Meal Planning

Well my kid has been giving me a run for my money these days which is why we are planning meals on Tuesday.. whoops.  So I don't know why, but in my mind, sleep training would take maybe 2-3 days, and he would get it.  I didn't realize that it could take weeks and crying for hours at a time.  It's horrible!!  This weekend had fun parts, but it also had some pretty miserable parts too.  My child is strong willed to say the least and is hating his crib and naps right now.  Sleeping at night is going well, but naps are a doozy.  Oh well, on to the recipes!

Baked Ziti
adapted from Budget Savvy Diva

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1/4 dried onion flakes
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 cloves minced garlic
2 (24 oz) jars of spaghetti sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 (16 oz) package of ziti or pasta of your choice
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook pasta as directed.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil and saute onions and garlic. Add hamburger meat and cook until no longer pink.
Stir in sauce, pepper, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning in to the meat mixture.
Drain cooked pasta and add about a cup of the meat mixture to the noodles.
Layer some sauce and half of the pasta in a 9 x 13 pyrex then top with half of the cheese. Repeat layering ending with cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake until cheese is bubbly.

This recipe was really good.  I would make it again, but I would add pepperoni next time. Also, I had hungry eyes watching me cook this evening.

Sheet Pan Fajitas
from Laughing Spatula

Ingredients

1 lb chicken breasts thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 yellow green pepper
1/2 onion sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt & pepper.
Toss sliced chicken, sliced veggies, and oil mixture together on a large sheet pan and spread out evenly.
Bake for 30 minutes until chicken is cooked and veggies are tender.
Serve with tortillas, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and salsa.

This recipe was so good!  I'm adding it to our rotation for sure!  The chicken had great flavor and the veggies were cooked just right.  I highly recommend it.

Shrimp Garlic Penne
from Julie's eats and treats

Ingredients

3 cups penne pasta
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
5 oz evaporated milk
1 lb cooked medium shrimp (peeled & deveined)
2/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 1/2 tsp seafood seasoning

Directions
Cook pasta according to directions on package.
Saute butter and garlic in large sauce pan.
Stir in flour until blended and gradually add chicken broth and evaporated milk. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.
Stir in shrimp, cheese, parsley, and seafood seasoning and heat through.
Drain pasta and mix it in with sauce mixture.  Serve immediately.

Ok so this recipe was good, but not a repeat for us.  It tasted very much like a restaurant entree aka kind of heavy.  Not to mention, it was really fishy tasting which could have just been the shrimp I chose.  Either way, I probably will not make it again.

Hope everyone has a great week!