Defrazzle with Simple Beef and Lamb Meals
- 30 Minutes, Start to Finish!

Quickest Chili

From: Amanda Carson on "Frugal Moms" yahoo group (thanks, Amanda!)

Yield: 4-6

• One 16-ounce can kidney beans
• 1 tsp. vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 2 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tbsp. cumin
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• Salt

Directions

1. Drain the beans.

2. Put the oil in a (preferably nonstick) skillet andsaute the onion.

3. Add the ground beef and cook until well browned.

4. Add chili powder and cumin and cook 2 minutes;

5. Add the beans and tomato sauce. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes (though the chili willtaste better if you cook it longer.)

5. Season with salt.

A skillet ground beef recipe

From .Southern Food at About.com. A very easy one-pot meal!

Yield: 4-6

• 1/2 to 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup green pepper, cubed
• 3 1/2 cups tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 small carrots, diced
• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 1 1/2 cups water

Directions

1. In a skillet, brown the ground beef

2. drain off the excess fat.

3. Add remaining ingredients and stir.

4. Cover and bring mixture to a boil.

5. Reduce heat to low; simmer for 35 to 40 minutes.

Beef, Vegetables and Barley

From: Amanda Carson on "Frugal Moms" yahoo group (thanks, Amanda!)

Yield: 4-6

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• One 14-ounce can beef broth
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking barley
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper

vOne 10-ounce pkg. frozen peas and carrots

• 1 tsp. grated lemon peel

Directions:

1. In large nonstick skillet, cook and stir ground beef, mushrooms,onion and garlic over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes or until beef is nolonger pink, breaking it up into 3/4-inch crumbles. Pour off drippings.

2. Stir in broth, barley, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduceheat to medium-low. Cover lightly; simmer 10 minutes.

3. Add defrosted peas and carrots; continue cooking 2 to 5 minutes oruntil barley is tender. Stir in lemon peel.

Sloppy “Jareds”

From: Quick Fixes for Families (and named after the contributor's son!)

Yield: 4-6

MENU

• Sloppy “Jareds”
• Creamy Ranch Cucumbers
• Fresh Tomato Slices
• Neapolitan Pudding

SLOPPY JAREDS

• 1 lb. Ground beef
• ˝ lb. Bulk Italian Sausage, we use mild but hot is good too!
• 1 lg. Onion, peeled and sliced thinly
• 1 lg. Bell pepper (any color), sliced into thin strips
• 1 envelope dried onion soup mix
• 1 C. water
• 1 C. shredded Mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese
• 6 whole-wheat sub or hoagie buns

Directions

1. Brown ground beef & Italian sausage in large skillet until no pink remains.

2. Drain any fat from meat.

3. Stir in onions, peppers, soup mix and water.

4. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

5. *Prepare cucumbers just after you cover the sandwich filling. Place in the refrigerator to chill until sandwiches are ready. Slice and season tomatoes, then make the dessert. *

6. Spoon meat mixture onto sub rolls and sprinkle with shredded cheese.

7. You might like to pour the liquid from the pan into a cup and dip your sandwich. Try it!

CREAMY RANCH CUCUMBERS

• 2 lg. Cucumbers, peeled and coarsely chopped
• ˝ C. prepared Ranch-style dressing

Directions

1. Simply toss cucumbers with dressing in a bowl. It doesn't get easier than that!

FRESH TOMATO SLICES- OK, so you probably don't need directions for these, but I did promise complete recipes.

• 2 or 3 lg. Tomatoes

Directions

1. Cut tomatoes into thick slices. Arrange on serving plate. Sprinkle with your choice of seasoning. Try dried Italian seasoning or chopped fresh basil. Yummy!

NEAPOLITAN PUDDING- Dress up this dessert with a dollop of whipped cream if you'd like.

• 1 4-serving size box Instant Chocolate pudding mix
• 1 4-serving size box Instant Vanilla pudding mix
• 2 C. frozen sliced Strawberries

Directions

1. Prepare instant puddings in separate bowls according to package directions. Pour vanilla pudding into serving bowl. Cover with sliced strawberries. Pour chocolate pudding over strawberries. Chill until serving time.