Easiest Chicken Caesar Wraps for Busy Families-15 Minutes (or less)!

by CasieBlog, Food and ReciplesPosted on No Comments

Who doesn’t love a good wrap? Look, if Ina were here, she’d tell me to go get my heirloom lettuce from my garden. But since the yard is covered in snow, store-bought is fine. (If you don’t get the reference…you’re too young. J.K., I still love you, but Google it.)

I Meme of the Chef Ina Garten that says "If you don't have time to travel to Madagascar and pick your own vanilla beans, Store bought is fine"

This recipe is so simple and takes like 5 minutes to throw together. (Cooking the chicken is literally the longest part.) I’ll give you the short version and the long version (aka, the lazy way and the slightly less lazy way).

The Laziest *Delish* Chicken Caesar Wrap

Ingredients:

  • 1 pre-bagged Caesar Salad Kit (I use Fresh Express)
  • Caesar Croutons (I eat these suckers right outta the bag)
  • Kens Light Creamy Caesar Dressing (you can use what’s in the kit if you like)
  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Cucumber
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • Sundried Tomato OR Spinich Wraps
  • Pre-cooked Chicken Tenders or Honey Chicken Breast Tenders

Instructions:

  1. Cook your chicken per package instructions (I use my air fryer).
  2. While your chicken cooks, slice your cherry tomatoes into quarters and your cucumbers into 1/4-inch rounds. (You can peel them if you like.)
  3. Put your salad kit greens into a bowl, but leave out the dressing.
  4. Grab a wrap and add a bed of lettuce to the middle.
  5. Add a sprinkle of your quartered tomatoes and cucumbers.
  6. Once the chicken is cooked and cool enough to handle, cut it into bite-sized pieces.
  7. Add the chicken to your wrap, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
  8. Throw some croutons on that baby.
  9. Drizzle on your dressing (I don’t measure this) and wrap that sucker up!

Ta-da! That’s it! Literally so easy, but it tastes like you put the effort in.

Before the “Wrap Part”

Classic Chicken Caesar Wrap

Ingredients:

  • 1 head of Boston Lettuce OR Romaine Hearts
  • Caesar Croutons (I eat these suckers right outta the bag) but if you have a loaf of stale bread you can make your own
  • Kens Light Creamy Caesar Dressing
  • Kens Light Caesar Dressing (The NON Creamy)
  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Cucumber
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • Sundried Tomato OR Spinich Wraps
  • 1/2lb-1lb Raw Chicken Tenders (or Breasts cut into strips)

Instructions:

  1. Take your chicken tenders (or strips) and marinate them in the non-creamy Ken’s Caesar Dressing in the fridge for at least an hour (enough dressing to cover the chicken).
  2. Once your chicken has finished marinating, cook it on the stovetop in a pan, or if the weather is nice, grill it! Cook until no longer pink in the middle (165°F in the center).
  3. While your chicken cooks, slice your cherry tomatoes into quarters and your cucumbers into 1/4-inch rounds. (You can peel them if you like.) Wash and cut up your lettuce into bite-sized pieces.
  4. Grab a wrap and add a bed of lettuce to the middle.
  5. Add a sprinkle of your quartered tomatoes and cucumbers.
  6. Once the chicken is cooked and cool enough to handle, cut it into bite-sized pieces.
  7. Add the chicken to your wrap, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
  8. Throw some croutons on that baby.
  9. Drizzle on your creamy dressing (I don’t measure this) and wrap that sucker up!

Honestly, this way takes a little longer, but the marinated chicken is SO good. Plus, it’s healthier because it’s not a processed breaded tendie. (Nothing against tendies.) I’m sure you’ll like this recipe either way you make it!

How my Meal Planning saves on Groceries!

by CasieBlog, Food and Reciples, Mom ThingsPosted on No Comments

Meal planning, while kinda tedious, saves us SO much money! We were spending $200+ a week on groceries. And it just wasn’t sustainable. We all know the price of groceries is crazy. And if it’s not the price going up, it’s the size of the product going down.

So my husband gave me a challenge. Could I get a weeks worth of groceries for $70-$80? Now let’s be honest, this isn’t happening EVERY week. But I feel like I’m usually between $85-$150 I’m really proud of that number. I also got a Costco card for Christmas so this is where I go to get a lot of our day to day snacks, like granola bars and Edamame and even Frozen Pizza. (I haven’t calculated the cost of Costco into the budget yet as we’ve only on once so far, but I’ll update once we get into a routine.)

I also only have myself, my husband, and our 15 month old to feed. She’s still breastfeeding so she only actually consumes so much regular food throughout the day. But I’m super lucky that she will try literally ANYTHING!

Alright, so how do I make my Meal Plan? How do I know what to cook, when to cook, how much to cook? This all changes by the week. But it’s also part of how I’m able to save on groceries. So keep reading to see my process. (It’s not that hard, I promise)

  • Step 1: Make a list of all food in the house.

And by all, I mean the things I’d generally use/need for most cooking. I note down if we have Milk, Eggs, Cheese (an important staple in my house) Do we have any meat in the fridge or freezer? What vegetables and fruits do I have? Do we have pasta, sauce, rice?

Please note, I’m old school. I’m an elder millennial, I still make lists on paper. Important things get done on my computer instead of my phone. I make a grid, one section for Fridge, one for Freezer and one for Pantry. Then I do the same at the bottom of the page for what we DON’T have. This way, when I move to the next step I don’t forget what we need.

So now I’ve got my lists. Now’s the time I get my laptop.

  • Step 2: Check the weekly Grocery flyer for what’s on sale.

This is the tedious part. I buy my groceries at 2 different stores. While it makes life a little harder, it saves me at least $10 a trip! I buy all my center store groceries (boxed goods, pasta sauce, shelf stable goods) at Walmart. Now like, real take here, I didn’t shop there for YEARS. I didn’t love some of their corporate policies. But with only being on one income, I need to save every dollar I can, and shopping there is how I make it possible. I will also on occasion buy my meat in a “family pack”. Then I freeze it into separate dinner portions and take it out as needed. This helps me keep my grocery price down the rest of the month.

I get all my produce, meats, and dairy products at Hannaford. It’s a grocery chain in the North East. (They are owned by the same people as Food Lion, if that helps for a comparison.) So I look at the Hannaford flyer and have tabs open on my computer for both Walmart and Hannaford. As I find what’s on sale, this is when I decide on a recipe, if I havent cooked with it often, I’ll look up a recipe. Luckily for my husband, I’m a pretty good cook. I did a semester of Culinary classes in college. (I suggest people take a cooking class if they are able, just getting the basics makes a Huge difference.)

This week ground Turkey was a good price so I figured Turkey Burgers would be good! (I made Tacos with ground turkey last week so I didn’t want to repeat this). Kielbasa was on sale, but its not something I cook with often. So, I did what we all do, I googled a recipe! I found a sheet pan Sausage, Broccoli and Potato recipe and figured that sounded great! Easy peasy. I also already had frozen shrimp, so Shrimp Scampi is an easy fix, and all I need is a small bottle of wine!

Something helpful if you’re not a super confident cook is to start with a few staples. (And I don’t mean a bowl of cereal) Learn how to make Spaghetti with meat sauce. You don’t even have to make the sauce! (I buy jarred and Zhuzh it up!) Tacos are an easy meal that everyone likes! You can use hamburg or turkey or chicken! I always add extra spices then just the taco mix. You could make your own seasoning mix if you wanted as well! As you get more confident, you can change up your dishes a little at a time, or branch out and make something similar. Make your own garlic bread for your pasta night! Make a burrito instead of tacos!

Once you feel a little more confident, you’ll be able to branch out into new dish’s and new ingredients! This will help you as you get your groceries as you’ll have more ideas for what you can cook out of what’s on sale. Even if you look up a recipe, you can always use it as a guide, and make it your own! I do this often!

I hope this was helpful! I’ll update again as we figure out Costco and how that affects the budget. I’ll also post recipes as well! Feel free to comment and let me know if this helps, or if you have anything that works really well for you!

Triple Layer Christmas Crack

by CasieBlog, Food and ReciplesPosted on No Comments

Trust me I’m the FIRST person to make a joke about crack. Did I make multiple jokes about the Crack I brought to Christmas? Yes. Am I a 12 year old boy? At times.

Do I love a stupid joke? Always.

I love all things Toffee and/or Caramel. I’ve always wanted to make this, but for some reason I just never have. Until this year! So I loosely followed the Pillsbury recipe!

Ingredients:

  1. 3 sleeves of Saltine crackers (Store brand is fine)
  2. 1 Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
  3. 1 Cup Brown Sugar (I used dark) firmly packed
  4. 1/2 Cup(1 stick) Softened Butter
  5. 1/4 Cup Whole Milk
  6. 1 Bag of Ghirardelli Chocolate Chips

Instructions:

  1. Line a cookie sheet with Aluminum Foil and spray with cooking spray
  2. Line up crackers side by side on the tray until the tray is full. (About 1 sleeve for each layer)
  3. In a medium size sauce pan on medium low to medium add in your Sweetened Condensed milk, butter, milk and brown sugar. Stir until combined and then turn up heat to medium high.
  4. Heat sugar until “simmering” (its thick and you don’t want to risk getting burnt). Stir constantly for 5-10 minutes until the sugar mixture starts to thicken and is Nappe(slight coating on spoon but will still drizzle off) on your spoon. (To be 100% transparent, I just cooked my sugar mixture until it seemed thick enough but not to thick 😅 I definitely cooked it longer then the pillsbury version said but I didn’t time it as I was doing 100 things at once.)
  5. Using a spatula (I prefer an offset) pour 1/3rd of your toffee mixture onto the crackers. Pour slowly and spread with your spatula so it covers all crackers.
  6. Place 2 more rows of crackers and toffee mixture (you should use all the toffee mixture)
  7. Melt your chocolate chips in the microwave. 30 second intervals and mixing in-between until the chocolate is melted. Then pour on top of your last row of toffee and spread over the entire thing.
  8. Add any toppings you may like. Sprinkles, nuts, a little sea salt.
  9. Refrigerate for at least an hour
  10. Cut up and serve!

OG Recipe:

https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/triple-layer-cracker-toffee-bars/c585ec8a-e052-4e8a-bf83-3291ca205e31

Chicken Broccoli and Cheese Casserole

by CasieBlog, Food and ReciplesPosted on No Comments

Last night I tried my hand at the Pioneer Woman’s Chicken Broccoli Cheese casserole. I never fully follow the recipe, because generally…I forgot something at the grocery store or I’m lazy or I want to change spices. What can I say, I like breaking the rules 🤷‍♀️.

Now…..let’s insert here, the long drawn-out story about why I love this meal, and how special it is to my family, yada yada yada. Now you have to scroll for 30 seconds to find the ingredients.

All scrolled? Great job.

Ingredients

  • 4 Tbsp. Butter (I only buy unsalted, you do you)
  • 1 Microwave steam bag of Broccoli, cut into pieces
  • 2 Boneless Chicken Breasts (Butterfly them if they are too fat)
  • 1 Medium Yellow Onion, diced
  • 1 Clove Garlic, diced
  • 1/4 c. AP Flour
  • 4 c. Milk (I used 2% cuz its what I had enough of)
  • 1 block of Cream Cheese at Room Temp
  • 8 oz. Velveeta-type cheese (I used store brand)
  • 2 Handfuls of Shredded Cheese (I always measure cheese with my soul)
  • 2 Bags of boil-in-bag rice (Don’t hate me cuz I’m lazy alright)
  • As many crushed crackers for topping that make you happy
  • Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning, Measure to taste (2 Tbsp. ?)
  • A healthy shake of Smoked Paprika (1 tsp. ?)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

Get ready for a delish meal!

  1. Preheat oven to 350 and grab your favorite casserole dish or baking dish. (I use a 13×9 Figment dish from Target)
  2. Make Boil in bag rice per box instructions (trust me it works fine in this recipe) Once the rice is done, add one bag to the bottom of the pan, then you will layer the 2nd bag in between the chicken and cheese mixture.
  3. Cook Broccoli in Microwave according to bag instructions
  4. Use a large high-sided skillet (as almost everything will be combined in it) on medium heat and add 2 tablespoons butter until melted, then add in your Chicken. Make sure it is thin enough to cook through without drying out.
  5. Remove Chicken from the pan once it is cooked through and let cool while you do the next steps.
  6. Drain the pan but don’t wipe out the brown bits (thats the good part) Add in your remaining 2 tbsp. of butter and melt. Add in onion and garlic until onion is translucent. (I tend to cook until slightly browned as I like it better this way) Add the flour, Rotisserie Chicken seasoning, and Paprika, and cook for about 1-2 minutes.
  7. Whisking or mixing, slowly add in all 4 cups of milk, this should thicken only slightly it’s takes 5-ish minutes.
  8. Add the block of cream cheese in chunks and mix until melted and combined (remember it’ll be chunky because of the onions) Add in the Velveeta cheese and a handful of shredded cheese until all is melted and combined.
  9. Cut up the chicken and Broccoli into small bites and fold into your cheese mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  10. Add half of the Cheese and Chicken mixture on top of the rice in your dish then add the remaining bag of rice. Top with the 2nd half of the Chicken Cheese mixture.
  11. Crush up your crackers (I like wheat Ritz) and add to the top of your casserole. Add the other handful of cheese and bake until cheese is melted on top and the crackers are slightly browned(well…browner)
  12. Take it out of the oven and enjoy!

Feel free to change things in the recipe! Don’t like Broccoli, use peas (I WILL judge you, Peas are GROSS) Want different seasonings, knock yourself out! Wanna use a rice maker, please do! (I don’t have one, sorry)

I tried to make this a little easier on us busy moms with things that cook a bit faster, or use fewer pots and pans. Honestly this recipe would would great with a Rotisserie Chicken from the store as well. I buy them cold and save a few bucks!

I added the link to the original recipe below in case you want to follow it to a T. (You do you)

https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a60928346/broccoli-chicken-casserole-recipe/