended up having company when I served this and I was happy when everyone kept telling me it was really good. I added green bell peppers to the onions when I was browning the meat and instead of green chilies, I added sliced black olives. Then I served it with fresh tomatoes and green onions and sour cream. We had a nice big green salad with this too. It was good and there were no leftovers. A nice change from regular tacos.

Ortega Taco Casserole (original recipe)

1 pound ground beef
1 cup (1 small) chopped onion (I also added 1 cup diced bell pepper)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 cup water

1 cup Taco Sauce

1 4 oz can sliced black olives
1 package Taco Seasoning Mix

1 package (12) Ortega® Taco Shells or (12) Ortega® White Corn Taco Shells, broken, divided
2 cups Mild Cheddar Cheese, divided

Chopped tomatoes (optional)

Sliced green onions (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 375º F.

1. Cook beef, onion (and bellpeppers) and garlic in a large saucepan until beef is browned.


2. Stir in water, taco sauce, chilies, 1/4 cup olives and seasoning mix.


3. Let this simmer over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes.


4. Lay out half of the broken shells on the bottom of a greased 12 x 8-inch baking dish.


5. Cover with half of the meat sauce. Sprinkle with 1 cup cheese, then repeat with remaining taco shells, meat sauce and cheese to create layers of the different ingredients.


6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.


7. Top the casserole with tomatoes and green onions and sour cream.

Sloppy Joe's

It seems like lately the recipes Ive been posting havent been so glamorous. What can I say, this is how we eat a lot of the time. Its just how it is with small kids around. Sloppy Joe's is a favorite from my childhood. This recipe is so easy to put together. It takes less than 30 minutes to have this dinner on the table. Plus, the left overs are great for lunch the next day.

1 lb ground beef
1 large can Bush's baked beans (any canned baked beans work fine)
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
whole wheat hamburger buns

Brown the beef and pour off fat. Add the beans to the meat and mix well. Add ketchup, mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook until hot and bubbly. Serve on hamburger buns.