Wow!! What a week! I had planned on it being a slow, lazy time to prepare for the upcoming holiday madness, but my Christmas came early! The Producer at thehomeschoolchannel.tv asked if we could put together a holiday-themed centsible class on the fly? Um, sure we can...! Suddenly I found my quiet afternoons filled with assembling gift baskets, slide presentations, and hand-outs. But, Praise God! It all came together fairly smoothly, and now I'm hopeful that we can offer financial ideas and encouragement for the holiday season :)
All that being said, I was really, really tempted to eat out this week with all the hectic developments, but my experiment prevailed! Woo Hoo! Actually I'll admit, this blog has served as a great source of accountability and kept me from giving in. Although, I'll confess that I did fudge a bit on what I actually served. I had planned to make and can a batch of marinara later on, but the holiday presentation required me making it this weekend. Since I only needed 1 pint for the class and had 13 pints left over, we swapped out Saturday's halibut menu for spaghetti! That was a big time/sanity saver, let me tell you! ;)
Also, one more bit of victory to share: I was able to score a free turkey last night (saved $29!), and actually had enough freezer space to fit it in there! Two weeks ago, we would have been playing a chilly game of Tetris in my freezer trying to get that turkey in!
Okay, so onto this week's menu. I'm on week 3 of my 'Great Pantry Cleanout'. I am really planning (hoping?) on this week being a mellow one, although it's the week before our company arrives for Thanksgiving, so we'll be doing a lot of prep for that... anyway, here's my lineup:
Sunday-meatloaf, mac 'n cheese, salad
Monday-Cream of Broccoli soup and grilled cheese
Tues-Pancakes and Fruit
Wed-Bible study and dinner at church
Thur-parmesan crusted halibut, chicken flavored rice, and salad
Fri-tacos
Sat-Salmon noodle casserole and salad
Recipes:
Our Favorite Meatloaf/meatballs
1 1/4 c beef broth
1 c water
2 lbs ground meat (beef, turkey, pork)
1 pkg stove top stuffing mix (buy generic!)
2 eggs lightly beaten
Preheat oven to 400. Pour broth into a large mixing bowl. Add meat, stuffing mix and eggs. Mix well with hands until combined. Divide mix in half. Shape into two oval loaves or 1 loaf and 16 meatballs. Place on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove meatballs and set aside. Return loaves for 10-15 minutes longer.
Mac n' cheese
I make this using the canned cheese sauce recipe I found at Becky's Farm life. I have several pints of the 'home canned cheese sauce' in my pantry, and about 1/2 pint covers a lb of pasta for our family. It's also great over broccoli or for nachos!
Cream of Broccoli Soup
I have had this recipe for YEARS! I actually got it in Home Ec I as a freshman in high school, and still have that same ratty-tatty copy some 19 years later. (Wow, I'm that old?!) It's actually a chart for making a variety of veg-cream soups, but the broccoli one is by far our favorite. It consists of:
1 1/2 c chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups cut broccoli
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 small bay leaf
dash garlic powder
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp ap flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
few dashes pepper (use white if you don't want it to ruin your creamy looking effect)
In saucepan combine chix broth, onion, and broccoli, thyme, garlic, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer until tender. Remove bay leaf. In another saucepan, melt butter. Blend in flour, salt, and pepper to make a roux. Add milk and mix vigorously to avoid lumps. Cook until mixture is thick and bubbly. Stir into broccoli mixture. Cook and stir until fully heated through. Serves 3-4 (I double this for our family of 5!)
Parmesan Crusted Halibut (or any whitefish)
Check it out from last week's lineup.
Salmon or Chicken Noodle Casserole
2 cups boneless, skinless salmon flaked or 2 cups chicken cooked and shredded
1 cup of elbow mac
1 can cream of mushroom soup (or homemade mix, reconstituted)
10 oz cheddar, american, or combination of both
Boil mac and drain. Layer everything in order in pie plate or 8x8 square and bake at 350 until cheese is melted. I double this and put it in a casserole dish or 9x13.
Hope this gives you some ideas for your own upcoming menues! I pray you have a wonderful, peaceful week :)
Blessings,
Hillary at Home
I still use those recipes in class and at home! Let me know if you would like a digital copy...I can email it to you! Congratulations on your success with your ongoing projects! Your FHA friends and I are proud of you!
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