recent meals.

Meals we love.

Penne Pasta w/Chicken and Vegetables.

So this is a meal that my friend Sarah and I whipped up one night for the 4 of us(adults that is)and it turned out pretty well. Truth be told we did not follow a recipe. Yes this can be dangerous at times but we felt pretty confident with this one since Sarah was going off a pasta she had already had once before. So here's the scoop on what we added.

• Fresh vegetables cooked for a few minutes in olive oil(we also added some season salt). We chose peppers(assorted colors), zucchini, and asparagus. Again since we were not using a recipe we just guesstimated how much we wanted of each.
• 1-2 Chicken Breasts, diced and cooked in olive oil.
• 16oz. bag of Penne Pasta
• One jar of Alfredo Sauce. Now we used two different kinds and to be honest I can't remember the brand we used, Classico? Bertolli's? One of the two. We used half of regular Alfredo and half of the Sun Dried Tomato Alfredo(for extra flavor). I've also made this twice now at home and for one I made Alfredo from scratch but to be honest I like using the two different sauces better. Creamier and more flavor. 
• Once everything is cooked to perfection mix all together. 
• Top it off with a little grated Parmesan, serve and ENJOY!

Salad.

• Romaine Lettuce(for the 4 of us one bunch is usually enough)
• Chopped Green Onions
• Craisins
• Chopped Walnuts
• Feta Cheese Crumbles
• Raspberry Pecan Vinaigrette

The kids LOVE this meal!

Beef Stew.

Josh is a meat and potatoes kind of guy and over the years we had tried so many stew recipes but never wanted to repeat any of them. So again Sarah gave me this quick and easy recipe over a year ago and we LOVE it! We've made it multiple times. Of course the most basic recipe tastes the best. And again sorry but this is another add what you like, for the most part.

• 1lb Stew Meat(2 if you're going to double, which we usually do).
• Carrots(I use either a good size bunch from the farmer's market or add one bag of small carrots).
• Celery(I use 3 stalks).
• 1 Medium onion, chopped.
• Potatoes(I use 3 smaller red potatoes).
• 1 can of Tomato Soup(2 if you double)
• 1 packet of Lipton's Beefy Onion Soup Mix(again, 2 if you double)

Throw everything in a crock-pot(I set mine on high but that probably varies)and ENJOY when ready.

We pair it with Crusty Bread from the grocery bakery.

This meal is especially tasty on a cold winter day, but any day will do. Lila loves it as well. Max isn't our "soup" kid and to him this is soup. He's also not a huge fan of potatoes unless they come in the shape of a fry. But he puts on his best face to finish a bowl. And he should because I only make ONE meal a night.