So, I started using a meal planning service a few months ago..it was my husband's idea - I guess maybe he got tired of the same meals over and over?!?!?!? Not really (I hope!). Turns out he had met the owners of E-Mealz and decided to sign me up.
I LOVE IT!!!
What is E-mealz, you ask? It is a service that provides me with a weekly meal plan and grocery list, and it's only $5 a month. That's crazy cheap for what I'm getting! I use probably 4-5 of the 7 meals on the menu each week...some are fish and we don't eat fish. And sometimes the meal just doesn't appeal to me. I fill in the empty nights with favorite recipes, recipes I happen upon on the internet, and eating out (always a favorite!). The premise behind E-mealz is Jane's (the founder) passion for providing a plan to enable families to eat together, talk about their day, and share life. All of the meals are usually 30 minutes to prepare, start to finish, and they range from absolutely amazing to "okay." A lot of it depends on your personal taste, of course. The great part is that it gives me a start to my menu planning, which helps with grocery expenditures, variety of food, and saves a lot of time and frustration when it comes to "What's for dinner??"
In fact, what inspired this blog post was that I pulled leftovers out of the freezer for dinner tonight last night, of an "E-mealz" meal that I took pictures of when I made it originally last month.
This is what the weekly menu and shopping list look like. I use the "Wal-mart" plan, because that's where I do most of my shopping. I haven't yet used the grocery list, because I like to do it my way (I'm weird). But the grocery list is store specific, so if you shop at Kroger/Publix, etc., the meals and list are actually tailored to the sales/coupon deals at your particular store.
Here is the "Cheesy Tortellini Casserole" - it's a crockpot recipe, and I was throwing it together before church on Sunday morning.
Start with 1 package of Italian sausage, casings removed, and cook completely.
While it's cooking, mix up some waffles for the family. (I multitask sometimes).
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| Then drain the cooked sausage. |
In your crock pot, combine the cooked sausage, 1 can of Italian style diced tomatoes (undrained), and 1 26-oz jar of pasta sauce. I added Italian seasoning because I just had normal tomatoes.
Cook on low for 7-8 hours, or on high 3.5-4 hours.
Then, before serving, add in a 9-oz package of cheese tortellini. Get the cheese & spinach if you're trying to be sneaky and feed your family vegetables! Let the tortellini cook for 15 minutes. **see below
**Now this is where I will veer from the recipe next time. It took longer than 15 minutes for the tortellini to cook, and I really wanted to eat shortly after we walked in the door. Next time I will cook the tortellini while I'm cooking the sausage, and just refrigerate it while we're gone. Then, I'll throw it in for 5 minutes to get warm, while I'm making green beans & garlic bread.
Servie with green beans and garlic bread...and of course, top with Parmesan cheese!l
This recipe was thrown together in about 15 minutes, while I was making breakfast, and it was delicious. However, it's a pretty big recipe. We had 7 people eating lunch, and I still ended up with 2 quart bags to put in the freezer. When re-serving, thaw, throw in a baking dish, top with Mozzarella cheese, and heat until warm. You might also add a bit more pasta sauce, as it gets a little dried out in the re-warming process. (I did not do that last night...oh well!)
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