Tator tot casserole.

I am big fan of Tator tots. The little round plump potato things. Crispy on the outside and soft and moist on the inside. I thought the only way to eat them was fried and coated in fry sauce. Until one day a friend told me about Tator tot casserole. And a new kind of love for the Tator tot happened. Here is my version of Tator tot casserole.

2lbs of Tator tots
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of chicken soup
 1 lb ground beef
1 can green beans
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese.

I cook up the ground beef making sure it's nice and brown and then drain off any fat that there might be. While the meat is cooking in a big mixing bowl I add all the other ingredients then add the meat once cooked. I mix everything in the bowl and then place it into a greased casserole dish. I tend to add an extra 1/2 cup of cheese on top of the whole thing.

Place in oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

I actually made this for dinner tonight.

February movie night

I actually managed to get a night off work. Surprised I know. Well after I went and had my eyes tested we went home and has a movie night. As a family we watched Thor a dark world and gravity.

I really liked Thor and was glad that I finally managed to finish it. We went as a family to the movie theater to go and see it but kidlet didn't last more than about 30 minutes into the movie before I had to leave and take him to the park.

We recently purchased Thor on blu ray and one night whilst stay up with sick kidlet I managed to get an hour into e film. So I was really glad to finally be able to watch the whole film. I actually really like the avenger series of movies and my favorite character/ actor in them is Loki aka Tom Hiddlestone.

Gravity was also another film we managed to watch. It's pretty intense. It's a short movie and I liked it but it's not one of those movies that I would be rushing to go and see again.

Off course.

I've realized that since I took the break from the blog that I didn't plan of taking my blog has gone completely off course. So to get it back on course. I am making a pledge to be honest with you. To post exactly how I'm feeling and what I'm getting up to.

I will however still refrain from talking about my child. That subject is out of bounds. Sorry for people my if my kid wants to be in my blog that is up them to decide. As with most things online once it's posted it's forever. So when my kid is older enough to decide if they want to be part of my blog then they can be until then. Sorry you just have to deal with me.

Recently I have been struggling with my depression. It's mainly because I've been stressed and stress is a factor that makes my depression worse. Things should hopefully go back to normal once things have calmed down.

Right now I'm trying to hire again for one of my stores so picking up all those shifts, and then my other store is moving locations within the mall so I have to deal with as well. All stuff that will be over with in a few weeks. So things will go back to normal for me. If there is such a thing as normal.

Dry onion soup mix.

As you know I try to make things from scratch when I can. Doesn't always happen but I try.  Well I thought I would share this.

Dry onion soup mix.

2/3 cup  dried, minced onion

3 Tablespoon parsley flakes

2 Teaspoon onion powder

2 Teaspoon Turmeric 

1 Teaspoon celery salt

1 Teaspoon Sea Salt

1 Teaspoon Sugar

1/2 Teaspoon ground black pepper 

Mix everything in a by giving it a good shake.

Shake jar before each use.  4 Tablespoon = 1 soup packet.

I use this in my slow cooker cranberry chicken that I make.

Ranch dressing/ dip

I love ranch dressing. Never had it until I moved to the states. We don't have it in the UK. Or at least I never saw or heard of it in the almost 25 years that I lived over there. So when I first tried it I fell in love with it and aways try to find recipes that I can use ranch dressing or dip in.

But being me and trying to make as much of my food from scratch when I have time for numerous reason such as I think it's healthier as you know exactly what is in you food and also it tends to be cheaper the more you make from scratch. So when I finally found a ranch dressing /dip recipe I had to give it a try. It quickly become my families favorite ranch dressing in the world. And use it all the time for so many things from sandwiches to main meals. 

So how to make ranch dressing/dip from scratch. I make a ton up and store the dry version in a jar so I can just make up dressing as and when I need it. 

5 Tablespoons dried minced onions

7 Teaspoons parsley flakes

4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon Garlic powder 

Mix everything in a jar and store. Shake jar before each use to ensure that all ingredients are mixed. 

To make dressing just add 2 tablespoons of mix to 1 cup of mayo and 1 cup of sour cream. 

To make dip add 2 tablespoons of mix to 2 cups of sour cream. 

Always make the dressing and or dip up a few hours before needed so the flavors can blend.   

Group 42 week 3

Group 42 is on hold right now. Not that I'm not wanting to lose weight I am and will always be trying to lead a healthier life, but I've recently been sick again. And so is my family, like on antibiotics sick.

Also and I'm not making excuses right now although I know it does look like that I am, but my depression is getting the best of me. I'm working as hard as I can to deal with current episode and so my diet isn't it's best and I'm just eating what sounds good to me. Which just eating some days can be a battle. So I'm doing what I can to fight my depression. That is enough for me right now without having to count points.

Depression.

I suffer from depression I have done for years, since my teens in fact. There are many ways of dealing with it and there is no one cure.

I just wanted to let people out there know that if you to are suffering with depression you are not alone. And having depression is nothing to be ashamed of. People are always there willing to help you if you need it, just let them know that you need the help and what they can do. Unfortunately we are not mind readers.

I do my best to not let depression win the daily battle but sometimes it happens and it does take over.

Cranberry chicken.

This is one of the easiest recipes ever and I just happened to make it up. And its actually really good.

I tend to go grocery shopping once every two weeks. I make a meal plan and I try to get the most meals I can out one ingredient or try to stretch one meal and freeze leftovers for days when time gets away from me.

So every two weeks I when I shop at Costco I buy a rotisserie chicken. That's $5 and I can get three meals out of it. The day we shop I use one breast and we have chicken and lettuce and have chicken salad.

The next day I throw half the chicken that I've saved  into slow cooker along with some other ingredients and I have this really nice simple dinner.  I tend to serve what I call cranberry chicken with mashed potatoes and a vegetable of some kind but it works well with rice too. 

Cranberry chicken. 

About a 1/3 of a whole chicken. 

One can jelled cranberry sauce

4 Tablespoon of dry onion soup mix. ( I make my own soup mix, but it equals about one packet of the store brought)

So all I do it throw everything into the slow cooker and cook on low for about 4 hours. Just want the cranberry to melt into a sauce and everything to be hot. 

That's it. It really is simple. Even my kid who really doesn't eat meat at all will eat a few bites of this.