Macaroni and Cheese, Green Salad, Peas

I love this macaroni recipe. It is ultimate comfort food, straight from my childhood. My husband likes to jazz it up by using different cheeses and throwing in chopped ham and lots of spices to the white sauce. Sometimes we start with the basic recipe and then split it in half, making it a competition to see who can make the best macaroni in their own casserole dish. Ahh, the joys of married life.


Macaroni and Cheese
From my mom, who got it from her mom.

1 lb elbow macaroni
3 T butter
3 T flour
2 1/2 c milk
2 T minced onion
salt
pepper
pinch of basil
6-8 oz Cheddar or Colby Jack cheese, grated


Preheat oven to 350. Fill a large pot with water; bring to a boil. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter on low heat. Stir in flour and cook about a minute. Whisk in milk and bring to high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens. Add in minced onion, basil, and plenty of salt and pepper to taste. In a greased casserole dish, toss pasta, white sauce, and about half the cheese. Top with remaining cheese. Cover with foil.

Bake, covered, for 15-25 minutes (the longer you bake, the drier the end product; I prefer a shorter cooking time). Uncover and bake 10 minutes more, or until cheese is completely melted.
OR
If you want your macaroni more like the one at Noodles & Co., skip the oven all together and just dish individual servings into bowls. Top with cheese while it's all still hot, and maybe even cover your bowls with some foil to help the cheese melt for a minute or two.


Sides
Prepare green salad.

Microwave frozen peas. Season with salt and pepper.

Week 3 Meal Plan

Wednesday
Pizza, Broccoli, Cauliflower

Thursday
Tacos with Homemade Salsa, Onion Rice, Corn

Friday
Marinated London Broil, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli

Saturday
Go out

Sunday
Macaroni and Cheese, Green Salad, Peas

Monday
Taco Soup, Tortilla Chips, Green Salad, Corn

Tuesday- Trying something new!
Chicken Pomodoro, Green Beans, Carrots

Week 3 Ingredient List with Prices!

*Scroll down to see what I paid for each dinner this week.

All together, this week's ingredient list is...
1 bunch broccoli
2 cauliflower crowns
4 tomatoes
1 onion
1 jalapeno
1 head garlic
1 lime
2 lemon
1 head lettuce
3-4 potatoes
1 bunch green onions
baby carrots
any other pizza or taco toppings
pizza cheese
8 oz Cheddar or Colby Jack cheese
1 pkg cream cheese
milk
butter
1 loaf French bread dough or frozen/refrigerated pizza dough
1 lb ground beef
1 1/2 lbs London broil
2 chicken breasts
rice
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 can Campbell's French Onion soup
1 can Ranch style beans
or 1 can black beans
2 cans chicken broth
2 cans white or black beans
1 can green beans
frozen peas
frozen corn
Italian seasoning
olive oil
1 pkg taco seasoning
taco shells or tortillas
unseasoned meat tenderizer
seasoning salt
lemon pepper
parsley flakes
vinegar
dried oregano
minced onion
basil
chili powder
cumin
garlic powder
tortilla chips
salt
pepper
flour
oil


Don't be discouraged by the long list! You probably already have most of these items in your freezer and pantry. Copy down what ingredients you still need and head to the store!

......................................................................................................................
This week I shopped at Maceys.

Pizza, Broccoli, Cauliflower
Total price I paid for this meal is $4.09.
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce (from my pantry)
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste (from my pantry)
oregano (from my pantry)
garlic (from my pantry)
Italian seasoning (from my pantry)
grated cheese (8 oz Provolone for $.99)
pizza toppings as desired (onion= $.25, bell pepper= $.69)
1 loaf French bread dough from your grocery store's bakery counter ($.88)
or pizza dough (refrigerated or frozen)
olive oil (from my pantry)
garlic powder (from my pantry)
broccoli florets (half a bunch of broccoli= $.63)
cauliflower florets (half a head of cauliflower= $.65)

Tacos with Homemade Salsa, Onion Rice, Corn
Total price I paid for this meal is $4.12.
1 c rice (from my pantry)
1 can Campbell's French Onion soup ($1.69)
butter (from my pantry)
3 tomatoes ($1.34)
onion ($.25)
1 jalapeno ($.12)
1 clove garlic (1 head garlic=$.39)
1 lime ($.25)
1 lb ground beef (1 lb at $1.58/lb = $1.58)
1 pkg taco seasoning (from my pantry)
1 can Ranch style beans ($1.09)
or 1 can black beans
taco shells or tortillas (tortillas from my pantry)
shredded lettuce (1 head iceberg=$.89)
grated cheese (from my pantry)
any other taco toppings
frozen corn (from my pantry)

Marinated London Broil, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli
Total price I paid for this meal is $4.50.
1 1/2 lbs London broil (1.6 lbs at $1.97/lb= $3.17)
unseasoned meat tenderizer (from my pantry)
oil (from my pantry)
lemon juice (from my pantry)
seasoning salt (from my pantry)
lemon pepper (from my pantry)
cloves garlic (see previous recipe for head of garlic)
parsley flakes (from my pantry)
vinegar (from my pantry)
3-4 potatoes ($.70)
butter (from my pantry)
Parmesan cheese (from my pantry)
garlic (from my pantry)
salt (from my pantry)
dried oregano (from my pantry)
broccoli (half a bunch of broccoli= $.63)

Macaroni and Cheese, Green Salad, Peas
Total price I paid for this meal is $.89.
1 lb elbow macaroni (from my pantry)
butter (from my pantry)
flour (from my pantry)
milk (from my pantry)
minced onion (from my pantry)
salt (from my pantry)
pepper (from my pantry)
basil (from my pantry)
6-8 oz Cheddar or Colby Jack cheese (from my pantry- I still have cheese left from the big Superbowl sale at Smiths)
green salad (iceberg= $.89)
frozen peas (from my pantry)

Taco Soup, Tortilla Chips, Green Salad, Corn
Total price I paid for this meal is $1.29.
1 can chicken broth (from my pantry)
2 c homemade salsa (leftover from tacos)
2 cans white or black beans (from my pantry)
1/2 lb ground beef (leftover ingredient from tacos)
chili powder (from my pantry)
cumin (from my pantry)
garlic powder (from my pantry)
1/2 pkg cream cheese (1 pkg=$1.29)
tortilla chips (from my pantry)
green salad (see previous recipe)
frozen corn (from my pantry)


Chicken Pomodoro, Green Beans, Carrots
Total price I paid for this meal is $5.20.
2 chicken breasts (from my pantry)
salt (from my pantry)
pepper (from my pantry)
flour (from my pantry)
oil (from my pantry)
1 can chicken broth (from my pantry)
1 lemon ($.69)
1 tomato ($.44)
heavy cream or milk (using some of my $1.98 milk)
green onions ($.50)
1 can green beans (from my pantry)
baby carrots (1 lb bag= $1.59)

In total, I paid $20.09 for our dinners this week.
I used the rest of my budget on bread, milk, juice, eggs, string cheese, tons of extra ground beef to freeze, a few random items for my pantry, and all the fruits and veggies for breakfast and lunch.

Pizza, Broccoli, Cauliflower

I was so excited to see that French bread was on sale this week! Whenever it goes on sale, I buy extra loaves of the dough and pop them in the freezer for the next time we want an easy, tasty pizza crust.

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

1 T oregano

2 t garlic

Italian seasoning

grated cheese

pizza toppings as desired

1 loaf French bread dough from your grocery store's bakery counter

or pizza dough (refrigerated or frozen)

olive oil

garlic powder

broccoli florets

cauliflower florets

Make pizza sauce by mixing tomato sauce, tomato paste, oregano, garlic, and a few good shakes of Italian seasoning.

Prepare pizza toppings.

If using refrigerated or frozen pizza dough, follow package directions.

If using French bread dough: Let dough rise on the counter for an hour. Spray two pizza pans or one cookie sheet with cooking spray; sprinkle with cornmeal. Roll dough to fit pans (either two circles or one big rectangle, depending on what pans you use). Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder. Bake at 400º for 7 minutes, or until crust is no longer doughy. Top with sauce, cheese, and all pizza toppings. Bake for an additional 7-15 minutes, until cheese is melted and crust is to desired brownness.

Steam broccoli and cauliflower (with cauliflower on the bottom of the steamer basket). Season with salt and pepper.

Tacos with Homemade Salsa, Onion Rice, Corn

Onion Rice recipe is from my Aunt Cathy. Growing up, we always had onion rice with tacos, and since I didn't like ground beef at the time (or pretty much anything; I was picky) I would make my tacos with tortilla, onion rice, cheese, and Ranch dressing. I've become a little more traditional since then, but I still love the flavors of onion rice and tacos all in one meal.

1 c rice
1 can Campbell's French Onion soup
1 c water
1 T butter

3 tomatoes, cored
1/2 onion
1/2 jalapeno, seeded
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
salt

1 lb ground beef (We will be saving 1/2 lb for Monday's dinner. Cook more meat if your family would prefer more.)
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 can Ranch style beans, not rinsed
or 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
taco shells or tortillas
shredded lettuce
grated cheese
any other taco toppings

frozen corn


In a greased baking dish, combine rice, water, onion soup, and butter. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. (You can also cook this in the rice cooker instead.)

In a blender, combine tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, garlic, lime juice, and a few shakes of salt. Blend until smooth. Taste with a tortilla chip and add more jalapeno, lime juice, and salt to taste. Store in the fridge until ready to eat.

Brown ground beef. Pour off fat. Add taco seasoning according to package directions. Add beans.

Microwave corn. Season with salt and pepper.

Top tacos with homemade salsa, lettuce, cheese, and other toppings. Serve with onion rice and corn.

Save about 1/2 lb. of the meat and most of the salsa for Monday's taco soup.

Marinated London Broil, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli

Steak and potato recipes both adapted from AllRecipes.

London Broil
1 1/2 lbs London broil
unseasoned meat tenderizer
1/3 c oil
2 t lemon juice
2 t seasoning salt
1/4 t lemon pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t parsley flakes
2 t vinegar

Score top and bottom of meat with a 1 1/2 inch square pattern. Sprinkle meat liberally with meat tenderizer. Refrigerate for an hour. In a small bowl, mix together salt, lemon juice, seasoning salt, lemon pepper, garlic, parsley, and vinegar. Reserve a small amount of sauce in a separate container. Pour remaining marinade over meat and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Preheat grill (or broiler) for high heat. Lightly oil grate. Discard marinade. Grill meat for 5 minutes. Turn meat over, brush with reserved sauce, and cook another 5 minutes.


Flavorful Mashed Potatoes
3-4 potatoes, quartered
2 T butter
2 oz grated Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 t salt
1 t dried oregano

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain. Stir in butter, cheese, garlic, salt, and oregano. Mash with a potato masher or electric mixer.


Broccoli
1/2 bunch broccoli, chopped into florets

Steam broccoli. Season with salt and pepper.

Taco Soup, Tortilla Chips, Green Salad, Corn

1 can chicken broth
2 c homemade salsa
2 cans white or black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 lb ground beef cooked with taco seasoning
chili powder
cumin
garlic powder
1/2 pkg cream cheese, softened

tortilla chips

green salad

frozen corn


In a large pot, combine broth, salsa, beans, and ground beef. Simmer over medium to medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes, until slightly thickened. Add chili powder, cumin, and garlic to taste. Add cream cheese and stir to combine.

Prepare green salad.

Microwave frozen corn. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve soup with tortilla chips.

Chicken Pomodoro, Green Beans, Carrots

Chicken recipe is adapted from Cuisine at Home magazine.

2 chicken breasts
salt
pepper
flour
2 T oil
3/4 c chicken broth, divided
2 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 c chopped tomato
2 T heavy cream (I'll use milk)
1/3 c green onions, sliced

1 can green beans

2 handfuls baby carrots

Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise. Cover with a thick plastic wrap. Gently pound cutlets with the flat side of a meat mallet or with the back of a plate, until each cutlet is and even 1/4 inch thick. Season cutlets with salt and pepper, then dust with flour. Coat a pan with nonstick spray, add oil, and heat over medium-high. Saute cutlets on both sides. Transfer to a platter and pour fat off pan. Add 1/4 c broth to pan, scraping up browned bits. Cook until nearly evaporated. Add remaining broth and lemon juice. Return cutlets to pan and cook on each side for 1 minute. Transfer cutlets to a warm plate. Stir tomato and cream/milk into sauce. Heat through. Pour over cutlets. Garnish with green onions.

Steam baby carrots. Toss with a pinch of sugar, a teaspoon of butter, and salt and pepper.

Microwave green beans.

*We really enjoyed this recipe. The bright lemony sauce was a welcome relief in the middle of the winter doldrums. I had a little trouble getting my chicken cooked all the way through; I think I either didn't pound the cutlets long enough (Oh how I wish for a meat mallet!) or I didn't brown them long enough. Just watch out for undercooked chicken and pop it in the microwave if needed. Next time I'll do more pounding and browning up front.