Mexican Stuffed Shells & Apple Pineapple Crisp

Hey I'm back...it's been so beautiful out that I haven't taken much time to be on the computer.  We just had some friends from Sunday School over and they brought their boys.  We had an awesome time eating, playing Xbox Kinect, and taking a nice long walk through the neighborhood.  Once again I tried out a new recipe when I was having guests over and so far both recipes have been a complete success!  Yesterday I made these Mexican Stuffed Shells and baked them for the first 30 minutes, then put them in the fridge for today's lunch.  Since we were coming from church I wanted to have the meal as close to ready as I could so as soon as we got home I heated up the oven and stuck them in for 20 more minutes to bake with the cheese on them.  PERFECT! They were so delicious.  Husband and kid approved!  Pretty simple too!  YES!!  Here's the recipe, but I doubled it for 6 people.  Sorry no pictures...they got gobbled up really fast!

Mexican Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey)

1 package taco seasoning (I used my homemade taco seasoning with no sugar)
4 ounces cream cheese
20 jumbo pasta shells
1 cup salsa
1 cup taco sauce
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup Monterrey jack cheese

For toppings:

tomatoes

Sour cream

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a pan brown the ground beef; add taco seasoning and prepare according to package directions. Add cream cheese, cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Stir together and mix well. Set aside and cool completely.

While ground beef is cooking, cook the pasta shells according to package directions; drain. Set shells out individually on cutting board or baking sheet so that they don’t stick together.

Pour salsa on bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Stuff each shell with 1-2 tablespoons of the meat mixture. Place shells in 9×13 pan open side up. Evenly cover shells with taco sauce. Cover dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, add shredded cheese and bake for 10-15 more minutes with the foil removed. Top with green onions or olives if desired. Serve with sour cream and/or more salsa.

The next recipe I want to share with you is Apple Crisp.  Hmmm...how do you make apple crisp without adding sugar??  Well, my aunt found this yummy recipe and you don't need a grain of sugar, because the baked fruit gives it all the natural sugars you need.  It's even gluten free for all you gluten free peeps!  It is adapted from http://www.food.com/.

Apple Pineapple Crisp

Ingredients

• 4 medium tart apples ( She used Jonathons)
• 1 cup canned crushed pineapple in juice
• ½ cup quick oatmeal or ½ cup regular oatmeal ( not instant)
• ¹⁄₈; teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 bananas, frozen

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray an 8X8 square baking dish with cooking spray.
3. Peel, core, and slice the apples.
4. Put them in the pan.
5. Add the canned pineapple and mix it all together.
6. Put the frozen banana in the microwave until it is defrosted and mushy.
7. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add the oatmeal and cinnamon and stir well.
8. Peel the banana (it will be runny) and add it to the oatmeal.
9. This will clump up and be very sticky.
10. Put the oatmeal mixture on top of the apples.
11. I use my hands but it is sticky and not real easy.
12. You may, if you want, spray the top of the crisp with cooking spray or olive oil spray but I didn't find it made much difference.
13. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the topping is starting to brown.
14. Serve warm or cold.

The Great Migraine Battle Update:

January: 4
February: 4
March: 10
Pounds lost: 18
Inches lost: 18
Sugar free 85 days and counting!  Nut free for 1 week and counting!