Mealtime

I am not by nature an organized person. I generally live in a state of clutter and chaos. I mean, I know where everything is and I am usually able to get the whole family out the door and on time to wherever we are going. God obviously has a sense of humor, for he paired me up with someone who is even more disorganized than I am. Somehow we manage to keep the piles of papers and laundry and toys from taking over the house.

The point is, it may shock some of you to know that I actually sit down at the end of each month and plan the next month's meals in detail. I know, it shocks me sometimes! However, it helps us save money and eat healthier (and gives us no excuse to grab fast food instead!) I have been experimenting with some new recipes - my mom sent me a book entitled Kid Favorites Made Healthy, which is perfect for my four picky kids. I am trying to teach my kids to eat better foods ( aka lots of veggies and good proteins) and re-train my hubby as well. It is a difficult process, but we are discovering some new family favorites along the way.

I thought I would share one of the kiddies' favorites - I tweaked it a little to make it our own.

Chili-Mac Skillet
You need: 8 oz. frozen meatballs
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
1 15-oz. can stewed tomatoes
1 cup dried elbow macaroni
1/2 cup chopped red pepper (or green, or yellow)
1 tbs paprika
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
To make:
1. In a large skillet, brown the meatballs and onions until meatballs are soft enough to break apart and onions are tender.
2. Puree the stewed tomatoes. Add the tomato sauce, tomato puree, uncooked macaroni, peppers, paprika, and garlic to the broken meatballs and onions. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes - stirring often.
3. Remove skillet from heat and sprinkle with cheese. Cover and let stand about 2 minutes until cheese is melted.

I have found that I can add finely chopped broccoli or carrots or green beans, and the kiddies(and hubby!) don't even notice.

Yum! All right, I have to go attend to that carpet of toys hiding the real carpet in the kids' room....

Jeanette