In my mission to eat less processed food and to make more homemade recipes I really wanted to make a breakfast/snack item that was quick and packed with protein.  I was leaning towards making dried granola but then I found on Pinterest a ton of different variations of a granola energy/protein ball.

BINGO! Just what I was wanting.

I sorta winged my recipe, patching it together from a few different ones I found online. I was very happy with how these turned out.

Ingredients:
2.5 cups of quick oats
1 cup of ground flax seed
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup of honey
2 tablespoons of vanilla
1/2 of dried fruit (I used cranberries)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolates

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. I used a cookie scooper to scoop the oatmeal goodness. Finally, place in the freezer for one hour.

To make mine easy and ready-to-go I bagged 3 balls per mini baggie and they are all just chilling in the freezer till I need them.

Per my calculations each ball is roughly 180 calories and 5 grams of protein and 21 grams of carbohydrates. I probably could find ways to make them less caloric and have more protein but this was a super quick recipe that I'm sure will become a regular.

Oh the hot dish, a classic that is definitely native to Minnesota.  It is a fail safe recipe that is perfect for so many occasions...family dinners, church pot luck, bringing to an ill neighbor, new mother etc.

It's popularity is most likely based in the fact that it is a budget conscious meal, very hearty and my personal favorite...it can be made ahead, frozen and saved for later.

For those that don't know, a hot dish is essentially what the rest of the US calls a casserole. The base ingredients are a starch, canned soup, meat and vegetable.

There are many varieties to this classic dish but here is how I make mine:

Tater Tot Hot Dish

Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds of ground beef (you could probably get away with using 1 pound but we like it extra meaty)
1 package of tater tots (you most likely won't use the whole package)
2 cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup corn
1 cup green beans
salt and pepper for taste

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Brown ground beef, season with salt and pepper, drain off grease
3. Mix vegetables and meat and place in a hot dish (casserole) oven safe pan
4. Spread cream of mushroom soup over top. Do not add water.
5. Arrange tater tots on top.
6. Bake uncovered for 50 minutes.

And here it is a finished product! Yum!

How do you make your Tater Tot Hot Dish? What are your favorite memories or events that have included this great Minnesota recipe?