Breakfast Sausage Casserole

INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp Butter
1/2 Onion, diced
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 lb Ground Sage Sausage
11/2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
8 Eggs
1 3/4 cup Milk
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Dried Mustard
1/4 tsp Salt
8 oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
6-7 slices of Sandwich Bread


DIRECTIONS
1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.

2.  In a large skillet, melt the butter, and then saute the onion until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add in the garlic and the sausage, and cook until the sausage is no longer pink.  Remove from heat and drain any excess grease.  Stir in maple syrup.

3.  In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs.  Stir in the milk, Worcestershire, mustard, and salt.

4.  Layer the bottom of the baking dish evenly with the bread, cutting bread to fit evenly if necessary. Spoon sausage mixture evenly over the bread, and then sprinkle the cheese on top of the sausage.  Finally, pour the egg mixture over all of it.

5.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until set.  Alternatively, this can be made the night before:  refrigerate unbaked casserole overnight covered, and then bake covered for 30 minutes and then uncover and bake until warm and set, about 10-15 minutes more.

Corn Pudding

CORN PUDDING

Ingredients
1/4 Cup White Sugar
3 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 1/2 tsp Salt
3/4 tsp Nutmeg
6 Eggs
2 Cups Whipping Cream
1/3 Cup Butter, melted
2 (15 oz) cans of Creamed Corn
1 (15 oz) can of Golden Corn, drained

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a 2 1/2 to 3 quart flat baking dish.

2.  Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

3.  In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, and butter until smooth.  Gradually stir in the dry ingredients, until well mixed.  Stir in the corn until combined.  Pour into the greased casserole dish.

4.  Bake for an hour or until deep golden and set.

One Pot Baked Ziti

My life has been so chaotic lately, I barely have time to cook or post recipes any more.  My 4 year old never stops chattering, and my 18 month old's idea of fun is trying to climb furniture or turn the oven on.  So when I make dinner these days, I need it to be relatively easy, and with little clean up.  Also ideal?  A meal that everyone in my family will actually eat.  I'm trying to eat lower calorie meals in order to lose the last few pounds of baby weight, my husband wants to feel full, my daughter hates anything with vegetables, and my son doesn't like most meat.  

This Baked Ziti was pretty much a miracle.  First of all, it all bakes in one pot!  Just make sure you use something that can go in the oven, like an enamel dutch oven.  Otherwise, you'll need to transfer the food into a baking dish, which will give you two dishes to clean up (the horror!).  It only takes about 30-40 minutes to cook, which is super necessary in my life right now.  I held my breath when I served it to my family, praying that the meal wouldn't be filled with tears and gagging (like most meals these days...toddlers are so much fun!).  To my immense relief, everyone ate it happily!  Sweet success!  And to my own happiness, this dish is under 400 calories a serving, so I can eat it guilt-free.  WOO!

Cheesy Broccoli & Chicken Quinoa Casserole

I have a deep love for casseroles.  It is really hard to cook a main dish and several sides when you have two young children.  A casserole means less cooking, less cleaning, and a less frazzled mama.  Plus, casseroles will always be the quintessential comfort food.  

Blueberry Oatmeal Cups

Blueberry Oatmeal cups are currently my breakfast obsession.  I make a batch every other Sunday, freeze half (they freeze and reheat great!), and then keep the other half in the fridge to eat all week.  I usually do blueberries, but sometimes I use cherries or peaches instead.  I bet it would be great with pecans too!  Not only are these muffins delicious, but they keep you full all the way until lunchtime despite only being 229 calories a serving.  I love that it only takes 30 seconds to warm them up in the microwave in the morning, and then they are ready to eat.  My mornings are so chaotic now that I'm a mom of two kids.  One day  I'll have the chance to actually sit and eat breakfast again, but until then, I'm glad I have these oatmeal cups!

Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I needed a quick and healthy dinner that would appease both my husband and my picky toddler.  I'm a huge fan of cashews and lettuce wraps, so I thought, "Hey, let's try Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps!".   It only took about 20 minutes to make, and everyone gobbled the wraps right up.  Success!