This Herb Roasted Pork is one of my family’s favorites because of the flavorful rub and how tender the meat comes out. I love it because it takes minutes to prep and then the oven does all the work. It does have a long cooking time (1-2 hours), so keep that in mind when adding it to your meal plan. This spicy Herb Rub would taste great on chicken, too, if you’re not a fan of pork! With the warmer weather upon us, it’s time to switch from the oven to the grill, and this recipe should transfer well. Just make sure you use a thermometer to check that your pork reaches a safe cooking temperature.

I’ve been buying a four-pack of boneless pork loin roasts from Costco since they’re priced at $1.99/lb. Between this, the Slow Cooker Pork Ragu & Fettuccine, Pineapple Pork Chops, and Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches I’ve got a whole month’s worth of pork meals in my rotation.

This Herb Roasted Pork recipe is linked up to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and Fluster’s Creative Muster Party at Fluster Buster.

Need a quick & easy meal to save you on a busy weeknight? This Slow Cooker Moo Shu can be made with either chicken or pork and is super simple! The slow cooker is such a lifesaver on the nights that we have sports practice around the dinner hour. By setting up the slow cooker earlier in the day, I can walk in the house to a great smelling dinner. I love it! Since we always order Moo Shu when we do Chinese takeout, I knew a home-cooked version would go over well. I adapted this Slow Cooker Moo Shu recipe by simplifying this recipe from Taste of Home.

For more easy meals to save your busy weeknights, take a look at my readers’ Favorite Recipes of 2012 or my Recipe Index.

Slow Cooker Moo Shu is linked up to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.

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There are lots of reasons to cook from scratch. For many years, though, I could get boxed cake mixes for pennies with my coupon prowess. It’s supposedly faster to bake from a mix as well, but now that I’ve tried this Homemade Chocolate Cake from Taste of Home I don’t think I’ll go back. It tastes different, as in better x 10! The cake is smooth, light and deeply delicious. The frosting is the key–the combo of cocoa and cream cheese is just the right amount of tangy, sweet and smooth. Note–this is NOT one of the healthy meals I’m always touting. But when your twins turn 7, you get to celebrate!

This recipe makes a 9×13 pan of tall, fluffy cake, so you can feed a lot of people. Or you can have a lot of leftovers, which you may want to eat for breakfast. I may have done that. But Bill Cosby says it’s okay.

Homemade Chocolate Cake is linked up to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty & Bedlam and Fluster’s Creative Muster Party at Fluster Buster.

This Green Chile Chicken Casserole recipe is one of my family’s favorites because the flavor is comforting and homey, and it’s super-easy to put together as long as I have pre-cooked chicken and rice in the fridge. Where do you get those? Next time you’re making chicken, cook a little extra, cube it, and put it in the fridge or freezer for another day. Whenever I take the time to make brown rice, I double the recipe and put the rest in the fridge or freezer–same deal–and it’s ready for a quick meal like this one.

This casserole is perfect for freezing for later. Just complete through step 3, let cook, and wrap pan in foil. On cooking day, let defrost, then bake 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees and check that the casserole is heated through.

This Green Chile Chicken Casserole recipe is linked up to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and Fluster’s Creative Muster Party at Fluster Buster.

It may take a little more time to cook from scratch, but it tastes so good! I found an old Taco Cornbread Casserole recipe in my binder that called for Jiffy Mix, a packet of taco seasoning, and a jar of salsa. With my re-working, it’s made from scratch with yummy ingredients and no preservatives or extra sodium. You can change up the seasonings to make it spicier for your family (my girls won’t tolerate the chili powder).

This recipe comes together a lot faster when you use precooked ground beef! I always buy in bulk and cook up ground beef with diced onions and green peppers, then freeze in zipper bags. It saves a lot of time for any meal calling for ground beef (lasagna, tacos, etc.), but especially this one:

Casserole Filling:

• 1 lb cooked ground beef (mine came from the freezer and already had chopped onions and peppers in it)
• 2 tsp chopped garlic
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 14oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• 3/4 cup water

Middle:

• 1 cup shredded cheese (I used Monterey Jack & Cheddar)

Cornbread topping:

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 canola oil
• 1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a 9×12 baking dish or similar with nonstick spray.
Add the filling ingredients to a skillet and simmer on stovetop for 15 minutes, stirring often. The mixture will thicken as the juice from the tomatoes cooks off. Pour the filling into the prepared casserole dish.
Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top of the filling.
In a bowl, prepare the cornbread batter. Spread over the top of the casserole.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cornbread is cooked through. Cut through to the filling to check for doneness.

Serves 8.

This Taco Cornbread Casserole recipe is linked up to Happy Hour Friday at Happy Hour Projects, Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty & Bedlam and Fluster’s Creative Muster Party at Fluster Buster.

Frugal breakfasts are easy when you take a little time to cook on the weekends. I boil up a bunch of hard boiled eggs and make a double batch of Whole Wheat Pancakes to store in the fridge or freezer the rest of the week. They’re easy to reheat in the toaster or microwave. This recipe is adapted from the old red and white Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook we’ve had since we were married. It’s healthier than a box mix because of the whole wheat fiber, and it costs less, too!

NOTE: This is a double-batch. You can adapt this recipe by replacing the oil with applesauce, mashed banana or adding pumpkin (like my Pumpkin Pancakes). I like the basic recipe for bleary-eyed weekend mornings. Easy peasy.

This Whole Wheat Pancakes recipe is linked up to Happy Hour Friday at Happy Hour Projects, Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts, Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty & Bedlam and Fluster’s Creative Muster Party at Fluster Buster.