Beef, Mushroom & Biscuit Casserole

Everyone is back in school and back to our busy routines!  The first week of school I tried to be a little more creative with dinners.  The girls were getting sick of our usuals, so I decided it was a good time to try a few new things.  I went to the fridge to see what we had to work with.  I always like to stop by The Fresh Market on Tuesdays for their $2.99/lb ground chuck and $2.99/lb chicken breasts.  Both are great meats to build a meal on.  I wanted to use our ground chuck and I also had a refrigerated can of Immaculate biscuits.  Now I just needed some veggies!

Start by browning your meat and chopping some mushrooms and celery.  Add the veggies to your meat and cook until tender.  Next you will add your soup.  

 Transfer your meat mixture to your casserole dish and top with cheese.  

I flattened my biscuit dough by hand to cover the top of the mixture.  Time to bake!

Beef, Mushroom & Biscuit Casserole
by Love Bug Living

1 1/2 lb ground beef
8 oz Mushrooms, diced
1/2 c celery, diced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 can biscuits

Brown your ground beef and drain grease.  Add in your celery and mushrooms and contine to cook until softened.  Stir in your soup until combined.  Pour mixture into a baking dish.  Top with cheese.  Flatten your biscuits by hand and top your casserole with them.  Bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 15 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.

Printable Recipe

My middle daughter can be quite picky, especially when it comes to meat dishes.  However, she made me promise that I would make this Beef, Mushroom & Biscuit casserole again.  She said she liked it so much that she'd even eat it without the biscuits on top.  I think that means she really liked it!

Linking to Tatertots & Jello

Top 12 Tutorials on Love Bug Living for 2014

The end of the year is here.  I thought I'd take this time to look back and share some of our favorite posts for 2014.  We have a wide variety of tutorials from recipes to crafts to sewing projects.  I hope you find a project to inspire you in the new year!

12.  Cherry Ball Jell-O Shots

11.  Sharpie Doodle Eggs

10.  Wedding Initial Canvas

9.  Hometown Heart Map Canvas

8.  New Homeowner Key Ornament

7.  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Blanket

6.  DIY Pet Photo Canvas

5.  Carved Heart Initial Tree Quilt

4.  American Girl Fleece Sleeping Bag

3.  Hashbrown Breakfast Quiche

2.  DIY Giant Jenga Game

And the Top Post of 2014 is....

1.  Ikea Expedit Hack Platform Bed

Have an inspired New Year!

Cherry Ball Jell-O Shots

We are halfway through December, which means we are deep into party season.  Lots of gatherings, potlucks, and company parties.  It also means that Christmas is getting close.  I love Christmas and all the activities it brings, but it can also be a bit stressful trying to fit it all in, buying the right gifts, and trying to make everyone happy.  

Maybe instead of bringing a casserole to your next party, the guests would appreciate these Cherry Ball Jell-O shots instead!  They really are quite easy to make and a fun treat to serve.

Cherry Ball Jell-O Shots

by Love Bug Living

1 cup Fireball whisky

1 cup boiling water

1 3 oz pkg cherry jello

Mix your cherry jello with your boiling water.  Stir for 2 minutes, until dissolved.  Add your Fireball and mix.  Pour into individual cups and refrigerate until firm.  

Printable Recipe

I attended a Cookies and Cocktail party last night.  I made both these Cherry Ball Jell-O shots and my Champagne Jell-O shots.  For cookies, I made a milk chocolate version of the Toffee Cookies and Peanut butter chocolate oatmeal no bake cookies.  Yum!  Have a great time at your parties!

Shared at:  Tatertots & Jello

Peanut Butter Avocado Smoothie for Williams-Sonoma Smoothie Week

It's Smoothie Week!  I don't know about yours, but my kids love smoothies!  I grew up on them! This was before you could find a smoothie shop in every food court. Our typical smoothies are a base of juice or milk and then filled with as many fruits that we have on hand.

When Williams-Sonoma contacted me to be part of their Not Your Typical Smoothie Challenge, I started thinking about what fruit I hadn't used before.  The avocado has a high nutrient content, making it quite healthy.  They are loaded with nutrients, healthy fatty acids, fiber, and antioxidants. They may also lower cholesterol, prevent cancer, relieve symptoms of arthritis, and even help you lose weight.  This makes it the perfect fruit to add to our smoothie, not to mention the added creaminess it adds to the texture.  My other favorite ingredient?  Frozen bananas.  Whenever I see our bananas getting just a tad bit too ripe, I peel them, wrap them in plastic wrap and pop them in the freezer.  When you are ready to make your smoothie, just break off what you need and add them to the blender.  They make your smoothie thicker and cold, without having to add ice.

A smoothie is best when you can add a bit of protein to keep your energy up.  I love drinking smoothies for breakfast or an afternoon pick me up snack.  Peanut butter is a great way to add protein and keep you fuller longer.  If you have a personal blender, it is the perfect snack to make to bring on the go!  Looking for a new blender?  Williams-Sonoma has a great selection.

Peanut Butter Avocado Smoothie

by Love Bug Living

Serves 1

1 c. milk  (or milk substitute)

1/2 small avocado

1/2 frozen banana

2 T peanut butter (or 1 heaping scoop!)

Handful of chocolate chips (optional)

Add your milk, avocado, banana, and peanut butter to your blender and mix until smooth.  Toss your chocolate chips and pulse until blended.  Pour into a glass and serve.  Enjoy!

Disclosure:  This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are my own.

Santa Fe Chicken - Feingold Friendly

On my never ending search for new and easy recipes to make for dinner, chicken seems to be an easy staple that can be made so many ways.  I also love that The Fresh Market will quite often have it on sale for $2.99/lb. for their Tuesday specials.  This Santa Fe Chicken is a yummy way to change it up every once in a while.  The chicken is crusted with tortilla chips to give it a nice crunch.  We had some Food Should Taste Good sweet potato tortilla chips on hand.  This gave our chicken a unique sweet flavor.  They have a lime flavor tortilla chip that I bet would be awesome as well. 

Santa Fe Chicken
by Love Bug Living

1 lb chicken
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs
1/3 cup flour
2 cups crushed tortilla chips (your favorite flavor)
Avocado diced
1 cup Monterey jack or sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Pound out chicken until it is about 1/4 inch thick, or you could cut thick breasts in half.  Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Whisk egg in a shallow bowl.  Place flour and any other desired seasonings in another shallow bowl.  The crushed tortilla chips should be in a third bowl.  Dip your chicken in the flour mixture.  Dip in the egg mixture and then coat with the crushed tortilla chips.  Place on a greased baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes or until the center reaches 165 degrees.  Remove from oven and top chicken with diced avocado and cheese.  Return to oven until cheese is melted, about five minutes. 

You could also add rinsed and drained canned black beans along with the avocado.  I served this Santa Fe Chicken with a side of black beans and rice, so I skipped topping it with the beans this time.  Serve with your favorite side tonight. 

Hashbrown Breakfast Bake Quiche

I don't know where the time has gone this summer!  I swear we just started and school is almost here again.  It all just flew by.  I'm not looking forward to the busy school year schedule.  We have had such a laid back routine, that it will be tough to jump back in to early mornings, homework, dance classes, volleyball, and soccer practices.  With three girls in activities, we have more than one thing to do after school each day.  Hopefully it doesn't become too much and we are able to handle it all.  My other worry is trying to figure out easy meal solutions.  We've been trying new ideas and hope I can keep up with the meals amidst all the craziness.  Occasionally, we like to have breakfast for dinner.  This Hashbrown Breakfast Bake Quiche is the perfect dinner that includes protein and veggies.  Leftovers are perfect to warm up for breakfast the next morning as well.

Hashbrown Breakfast Bake Quiche
by Love Bug Living

Shredded hashbrowns (I used a pkg of Simply Potatoes hashbrowns or about 2 cups)
1 T. vegetable oil
8-10 Eggs
1 cup cheese
1/2 - 1 cup Broccoli (add in your favorite)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup diced ham or crumbled bacon

Mix together hashbrowns, oil, and 1/4 cup of the cheese.  Press hashbrown mixture into the bottom of a 7 x 11 inch casserole dish.  Bake at 450 until crisp and browned, about 15-20 minutes.  Beat eggs.  Stir in rest of cheese, veggies, milk, and meat.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Pour over your hasbrowns.  Reduce heat to 350 and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through.  Inserted knife should come out clean.

Printable Recipe

Whether you are looking for a great dinner or a great breakfast quiche, this Hashbrown Breakfast Bake Quiche will hit the spot.  Hope you enjoyed your summer.  Now time to start planning for the craziness!

Quick and healthy Shepherd's Pie (Cottage Pie)

Looking for another quick and easy dinner idea to throw in the mix?  This Shepherd's Pie is just that, and healthy too.  All the convenience without the all the processed junk you don't want your family to eat. 

This is one of those recipes that you can just throw together and heat up.  Perfect for those busy weeknights.  You can even prepare it ahead of time, putting it all together in the baking dish.  Once you get home from work, just throw it in the oven to heat through.  You may need to bake it a bit longer since it will be cold rather than coming from the cook top. 

Shepherd's Pie (Cottage Pie)
by Love Bug Living

1T Olive oil
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion (diced)
Frozen bag mixed vegetables
Simply Potatoes - mashed potatoes
1/2 - 1 c. Shredded cheese
Salt, Pepper and other seasonings to taste

Add oil to large skillet over medium heat.  Sauté onion until translucent.  Add ground beef and brown.  Season meat with salt, pepper, and any of your favorite seasonings.  Add frozen vegetables and stir until they are warmed through.
Preheat oven to 375.  Spread meat mixture in a baking dish.  Spoon and spread your mashed potatoes over the top of the mixture.  Top with cheese.  Place in oven for 20-30 minutes or until heated through and the cheese is bubbly.

Your whole meal is ready to go in this one dish.  My girls loved it and wanted seconds.  It's great for leftovers too, if you have any that is!  Enjoy!

Natural Baked Potato Salad

The 4th of July is almost here!  This weekend we will be celebrating America's Independence Day with fireworks, friends, and BBQ's!  What are your favorite picnic foods?  An All-American favorite side seems to be potato salad.  So many different variations and flavors to choose from.  I've previously posted my favorite Lower Fat Baked Potato Salad. 

While I've always tried to watch my calorie and fat intake, my priorities have changed a bit.  Instead I'm more worried about what chemicals and preservatives are in my family's food.  That means that I'm cooking a lot more of our food at home and from scratch.  The pre-made food I am buying has all natural ingredients, without the preservatives.  Research has shown that the chemicals from artificial colors and flavors in our food can affect behavior, learning and our health.  I've recently started my family on the Feingold diet.  While it is geared for those that have ADHD and similar issues, I have found that this diet can benefit anyone.  What's tough is that it's not enough to just read labels.  There are many loopholes that companies use to get around labeling some of the unwanted ingredients and preservatives that they use.  What's worse is that many labels claim to be All Natural, when really they aren't.  Quite frustrating!  Lucky for me, Feingold has done all the research to track all of these unlabeled ingredients.  I feel much more confident in the food choices I am making for my family.  It is a bit more work sometimes, but I have been able to create all of my family's favorite foods, so we don't feel like we are missing out on anything. 

This weekend will be no different!  We will be celebrating with burgers, watermelon, corn on the cob, and potato salad!  All of our favorites!

Natural Baked Potato Salad

3 lbs potatoes (if using red, make sure no dye has been added)
1 cup Hellman's Real mayo
1 cup Friendship sour cream
1 cup Cabot Extra sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
1 lb Hormel Natural Choice turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 - 1/2 cup chives (optional)

Preheat oven to 425.  Bake your potatoes for an hour or until cooked.  Allow to cool until able to handle.  Chop your potatoes into about 1 inch chunks, leaving skin on.   Place in fridge to cool.

Combine your remaining ingredients and mix well.  Stir in cooled potatoes until fully coated.  Sprinkle with chives if desired.  Serve cold.

Enjoy your 4th of July knowing that your family is eating real food, without all the chemicals.