Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese

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I don’t have a great picture because I wasn’t planning on sharing this, but I tried something new and it was so yummy!

I modified this simple Mac and cheese recipe from Bobby Flay. We did this virtual cooking class and it was so much fun!! Disclaimer: my kids are the only humans on earth that don’t mac and cheese but my husband was raving over it.

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Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese

  • 4 tablespoons butter or ghee

  • 4 tablespoons flour or arrowroot (I used whole wheat flour it was fine)

  • 1 (1 pound box) short pasta

  • 4 cups whole milk (I used Elmhurst unsweetened almond milk) — warmed

  • salt and pepper

  • pinch cayenne pepper

  • pinch freshly grated nutmeg

  • 10 oz grated cheddar cheese

  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese — divided

  • 2-3 huge handfuls fresh spinach — roughly chopped

  • 1 small jar marinated artichokes — drained and roughly chopped

  • 1/2 cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs

  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

  • evoo

  1. Cook pasta al dente according to directions on the box. Drain.

  2. Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a casserole dish.

  3. Meanwhile, melt butter over medium/ low heat. Once melted, add flour and whisk for about 2 minutes.

  4. Add milk to the flour and butter, whisking constantly. Cook, continuing to whisk, until sauce thickened, about 5 minutes.

  5. Remove from heat, add a good amount of salt and pepper, a pinch of cayenne and nutmeg, 3/4 cup of Parmesan, all of the cheddar, the spinach, and the artichokes. Mix well.

  6. Add the cooked pasta and mix well.

  7. Transfer the cheesy pasta into a greased casserole dish, top with panko, garlic powder, parm, and drizzle with evoo.

  8. Bake at 375°F for about 15 minutes until bubbly.

Easy Microwave Applesauce

in

I feel silly even posting this recipe because it’s so easy! But I didn’t know you could make applesauce in the microwave until my mother-in-law showed me how, and it was groundbreaking to me! So I thought I’d share it here. She adds a bit of sugar to hers, but the kids and I like it without the sugar just as much! My mother-in-law sometimes adds some pears and that is delicious.

Easiest Microwave Applesauce

  • 6 apples/pears (at least, can fill bowl) — peeled, cored, and sliced into 6 pieces (use your apple cutter)

  • 1/4 cup water or apple cider (no need to increase the amount of liquid if you increase the number of apples)

  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon (optional)

  1. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine apples and liquid. Cover.

  2. Microwave on high for 10-15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Be careful, the bowl will be hot!

  3. Use a fork or potato masher to get applesauce to desired consistency. Add cinnamon if using.

Store applesauce in the fridge for a couple of days. You may freeze in a freezer safe container once cooled in the fridge. I like to divide into small portions in a quart size freezer bag, making sure it’s flat when freezing for easy storage.

Apple Crisp

in

We take apple crisp very seriously in this house! One of our favorite traditions is going apple picking and of course apple crisp comes next. It so warm and comforting and we all love it! This recipe is adapted from America’s Test Kitchen; there was a time when we were gluten and dairy free exclusively so I came up with this recipe. We are not strictly gluten or dairy free anymore, but still make this recipe because it’s so delicious! Bonus: it’s only sweetened with honey (but I won’t tell anyone if you sprinkle some brown sugar or coconut sugar on top when its done ;) ) We LOVE a very high crisp to apple ratio so that is what you’ll see here. If you like more apples, add some more apples, if you like less crisp, use a light hand when measuring the crisp ingredients.

Apple Crisp

Filling

  • 4 pounds apples (weigh before peeling and cutting) — peeled, cored, and cut into 6 slices or 12 chunks each. The internet recommends golden delicious, granny smith, or honeycrisp but I honestly just use whatever combination we get from our farm share and apple picking and sometimes we throw in some pears for good measure. Just know that moisture content varies greatly between apple varieties and you may have a more watery crisp if you try something new.

  • 1 tablespoon honey

  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

  • 1/2 lemon — zested and juiced

  • 1 cup apple cider

  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil

Topping

  • 1.5 cups almond flour

  • 1.5 cups pecans - finely chopped

  • 1.5 cups old fashioned rolled oats

  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

  • 1.5 teaspoons salt

  • 7 tablespoons honey

  • 6 tablespoons coconut oil (softened or melted)

  • Coconut sugar // maple sugar // or brown sugar (OPTIONAL) to be sprinkled on before serving

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

  2. Add apple cider to large skillet over medium high heat until reduced to 1/2 or 1/4 cup. Transfer to a measuring cup with lemon juice and zest.

  3. Mix apples, honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl.

  4. Melt coconut oil in same skillet and cook apple mixture over medium heat until translucent and mostly cooked to your preference for apple crisp as it will not cook for very long in the oven. Add splashes of water or cider if your pan is getting too hot.

  5. Meanwhile, wipe out large bowl and combine topping ingredients. It should be wet enough that you can form small balls. If it’s too dry, add a bit of honey and/or coconut oil until its the right consistency.

  6. When the apples are done, transfer them to a 9x13 baking dish, add the apple cider mixture, and top with topping (I told you it was a lot!)

  7. Bake at 450 degrees F for 10-15 minutes until top is crisp.

  8. Sprinkle optional sugar on just before serving if desired.

  9. Enjoy!

Simple Weekly Menu

in

The start of this school year has me more exhausted than ever. I’ve been feeling the need to simplify my life even more lately, especially at mealtimes. A lot of people I talk to have a weekly meal plan that they eat and it got me thinking! I’ve never done that before because I can get sick of a food quickly but I thought it would make my life easier if I made a simple category for each day of the week with written out options of our tried and true favorite recipes. It’s been a big help so far and can help kick me out of decision paralysis! This is what I have so far and I plan on building on it as time goes on. I’ve added some free printables at the bottom for easy reference — feel free to screen shot or print! I would love to know if you have any favorites we can add to the list as well — please share! :)

Monday: New Recipe // Tried & True Easy

Sometimes our weeks are stressful and sometimes they are more relaxed. On weeks we have less going on, I’ll make a recipe I’ve been wanting to try and on weeks we have a lot going on, I'll make one of our tried and true easy meals. I’ll link our favorite easy recipes below.

  • sausage and bell pepper skillet

  • meat loaf (serve with baked potatoes since the oven is already on and frozen vegetables)

  • brie, apple, and bacon sandwiches with a side salad

  • cashew beef

  • eggroll in a bowl

  • tuna cakes

  • bean pasta with tuna and trader joe’s vegan kale pesto

  • shrimp scampi (garlic, evoo, lemon) with shrimp and frozen veggies or zoodles

Tuesday: Grill or Roast Meat + Vegetable (add rice if needed)

This one is so simple. Pick a protein and veggie and dump them all onto the grill or a sheet pan and roast! I don’t want to offer a low carb meal to my kids, so if we are lacking carbs I will add microwave rice or some fruit.

  • Proteins: burgers, steak, sausage, chicken thighs, fish, pork tenderloin

  • Vegetables: brussels sprouts, butternut squash, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, peppers, broccoli, onions, zucchini (best for grill).

Some of our favorite combinations so far:

  • Burgers // zucchini and onions // microwave rice // BBQ sauce (grilled)

  • Italian sausage links // fingerling potatoes // peppers // onions (great grilled or roasted)

  • Pork tenderloin // brussels sprouts or broccoli // served with jarred applesauce (roasted)

  • Chicken thighs // butternut squash // red onion // thyme (roasted)

  • Roasted broccoli // broiled salmon

Wednesday: Soup // Salad // Add Rotisserie

  • yellow pepper soup // top with bacon OR serve with rotisserie chicken

  • sweet potato chili

  • Roasted butternut squash soup

  • Pumpkin soup (recipe coming soon!)

  • Split pea and ham soup

  • Lamb stew (recipe coming soon!)

  • White chicken chili — I omit the cream and use EVOO instead of canola oil I also usually use a rotisserie chicken

  • Chicken noodle soup

  • Salad with buffalo chicken

Thursday: Tacos or Fajitas

  • black bean & sweet potato tacos

  • blackened salmon tacos // confetti corn

  • regular beef & cheese tacos with broccoli slaw

  • fajitas (grilled or in pan)

  • enchiladas verdes (recipe from the defined dish — I used canned roasted tomatillo salsa and added shredded zucchini)

Friday: Takeout + Movie Night

  • pizza

  • Thai

  • sushi

  • Chipotle

Saturday: Flexible (Date Night // Family Out // Leftovers)

Favorite babysitter dinners (can be made ahead of time, lower risk of choking):

Sunday: Slow Cooker // Snack Board // Prep 1 Thing

Admittedly I am not the biggest fan of slow cooker meals! To me a slow cooker meal should be simple and not require a lot of finishing touches after it’s been cooking. This is what we’ve liked so far:

  • Pulled pork - I always take the sauce at the end and put it in a sauce pan and reduce and add to the shredded pork for a thick sauce. We serve it with broccoli slaw.

  • Asian short ribs - I like to serve this with green beans and microwave rice.

  • Tikka Masala - recipe from the defined dish

  • Salsa + chicken

Since I don’t need to fuss much about dinner with slow cooker meals, it frees me up to prep 1 thing for the freezer or for the week. I’m not great at meal prep but find I can usuaully talk myself into making one thing.

For the freezer:

  • waffles

  • pancakes

  • muffins

  • “uncrustables”

  • pizza roll-ups

  • zucchini bread

  • traditional meatballs

  • asian pork meatballs

For the week:

  • make a salad dressing

  • roast sweet potatoes and cook chorizo

  • hard boil eggs

  • make a breakfast bake (love this strawberry oatmeal one and I always double it)