Weekly Meals using my Bountiful Basket

This week, I not only got the regular basket, but I added on the Italian pack from Bountiful Baskets. You should also know, I order two baskets each week because we are a family of 7 and I am an evil mom who loves to throw fresh vegetables into everything I can. We eat way more vegetables a week than we do fruit. I have always cooked this way because I enjoy torturing my kids as much as humanly possible (insert big grin here). I didn't get to make some of the recipes from last week (extremely busy week!!), so I will be adding them on to this week.

Here are the recipes I will be using this week to use up our produce. The bullet points are the items from the basket are to be used with the dish is under.

In no particular order (because some days end up being too hard to make time consuming dishes):

Chili Verde on Rice w/ a Salad

• Chili Verde: Tomatillos, green chilis, garlic, jalapenos, cilantro, onion
• Salad: Romaine, tomatoes, some red onion

Potato Soup

• No recipe, yet. I will try to remember to write down how I make it. I will tell you it has potatoes, onion, celery, cooked bacon all crumbled up, I will probably add the broccoli in this and see how it turns out, chicken broth, herbes de province (seasoning), salt, pepper. I cover all the produce with the broth, about 2 to 3 inches above, and let it simmer until the potatoes are falling apart (this is what thickens the broth. I don't like using flour). I stir in non-fat plain yogurt (tastes like sour cream this way with none of the fat and calories). Top with a little cheese.

Eggplant Parmesan w/ a Salad and homemade bread

• Eggplant Parmesan: eggplant, garlic, basil
• Salad: Romaine, tomatoes, some red onion

Turkey Burgers w/ pan cooked diced potatoes

• Burger: zucchini, red onion (probably the last of it), garlic
• Potatoes: Season with salt, pepper, and fresh rosemary. Coat a pan with olive oil and let heat up. Add potatoes and cook until tender in the middle and crispy brown on the outside, stirring often so they don't burn.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta w/ Broccoli and Garlic bread

• Pasta: butternut squash, fresh rosemary
• Asparagus: Rub olive oil on them and sprinkle with salt and pepper and grill in a pan on the stove. (my kids sneak asparagus off the cooking pan when I cook it like this)

Curried Savoy Cabbage Soup with Mushrooms w/ bread

• Soup: savoy cabbage, onion, thyme, potato, mushrooms, parsley

I am not going to do a seventh meal. I need a night for leftovers.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! Have a happy, healthy week!

Weekly Menu

Needing to use up my Bountiful Baskets I got for the week, I came up with this menu:

Sunday: Ribs w/ Spinach salad

Monday: Chicken Peanut Curry w/ green beans

Tuesday: Kielbasa Lentil Soup w/ bread

Wednesday: Taco Rice

Thursday: Chile Verde

Friday: Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta w/ Asparagus

Saturday: Butter Chicken w/ Broccoli

When you give a man toys...

and the bar-b-que loses all it's propane:

Do you see the smile?! 

Homemade Stove Top Mac and Cheese

I just love finding good recipes to replace the stuff I won't buy (mac and cheese in a box). I was watching Good Eats one night, because I have pretty much watched it at least once a week for about 5 years now, probably longer. I really like Alton Brown. I love that he gives the science behind the cooking. I will say that I probably won't buy one of his cookbooks because they sort of read like a textbook.

So, like I said I was watching him one night and the show was on how cheese melts. When he came to the Stove Top Mac and Cheese, I was captivated. I had to try it. I mean, not only was it a great replacement to the box crap, it has NO flour. Needless to say (because I am me), I have made a minor change to the original because, well, I just had to.

Easy Mac and Cheese Recipe

1 pound Elbow Macaroni Noodles

4 Tbsp. Butter

4 Eggs

12 oz. Evaporated Milk

1 tsp. Hot Sauce (like Tabasco Sauce)

2 tsp. Kosher Salt

1 tsp. Ground Mustard

Pepper to taste

20 oz. Grated Cheddar/Monterey Jack Blend (this is where I get lazy and buy it already grated.)

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add in the noodles. Let cook until al dente. You really don't want the noodles to overcook because then they will collapse when you add the ingredients to it.

2. In the meantime, mix all the rest of the ingredients, except the cheese, together in a medium bowl. Mix well.

3. Drain the noodles and melt the butter in the pot.

4. Put the noodles back into the pot and coat them really well with the butter.

5. While stirring the egg mixture, slowly start dumping in some hot noodles into it. Add about 2 cups of the noodles into the egg mixture while stirring.

6. Add the egg mixture into the pot while stirring the noodles in the pot. You don't want the eggs to scramble.

7. While stirring the stuff in the pot, start adding the shredded cheese by the handful.

8. After all the cheese has been added, stir until it has a smooth Mac and Cheese consistency.

I usually double this recipe every other week. I use 2 pounds of noodles. It makes a great side dish to some dinners, etc. It keeps pretty well in the fridge.

This recipe is linked to The Grocery Cart Challenge.