Blueberry Deliciousness

Nothing beats the cold like a nice, warm, comforting dessert! This is something my parents used to make when I was little, and I love it!! Apparently, my mom got the recipe from her roommate in the hospital, when she had my younger brother. I don't know who that woman was, but we are all thankful for her sharing this! We had always called it 'blueberry stuff,' but a friend of ours liked it so much, she started calling it 'blueberry deliciousness.' I like that name, so we'll go with that! Not only is this recipe delicious, but it's so easy to make. Another win-win :)

Here's what you'll need:

1 box of Betty Crocker butter recipe yellow cake mix
1 stick of butter
2 cans of blueberry pie filling

Preheat the oven to 350. Start by melting your butter and pouring the cake mix into a bowl. Drizzle the butter slowly into the dry cake mix, using a fork to "crumb it." Once the mix and butter are fully incorporated, set aside.

Spray a baking dish and pour the 2 cans of blueberry pie filling into the pan, spreading evenly. You can use other flavors, however blueberry tastes the best, and I'm not even a fan of blueberry! We tried it once with strawberry pie filling, but it was way too sweet. You really need the tartness of the blueberries to pair with the sweetness of the cake mix, and saltiness of the butter.

Next, evenly top the blueberry pie filling with the crumbed cake mix.

Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes, or until the top is starting to brown and the sides are bubbly. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

Homestyle Meatloaf

When I think of comfort food, meatloaf definitely comes to mind. Meatloaf was one of my favorite meals as a child. I actually used to put the meatloaf in the center of my plate, top that with mashed potatoes, top that with corn, and then cover it all in A1 sauce. Needless to say, my palate has matured quite a bit lol. However, it still doesn't change the nostalgia I feel when eating meatloaf :) I have tried so many different recipes, but I could never replicate that familiar taste that I craved from childhood. I finally just started experimenting and have finally come up with this recipe, which my whole family seems to enjoy. In fact, there are only 4 people in my family, the youngest being 2, and we ate this whole meatloaf for dinner one night! Typically we have leftovers, so you know this was a hit!!

Here's what you'll need:

1 lb of ground beef
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 cup of italian bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 cup of milk
1 tbsp of chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp Worcestershire
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
ketchup (1/4-1/2 cup for the top, depending on how much you like)

Preheat your oven to 350 and combine all ingredients in a large bowl, except for the ketchup.

Mix the ingredients well, until everything is fully incorporated. Form into a loaf shape and put into a loaf pan.

Cook for 40 minutes and then remove from the oven. Coat the top and sides of the meatloaf with ketchup, then return to the oven for 20 more minutes.

Once the meatloaf is done, let it rest for several minutes. Cut and enjoy! I suggest serving this with mashed potatoes and a vegetable.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

With the new year, many people have made it a goal to get healthy and get in shape. I am definitely one of those, especially after all of the treats from the holidays!! One of the most important things I try to do is find healthy alternatives that taste good, but also ones that my kids will eat :) I've grown up in the midwest where we always had a meat, starch, and vegetable at every dinner. It's hard for me to get away from that, because I feel like a meal isn't complete without those items. I love potatoes whether they are mashed, fried, or roasted. However, my waistline does not! Instead of making regular potatoes, I've started using sweet potatoes. Now, these are not the sweet potatoes that are loaded with butter, sugar, and cinnamon...I mean, the goal is to be healthy right?! Well even though these aren't loaded with a lot of bad things, they still taste great, and are so simple to make!! Plus, my kids love them...need I say more?

Here's what you'll need:

2-3 large sweet potatoes (depending on the sizes, you may only need 2), peeled
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp olive oil

Preheat your oven to 375. Peel and then chop into bite sized pieces. Try to cut them all the same size, so that they cook evenly. Put the potatoes in a large glass bowl and mix in the olive oil and salt. Stir so they are evenly coated. At this point, I personally put them in the microwave and hit "potato," in order to soften them a bit before roasting them in the oven. I work every day, so saving any bit of time is helpful!

Use non-stick foil or some extra olive oil to coat the bottom of a cookie sheet. I personally use non-stick foil to save on the calories, however you get a crispier potato if you cook it in oil on the metal pan.

Roast the potatoes for 30-45 minutes, turning halfway through. Once the potatoes are to your preferred crispiness, take them out and sprinkle just a bit more salt on them while they are still hot. I suggest serving this as a side to roasted or grilled chicken and a vegetable, then enjoy! This should make 4-6 servings.

Breakfast Tostadas

One of my favorite meals of the day is breakfast, and I could eat it pretty much any time of the day. In an effort to come up with different types of breakfast options, I decided to mix it up with one of my other favorite types of foods, tostadas. The possibilities with these are endless. A lot of times, I also like to incorporate leftovers into my breakfast food. It's something my dad bought me as a child, when he would fry up leftover mashed potatoes into potato pancakes :) This is usually the only time I ever eat leftovers lol. Some great leftover meals to incorporate are tacos, fajitas, cheese steak sandwich filling, etc. Just use your imagination!! However, you don't have to make it with anything else, you can use just eggs, it's all up to you. Personalize it, and make it your own!

Here's what you'll need:

2 eggs
splash of milk
salt to taste
pepper to taste
2-3 soft corn tortilla shells
olive oil
fillers, such as: left over fajita meat with onions and peppers, left over taco meat, left over cheesesteak meat and veggies, chorizo, corned beef hash, mixed vegetables, cheese, etc!!
toppings, such as: choice of cheese, cilantro, jalapeño, green chilis, pico de gallo, salsa, hot sauce, green onion, white minced onion, avocado, guacamole, sour cream, chopped up bacon, etc!!


We had steak tacos for dinner the night before, and I knew they would never taste the same, so I "repurposed" them! What I did first was removed the carne asada, onions, and cilantro toppings, and added it all to a hot frying pan. At this point you can cook any meat, cheese, or vegetables that you want combined with your eggs. Or, you can just make plain eggs, it's up to you. While the meat was warming, I added a little olive oil to a bigger frying pan and put the corn tortillas in, to crisp them up. You can use PAM spray for fewer calories, or even put the tortilla shells in the oven to crisp them up. I then combined the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a bowl and when the steak was hot, I added the egg mixture. Remember to watch your tortilla shells so they don't burn, and flip once they've started to brown.

This is the point where you will incorporate whatever toppings you want with your eggs.  Make sure you stir well, so the eggs do not burn, and cook until the scrambled eggs are done.

Remove the eggs from the heat. The tortilla shells should be done, right around the same time as the eggs. Place them on a plate and carefully spoon the egg mixture onto the shell. Top with all of your favorite toppings and enjoy!!