Recipe Roundup*

I wanted to share a recipe that we did recently, but than I realized I have cooked so many good things lately, that I might as well just share them ALL! Because who doesn't love good food, right? I know, for me, that I am always in need of quick, easy recipes for dinner at night. Being a working mom & a wife to a soldier, my schedule is so insanely crazy that I don't have time to go home & think about what to do for dinner. I NEED to have a plan.

And usually, that plan needs to consist of something that I can make in 30 minutes or less, because really, that's all the time I have to get us fed. With the transition into summer, some of these will get shelved for a while, I think, as we move into more salads and grill-friendly meals. But, we have just started to have warmer weather, so most of these will get one more go around the menu before we move onto something else:

1. Mexican Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas. This is a Skinny Taste recipe and one that is TO DIE FOR. We don't eat a lot of pork in our house, and I have made this with chicken before, but I have to admit, it tastes better with the pork. This was an easy recipe to make, especially since it's a crock pot recipe, which meant I could throw it in before work in the morning & let it cook all day. You can't beat a dinner that's ready for you when you get home.

2. Homemade Cheeseburger Helper. This recipe isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Quick. Easy. Insanely delicious. Excellent comfort food. I see this happening frequently as it's a big request from the husband. We were having it weekly for a while there!

3. Pan Fried Chicken with Corn & Tomato Summer Salad. There's nothing fancy or original about this recipe, but it's another quick & easy one for weeknights that are a little hectic, or weekends when I don't want to spend a lot of time cooking. It's simple & classic, with items that I usually have on hand in the kitchen 100% of the time.

4. Skillet Lasagna. I love pasta. Way more than I should. I admit that I am an emotional eater and I love a good comfort food. If I can find a low calorie (well, lower than normal) comfort food, even better. This is one of those dishes. Easy and yummy! Not to mention a little bit better on the waist line.

5. Baked Spaghetti Squash with Cheese. We LOVE spaghetti squash in our house! LOVE. Neither my husband and I had actually tried it until this past winter, but once we did, we couldn't get enough. This is another GREAT comfort food that is incredibly low calorie & leaves lots of room for embellishment. I've doubled the amount of spinach, thrown in some ground turkey or chicken, added extra veggies -- a great, easy dish. A little more time consuming because you have to bake the squash for an hour before assembling the dish, but worth it.

Enjoy!