Menu 2/16-2/21

Monday:
Baked Potato Soup
Easy Cheesy Beer Bread

Tuesday:
Mushroom Marsala Pasta
French Onion Soup

Wednesday:
Mushroom Casserole
Asparagus

Thursday:
Sushi date night!

Simple Mac and Cheese

I love macaroni and cheese, but I haven't quite found my perfect recipe yet. This one was definitely good and I'll make it again sometime, but I'll also keep trying new versions until I find just the right one!

1 1/4 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
1 cup 1% milk
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/4 cup reduced fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper

Cook pasta in a medium saucepan according to package directions. Transfer to a colander. In the same saucepan, combine the milk and flour over medium heat, stirring with a whisk. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add cheese, salt and pepper and continue whisking until all cheese is melted. Turn off heat, stir in pasta, and let sit for a few minutes before serving.

Source: Cooking Light

Veggie Fried Rice

This was a really good vegetarian meal--it's pretty healthy, filling, colorful and cheap. Can't beat it! I'll definitely make this again, and if you wanted to add some chicken or beef to it, that would also be really yummy.

4 cups prepared rice (white or brown)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium white onion, diced
2 cups veggies of choice, chopped (I used carrots, red bell pepper and frozen edamame)
1 teaspoon Siracha sauce (Asian chili sauce--I had a slight mishap here, since I misread the recipe and used a tablespoon of the sauce! It was really hot at first, but luckily I like things a little bit spicy and we just added some more soy sauce, so that balanced everything out)
3-4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2-3 large eggs, beaten (I used 2 eggs since that was all I had, but Colin requested more eggs next time)
3 scallions, white and light green parts trimmed and chopped

In a non-stick wok, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Over medium-high heat, add onions and veggies and saute until softened. Add Siracha sauce to season veggies. Add rice and drizzle with remaining oil and soy sauce. Add garlic powder. Stir rice until even in color and soy sauce has been thoroughly mixed in. Stir occasionally while allowing rice to warm up. Make a well in the middle of the wok and pour in beaten eggs, scrambling the eggs, while incorporating more and more rice. Add green onions. Continue to heat rice until egg is fully cooked. Season with salt and pepper as desired.

Twice Baked Potatoes

3 russet potatoes
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled (I omitted this)
1-2 tablespoons of cream cheese
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1/4 cup milk
2 green onions, chopped (optional)

Stab the potatoes with a fork a few times. Place them in a microwave and cook until complete. Allow to cool. Scoop out the inside of the potatoes and place them into a bowl. Add the milk, butter and cream cheese; beat until well combined. Add a little bit more milk if they are too thick. Stir in the cheddar cheese, bacon and green onions (if using). Spoon the mixture back into the potato shells. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

"Lunch Lady Bars"

I have no idea why these are called Lunch Lady Bars and I can't remember where I found the recipe, but these were so good! These are kind of like a cookie cake, but even better.

2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup oil
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

Combine dry ingredients. Set aside. In a bowl, mix together oil and sugars. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Gradually add dry ingredients. Mix in 3/4 cup of chocolate chips. Spread into a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips on top. Bake at 350 for 15-25 minutes, or until light golden brown.

7 Layer Dip

We wanted some "football food" while we watched one of the playoff games, so this dip was just what we were in the mood for and wasn't even too unhealthy. Yum!

1 package light cream cheese, softened
2 cups chunky salsa
28 oz. can vegetarian refried beans
2 cups guacamole
1 bag shredded iceberg lettuce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup salsa or pico de gallo
Optional: chopped jalapenos (of course we included these), olives, or red onion

In a bowl, mix cream cheese and salsa. Spread into the bottom of a clear, deep dish. Spread beans over cream cheese layer. Spread guac over bean layer. Top with lettuce, cheese, sour cream, salsa/pico and any other optional toppings that you are using. Serve with tortilla chips.

Homemade Applesauce

Ok, I know I am seriously behind on my blog updating--this one is from way back when I got my wisdom teeth removed and I was living on pretty much just yogurt and oatmeal. I finally got sick of those boring options, so I decided to make myself some applesauce and it was so good! Colin was complaining that it was taking too long, but it was totally worth the wait and I'll never eat blah store bought applesauce again! The only thing I would change about this recipe is use a little less sugar next time--it was so sweet it was almost desert-ish.

Applesauce

4-5 apples peeled, cored and chopped into small cubes
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I used probably double the cinnamon because I wanted it to be really cinnamon-y and delicious!)
1 teaspoon brown sugar

In a saucepan, combine all ingredients. Cover and simmer for 20 mintues, or until tender. Mash with a fork and enjoy!