Breakfasts:
Cold cereal and milk
Oatmeal
Eggs and toast

Lunches:
Peanut butter sandwiches and chips
Pasta salad
Burritos
Pepperoni sandwiches

Dinners:

Monday: Frozen pizza

Tuesday: Taco Stuffed Shells and Spanish Rice (I AM going to try these this week!)

Wednesday: Lasagna

Thursday: Leftovers, because Mommy is at pool.

Friday: Pizza Roll

Saturday: Chicken and Rice

Get more menus at Menu Plan Monday.

Oatmeal Banana Bread

1/4 c. shortening
1/4 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. oatmeal (the first time, I used quick-cooking rolled oats, but I was out for the second batch, so I used Coach’s Oats. They worked just fine)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 very ripe bananas
1/4 c. milk

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 8½ x 4½” loaf pan with nonstick spray.

Cream together the shortening, butter, and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until fluffy.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

In a ziplock bag, mash the bananas until uniform. Add the milk and mush it into the bananas.

Add half the dry ingredients to the sugar and butter mixture, scrape the bowl, and then add half the banana mixture. Repeat. Mix gently until blended.

Pour into the pan, and bake for 50-60 minutes until a butter knife inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Ish. You may get some banana on it, but no batter.

Remove it from the oven and cover the pan with aluminum foil for 5-10 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and serve hot or let it cool down.

You can add raisins, walnuts, or dried blueberries – just fold them in just before you pour the batter into the pan.

Makes 1 loaf.

Banana Pancakes

3 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3 ripe bananas

Melt the butter in a microwave-safe dish in the microwave (I use a pyrex measuring cup). Whisk together the eggs and milk in a big bowl until completely mixed (all one color, with no strands of egg).

In another bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients together. Add the (now slightly cooled) butter to the milk and eggs, and then add the dry ingredients and whisk together. You don’t want to stir it too much, or you’ll end up with rubbery pancakes. Just get the big lumps out – little lumps are okay. Let the batter sit for 10-15 minutes. Near the end of that sitting time, start heating up a big, flat frying pan on medium on the stove, or use an electric skillet to 350°.

Peel and slice the bananas about 1/4″ thick and gently fold them into the batter.

Spray the pan with nonstick spray (I like the butter flavor), and use a ladle to drop batter onto the skillet. You’ll thank yourself at turning time if you make a bunch of smaller pancakes instead of a few big ones. Watch the pancake – when the bubbles at the edges start leaving little holes when they pop, it’s time to turn the pancake. Cook until golden on the bottom side, too, and then put them on a plate tented with foil until they are all done.

Serve with butter and real maple syrup.

Makes about 16 4-5″ pancakes. (Try as I might, I cannot seem to make cute little silver dollar pancakes. I blame it on the bananas.)

This is a great recipe to get the kids to help with. They can measure, mix, slice bananas (with a butter knife), and help watch the bubbles if your kitchen is set up in such a way that there’s a safe place for them to sit while watching the stove.

*We went off-menu yesterday, too. Seems my boys don’t like Hamburger Helper, and my teen doesn’t like cooking it. Looks like I’ll be taking the box of Hamburger Helper to the food bank.

Monday: Lasagna (freeze some for next week)

Tuesday: Hamburger Helper (I’m meeting friends on Tuesday, so my teen is cooking)

Wednesday: Taco Stuffed Shells and Spanish rice (from Jill’s Crazy Life – I’m very excited to try this recipe)

Thursday: Leftovers (I’m at pool league)

Friday and Saturday: Probably pasta salad or pre-frozen burritos for me, since the kids will be at their dad’s.

Sunday: Chicken Enchiladas.

Visit Menu Plan Monday for more menu plans.

I just make two boxes of boxed macaroni and cheese according to package directions. Sometimes I add a can of undiluted cream of cheddar soup, but I didn’t tonight. Then I scoop out a serving for my youngest, because he doesn’t like tuna. Then I add two cans of drained tuna (I like Starkist), and scoop out a serving for my next youngest, because he doesn’t like peas mixed in his, or salt and pepper. Then I add salt and pepper and a drained can of peas (I know, but my teen and I love them), and dish out servings for the last kid (the teen) and myself. I put some peas on the side of the two boys’ plates, and we all eat happily.

For four pieces of French toast:

2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Four slices bread – day old bread is best
Powdered sugar (to taste)
Jam or real maple syrup

Spray a skillet with nonstick spray and heat it to medium high heat. Beat 2 eggs in a bowl until no longer separated at all. Add milk, cinnamon, and vanilla (I use Vanilla Bean Crush from King Arthur Flour – I cannot tell you how amazingly tasty this stuff is, and how much it adds to your cooking and baking). Beat until as homogeneous as you can get it (the cinnamon kind of clumps around the top – I just deal with it, but if it bothers you, Baker’s Banter has a tip to fix that problem).

Dip each piece of bread in the batter for a few seconds and turn it over and let the other side soak for a few more seconds, and then put it in the hot pan. (I use tongs.) Once you’ve got all the slices in the pan, the first slice is probably ready to turn – take a peek and see if it’s golden brown. Once they’ve all been turned and cooked until done, put them on a plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with real maple syrup and/or jam.

I double or even triple this recipe, but I mix a new batch of the batter when I run out instead of making it all at once – that way, if my bread is less absorbant that day, or moreso, I don’t waste any eggs and milk.

My about-to-turn 12 year-old son told me that he is thinking about choosing French toast for his birthday dinner, because “it’s one of my very favorite meals.”

I’d love to find some easy but yummy recipes for her to make. She used to make goulash and macaroni and cheese with tuna, and all kinds of things, but she’s lost a lot of confidence, since I’ve been doing all the cooking for the past year or so, and she hasn’t had much opportunity to cook.

Anyone have any teen-friendly recipes I can get her started with to rebuild confidence?

I’ve been very into baking so far this year. I bake something just about every day.

I’ve made these rolls twice now (try some of their recipes – they ALWAYS work), but shaped them as hoagie rolls instead of a baguette or dinner rolls. The first time was for meatball sandwiches, and the dog ate them as they were cooling. (Can you imagine? I made them one day, let them rise in the fridge, got them out, shaped them, let them rise, baked them, and when they were cooling, the dog ate them. I was not happy with the dog that day.) The dog did leave two rolls that the kids and I shared and they were tasty!

The other day, I made French dips, and made the same recipe again. The rolls were dense and chewy and had a fabulous flavor that really went well with the meat and au jus. The crust, though, was a little too crusty – they were hard to eat without really soaking them in the au jus (and my boys don’t like au jus). I will definitely follow that recipe again, but I will try to make a softer crust. I still want them crusty and chewy, but perhaps not quite so much. I will also shape the rolls longer and skinnier – the oven spring really made them fat! I’ll let you know how it goes!

Monday: French dips and french fries and au jus. (Using homemade hoagie rolls for the French dips)

Tuesday: Boxed macaroni and cheese with tuna, peas on the side.

Wednesday: Spaghetti with Italian sausage, green beans. (Sauce was made a couple weeks ago and frozen)

Thursday: Eggs, hash browns, breakfast sausage, and toast.

Friday: French toast.

Saturday: Beef vegetable soup, fresh rolls.

Sunday: Chicken breasts, buttered noodles, green beans.

More Menu Plan Monday