Most of us are home for the holidays, and that means that we are at home cooking.
If you are looking for some new recipes to tempt your taste buds, here are a few of our family’s favorite holiday recipes:
dinner
Cheesy Bacon Meatloaf Recipe
I’ve been making this for years. It’s easy, tasty, and there are never leftovers!
Ingredients:
- 1.5 pounds ground beef (70/30 is preferred)
- 1/2 cup cooked bacon pieces (I like the Kirkland brand)
- 2 egg
- 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
- 2T dehydrated toasted onions (Penzey’s has the best)
- 2 cups shredded cheese (I like cheddar)
- Pepper as needed (No extra salt is needed as it is in the seasoned breadcrumbs and bacon)
Directions:
- pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
- Spray a loaf pan (or a meatloaf pan) with spray release.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients, except the cheese and mix well. You may need to get in there with your hands. You want all of the ingredients well combined.
- Pack half of the mixture into the bottom of the pan.
- Sprinkle cheese over the bottom half of the meat mixture.
- Top the cheese with the rest of the meat mixture, make sure that all of the cheese is covered.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes.
- I like to top this meatloaf with Barbeque sauce, but it does have a little heat.
Serve with baked potatoes, salad, and a glass of milk for that wholesome 1960’s dinner. This makes approximately 6-8 servings.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Some people like to use Turkey, chicken, or pork instead of red meat. My mom uses half ground beef and half ground pork. Whatever makes you happy.
Use gluten-free breadcrumbs if you are gluten-free.
Unfortunately, this cannot be made vegetarian or vegan.
12/21/20 Weekly Meal Plan!
I went to the grocery store over the weekend: The kids needed food to keep their tummies full over the next week of winter break, and we were out of a lot of shelf stable stuff. And salad. I am nuts about the Taylor Farms Salads (tangerine Crunch and Avocado Ranch are THE BEST). Our local Grocery Outlet and 99 Cents Only both carry various varieties for CHEAP.
I’m trying hard to stick to our budget of $100/week for groceries and prepare dinners that are filling and hearty.
For those of you that are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101 style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.
I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge done (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste. If you are looking for a kitchen inventory printable, I like the kitchen inventories here. They are great printables.
I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.
Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2 for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids. I also keep sandwich Ziploc bags of other frozen fruit on hand to make the kids smoothies when they request them (a few times per week). Berries, peaches, and mangos are pretty popular. recently the Big Kid has been on a protein shake kick in the AM.
The next two weeks are Winter Break, so we’ll be eating at home a lot. Most places are still closed as cases here surge. Our tradition of zoo trips will be on hold for now. I’m planning a drive to the desert for the day, complete with a picnic lunch and some fun photos. And of course, lots of time next week to play with toys or whatever the kids get for Christmas.
I’m planning on making two batches of soup for lunches. Beef stew and probably vegetarian chili.
Usually, I do a crockpot meal on Mondays, but now that we are home all the time, we’ve been having an odd combination of fully home-cooked, scratch meals, and frozen entrees and veggies. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.
- Sunday: Meatloaf, fruit, noodles, & rolls Meatloaf recipe will be posted this week
- Monday: Soup, salad, and fruit
- Tuesday: Grilled Cheese, Fruit, and salad
- Wednesday: Nugget Night (With Birdseye cauli fries)
- Thursday: Pizza Night
- Friday: Pot Roast in the crockpot, oven roasted vegetables, salad
- Saturday: Leftover Shenanigans
Please stay safe you guys! The sooner we flatten the curve, the sooner life can go back to normal- whatever that means.
Talk Back: What are you cooking for dinner this week?
Recipe: Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup
For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you may remember that I posted pics of my soup extravaganza on Saturday.
I made two batches of soup: one of potato cheese soup (recipe here), and today’s recipe: broccoli cheese soup!
I’ve been told it tastes like Panera’s, but I’ve never had their broccoli cheese soup. I’ll take it as a compliment.
I added a little cooked, puréed cauliflower to the white sauce to give it a little more body. Also, it’s great for adding a little extra veggies to the soup!
Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup celery
- 1 cup carrots
- 2 cups onions
- 1 T. Garlic, minced
- 4 T. Butter, divided
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 Tablespoons AP flour
- 1.5 cups whole milk
- 4 cups cheese (I like medium cheddar, but you could use colby, or a sharper cheddar)
- 2 cups cauliflower, steamed and pureed (I used my immersion blender)
- 2t. dry mustard
- Dash Cayenne pepper
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- In a large stockpot, melt 2 Tablespoons of butter and saute onions until clear and slightly browned.
- Add carrots and celery, cook for another 5-10 minutes, until veggies are soft.
- Add all of the chicken broth/stock, broccoli, and bay leaves. Cover pot and cook on low for 10-20 minutes.
- In a smaller pot, melt the remaining 2 T. of butter. Sprinkle melted butter with AP flour and stir until paste forms over low heat. The paste should brown slightly- DON’T BURN IT!
- Pour milk into the flour/butter paste and whisk briskly. You do not want lumps. Cook over low heat until the mixture thickens. This may take a few minutes. As the mixture thickens and there are no lumps, add the cheese slowly, about 1/2 cup at a time, until it is incorporated/melted into the sauce. Once the sauce with complete, remove from heat.
- Mix in cooked/pureed cauliflower to the cheese sauce.
- Add the cheese sauce to the soup mixture slowly, stirring constantly. Once it is fully mixed, remove the bay leaves, season dry mustard, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
- Simmer soup for another 5-10 minutes, allowing spices and flavors to meld.
- Serve Soup hot with crusty French bread. Resist the urge not to eat it all in one sitting.
This recipe makes about 10-12 servings of soup. It can be frozen. And it makes a great gift!
Special Meal Distributions at Grossmont Union High School District Locations!
A few weeks ago two friends told me about the free meal distributions at the Grossmont Union High School district locations. I knew that the schools were offering them, what I didn’t know is that each Friday the schools give out a free pizza for the kids.
It’s roughly the size of a pizzeria medium-sized pizza. They offer cheese or pepperoni, your choice, and in addition to that, you receive veggies, a quart of milk, fruit, and breakfast items for the weekend! This is a great way to treat your kiddos to pizza, especially if it isn’t in your budget.
Like all of the other free kids lunches right now, there is no paperwork or enrollment, just show up at the school during lunch service times.
They’ll ask you how many kids you have between the ages of 2-18 and give you the appropriate number of lunches. The high schools tend to give out better food in my opinion, and they tend to have more options (which is great if you have picky eaters or vegetarians).
We stopped by West Hills on Friday to check it out (I’m always down to investigate stuff for you guys!), and the lunch ladies handed out this flyer.
On December 21, 2020 all locations are handing out the supplies for a free Pot Roast Dinner: Stew Meat, Potatoes, Carrots, Onions, Flour, Butter. Additionally, fruit and danishes will be included for breakfast!
On January 4, 2021 all locations are handing out the supplies for a free Carne Asada Dinner: Diced Carne Asada, Rice, Beans, Tortillas, Tomatoes, Onions, Cilantro, Jalapenos. Additionally, fruit and Pan Dulces (Conchas) will be included for breakfast!
And if you are looking for other food resources to help you through the holidays and beyond, here is my post about free food locations and organizations (I recently updated it, so there is lots of new info).
12/14/2020 Weekly Meal Plan
I went to the grocery store over the weekend and picked up some much-needed essentials (bagels, fruit, and vegetables chief among them).
I’m trying hard to stick to our budget of $100/week for groceries and prepare dinners that are filling and hearty. We’re looking at some cold night time temps this coming week, so soup is on the menu twice this week! I made potato cheese soup and broccoli and cheese soup on Sunday, and The batches are separated and being stored in the freezer for later this week and beyond. I’ll be posting the broccoli cheese soup recipe this week.
For those of you that are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101 style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.
I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge done (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste. If you are looking for a kitchen inventory printable, I like the kitchen inventories here. They are great printables.
I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.
Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2 for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids. I also keep sandwich Ziploc bags of other frozen fruit on hand to make the kids smoothies when they request them (a few times per week). Berries, peaches, and mangos are pretty popular. recently the Big Kid has been on a protein shake kick in the AM.
Kids are back to school and that means that school-provided lunches are coming home again. Neither kid loves them, but there are things that each kid eats from them, so I try to include those in their daily lunches. The Littlest kiddo has lunch at home, the big kid takes his lunch to school.
Usually, I do a crockpot meal on Mondays, but now that we are home all the time, we’ve been having an odd combination of fully home-cooked, scratch meals, and frozen entrees and veggies. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.
- Sunday: Soup, Salad, & Rolls
- Monday: Veggie Burgers, Veggie Fries, fruit
- Tuesday: Quesadillas and & salad
- Wednesday: Avocado Toast (with everything but the bagel seasoning- sooo good), poached eggs, orange slices
- Thursday: Soup, Salad, and garlic bread
- Friday: Pizza Night
- Saturday: Leftover Shenanigans
Please stay safe you guys! The sooner we flatten the curve, the sooner life can go back to normal- whatever that means.
Talk Back: What are you cooking for dinner this week?
12/6/2020 Weekly Meal Plan
I went to the grocery store on Friday while the kids were in school. I picked up some essentials and dug through the cupboard once I was home and discovered that I hadn’t updated the cupboard inventory after my last trip.
I’m trying hard to stick to our budget of $100/week for groceries and prepare dinners that are filling and hearty. We’re looking at some cold night time temps this coming week, so soup is on the menu twice this week!
For those of you that are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101 style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.
I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and the fridge done (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste. If you are looking for a kitchen inventory printable, I like the kitchen inventories here. They are great printables.
I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.
Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2 for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids. I also keep sandwich Ziploc bags of other frozen fruit on hand to make the kids smoothies when they request them (a few times per week). Berries, peaches, and mangos are pretty popular. recently the Big Kid has been on a protein shake kick in the AM.
Kids are back to school and that means that school provided lunches are coming home again. Neither kid loves them, but there are things that each kid eats from them, so I try to include those in their daily lunches. Littlest kiddo has lunch at home, the big kid takes his lunch to school.
Usually, I do a crockpot meal on Mondays, but now that we are home all the time, we’ve been having an odd combination of fully home-cooked, scratch meals, and frozen entrees and veggies. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.
- Sunday: Leftovers (this week we had leftover Chinese and pizza)
- Monday: Soup, Salad, Garlic Bread, and Fruit
- Tuesday: Nuggets, Salad, and Fruit
- Wednesday: Veggie Soup, garlic bread, and fruit
- Thursday: Breakfast for dinner (probably waffles and fruit, maybe eggs too)
- Friday: Pizza Night
- Saturday: Leftover Shenanigans
Please stay safe you guys! The sooner we flatten the curve, the sooner life can go back to normal- whatever that means.
Talk Back: What are you cooking for dinner this week?
11/30/2020 Weekly Meal Plan
I went grocery shopping last night and it was a pretty light trip, just the usual goodies: Eggs, coffee, and of course: popsicles.
I rearranged the freezer over the weekend and cleaned out the fridge (oh hi 4-year-old salad dressing!), and discovered some ground beef hidden behind a stack of frozen veg. I’m trying hard to stick to our budget of $100/week for groceries.
For those of you that are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101 style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.
I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and the fridge done (I update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste. If you are looking for a kitchen inventory printable, I like the kitchen inventories here. They are great printables.
I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.
Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2 for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids. I also keep sandwich Ziploc bags of other frozen fruit on hand to make the kids smoothies when they request them (a few times per week). Berries, peaches, and mangos are pretty popular. recently the Big Kid has been on a protein shake kick in the AM.
This week is Thanksgiving break- the kids are home all week. Since we are in the Purple Tier as far as the county’s Covid Cases, a lot of the fun things we usually do are off the table. We will probably skip the zoo this week, even though it is open. It’s a holiday week for most of the county’s school districts, and there will be a lot more people out and about. We’ll be doing outdoor stuff where we can socially distance ourselves from others. We’ll be having a lot of leftovers from Thursday onward. Lunches will probably be protein shakes, pasta and veggies, Peanut butter sandwiches, and beans and rice.
Usually, I do a crockpot meal on Mondays, but now that we are home all the time, we’ve been having an odd combination of fully home-cooked, scratch meals, and frozen entrees and veggies. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.
- Sunday: Tri-Tip & Spanish Rice
- Monday: Salad, Garlic Bread, and Fruit
- Tuesday: Nuggets, Salad, and Fruit
- Wednesday: Burgers & Veggie Fries
- Thursday: Chicken Chili on Baked Potatoes, and Salad
- Friday: Pizza Night!
- Saturday: Leftover Shenanigans
Please stay safe you guys! The sooner we flatten the curve, the sooner life can go back to normal- whatever that means.
Talk Back: What are you cooking for dinner this week?
11/22/2020 Weekly Meal Plan!
I did not go grocery shopping for this week over the weekend. The craziness of Thanksgiving shoppers and increased traffic to stores has made me back off a bit. I made a quick trip for bread on Friday night, but that’s it. The store was packed and everyone was too close for my comfort. I grabbed my bread and booked it.
This week focuses a lot on what we already have. I may run to the store to fill in some blanks. We are running low on eggs, coffee creamer, and salad fixings. If we could make it a whole week without a trip to the store, I’d be amazed!
For those of you that are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101 style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.
I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and the fridge done (I update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste. If you are looking for a kitchen inventory printable, I like the kitchen inventories here. They are great printables.
I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.
Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2 for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids. I also keep sandwich Ziploc bags of other frozen fruit on hand to make the kids smoothies when they request them (a few times per week). Berries, peaches, and mangos are pretty popular. recently the Big Kid has been on a protein shake kick in the AM.
This week is Thanksgiving break- the kids are home all week. Since we are in the Purple Tier as far as the county’s Covid Cases, a lot of the fun things we usually do are off the table. We will probably skip the zoo this week, even though it is open. It’s a holiday week for most of the county’s school districts, and there will be a lot more people out and about. We’ll be doing outdoor stuff where we can socially distance ourselves from others. We’ll be having a lot of leftovers from Thursday onward. Lunches will probably be protein shakes, pasta and veggies, Peanut butter sandwiches, and beans and rice.
Usually, I do a crockpot meal on Mondays, but now that we are home all the time, we’ve been having an odd combination of fully home-cooked, scratch meals, and frozen entrees and veggies. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.
- Sunday: Veggie Soup & Garlic Toast
- Monday: Baked Sweet Potatoes, Veggies, Grilled Cheese
- Tuesday: Nuggets and Fruit
- Wednesday: Mac n’ Cheese and Salad
- Thursday: Thanksgiving dinner with my parents
- Friday: Pizza Night!
- Saturday: Leftover Shenanigans
Please stay safe you guys! The sooner we flatten the curve, the sooner life can go back to normal- whatever that means.
Talk Back: What are you cooking for dinner this week?
11/16/2020 Weekly Meal Plan
I wrote up the meal plan for this week last night and posted it on Instagram, but I was too pooped to sit down last night and write this post.
This weekend was busy (like all weekends):
- Playmobil adventures
- Lego Building
- Barbie shenanigans
- Drawing
- Writing Practice
- Shopping for new clothes because a little girl grew overnight
The past few weeks I’ve been cooking larger batches of recipes, and we’ve been relying a lot on them. This week will be a “refill” week for that. A big batch of meaty red sauce, a few batches of soup made directly to go in the freezer, and I’ll be making some mire poix bags up as well. I’ll be posting on Instagram for sure.
If you have kids between 2-18, check with your local school to see if they are offering free lunches and/or breakfasts. You can also check the USDA Website– but it might be a little out of date.
For those of you that are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101 style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.
I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge done (I update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste. If you are looking for kitchen inventory printable, I like the kitchen inventories here. They are great printables.
I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.
Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2 for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids. I also keep sandwich Ziploc bags of other frozen fruit on hand to make the kids smoothies when they request them (a few times per week). Berries, peaches, and mangos are pretty popular. recently the Big Kid has been on a protein shake kick in the AM.
Lunches will be whatever the kids want for the time being. The big kid has lunch at school, so it’s whatever he chooses from the lunch box in the cupboard, plus some fruit and juice or milk. Since the little girl is in the morning cohort at school, she has lunch at home. Buttered noodles, yogurt, apple slices, and a popsicle are her go-to lunch.
Usually, I do a crockpot meal on Mondays, but now that we are home all the time, we’ve been having an odd combination of fully home-cooked, scratch meals, and frozen entrees and veggies. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.
- Sunday: Leftovers/Fend for yo’ self
- Monday: Shakshuka, Salad, and Salad
- Tuesday: Pasta with Meat Sauce, Salad, Garlic Bread
- Wednesday: Veggie Nuggets, Fish Sticks, Veggie Fries, and Salad
- Thursday: Breakfast (Most likely Pancakes, Eggs, and Fruit)
- Friday: Pizza Night!
- Saturday: Leftover Shenanigans
Please stay safe you guys! The sooner we flatten the curve, the sooner life can go back to normal- whatever that means.
Talk Back: What are you cooking for dinner this week?
Hewes Family Fun 