Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Simple Bacon Ranch Chicken

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You probably saw the title “Simple Bacon Ranch Chicken” and thought to yourself, “Well, with ingredients like that, you can’t go wrong.” Right? Is that what you were thinking?

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Indeed. With ingredients like bacon, ranch, and chicken you know it’ll be a great combination of flavors. And did I mention you top it all with cheese? Mmmhmm!

Now let me get you even more excited by letting you know that these four ingredients can be put together in a dish with about 5 minutes of effort. You know that’s my favorite way to cook right now. The simpler the better – healthy whole foods with plenty of time to enjoy family time.

The last time I made this chicken dish, I let it bake while I steamed some green beans, stir-fried some asparagus, and cut up a cantaloupe. Clean up was minimal. The combination of flavors was wonderful.

TIP: If needed, put this together quickly in the morning, cover, and put it in the fridge. In the evening, slide it into the oven for an effortless meal!

Simple Bacon Ranch ChickenYum

Simple Bacon Ranch Chicken
 
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Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 4-6 chicken boneless breasts or thighs
  • ½ pound bacon
  • ½ cup ranch dressing*
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar or Colby jack cheese
Instructions
  1. Lay chicken pieces in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
  2. Spread ranch dressing over the chicken.
  3. Lay strips of uncooked bacon over the ranch-covered chicken.
  4. Sprinkle cheese over the top.
  5. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 25-45 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

*Find my Ranch Dressing recipe here.

simple-bacon-ranch-chicken

Want some more Simple Recipes? Here are others I’ve shared recently:

Those simple recipes are just the beginning. We’re taking it all to the next level so that not only are our recipes easy and nourishing – you don’t even have to think about what to prepare or purchase! Jump in with all the others who have joined…

Simple Meals

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Here’s what Chelsea said about Simple Meals: I signed up for this and I’m very excited about it. It takes me about 4 hours each time I menu plan and make my list but for .81 per week, you do it for me. It’s a small price to pay for my busy family to eat well thought out, whole foods. I compared prices and recipes to other services before signing up and this was the best fit by far. Thank you!!

That is exactly what I was going for when the idea of Simple Meals came to be!

Check out Simple Meals, take advantage of the lovely coupon savings, then promote it yourself so you can earn some great referral money!

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Simple Italian Beef and Broccoli Skillet

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I’m working my way out of a job. Don’t feel sorry for me. This is grand.

beef-and-broccoli-skillet

Here’s what’s going down:

I used to spend so much time every day putting together big meals. I’d make big meat and potatoes meals, with veggies and some sort of homemade bread like cornbread. At the end of every meal, my sink would be piled with dirty dishes that would take quite a bit of effort to wash up. By the time that meal detail was behind us, it would be time to turn around and start over.

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Three times every day.

Now, you know me. You know how much I love to cook and bake. But all the effort and all the dirty dishes was taking away the joy.

Can I tell you something? Unless it’s Thanksgiving, it should NOT take longer to cook and clean than it takes to actually enjoy eating the meal you’ve lovingly prepared. No way, thank you very much. It’s deflating to spend an hour (or more) cooking a meal, then to watch my family devour it in fifteen minutes, then have to get up and scrub down a crusty kitchen.

There is more to life than cooking and eating (says the girl who loves food).

That’s why Simple Meals was born (this rockin’ service you need to check into). That’s why Simple Recipes keep popping up here on my blog. I’ve been on a mission to find and experiment with recipes that are incredibly simple to make and clean up after. They are nourishing and delicious, but painless to plan for and prepare. (Then I’ve gone even farther to put everything together in a super simple meal planning option so you don’t even have to think about what to cook. You’ll love this!)

This Simple Italian Beef Skillet recipe I’m sharing today is the definition of simple. Make the entire meal in one skillet. (Actually, I did make rice in a separate pot to fill my men and help this dish go farther. I ate mine without rice though. I was in it for the meat and veggies.)

This recipe takes four ingredients. It takes five minutes of prep. You put it all in a skillet and let it cook itself while you do any number of other things you need or want to do.

Simple Italian Beef and Broccoli SkilletYum

Simple Italian Beef and Broccoli Skillet
 
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Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1-2 pounds beef stew meat
  • 3 Tablespoons dry Italian seasoning mix*
  • 1 medium head fresh broccoli
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
  1. Stir ingredients together in a skillet.
  2. Cover and let meat cook on low heat for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
  3. Serve with rice if you like.

simple-italian-beef-and-broccoli-skillet

*Click here for our Italian Dressing Mix recipe.

Can I give another plug for this amazing Cast Iron Skillet? What would I do without mine? Want another easy skillet recipe? You’ll love Simple Skillet Taco Pasta.

Want some more Simple Recipes? Here are others I’ve shared recently:

Let’s hear it for less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying family!!!

If you haven’t already, you really need to join our amazing Simple Meals program. Get all the details here!

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Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

How I’m Feeding My Family Next Week (Yep. It’ll be another busy one.)

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Today I thought I’d share a little fun family news, show you a picture of my groceries (you know you love looking at my butter), and share how I’m going to try and keep myself from being overwhelmed as I get meals on the table during a busy week.

First, some family news.

Soccer season ends next week!! I love soccer like crazy, but it also does make me crazy, so I’m always relieved when the season comes to an end. I mostly feel this way because Matt is assistant coach for the York College women’s team and he’s been on the road a lot. I look forward to him being home more.

puma-blues

Just as soccer season ends, basketball season begins. This doesn’t add much busyness to my life yet as Justus is driving now and can get Elias and himself to and from practices. My biggest job right now is to make sure they’ve had dinner in time to digest before they leave for practice (and provide a big snack when they get home, obviously).

Here’s a fun picture from YC Homecoming last weekend:

asa-concert-choir

Malachi tried out for our downtown Christmas theater production and got a part!! He is beyond excited and we’re all pretty excited for him. If you’re familiar with The Christmas Story movie, then you can picture Malachi as Flick. And if you’re familiar with Malachi, you know that role fits him perfectly! His practices are every weeknight from now until the shows are live in December.

Matt and I are leading a marriage retreat next weekend out of town, something we are looking forward to very much.

Justus and Elias are heading to a youth rally this weekend, and then to a big concert on Monday. Therefore, they are working double time on school work to get ahead so they can take a couple days off.

Malachi has decided to dress up like his biggest brother Asa for trick-or-treating. (Is that sweet, or is that sweet?) This plan only works if the two of them dress exactly alike for the evening and Asa is the one taking him from door to door. We’re working on coordinating their “costumes” which will likely be some form of athletic wear. I’ll take pictures to share after the big night! We’re blessed that York College opens up the women’s dorm and apartments for all the kids in the community to trick-or-treat. So, since almost everyone on campus knows Asa, and Malachi looks a lot like Asa (and gets called “Little Asa” by several on Asa’s college soccer team) – this should be a lot of fun!

That catches you up on our lives just a little bit. I’d love for you to leave a comment to share about yours!

Let’s talk food

I had plans to take a picture of my most recent trip to Fresh Thyme Market (the store I always visit when I have appointments in Lincoln because it’s my favorite!). When I got home this time, we threw all the groceries in the fridge and headed out to college soccer games. So the next day I cheated. I grabbed out a few items that I’d bought and took a quick picture. This is obviously not everything I bought (because this amount will only last us about a day and a half). But it gives you an idea of some of the fruits and veggies we’ll be eating with our meals next week. And sure enough, there’s a pound of butter.

simple-meals-groceries

How I’m Feeding My Family Next Week

This leads me to sharing about how I plan to get everyone fed and out the door to all of our events next week. The Simple Meals program we just rolled out this week? It’s definitely for all of you. But this mama is also relying heavily on all it provides. So I guess I should say, “thank you.” Preparing this each week for you is going to be a huge help to my family and me!

Today I thought I’d show you how I’m using Simple Meals to keep my kitchen life running smoothly.

Every menu plan comes with a page that looks like this:

simple-meals-options

With this in mind, I’ll look at the calendar to see everything going on so I can plug in the best meals for the best nights.

Here’s a sketch of our calendar for next week:

Sunday – Malachi soccer game in the afternoon, then Bible study at the Mission in the evening; Justus, Elias, and Malachi to youth group

Monday – Justus and Elias at concert; Asa takes Malachi trick-or-treating at the college dorms – eat dinner after

Tuesday –  Matt out of town for YC soccer; Bball practice begins for Justus and Elias – leave at 6:30; Malachi play practice 6:30 – eat by 5:30

Wednesday – (Busiest day this week) Laura appointment in Lincoln; Justus full morning with piano and college class; Bible class 6:30, then rush Malachi to play practice right after – eat by 5:30…crock pot night?

Thursday – Bball practice for Justus and Elias – leave at 6:30; Malachi play practice 6:30 – eat by 5:30

Friday – Matt and I leave for marriage retreat, boys make dinner on their own

Saturday – Matt and I arrive home from marriage retreat, boys make dinner to be eaten when we get home

After getting a good feel for all that fills next week…

I printed off the Simple Meals plan for next week and jotted down notes for the nights I plan to use each meal idea:

simple-meals-planning-breakdown2

Well, that was fun!

Want to print off this same menu plan to work with? You’ll find it here. I love how it makes prepping for healthy meals so much easier!

Check out Simple Meals program here. (And really go nuts spreading the word about it so you can earn $10 per referral!)

 

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Do you have a busy week coming up? How are you working to prepare?

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Simple Meals is Here!

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I don’t even know where to start.

I suppose the best would be to share how thankful I am for how all of this came together. The idea came from prayer, and the most exciting part of the project is knowing how many, many families are going to be blessed by this (in great part, because of you – keep reading!).

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Are you wondering what Simple Meals is?

I can finally tell you. 

Simple Meals is a program we’ve set up for every family who wants:

  • To consistently enjoy simple, family-friendly, real food meals that taste great but don’t take much time to prepare
  • More relaxed evenings
  • Less daily stress
  • Less time in the kitchen
  • More time to enjoy one another

What exactly is this Simple Meals project we’ve put together that meets all these needs (and more)? Well. It’s really going to WOW you.

Just wait till you see everything you get for less than $1.00 per week! On top of that, we’re going to give you a lovely pile of bonuses. And even more amazing? We’re going to tell you how you will earn $10 cash for every single person (with no limit!) you refer who joins the Simple Meals program!

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—>All of the information about Simple Meals can be found here. <—

You’ll want to click over and get all the info about how this works, what all it includes, and how you can earn money by sharing it.

Mostly we’re excited because of how this is going to save your family time. But the additional benefits are huge! All the details are here.

Simple Meals is a great big service for a tiny little price. Join the Simple Meals family! You’re going to love it!

Tell me all about Simple Meals!

P.S. Nothing about the Heavenly Homemakers site changes. Access to the site is still absolutely free. All of our recipes are shared freely. More Simple Recipes are in the works. I’ll continue to share posts and encouragement and recipes as I’ve always done. Simple Meals is above and beyond, and I know I just said this, but truly, you are going to love this!

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Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Simple Creamy Chicken Stew in the Crock Pot

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If you want something that meets all the criteria for nourishing comfort food, this Simple Creamy Chicken Stew is what you’re looking for.

I love that the ingredients for this recipe can be quickly put in the crock pot in the morning. Of course, since we are home most of the day, the delicious smell of this cooking stew almost kill us. (Life is so hard.)

chicken-stew

Probably one of my favorite aspects of this stew is the creaminess. The ranch dressing mix gives it wonderful flavor, and of course, the potatoes and carrots make this meal filling and nourishing. I love this stew! Whenever there are leftovers (rare, but hey, it does happen sometimes), I am so happy. Warming this up on the day after I’ve made it makes for such a happy lunch.

Simple Creamy Chicken Stew in the Crock PotYum

4.0 from 2 reviews
Simple Creamy Chicken Stew in the Crock Pot
 
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Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 pound boneless chicken breasts or thighs
  • 4-5 small potatoes (I prefer red or gold)
  • 1 pound carrots
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 3 Tablespoons dry ranch dressing mix*
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Cut chicken, potatoes, and carrots into bite-sized pieces and stir together in a crock pot.
  2. Salt and pepper to taste.
  3. In a bowl combine cream, sour cream, chicken broth, and ranch dressing mix.
  4. Pour mixture over the chicken and veggies.
  5. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-7 hours.
*I highly recommend this Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix.
simple-creamy-chicken-stew-in-the-crock-pot

You’ve been trying all the new Simple Recipes, right?

It’s here! Check out our amazing Simple Meals program!

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Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Simple Cheesy Baked Chicken

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This Cheesy Baked Chicken recipe is unbelievably simple!

I was skeptical at first. I thought it might turn out boring or dull, dry or flavorless. Turns out, the flavor is perfect, the chicken is juicy, and then there’s the cheese. Cheese makes everything better.

easy-cheesy-chicken

 

In keeping with the Simple Recipes theme we have going on here, this recipe can be made with about five minutes of effort. While the chicken is baking, you can quickly make some veggie side dishes. We first enjoyed this chicken with fried sweet potatoes, tossed salad, and buttered peas. It was crazy easy and so, so delicous.

Simple Cheesy Baked ChickenYum

4.5 from 2 reviews
Simple Cheesy Baked Chicken
 
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Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds boneless chicken thighs or breasts
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or Colby jack recommended)
Instructions
  1. Place chicken in a baking dish.
  2. Drizzle olive oil over the chicken and sprinkle with garlic powder and salt.
  3. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.
  4. Sprinkle cheese over the chicken and bake for 10 minutes more or until cheese has melted.

simple-cheesy-baked-chicken

Allow me to put in a word again for using boneless chicken thighs instead of boneless chicken breasts. The thighs have more fat in them, so they are always juicier and more flavorful. I’ve found the price for thighs to be about the same, if not better than what I’ve found for breasts. I’m also enjoying the fact that I continue to find a natural brand of chicken marked down for quick sale at the store. I know it’s not the best of the best when it comes to chicken, but it is at least better than the worst. (You like my logic, there?) I grab all the marked down packages I find, often getting 2-pound packages for about $3.00, and freeze them for when I need them. What a huge money saver!

Have you been enjoying all the new Simple Recipes I’ve shared here lately? They’ll keep coming, because I’m on a roll and this is fun! Here’s the list of what I’ve shared so far:

It’s here! Check out our amazing Simple Meals program!

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Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

The Simple Way to Make Veggies Actually Taste Good

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Some of us don’t need to be convinced that veggies actually taste good. We already know. We love and crave many delicious veggies and can’t figure out what’s wrong with all the people who turn up their noses at green, orange, and red food that grows out of the ground.

Fruits and Veggies On the Go 2

For many of us, liking vegetables has come with age as our tastes change. It also helps when we actually try a new vegetable every once in a while. (I’m talking to all of you who say, “I don’t like that” before you’ve even actually tried it. You know who you are.)

Even with changing taste buds and willingness to try new veggies once in a while, I don’t know one person who likes every single vegetable on the planet. I love many different kinds, but I still really struggle with artichokes and beets. You?

But here’s what I’ve found to make a big difference in the world of vegetables. It’s the trick that can make a person turn around and actually like a vegetable he or she may not have liked before. It’s this:

Add a delicious, healthy fat to your veggie.

Not only does fat add flavor to the veggie and bring out its natural goodness, it adds necessary nutrients to fuel our bodies for energy and to feed our brains. I find it to be so very lovely when my brain actually works. You?

My favorite ways to add fat to veggies to create amazing flavor:

1. Butter

When I steam peas, broccoli, or carrots, I love to stir in some butter and sea salt. Oh my happy, happy veggies.

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2. Bacon Grease

You guys. Cook your bacon, eat your bacon, then keep the grease it created and put it in a jar in your fridge. Stir a couple teaspoons into your steamed green beans along with some sea salt and see if your family doesn’t go back for seconds. Get over thinking that “bacon grease will give you a heart attack.” It’s good, natural fat. Don’t want a heart attack? Stop eating cookies and drinking pop. Love ya.

green-beans

3. Stir Fry them in Olive Oil

Last week we had a few college students over for a meal. I stir fried yellow squash, zucchini, carrots, and broccoli to go with our Hawaiian Chicken and Rice. Upon cleaning her plate, one of the college girls stood up and said, “I’m getting more veggies. Those were really good. Hmm. I’ve never said that before.”

It made my day and it proves my point. Add good fat to the veggies. Enjoy them with non-processed sea salt (full of needed minerals).

stir_fry

And what about raw veggies?

Well, eat them plain if you enjoy them that way. But if dipping them in something delicious helps you get them down, go for it with healthy dips like Homemade Ranch Dip or this Easy Veggie Dip.

Easy Veggie Dip 1

Tell me how you cook your veggies! What are your favorite fats to add? Have you found that healthy fats make veggies taste awesome?

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Be on the look-out! Our Simple Meals program is about to launch and you’re going to love it! In the meantime, here are our latest new Simple Recipes that go with the Simple Veggies talked about above:

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

20-Minute Taco Soup Your Family Will Love

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I’m going to start this post off by saying that this soup can be made from start to finish in about 20 minutes, but it actually only takes about 5 minutes of effort on your part, so you can be even happier about this Taco Soup than you were when you first saw the title.

quick-taco-soup

The Simple Crock Pot Chicken Soup with a Kick recipe I shared a couple weeks ago has been such a hit that I decided to try the same idea, subbing hamburger meat for the chicken. You know me. I love me some beef.

You guys, adding beef to this soup was a very, very good idea. The soup came together very quickly and my family loved it like crazy. I served it with homemade applesauce (because applesauce is what October is made of) and carrot sticks (because I needed to quickly throw out a veggie to compliment this meal before we left for a soccer game).

The very next day, I made this soup again because at the last minute it was decided that our oldest son, Asa, and a couple of his college buddies were going to come have dinner with us. I quickly thawed some hamburger in hot water like this (best trick ever!), made the soup, sliced some peaches and strawberries, cut up some sweet peppers, and set out a buffet.

Everyone who has tried this Taco Soup loves it, and seeing as it only takes a few minutes to make, I see myself falling back on this recipe often this winter!

Why shouldn’t you make this soup in the crock pot like the chicken version? Because it’s not necessary and will not save you time. The chicken soup does best in a crock pot because you can dump the chicken in while frozen and the crock pot will thaw and cook it and after a few hours you’ll have soup. For this hamburger version, you simply need to brown the meat, stir in the other ingredients, let the cheese melt, and serve it right away.

This soup and the Chicken Version are about to become your frequent dinner guests.

20-Minute Taco SoupYum

5.0 from 3 reviews
20-Minute Taco Soup Your Family Will Love
 
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Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 16-ounces salsa (more or less is fine; mild to hot is fine - your preference)
  • 32-ounces (1 quart) chicken or beef broth
  • 8-ounces cheese (Colby jack or cheddar)
Instructions
  1. In a medium to large sized pot, brown the hamburger meat until no longer pink.
  2. Stir in salsa and broth and heat with the meat.
  3. Cut cheese into small chunks and stir into the soup, whisking until melted.

What to serve with this 20-Minute Taco Soup:

  • Tossed salad
  • Fresh fruit
  • Applesauce
  • Raw veggies

Consider adding to your bowl of 20-Minute Taco Soup:

  • Crushed tortilla chips
  • Sour Cream
  • Sliced Olives
  • Black Beans
  • Corn

20-minute-taco-soup-your-family-will-love

Don’t miss our other Simple Recipe ideas shared here so far:

This series has been so much fun so far and I’m excited about more new simple recipes I’ve been playing with to share. More to come!

It’s here! Check out our amazing Simple Meals program!

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Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Simple Sweet and Sour Baked Chicken Legs

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Everybody come get yourselves some Sweet and Sour Baked Chicken Legs.

sweet-and-sour-chicken

A meal like this is one of my favorite to prepare. It goes something like this:

  1. Plop some chicken in a dish.
  2. Mix up 5 ingredients to spread over chicken.
  3. Put the chicken in the oven and walk away.
  4. Just before dinnertime, throw frozen veggies in a pot to steam.
  5. Get out salad stuff.
  6. Ring the cow bell.

If you don’t have a cow bell, I guess you can still make this chicken.

Ringing the cow bell (to alert the men in the field that dinner was ready) was one of my favorite things to do at Grandma’s house. I’ve decided that I need one for my house. My men aren’t out in the field, but they are often wearing headphones. Perhaps they could hear a cow bell better than they hear my sweet (but wimpy) voice calling them for dinner?

Either way, check out how easy this new recipe is:

Simple Sweet and Sour Baked Chicken LegsYum

4.0 from 2 reviews
Simple Sweet and Sour Baked Chicken Legs
 
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Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 3 pounds chicken legs (other pieces work fine too but may require more baking time)
  • 2 Tablespoons honey
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • ½ cup ketchup
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Lay chicken legs in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
  2. Mix honey, soy sauce, ketchup, and garlic in a small saucepan. Heat briefly to melt honey and to make sure ingredients are well combined.
  3. Spread mixture over chicken legs.
  4. Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Turn chicken over in the sauce, cover, and cook for 15 minutes more.

Be sure the soy sauce is gluten free if this is a need for you!

simple-sweet-and-sour-baked-chicken-legs

You will love this simple main dish!

Don’t miss our other Simple Recipe ideas shared here so far:

It’s here! Check out our amazing Simple Meals program!

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Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Simple Skillet Taco Pasta

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

Today I have for you: comfort food in a cast iron skillet. It’s simple, it’s quick, it’s delicious. It’s Simple Skillet Taco Pasta.

skillet-taco-pasta

First, a word about Cast Iron Skillets. I highly recommend that we all have one (or two). Mine takes the place of what used to be Teflon in my kitchen. Cast iron is crazy healthier to cook with and when oiled or buttered well, it is delightfully non-stick. I use mine at least twice every day – for eggs, for meat, for dishes like this Skillet Taco Pasta. (This one is the Cast Iron Skillet I recommend.)

So back to this new, simple recipe. (More Simple Recipes here.)

How nice is it that this entire dish can be made in one big skillet? Obviously, you will get out salad makings and steam a vegetable to go with this. Obviously. But that will be easy and take a look at how easy this main dish recipe is:

Simple Skillet Taco PastaYum

4.5 from 2 reviews
Simple Skillet Taco Pasta
 
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Author:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 pound hamburger meat
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 16-ounces salsa
  • 1½ cups water
  • 8-ounces whole grain pasta, any shape (gluten free works great too!)
  • 8-ounces shredded cheddar or Colby jack cheese
Instructions
  1. In a large skillet, brown hamburger meat until no longer pink.
  2. Drain excess grease if necessary.
  3. Season meat with salt, pepper, chili powder, and garlic powder.
  4. Stir in salsa, water, and pasta. Bring to a boil.
  5. Turn down heat to simmer, cover and cook for about 10 minutes or until pasta is tender.
  6. Turn off heat, sprinkle cheese over the mixture in the skillet, and put the lid on for 2 minutes to melt the cheese.

simple-skillet-taco-pasta

This recipe has been a huge hit with my family. Leftovers (if there are any) taste even better because of all the yummy flavors settling in to the pasta and meat.

This meal is practically effortless. Clean-up is a piece of cake (though not literally, bummer for that). And if you need this dish to be gluten free, simply use your favorite GF pasta.

Tell me how much you love cast iron. Do you use it often at your house? Need a Cast Iron Skillet?

This post contains affiliate links.

It’s here! Check out our amazing Simple Meals program!

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Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!