New Recipes!

The new school year is approaching and I am really trying to be more organized this year in a number of ways. Not to mention I am a wife now and feel more obliged to be more organized in the meals department! In the past, Kyle and I get off work and stare at each other trying to figure out what we are going to do for dinner. Something quick? Something cheap? Needless to say this takes forever. So, my goal is to plan more. Plan more meals, plan a better budget, and plan more in life.

In my blog reading and looking around the internet, I came across E-mealz. It is an online resource that plans meals and gives you a great number coded grocery list. They offer lists for families, for couples and for many grocery stores. I did some looking around at reviews and decided to join for the "lowfat meals for 2". Now, this may seem silly to those of you that are planning for families already and you're asking yourself, how can you not plan for 2?? But it does seem functional so I am going to see how it goes. I already did my first trip to the grocery store with my list and it was great! I felt like I had direction and didn't wonder around the store wondering what to buy. I'll let you know how it goes budget wise. I am hoping it comes out cheaper than eating out even though the meals are not planned around what is on sale (like I somewhat did before).

On a side note, I came across this simple spaghetti bake recipe while searching the other day and decided to give it a whirl! I must say it is NOT part of the lowfat meals for 2 but it sure was good.

Cheddar Chicken Spaghetti:

recipe taken from www.menus4moms.com

Yield: 8 servings

2 cups spaghetti, broken in half

2 cups cooked chicken (I used rotisserie chicken which was awesome)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup of milk

1 tbsp pimentos, diced (optional)

1 can green chillies (optional)

1 tbsp tarragon

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the chicken, 1 cup of cheese, soup, milk, pimentos, green chillies, tarragon, salt and pepper. Drain spaghetti, add to the chicken mixture and toss to coat. Transfer to greased 13x9 baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered at 350 F for 20-25 mins.

*Now, I did make some changes from the original recipe, although the original sounds amazing too. Instead of the pimentos and green chillies, I added a can of diced tomatoes with green chillies and added thyme instead of the tarragon because I didn't have this on hand. I also reduced the milk a little to make up for the added moisture of the tomatoes. It almost turned into a "mexican cheesy spaghetti bake". I will definitely make this again and hopefully I will be able to take pictures next time to share! Oh yeah, since it yielded 8 servings there are plenty for leftovers!

-Lauren