Chicken Tater Bake

If planned correctly this meal can be made for super-duper cheap. I will usually make this the day after we have fried chicken so I can use the left-overs or I will buy a rotisserie chicken from Wal-Mart because they are also pretty cheap. If all of those avenues are unavailable then I use the Tyson Grill'N Ready Chicken (or whatever its called, it's just cooked, frozen chicken). I actually have this in the oven as I am typing this. :)

Ingredients

• 1 Can Cream of Chicken
• 1/8 Cup Butter
• 3/4 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1/4 Cup Milk
• 1 1/2 Cups Cubed Cooked Chicken
• 1 Package of Frozen Tater Tots

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees 
• Combine soup, milk, and butter in saucepan. Cook over medium heat until heated through
• Stir in chicken and 1/2 cup cheese
• Transfer to a greased 8" square baking dish, top with tater tots and sprinkle with remaining cheese
• Cover and bake for 35 minutes
• Uncover; bake 5 to 10 minutes longer

Tara's Sidenote: Stretch this sucker as far as possible. If you serve it over rice then you can seriously get 2 days of meals out of it. I know what you're thinking, "Rice with tater tots? Come on Tara that's just crazy talk." Just trust me, Shae loves it with the rice and so do the kids. I of course love it because the whole meal together has usually cost me maybe $5.

www.pamperedchef.biz/tarasteward

Cheeseburger Pasta

So this is the homemade version of Hamburger Helper. I got this from my good friend Sara a few years ago and she'd probably laugh if she knew how often I still make it.

I love recipes that I can just throw together with some of the random stuff I've got in the kitchen and this is definitely one of them. My whole family loves this recipe and if you knew my kids you would know what a feat that is.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Ground Beef or Ground Turkey
• 1 Can of Beef Broth
• 1/2 Cup of Ketchup
• 1 Can Cheddar Cheese Soup
• 1 1/2 Cups Water
• 2 Cups Uncooked Shell Pasta

Preparation

• Cook ground beef in skillet and drain (I use The Pampered Chef "Stainless Mesh Colanders")
• Place ground beef back in the skillet and add soup, broth, water, ketchup, and pasta
• Heat to a boil then reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes stirring often

Yep, that was it. It is seriously that easy.

www.pamperedchef.biz/tarasteward