So last week I successfully made dinner everynight and had the family at the table to eat together. Friends of Tanner even joined us twice. I thought I would share the recipes of this week.

Monday Night
Chicken Alfredo Florentine

3 chicken breasts, cooked and sliced
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 shallot, finely chopped
4 tbsp. butter or margarine
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1-1/2 cups evaporated milk
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
16 oz. rigatoni pasta
1/2 box frozen spinach
1/2 cup mozzerella cheese

Cook chicken (I prefer grilling when it is warm enough) on a broiler pan until done. Slice chicken and set aside. Begin cooking pasta according to package directions and preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large sauce pan saute garilc and shallots until tender. Add cream, evaporated milk and butter until combined over medium heat. Add parmesan cheese and stir until blended. I had to mix some flour in water and add to the mixture to thicken it. After you have reached desired thickness stir in spinach and pasta. Once pasta is coated place into a baking dish, top with mozzerella cheese, and bake 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.


Tuesday Night
We had Taco salads. There is no specific recipe for this. We just cooked ground beef, Rice-A-Roni Chicken Fajita rice, and refried beans. The base of our salads was Dorritos. We topped them with lettuce, cheese, sour cream, cilantro and salsa.

Wednesday Night
Spaghetti and Mozzerella Stuffed Meatballs

For the Meatballs
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
2 sticks of string cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the string cheese into 1 inch pieces and set to the side. In a large bowl add bread crumbs and egg to the meat mixture and combine. Roll a small ball of ground beef and press a 1 inch piece of cheese into the middle of the meat and roll into a ball again until cheese is covered. Arrange meatballs on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes. Add the meatballs to marinara sauce or we made a yummy sauce from a jar of Sundried Tomato Pesto and cream. Let meatballs simmer in sauce while pasta cooks according to package directions.


Thursday Night
Chicken, Rice, and Bean Burritos

This recipe made use of our Taco Salad leftovers. I also cooked extra chicken the night I made Alfredo so I had that ready for tonight. We just layered refried beans, rice, and chicken onto a large tortilla and then added cheese, enchilada sauce, and sour cream to the top and folded the tortilla up.

I know I saved money this week by being prepared with specific recipes and making sure I had everything I needed on had for the whole week. My reward for a successful week of homemade family dinners was a night out at the Olive Garden on Friday with my family.