Meal Planning - March 2014

1. Tomato Basil Soup and grilled cheese sandwiches
2. Baked Ziti, green salad and garlic bread
3. Crockpot Green Chili Chicken {recipe to come} with tortillas and sautéed carrots
4. Grilled chicken with rice and fresh green beans
5. Simple Ground Beef Enchiladas and sautéed bell peppers
6. Leftovers
7. Take-out
8. Loaded Baked Potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts
9. Pita Pizza and green salad
10. Ham, scalloped potatoes and fresh green beans
11. Pork Chops Yum-Yum, roasted veggies {recipe to come} and crescent rolls
12. Spaghetti with meat sauce and green salad
13. Beef &Spinach Lo Mein
14. Date Night!
15. Leftovers
16. Taco Pasta Casserole and fresh green beans
17. UPDATED! Corned beef and cabbage with carrots
18. Chicken Alfredo Fettuccine and  roasted Brussels sprouts
19. California Chicken Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries
20. Taco salad
21. Barbecue Beef Brisket, mashed potatoes and roasted veggies
22. Date Night!
23. Fresh Quinoa Salad with chicken and rolls
24. Chicken Tortilla Soup
25. Leftovers
26. Breakfast for dinner
27. Grilled chicken and sautéed carrots & zucchini
28. Spaghetti with meat sauce, green salad and garlic bread
29. Take-out
30. Parmesan Chicken Bake and butternut squash
31. Cheese Tortellini & Sausage Soup and artichokes

Cabbage Buns

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup instant rice, uncooked
• 1 small head of cabbage, chopped
• 1 package hot roll mix
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Sauté onion in large skillet. Add ground beef, salt and pepper, and brown. 
3. Add cream of mushroom soup and rice, stir well.
4. Stir in cabbage and cook until soft.
5. Make roll dough according to directions on box. Pinch the dough into balls (about the size of golf balls) and roll out into nice squares, one at a time.  
6. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of hamburger mixture and place in the center of the square of dough.  Bring the corners up to the middle of the square and pinch the seams together with your fingers.  Turn the square over and place on a greased cookie sheet. Lightly brush melted butter on buns before baking. Continue until you've used up your ingredients.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the rolls are a nice golden brown. Makes 12 buns.

Money-Saving Grocery Tips

© Davidcrehner | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images

Looking to cut down on your monthly spending {or maybe just stick to your budget}? Check out my blog post on Money-Saving Grocery Tips over at the Hello, Darling Blog.

Simple Roasted Brussels Sprouts

If you'd told me 2 years ago to that I would love Brussels sprouts I would have laughed in your face. Then a friend made them for a pot luck. I was hooked! Since then I've tried a couple of recipes and found this combination to be the "one" for me. And the key to it is using a cast iron skillet. Although you can roast Brussels sprouts on a baking sheet or in a baking dish, I highly recommend a heavy skillet made of cast iron!

Ingredients: 

• 1 pound Brussels sprouts
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• pepper to taste 
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place cast iron skillet in oven to heat while you prep your Brussels sprouts.
2. Peel off outer leaves on Brussels sprouts, rinse in cold water, cut off stem and chop in half.
3. Mix Brussels sprouts with olive oil in large bowl and zip lock bag, coating the sprouts well.
4. Remove the skillet from the oven and pour Brussels sprouts inside, carefully placing them chopped-side down. Season with pepper.
5. Roast for 20-25 minutes, turning the sprouts over halfway through.
6. Once you have removed from oven, top with Parmesan cheese and serve hot.