You know that one time (I'm sure it's only ever been once) where you had something magnificent planned for dinner and then at the last minute plans had to change. Maybe because you were out of a key ingredient, or maybe because you didn't get home from errands in time, or maybe because you were glued to the computer for much longer than needed and therefore ran out of time (that NEVER happens to me). Well, the next time you find yourself in that situation - the Easy Peasy Bean Taco's is your great non-recipe-recipe that will save your butt!

Easy Peasy Bean Taco's
- Flour or corn tortillas, smaller size
- Shredded cheese
- Can of refried beans
- Toppings you like on tacos…tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, etc.

Preheat your oven broiler. Heat up the can of beans in the microwave.

Place the tortillas on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle some cheese on half of the tortilla (you can also heat them up on the stove, whichever you prefer).

Keep a close eye on the cheese, making sure not to leave in too long that the tortillas will burn.

Remove the pan and shmear the beans over the cheese and add your other favorite toppings.

We really liked these tacos, and I loved how simple they were to make. But I’ve gotta say, I think a few grilled peppers and onions would give the tacos nice flavor and crunch…but yeah, that involves chopping stuff AND dirtying another pan. So don’t worry too much about it. These are Easy Peasy Bean Tacos, after all.


What is your "go-to" recipe when your original plans fail?

Bodell Family Cookbooks
"A Taste of Tradition from the Bodell Bistro"
$13.00 or two books for $25.00

700 recipes
Reprint of old cookbook plus over 100 new recipes in a functional 3 ring binder,
including a book holder, full color section tabbed dividers starring pictures of our family, and an amazingly easy index to find your favorite recipe or plan whole menus.

Perfect wedding gifts, birthday gifts, visiting teaching gifts or get your Christmas Shopping done early for your extended family.

They are going quick and we will not be reprinting!

This cookbook is from my family with many recipes from my mom. Several people in my neighborhood have the old one, but this one is "new and improved". Reply here if interested in ordering!

It's so intimidating when I check out other healthy food blogs. I'm not that person! I know nothing about pesticides, I don't buy organic, and I don't have a library full of fat free cook books. I certainly don't have a list of "approved" foods, and I barely know the meaning of "gluten-free". Sigh . . .

But I am reminded that we should write about what we love. And since my biggest love is my family, I write for them. Don't worry, I don't write ABOUT them (this isn't our family activity blog site), but I write BECAUSE of them.

I have been trying many new recipes, but they don't always turn out the way I had hoped (i.e. a very bland macaroni and cheese). So if I go a few days without any new recipes I am sorry, but be assured I am still here! The most important part is I am still trying. After all, I still have to make dinner most nights so I may as well try to make it the best I can.

My other problem is the amount of distractions from my focus. School is coming to an end, and that always makes havoc of a mother's schedule. As much as we all love baby Jainna, she sure makes it hard to get anything done. Therefore, I haven't had as much time to study out recipes, make a good grocery list, or even take the time to cook. But all these distractions illustrate to me how easy it is to slip back to old habits. So many times I've wanted to trow in some frozen chicken patties or just have hot dogs for dinner.

But enough complaining! I tried a new pizza recipe last night. I don't think the dough was much different from what I've made in the past, but the sauce was new and interesting. Unfortunately I didn't buy all the toppings I would have liked to have (see distraction list above) so it didn't seem like anything exciting when it came time to eat.

Sorry for the rant, and thanks for reading to the end. You deserve a prize! But unfortunately I am out of prizes for now.

Six children? I have six children? When?... How?... WOW! It's starting to hit me that I have six children. Of course, I knew that this was coming upon us for quite some time, but like some things, it has taken awhile for reality to set in.

I gave birth to our 6th child, 5th daughter, last month. As often happens in our family, it happened with much drama and interesting points - mainly that she was born on the same day and exact minute as our oldest daughter. How weird is that?

So as our family has been adjusting to life with a newborn again, I have been trying to get myself back into the kitchen. I usually like to cook, but pregnancy had a funny way of robbing me of the joy-of-cooking. At the same time, my husband has been increasing his physical fitness and is "in training" to do an Iron Man Triathlon next year. Therefore, I realized I needed to revamp most of my recipes and family favorites to accommodate a more healthier lifestyle and a growing family.

Budget is always an issue at our home. Trying to cook with what is on sale and what we have in food storage is important to me. Now I have the added twist of making sure it is somewhat healthy so my husband can eat with us. It is difficult to cook all the "healthy" recipes that you find online and in books, because they are not often kid-friendly. So I reached a compromise of sorts with my husband. I would cook and prepare our meals more from scratch and with less frozen foods. I am also trying to avoid recipes with a lot of cheese, cream soups and sauces. Not to say that I never use those ingredients, just trying to keep it limited.

I've had several people ask me for my recipes as I've been talking about our family food-revolution. So I've started this blog to keep myself motivated and also share my recipes and findings with others. I'm certainly no professional when it comes to cooking from scratch. Nor am I a health-nut guru who will be touting whole wheat and whole grains are the only way to go. I'm just a mom of six kids and an incredibly sexy husband who is trying to keep the grocery budget in tact at the end of the month.