Hello! Happy Sunday. I can't believe it's practically halfway through January already! Tonight's post is like a giant conglomerate of things I've been wanting to share!! First - Mac and Cheese Mondays!! Barb and I have started a new weekly (or whenever we can get it in) meal challenge featuring my all time favorite food (and a true Wisconsin classic!) - Mac and Cheese! We alternate choosing a recipe and purchasing the ingredients. Barb chose the first week: Martha's Macaroni and Cheese from Smitten Kitchen. It was...in a word..amazing. ;) In fact, part of me feels like maybe we should just quit now, because I'm not quite sure that any other mac can top this one. ;)
Here is Barb enjoying her delicious dish...
...and here is me, feeling sorry for myself that my bowl is empty!
This all brings me to the topic of meal planning AND my second list of the year! One of my goals this year as part of my "One Little Word" *Routine* is meal planning and cooking real meals for my family. I realize that cooking with three little ones underfoot is not always the easiest (ask Barb, she got to see the madness firsthand last week...I was worried she might not come back again this week!), so I'm trying to pick meals that will be decently quick and easy AND that my kids will like - totally doable, right?! ;) Here is my meal plan and my shopping list from last week...yes it's an actual list!
I'm happy to say I made everything on the list! (Okay, I didn't exactly make the grilled cheese rolls, but we DID have grilled cheese one day.) One thing I learned...I need to leave a LOT of room for leftovers. We probably could have eaten Mac and Cheese leftovers for three nights! Here is a rundown of the meals I made last week, as well as the meals that I am planing for this week!
Garlicky White Bean Soup - This was our Sunday Soup, which we ate on Saturday, because on Sunday I was driving in a ginormous blizzard (seriously) to Illinois and back for a baby shower. This was super tasty and relatively easy to make. I LOVE soup with white beans in it, and this one was a winner!
Skillet Baked Ziti - Okay, I thought this looked pretty good...but it was delicious. So, so, so, so, so good. AND it was easy to make. AND both of my kids ate it. Winner!!
Grilled Cheese Rolls - We will probably make these this week. It cracks me up a little that there is an actual recipe for this. Ingredients? Bread and cheese. Genius. ;)
Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars - We made these at Bake-a-palooza, and they were so good that I had to make them again. The kids had fun crushing the pretzels and helping out. I had fun eating the entire pan in like two days. No lie.
Greek Spinach and Orzo Soup - We made this today for Sunday soup. This recipe is (gasp!) from an actual cookbook. Every recipe I've made from it has been excellent. In Justin's words, "it tastes like something you'd get ina restaurant!" That's a good review, right?! Here is a similar recipe I found online. I can't promise that it's as good as the original, thought!
Creamy Brie Four Cheese Mac and Cheese - This is my choice for this week's Mac and Cheese Monday. You are supposed to use Ritz crackers for the topping, however I am planning on getting all crazy and using Townhouse crackers instead. Or maybe Club crackers. I'm such a daredevil!
Mexican Lagsagna - This is one of my favorite recipes. It's a little big time consuming, but it's so good and both my kids like it! Pray for smiley, happy children the day I make this!
**Disclaimer for anyone new to my blog - I don't eat meat, and my husband, who is rarely home during the week for dinner, cannot eat dairy! Therefore, the vast majority of our meals are meatless. When he is home, I try to make something with meat in it!! I know most of these meals are full of dairy and carbs and all that is bad for you...but...it could be worse. ;)**
Week one of my 2014 ROUTINE went well. Hopefully things will only continue to get better this week! Have a great night!
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This list is brought to you by "Lists with Friends," which is a collaborative effort between a number of smart, talented, and fun women that I am lucky to be a part of. Throughout the year we will all be posting various lists on our blogs. This is one of them.
