Meat Loaf

My kids all liked this meat loaf.

2 to 2.5 lbs. ground beef
2 c. dry bread crumbs
2 eggs
8 oz. tomato sauce
2 c. shredded or finely chopped veggies (onions, carrots, celery, broccoli, raw spinach leaves, zucchini, etc., whatever you have but don't leave out the onions)
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. season salt (or regular salt if that's all you have)

You can use a blender or food processor to grind up the bread crumbs. I usually throw the stale heels of bread that my family doesn't eat into a freezer bag and save for recipes like this. Throw all the ingredients into a big bowl and mix up with your hands (this is the easiest way). When it's all mixed up, divide and press into two loaf pans (or whatever shape pan you like, it really doesn't matter). Bake at 350 for an hour. I like to use my meat thermometer to check for doneness.

Chicken Tetrazzini

This stuff is soooooooo good, you have to give it a try. Again, inspiration for this recipe came from Hillbilly Housewife.

1/2 c. margarine
1 onion finely chopped
sliced mushrooms (however many you like, fresh or canned)
frozen broccoli (however much you like, or you can leave out if you wish)
garlic (minced or powder, whatever you have, about 1 clove or 1 tsp.)
1/3 c. flour
1 and 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 and 1/2 cups milk
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
salt to taste
pepper to taste
8 oz. pasta (spaghetti, linguine, corkscrew, bowtie, or penne work well)
parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top

Melt the margarine with the onion, mushrooms, and garlic in a saucepan. Start cooking pasta as per directions. Saute onion/mushroom/garlic mixture until onions are tender. Add the flour to the onion mixture and stir until well combined. Add the chicken broth and the milk. Bring to boiling and boil for one minute. Add the chicken, broccoli, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook and stir until heated through. Add the cooked and drained pasta and mix well. Dump all of it into an oiled 9x13 dish. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for half and hour or so.

Hamburger Gravy

The inspiration for this recipe came from the Hillbilly Housewife, but I tweaked it.

1 Pound Ground Beef
1/2 Cup Flour
1 tsp. Salt
Pepper to Taste
1/2 T. Onion Powder
1-2 T. Beef Boullion
4 Cups Water
1 Cup Dry Milk Powder

Brown the hamburger over medium heat. When it is cooked through, add the flour. Stir the flour and the hamburger until it is well mixed. Add the spices. Add the water and the milk powder. Stir until the milk powder is mixed in and dissolved. Boil for a couple of minutes, then turn heat to low. The gravy will be ready when you are! Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, noodles, or biscuits.

Menu Plan Monday (dinners only - with new recipe results!)

For the most part, last week's experimental menu went great. One night we weren't home, and another night dh made something that wasn't on the plan, so there are a couple of things I have moved to this weeks menu.

Here are the items most of us enjoyed from last week. Of course, I thought all the recipes below were to die for. I can't wait to make them again! My inspiration for nearly all of the recipes came from Hillbilly Housewife.

Butter beans
Chicken Tetrazzini
Carrot Raisin Salad
Hamburger Gravy
Quick Garlic Bread Sticks
Meatloaf
Creamed Peas

Other recipes that we tried were hoe cakes and corn fritters. These were good, but my kids weren't very fond of them so we probably won't make them again.

Here's this week's menu.

Monday - Leftovers, Rice-a-Roni
Tuesday - Orange Chicken and Rice, Broccoli, Birthday Cake (birthday dinner for ds)
Wednesday - Pizza (the frozen variety to eat after my son's birthday party)
Thursday - Hamburger Maccaroni Casserole, Coleslaw (moved from last week)
Friday - Impossible Broccoli Cheese Pie (moved from last week), Corn
Saturday - Tuna "casserole"(moved from last week), Fruit
Sunday - Black Pepper Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry (another experiment), Rice

Check out others' menus for the week over at Menu Plan Monday.

Butter Beans

As part of the experimental menu plan that I made for this past week, we tried the Butter Beans for dinner tonight. WOW! I mean, seriously, since my family doesn't really like beans that much I was expecting myself to be the only one eating these. While my 3yo didn't prefer them, everyone else ate them up! And not only did they eat them, they *liked* the Butter Beans. My dd normally dislikes lima beans, but she liked these. Anyway, here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

One bag dried lima beans, $1 (less at Walmart)
1/2 stick margarine, $.25
salt, $.05
pepper, $.o5

Total Cost: $1.35 (and this makes quite a lot, we have leftovers)

Soak the beans overnight, or you can do the quick soak according to the directions on the bag. Simmer over medium heat for an hour or so. Add the margarine, salt, and pepper. Continue to cook over medium heat until the beans are soft.

This recipe seems to be fairly foolproof. I soaked them for about 20 hours instead of just overnight. Then, I cooked them for an hour, put the whole pot in the fridge, left it there for a day, took it back out, added the margarine, salt, and pepper, and cooked until the beans were done. The were so delicious! Now, don't ask me why I went through all of that, but it just had to do with my busy schedule.

My inspiration for making this dish came from the Hillbilly Housewife.

Head on over to Saturday Stirrings at It Coulda' Been Worse to get many more yummy recipes.

Beans Anyone?

My family seems to have a difficult time with beans. And no, I don't mean with the digestion part, but that may be true as well. What I am talking about is my family rarely likes to eat them. Personally, I adore beans. Refried beans, baked beans, bean soup, white beans, black beans, red beans, kidney beans, etcetera, etcetera, I love me some beans. Beans are so healthy and so inexpensive that I would love to incorporate more of them into our diet. So, what I am asking is do you have a favorite bean recipe or dish? Will your family eat it?

Head on over to Works For Me Wednesday to help answer all the difficult questions in life.

Experimental Thrifty Dinner Menu Plan

This menu plan uses recipes in which my family has not yet tried. After we try them, I'll add an update so you all can rest at night knowing which ones passed the 3 children and dh test of approval. I'll also post the recipes that pass the approval. I can't post them now or I'd be going against my rule of only posting recipes that have already passed the test. So, stay tuned y'all!

I'm not going to map out days, just list 7 dinners and will choose days as the week progresses.

1. Tuna "casserole", Applesauce
2. Butter beans, Hoe Cakes, Canned Fruit
3. Carrot Raisin Salad, Chicken Tetrazzini
4. Peas, Instant Mashed Potatoes, Hamburger Gravy
5. Impossible Broccoli and Cheddar Pie, Corn
6. Garlic Bread Sticks, Meat Loaf, Coleslaw
7. Corn Fritters, Salmon Patties, Creamed Peas

Also note, prices will be added to this menu after I go shopping tomorrow. It's all about accuracy. Prices have really gone up, so I want to make sure what I write is at least close to accurate.

Please cross your fingers with me that my family will love these meals - or at least eat them.

Check out more menu plans over at Menu Plan Monday!