Gluten Free Green Bean Casserole

I am discovering every day that eating gluten free doesn't have to be boring, and you don't have to sacrifice your favorite foods. A little thought and creativity can go a long way to help you enjoy the foods you love. In the case of this green bean casserole, the recipe I put together resulted in the best green bean casserole I've ever eaten. Seriously.

I was pretty bummed at first about Thanksgiving, and the thought that I wouldn't be able to eat many of my favorite foods. I decided to let stuffing go this year, although next year I'm going to make gluten free cornbread, and use that for my stuffing recipe. I was determined, though, that green bean casserole stay in the menu plan, and that it be something I could eat.

I started pondering the ingredients in the traditional green bean casserole that are now off limits for me. Canned cream o mushroom soup and the bagged french fried onions. There are gluten free canned soups out there, but I haven't seen them in my stores, and I've tried to avoid things like that anyway because of the sodium.

I like to use a little sour cream along with the soup, so I figured I could keep that, and maybe use some half n half to create a cream sauce with fresh mushrooms. Okay, done. Now, what about those onions? Why couldn't I just bread my own? It was time to play in the kitchen.

Ingredients:
1 large sweet vidalia onion
1 cup of skim milk
2 cups of your favorite gluten free flour
1t kosher salt
1t paprika
1t garlic powder
1/2t pepper
1 cup oil (I used extra light olive oil, but canola or sunflower would both work nicely)
2T butter
8oz button mushrooms, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2T fresh chopped parsley or 1t dried
1t gluten free flour
1/2 cup vegetable broth (or if you have an open bottle of white wine, use it. I used a 1/4 cup of each)
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup sour cream
additional salt and pepper to season during sauteeing, if desired
1lb of your preferred green beans- fresh, frozen or canned (if fresh or frozen, you will want to steam them before combining with the sauce. I am ashamed to say that I just love low sodium canned green beans, and prefer that texture in my g.b. casserole. I know some foodies consider that to be a major sin, and to them, I apologize, but I can't help it :) I used 2 cans of drained green beans in this recipe)

The first thing I needed to do was make the fried onions. I cut the onion in half and cut into slices, separating the pieces out as I went. I put the milk in a bowl, and dropped the onions in the milk for about 10 minutes. Then I grabbed a large bag and placed my flour, salt, paprika, garlic and pepper in the flour, shaking to mix.

I heated the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Working in small batches, I dropped the milk soaked onions into the flour, and shook to coat.
After shaking the excess flour off the onions, I dropped into the oil and cooked until nice and golden brown, about 3-4 minutes, using my tongs to turn them so they would could evenly
When they were done, I placed them on paper towels to drain. Of course, we needed to taste test them to see if they were edible.
I am actually amazed there were any left to make the casserole. Amazing restraint was required to not munch on them as I went.
After I finished the onions, I disposed of the oil, washed and dried the skillet and put it back on the stove over medium heat. I melted the butter, then added the mushrooms and garlic, along with the parsley and a pinch of salt and pepper, and sauteed, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes, until the mushrooms were tender. I sprinkled the flour across the mushrooms, and let the mixture cook for another 2 minutes before stirring again. I stirred, then started adding my liquids- broth, wine and half and half.
After bringing the mixture to a nice simmer, I removed from the heat, and stirred in the sour cream. Now I was ready to combine with the green beans in my baking dish.
I then took half the onions, stirred them into the green beans, and topped the casserole with the other half of the onions. I baked in a 350 oven for 30 minutes.
The whole family gobbled these up. Truly divine. I missed nothing, and in fact, found a better recipe to use from now on. I can hardly wait to prepare these for unsuspecting friends and family :)

Heavenly Buttercream Frosting

If you intend to bake anything requiring frosting this holiday season, might I suggest you try this recipe? I have used this basic recipe for years, as it is easy, quick, and I've never goofed it up. :) Wonderful treats like this have become even more special to me now on the GF diet. I'm having to learn how to modify so many recipes. This one needs no adjustments.

I generally use half of this recipe if I'm just frosting a cake in a pan, or a batch of cupcakes, but if you are doing a full layer cake, or you have children that might sneak off with the bowl, make the full recipe.

2 sticks of butter, room temperature
3 cups of powdered sugar (you could need more if you need the frosting stiffer, so keep it at the ready)
1T vanilla extract
pinch of salt (yes...trust me on this one)
2-3T cream

Using stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar for 3-4 minutes. Add vanilla, salt and cream, and continue to mix for another 3-4 minutes. Add more sugar if you need the frosting to be stiffer, 2-3T at a time. If you need the frosting to be thinner, add 1T cream at a time.

Menu Plan Monday Week of 11/22

Well here we go...it's the first big family holiday meal that I have to spin gluten free. Since it's just the 4 of us, I'm actually scaling back and simplifying a little bit this year. I've (gasp) purchased pumpkin pie for Jonathan and the boys, and a flourless chocolate cake from Trader Joe's so that I can have a little dessert action as well. The rest of the week I'm keeping relatively simple as well so I can put my energies toward Thursday. I'm really looking forward to a 4 day weekend!!

We feed 2 adults and 2 elementary aged boys, price breakdowns are included- this is the price I've paid with coupons, etc. Your price may vary. My 7 dinners, including Thankgiving, comes in under $45.

Monday-
smoked pulled pork with Vaunted vinegar sauce on the side- $3.50
super sweet white corn- .75
roasted potatoes w/ rosemary- .75
salad w/ homemade French dressing .75
$5.75

Tuesday-
totchos (nachos on tater tots...requested by Ry for weeks)
$3.50

Wednesday-
pulled pork sammies- $2.00
(no bread for me)
french fries- .75
spinach salad $1.50
$4.25

Thursday- Happy Thanksgiving!

Breakfast- gluten free pancakes, bacon and fruit smoothies
snacks- potato chips with french onion dip, fresh fruit and veggies, spinach dip with king's hawaiian bread for hubby and boys.
Dinner-
turkey ($4.00 for the whole thing, plus about $1 for stuff to prep it)
mashed potatoes and gravy $1.75
sweet potato casserole- $1.50
GF green bean casserole- ( I am totally playing with this and will post the recipe after Turkey day with photos) $2.00
cranberry blueberry sauce-$3.00
pumpkin pie with cool whip- $3.00
flour-less chocolate cake-$5.00
olives, pickles- $1.00
$21.25

Friday-
leftovers

Saturday-
pork chops $3.00
roasted brussels sprouts $2.00
potato pancakes $.75 (using leftovers)
$5.75

Sunday-
spaghetti over rice pasta $4.00
salad .75
$4.75

Menu Plan Week of 11/8

Wow. Thanksgiving is just over 2 weeks away. I truly cannot believe how quickly the weeks have been flying by recently. That means just over 2 weeks until I have to figure out what to do with all the turkey leftovers. :)

I wasn't really inspired to follow the menu plan all week. I moved a few things and changed a couple meals based on grocery sales, and just because I ended up with a taste for something else, I guess. I have moved some of those meals to this week, so pardon the repeats. :)

I did have some fun this week in the kitchen, though! I prepped and froze a whole lot of fresh asparagus and fresh broccoli I'd gotten for bargain prices this week. I also got creative. Check out this beautiful tray of lasagna I prepped. And no noodles. I used zucchini and summer squash slices as the "noodles". The whole family enjoyed it! Check back later this week for the recipe. It was really easy!

I also got a whim to try a gluten free cake. I'm not quite confident yet to do something of that scale from scratch, so I tried a mix.

Add my homemade buttercream frosting and again, a treat the entire family has been enjoying- including me! I will post my buttercream recipe this week as well. This was the first time I made the frosting in my Kitchenaid stand mixer, and I have to say it was the best batch ever because I was just able to let it go. My arm always got too tired before!

Okay, enough about last week...on to this week's menu plan! I feed 2 adults and 2 children.

Monday-

mini meatloaves $3.00

steamed asparagus spears $1.00

baked sweet potatoes $1.00

$5.00

Tuesday-

boys will have sandwiches before Dad takes them to swim practice. I have an event to attend so I'll have to eat later in the evening. I will be making this tomato and roasted red pepper soup tonight to stash in the fridge for tomorrow. I will top with some blue cheese and serve with a salad. Yum!

Wednesday-

spaghetti and meatballs $4.00

green beans .40

salad .75

$5.15

Thursday-

chicken and rice casserole $4.00

baked acorn squash $5.00

Friday-

tacos $3.00

corn .50

guacamole (got avocados for .29 each at aldi this week!) $1.00

$4.00

Saturday-

Lemon Shrimp over Angel Hair- $5.00

salad- .75

broccoli- .75

$6.50

Sunday-

italian beef sandwiches (lettuce wraps for me!) $4.00

coleslaw $1.00

hand cut baked steak fries- $1.00

$6.00

Menu Plan Week of 8/9

What the? You mean she's actually posting one? YES! Now, I will say that some of these might move around, but overall this will be the meals we're having for the week. I'm still wavering on whether I want mexican or italian tonight. 7 dinners for this family of 4 clock in at just over $31, and feature lots of fresh produce from the garden.

Monday-

tacodillas $4.50

corn .50

melon from the garden .00

$5.00

Tuesday-

bacon wrapped smoked pork tenderloin $4.00

capresi salad w/ tomatoes and basil from the garden $1.25

green beans from the garden .00

$5.25

Wednesday-

angel hair pasta with grilled veggies $2.50

salad .75

melon from the garden (I think there will be a lot of melon on the menu!) .00

$3.25

Thursday-

beef brisket sandwiches $3.00

fries $1.00

tomato and cucumber salad .50

$4.50

Friday-

grilled pork chops $1.50

rosemary potatoes .50

salad .75

$2.75

Saturday-

grilled pizza $3.00

greek salad $1.50

$4.50

Sunday-

chicken fajitas $3.50

black bean salad $1.00

guacamole $1.50

$6.00

Summer Orzo Salad

I'm the only person in my immediate family that really likes pasta salad. I can get everyone to eat it, but they don't LOVE it. Which is a shame, because it's one of my favorites, especially in the summer when I have fresh veggies and herbs from the garden. I guess that just means more for me, right? Makes for great lunches at work.

This batch features all fresh herbs from the garden...by end of summer, nearly all the veggies will be from my garden as well.

Please note that this is really flexible to what you have on hand. I use different cheeses every time, and sometimes I add tomatoes. This time around I only had a little bit of fresh basil upstairs and didn't feel like going back down to the garden, so I supplemented with some fresh marjoram. Tasted great.

2 cups orzo pasta

1 medium cucumber, diced

1/2 red pepper, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

1/4 cup red onion, diced

1/2 cup diced mozzarella cheese (provolone is also great)

2T chopped fresh dill

2T chopped fresh basil

1T fresh thyme ( the leaves are so small I don't chop, just pull off the sprig)

3T olive oil

3T red wine vinegar

1/2t garlic powder

1t pepper

1/2t kosher salt

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain, and allow to cool for a moment. Meanwhile, prep cheese, all veggies and herbs. Place pasta, veggies, cheese and herbs in a bowl. Whisk oil, vinegar and garlic powder together in a small bowl. Pour over pasta salad. Add salt and pepper, and mix well. Chill for an hour before serving.

The better late than never menu plan week of 5/17

I normally put together my menu plan and post on Sundays--- this Sunday was pretty hectic, though. I spent a couple hours in the kitchen making food for a friend that just had hip replacement surgery, then went to visit. I spent some time in my garden (after helping some friends plant their garden on Saturday), and then Sunday night we ended up having dinner with some family friends.

So here's what the rest of the week looks like-

Tuesday-
chicken w/ gravy $2.25
mashed potatoes .50
buttered carrots .50
spinach salad .75
$4.00

Wednesday-
skillet nachos $3.50
corn on the cob $1.00
$4.50

Thursday-
grilled pork chops w/ orange glaze $1.75
baked sweet potatoes .75
spinach salad .75
$3.25

Friday-
cheese manicotti $3.50
salad .75
green beans .40

Saturday-
grilled chicken $2.00
buttered orzo .50
asparagus .75
salad .75
$4.00

Sunday-
smoked pulled pork sandwiches $3.00
french fries $1
cole slaw $1

Menu plan Week of 5/2

Between the meals on the grill, and the meals on the smoker, I'm excited to use the MPM grill logo for the first time this year! I kept the meal plan pretty well last week, except for today. Didn't feel like dealing with pizza, so we did brats. I have tonight's menu, along with the rest of the week, below. Monday through Sunday's meals feed a family of 4 and come in at $30.

Sunday-
Grilled brats in buns w/ cheese $3.75
beans $1.50
apple slices .50
$5.25

Monday-
spaghetti w/ turkey meatballs- $3.75
salad .75
green beans .40
$4.90

Tuesday-
grilled pork chops $3.50
cheesy broccoli rice $1.00
bread & butter .50
$5.00

Wednesday- Cinco de Mayo
bean and cheese nachos $1.75
super sweet corn .50
guacamole $1.00 (thank you .39 avocados at Aldi!)
pineapple $1.00
$4.25

Thursday-
ham .00 (free w/ a gift certificate to Honey Baked Ham store)
au gratin potatoes $1.00
salad .75
$1.75

Friday-
grilled chicken $2.00
rotini w/ alfredo sauce .75
broccoli .50
$3.25

Saturday-
brisket $5.00
sweet potatoes .75
bread and butter .50
$6.25

Sunday-
smoked pork butt $3.00
buns .50
fries .50
corn .50
$4.50

Week's Total- $29.90

Menu Plan Week of 4/19

I totally cheated tonight. Hy-Vee had their deli family sized lasagna on sale for $6. I got one to try. They don't mess around--completely loaded with cheese and sausage and well worth the $6. And well worth the careful eating I'll need to do for the rest of the week to make up for it!
This week's menu comes in at around $38-ish (wasn't really into math tonight!)

Monday-
Lasagna $6.00
green beans .40
corn .50
french bread with herbed olive oil dip .75
$7.65

Tuesday-
Turkey chili dogs $2.35
fries .50
apple slices w/ caramel dip 1.00
$3.85

Wednesday-
broccoli, ham and cheese stuffed baked potatoes $2.50
garlic bread .75
salad .75
$4.00

Thursday-
Southwestern Steak Salad $5.00
tortilla chips $.50
$5.50

Friday-
chicken with sun-dried tomatoes $3.50
egg noodles .50
steamed carrots .25
$4.25

Saturday-
southwestern chicken bake $5.00
salad .75
$5.75

Sunday-
Pizza Night
$7.00 (going to try a dessert pizza too this week)

Menu Plan Monday Week of 4/12

I spent the entire day in the kitchen yesterday, prepping foods for this week's menu, along with foods for the freezer. I got almost everything done that I wanted to, except for the applesauce muffins I had on my list. I will be making those this week, and will post the recipe.

Here's what I got done:

-buttermilk pancakes for the freezer

-3 bags of taco meat

-stock flavored rice for burritos this week

-4 containers of chicken stock

-4 bags of red beans for the freezer

-chicken marinated for tomorrow night and for freezer

-3lbs. of asparagus washed, trimmed, blanched, and frozen on a cookie sheet, then bagged

Here's the menu for the week. We feed 2 adults and 2 children... the cost for these 7 dinners is just over $31. I do price breakouts based on my costs, after sales, coupons, etc. Your costs may vary.

Monday-

tacos $2.75

black bean soup (from freezer) $1.00

cantelope .90

$4.65

Tuesday-

grilled chicken w/ mushrooms over whole grain angel hair $3.00

salad .75

$3.75

Wednesday-

smoked brisket sandwiches (meat in freezer) $3.00

tater tots .50

cole slaw .75

$4.25

Thursday-

red bean and cheese burritos $2.75

guacamole $2.00

fresh baked tortilla chips .40

$5.15

Friday-

hashbrown casserole with ham $3.00

broccoli .75

$3.75

Saturday -

Whole Grain Penne w/ chicken and asparagus $3.50

salad .75

$4.25

Sunday-

Philly Cheese Steak on Hoagies $3.50

bbq baked beans $1.50

fries .50

$5.50

Potatoes Gratin

This week Bag n Save has all of their Land o Lakes products at great prices. I combined with coupons and bought some items that aren't everyday purchases for me- buttermilk for pancakes, and half n half.

I am still swimming in potatoes---I had gotten 15lbs for $1.49, and that's a LOT of potatoes for us! So I decided to make one of my comfort food favorites. Please note that this is NOT a low fat recipe hehehe....just a wonderful, simple, classic baked dish. I keep the seasoning fairly simple. You could certainly perk it up with rosemary or other spices. I have also sprinkled bacon in for even more decadence. I used a 4 cheese blend on this...you can really use whatever you have on hand, for slightly different tastes every time you make it.

Potatoes Gratin

3lbs potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
3T butter, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese...cheddar or your choice
2T flour
1 1/2 cups half n half
1t salt, divided
1t pepper, divided (I used a garlic pepper blend to spice it up a bit more. I also used a little more. You can adjust according to your taste)

Preheat oven to 425. Prepare a square 8x8 pan with cooking spray. Layer half of the potatoes and half of the onions in the dish.
Sprinkle with 2T flour, and half of the salt and pepper. Place half of the butter slices across the top.
Sprinkle with half of the cheese.
Add the rest of the potatoes, onions, butter, seasoning, and cheese. Pour the half n half over the potatoes. (I sprinkled a little paprika over the top for color- also helps with the browning and I just love a nice crust on top)
Place dish in oven. After 5 minutes, reduce to 375 and bake for 50 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and top is golden.
Restrain yourself from eating half the pan.

Because of the sale prices I paid, this dish cost me just under $2 to make, and is enough for an army. We barely made a dent into it last night.

Spiced Carrots

These are on the menu plan for this week, so I went ahead and made extras for the freezer as well.

2lbs. carrots, washed, peeled and cut into thick coins
1.5 cups apple juice
1 cinnamon stick
1t cumin
3/4t ginger
1/4t coriander
1t lemon zest
2t honey


In medium saucepan, combine carrots, along with everything but the zest and honey, and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for around 8 minutes, until carrots are tender but firm. Remove from heat. Toss cinnamon stick, add zest and honey, toss to coat, and serve.
This worked out to 3 portions for our family, at a cost of under .50 per serving.

Menu Plan Monday 3/1 (and we've become a smoked bbq joint!)

The neighbors have to be jealous at the smells coming from our garage. Hubby has the smoker working at full power these days! This weekend, he did 2 yummy pork shoulders.

We enjoyed this for dinner last night and then divided it all up for the freezer. We will be using this meat in carnitas, nachos, and some other meals coming up in the next few weeks. At .99/lb., an amazing deal! Apparently, though, that wasn't enough. So we move on to the brisket that went into the smoker last night. First we had to trim it up.

Then I mixed together a nice rub.

Yellow mustard. Who knew it could be so useful in adding a little flavor and helping the rub to form a "crust".

We have the finished product on the menu for tomorrow. Looking forward to getting a taste when I get home!

While hubby was master smoker yesterday, I was at work in the kitchen. Using a $1.88 package of lean ground turkey, a .75 cent bag of kidney beans, my homegrown/homecanned tomatoes, and a mix of spices, I made a DELICIOUS pot of chili! This actually broke down into 5 different freezer portions to use as we need to. All for about $4.50.

I like to let the chili sit in the fridge overnight because I think it tastes better that way. We'll be enjoying chili tonight, and later this week as well.

On to the rest of the plan for the week. We feed two adults, a 7yr. old and a 4yr. old for 7 dinners. This week's plan comes in under $30, and is rich in whole grains, beans and fresh vegetables. (and copious amounts of cheese hehehe).

Monday-

turkey chili w/ cheese and multi grain chips $2.50

corn .50

spinach and orange salad .75

$3.75

Tuesday-

beef brisket $5.00

whole wheat angel hair (.30) tossed in olive oil (.05) and parmesan (.15) .50

roasted asparagus (1/2lb. @ $1.49/lb.) .75

$6.25

Wednesday-

skillet cheesy penne pasta w/ meat sauce (using up leftovers from freezer and home canned tomatoes) $1.50

green beans .40

mixed greens salad .75

$2.65

Thursday-

Pork carnitas tostads $2.50

refried beans .60

corn .50

$3.60

Friday-

chili dogs $2.00

steak fries .50

apples .50

$3.00

Saturday-

pork fried rice $2.00

pot stickers $2.00

$4.00

Sunday-

homemade pizza night $5.25

Chicken and Kale Soup

I altered yesterday's meal a bit after picking up some kale this week. I decided to try adding it to a chicken vegetable soup. I really liked the results.

8 cups chicken stock or broth (I make my own and freeze it)
3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2T olive oil
2 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
40z. mushrooms, diced
salt and pepper
2 cups cooked diced chicken breast
1 cup corn
1 head of kale, washed, dried, and chopped into small pieces
1t herbes de provence

In large pot on stove, heat 2T olive oil. Add celery, carrot, onion, garlic and mushrooms, and saute for about 4 minutes. Salt and pepper lightly. Add broth and potatoes, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, add chicken, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes until vegetables are soft.
Add kale, corn and herbes de provence, and let simmer for an additional 10 minutes, until kale is tender. Ladle into bowls and serve with crusty bread and a salad.

I just had a bowl of this today and it's even better reheated!

Chicken and Red Bean Enchiladas

I made a small variation to my normal Chicken Enchiladas recipe tonight so as to sneak some beans into the boys meal. They like beans, but tend to eat them better if they're in something, rather than a standalone side. I had thought about making rice tonight but decided not to, so I put the beans straight into the enchiladas.

10 flour tortillas
2 cups cooked, diced or shredded chicken
1 can red beans, drained and rinsed
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 cup salsa
1t onion powder
2 cups cheese

Preheat oven to 350. In small bowl, mix soup, sour cream and salsa. In large bowl, mix together chicken, beans, half of the soup mixture, onion powder and 1 cup cheese. Heat tortillas in microwave for 30 seconds so they are flexible. Fill each tortilla with 2-3T filling and place seam down in a greased casserole dish. Pour remaining soup mixture over enchiladas, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and bake for 30 at 350 until golden and bubbly.

We served with additional sour cream and salsa, lime, corn, and salad with a honey lime chipotle vinaigrette.

This recipe has been linked to the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Freezing Broccoli

Broccoli crowns without the big stalk are on sale at Fareway this week for .99/lb. This is a great price, and we eat a lot of broccoli here, but I'm not sure we're going to get to it for a few days, so I took 10 minutes when I got home from the store to make sure the broccoli will be ready when I am! First, you want to wash it and cut it into spears or florets like I did here. Next, bring a big pot of water to a roiling boil.


Once the water is boiling, you drop the broccoli in for about 90 seconds, til it turns a pretty bright green. Drain
To stop the cooking process and to keep the pretty green color, make sure you rinse well in cold water. Let the excess water drain, and then you can divide into freezer bags to your liking.
I purchased 2lbs. of broccoli exactly. I was able to divide it up for 3 dinners. .67 each for nice broccoli spears at dinner. I will pop this into a steamer to cook. Easy!

Menu Plan Week of 2/22

Starting 3/8 my workday will be changing. In so many ways it will be better. I will get to sleep in later since I will be going in around 7:30 or 8am instead of 4am. That also means I will get to stay up like a big girl at night and not be a wreck by 8pm. At work, the shift in my position will allow more focus on big picture items, which is awesome. I have, though, been quite spoiled by being home by 3 or 4 every afternoon. It has made mealtime with the family very easy. Going forward, it's more likely that I won't be home until 5 or 6, so I am going to need to start planning ahead. We've done so well at cutting fast food and processed foods out of our diet, and I want to make sure the change in schedule doesn't affect that.

I will be doing more OAMC and make ahead meals, plus utilizing hubby to help get things started before I get home.

This week I will be in practice mode. Tomorrow's dinner is cooking in the crockpot tonight. Monday and Tuesday I will be working on the chicken enchiladas and the stock for the chicken noodle soup. Hubby will have the smoker for Saturday's meal fired up on Friday, so I'll be cooking up a storm I'm sure over the weekend for the week ahead.

Monday 2/22
pot roast w/ potatoes and carrots $4.30
spinach and apple salad $1.00
$5.30

Tuesday 2/23
pierogies w/ smoked sausage $3.75
coleslaw .75
$4.50

Wednesday 2/24
chicken enchiladas $3.25
red beans and rice $1.00
corn .50
$4.75

Tursday 2/25
spaghetti $3.25
green beans .50
salad .75
$4.50

Friday 2/26
chicken noodle soup $2.25
grilled cheese $2.00
$4.25

Saturday 2/27
smoked pork butt $2.50
roasted potatoes .75
salad .75
$4.00

Sunday 2/28
pizza night $4.00
salad .75
$4.75

Roasted Broccoli

There is officially nothing that doesn't taste better after roasting. Well, okay, maybe not...but broccoli sure wasn't on my list of roasting no-brainers. I was actually a little skeptical. I felt better after watching my 4 and 7 year old inhale their broccoli. This will be going into regular rotation around here, and it's sooo easy!

1lb. fresh broccoli, cut into florets
2T olive oil
1t kosher salt
1/2 pepper
1T lemon juice

Preheat oven to 425....spray cookie sheet with no stick spray and spread broccoli evenly onto sheet. Drizzle oil over broccoli, sprinkle with salt and put in oven for 15-20 minutes until broccoli is tender and has some nice browning. After removing from oven, season with lemon juice, pepper, and if desired, an additional pinch of salt.

Menu Plan Week of 2/15

Monday 2/15
grilled pork tenderloin marinated in teriyaki $3.50
roasted broccoli $1.00
au gratin potatoes $1.00
$5.50
(save 1 cup diced pork for Thursday)

Tuesday 2/16
chicken in lemon sauce over angel hair $4.00
asparagus .75
$4.75
(save 1 cup diced chicken for Thursday)

Wednesday 2/17
pizza joes $3.50
french fries .50
apples .50
$4.50
(remove 1 cup beef after cooking for Friday)

Thursday 2/18
chicken and pork fried rice $1.50
sliced cantaloupe .50
$2.00

Friday 2/19
beef and bean tostadas $3.50
corn .50
$4.00

Saturday 2/20
smoked bbq pork butt on buns $2.50
beer cheese soup $2.50
veggie platter 1.00
$6.00

Sunday 2/21
pizza night
$6.00

Blue Cheese and Bacon Mac n Cheese

Here's a nice change of pace for a more "grown up" mac and cheese. My boys also loved it.

8oz spiral pasta
5 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
2T butter
3T grated white onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2T flour
2 cups milk
2oz. blue cheese, crumbled
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
1/4t nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
diced tomatoes (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Cook pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, melt 2T butter over medium heat in saucepan. Saute onion and garlic for 3 minutes. Add flour, whisk to combine and let cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk, breaking up any lumps. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat slightly, stirring frequently until sauce thickens. Slowly add cheeses and whisk until well melted. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Drain pasta. Add to sauce. Add bacon, and stir to combine. Mixture will be a little soupy. This is good, as it will thicken while baking, but still be creamy and moist. Place pasta in a greased baking pan and bake for 25 minutes at 350 until top is bubbly.


I like to top with diced tomatoes. Enjoy!


Linked to the $5 Dinner Challenge