Hamburger Helper Fix-up

So the past few nights, we've been eating Hamburger Helper. Hamburger Helper is fine on its own, but taking cues from one of the company's commercials, I have been getting a little creative with the boxed meal.

I don't have any pictures of some of the ways that I've fixed up Hamburger Helper. Maybe when I make it again, I'll remember to get pictures and post them in an edit.

Crunchy Taco Fix-Up:

• 1 box of Crunchy Taco Hamburger Helper - follow the ingredient list on it
• 1 packet of taco seasoning
• 1 can of tomatoes with garlic and onions, drained
• 1 can of pinto beans drained and rinsed

Brown the hamburger meat and drain it, just like the package states. Place back in pan. When you add all the liquids and seasoning and rice packets from the box to the meat, add in the taco seasoning, tomatoes, and pinto beans and finish cooking according to the package directions.

Top with the cheese sauce and the corn chips that come with the kit. If you want, serve with shredded cheese, Fritos, and sour cream.

My husband added some black pepper to his dish and said it was spicy. :)

Another way to serve this kit:

Crunchy Taco Burritos - Betty Crocker

I'm back....for now.....

Well, right now, I'm back. For how long, I don't know. My schedule at work is changing to where I will be doing overnights until Christmas.

So anyhow.

I should talk about how my Thanksgiving meal went. It was pretty awesome. I mean some of it was pop in the microwave and cook, but it was that way because I had to work that day and I only had so much time to get it done.

Menu was:

• Roasted turkey (in the crockpot)
• Mashed potatoes
• Green bean casserole
• Mac and cheese
• Green beans (husband won't eat green bean casserole)
• Gravy
• Stuffing
• Apple Enchiladas - I HIGHLY recommend using fresh apples instead of the canned pie filling.
• Hot chocolate brownies
• King Hawaiian rolls

Everything came out really well. I was not fond of the mac and cheese. I have to do something next time I make it that way to make it taste cheesier. Oh, I know. Use a different cheese sauce or make it homemade.

My husband got a car for himself (finally). Now he can find a better job that Hardee's but I don't know if that's going to happen. He might become a general manager whether he wants it or not. Hopefully something will happen with one of these places he's applied before that happens.......

Him getting a car makes the finances a LOT tighter. Not a fan of that so close to Christmas with Miss Bug's first Christmas coming up, but it is what it is.

I need to get a blank cookbook so I can put recipes in it. I really don't want to use a computer to keep them. Things can happen to a computer, and I'm a little old fashioned when it comes to things like that. Sometimes, it's just better to have a cookbook done with paper and pen.

Frustrating Couponing Trip

After a couple of successful couponing trips to Walgreens and CVS this week, I had a very frustrating one at Walmart. It might have had something to do with the cashier or maybe I did something wrong. I don't know, but it was frustrating and I am super disappointed with the way it turned out.

I wish Kroger and Publix weren't so far away from me, especially Kroger. Kroger has some really good deals, but I think after today's trip, I might make the trip to Hartselle to go shopping at Kroger.

My successful couponing trip at CVS was great! Loved it. Thanks to iheartcvs, I was able to get this little spreadsheet that helped me calculate how much I would be spending and saving. I spent exactly what I thought I would be spending and was able to get a couple of extra items and my ECBs for my next trip, which will be when I get paid again. CVS is having a gas card deal, so I am DEFINITELY hitting that up.(It never hurts to have gas cards laying around!)

My Walgreens trip was also just as successful, but I want to keep that one to myself. Sorry. LOL

I was asked to cook dinner the other night and I had no idea what to make. The guys had no clue what they wanted to eat, so what did I do? Hit up Pinterest, of course. I found this super easy recipe for Taco Pizza, and it turned out awesome! Hubby didn't like the crescent roll crust, but it was just amazing. It's something that will be made again some time in the near future. (I have the supplies for it, with the exception of the refried beans in my refrigerator.)

EDIT:

Hamburger meat with taco seasoning

Refried beans with Green Chilis

SHREDDED CHEESE!!!!!

Crescent roll crust slightly baked

Refried bean "pizza sauce"

Meat and cheese

More cheese on top

Melted cheesy taco goodness

Salsa and sour cream to top it off. YUM!

Hobo meal

Hobo meal was a success.

The finished meal

Daddy Bug couldn't finish his. (He had also eaten before he left work because he had been there for 12 hours.) The carrots were a little crunchy, but that's the way I like my cooked carrots. I'm not sure how everyone else felt about them, but I consider the meal a HUGE success

Pinterest recipe modification

Since I have to work from 2-11 tonight, I decided that I was going to make a meal for the guys. All they have to do now is put it in the oven and cook it.

I took my inspiration for a hobo meal from Impress Your Kids and modified it with a ranch dressing packet and added some green beans to the mix.

Green Beans and Baby Carrots

The recipe says to use potatoes, carrots, and onions. Well, I don't have any onions, so I left them out. I'm a big fan of balancing out my meals with a green vegetable, so I figured green beans would be a good option. I could have used broccoli, but for some reason, I went with green beans today.

Potatoes tossed in a Hidden Valley Ranch mix packet

I cut my potatoes up similar to how I would cut them up for home fries, which are a favorite way to make potatoes in my house. I put them in a plastic container and sprinkled a Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix packed on top of them, put the lid on and shook it all up till the potatoes were coated.

Handmade Hamburger Patty on top

I made the hamburger patty with nothing extra mixed in. Just hamburger meat. Once all of this was done, I wrapped it up and set it on my cookie sheet. I was able to make four hobo meal packets like this out of about 1 pound of hamburger meat.

Cheese to put on top

Since I don't want the cheese to burn during the cooking process, the cheese is going to be placed on top to make it extra yummy.

Recipe:

1 lb Hamburger meat

1 bag of baby carrots

1 bag of green beans

4 Idaho potatoes

1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix

Shredded Cheese

Cooking instructions:

Preheat oven to 350, place cookie sheet in oven and cook for about 45-60 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

I HIGHLY recommend putting the hobo packet on a cookie sheet or something to help catch any grease that will cook off of the burger patty. You don't want to start an oven fire!

I will post an update after I get done with work and get to eat my hobo meal myself!

New happenings

Well, hmmmm.....

Let's see. Miss Bug has decided that she wants to start becoming more mobile. She's attempting crawling, and she's rather successful (yet awkward).

And to think it all started with her pulling herself across the floor on pretty much her elbows that morning.

She had her four month shots a few days ago (not sure if I mentioned this). She did fantastic. Miss Bug is such a little trooper. She definitely makes it easy for a first time mommy to handle the whole immunization process.

Work is work. Someone in my department was terminated last week, so it seems like more hours are available. (I'm scheduled for 38.5 this week alone, which is always nice.) I still have to deal with Old Bitch, but I spend most of the day ignoring her because her negative attitude is highly offensive. (I don't need any language that can be considered offensive to get me in trouble.)

My mother in law was saying something about boiled cookies the other day on Facebook, and I was like, "Huh?" They also go by the name of no bake cookies. Tonight, I decided to look at Pinterest and see if I could find a recipe. Of course, I did. Guess what items are going on my shopping list next time? You got it. Boiled cookie supplies, and they will be made on my day off.

Speaking of days off from work, THURSDAY!!!! Woot! Agenda for the day:

1. Take Hubster to work
2. Clean
3. Bake cookies (been meaning to do this for a couple days now)
4. Dr.'s appointment (story for another blog post)
5. Cook dinner (I have no clue what yet. Pinterest maybe?)

Ugh, I suppose I should get out of here and get to bed. I have stuff to do!!!!

My Obsession with Pinterest

Pinterest is my new drug, I swear. I can spend hours and hours there and find all sorts of things that I want to do, try, or go. Last night, we tried pepperoni string cheese roll ups.

After 10 minutes of baking.

They were a HUGE hit in my house!!! It's a recipe that has officially been added to our menu options and ingredients added to our shopping list. If you didn't see the link for the recipe for it, it's simply crescent rolls (I used the Walmart brand), pepperoni, and string cheese sticks cut in half.

Finished product.

Cleaning my bathtub was super super easy thanks to another gem I found on Pinterest. My tub was dirty and dingy and everything but clean when we moved in. (I don't have a before picture, like a dummy.)  Using white distilled vinegar and Dawn dish soap, my bathtub is a million times cleaner!!!

I've also decided to make my own baby food because we have to live on a rather tight budget in this house and making baby food is so much cheaper. I add a couple fresh fruit and veggie items to my shopping list, prepare them the way that I need to so I can make sure she gets all of the nutrients in them, and she's got plenty of solid food to last her a while. (Yes, I'm starting my 4 month old on solid foods very slowly.)  I don't think I would have the guts to attempt making baby food on my own if I didn't have some guidance from other parents and Pinterest.

I've got plenty of educational activities for Miss Bug for when she gets older. I'm going to get Miss Bug started out on the right educational track because I don't know what the education systems are going to be like when she starts school.

Pinterest = drug that I am obsessed with. I will be posting more discoveries that I attempt from Pinterest, so watch out!!!