Meal Chain: Chili Mac

The weekend is here, which is wonderful, because I am all Chilied out! This is our last meal in the "Bean" series, because our family is rewarding for living on chili for an entire week with a dinner out!

INGREDIENTS
Macaroni & Cheese
Chili w/Sloppy Joes (left overs)

You can either buy Macaroni and Cheese in a box, or make your own. My kids prefer baked Macaroni and Cheese, so I often use this simple recipe or some version of it to make our own. Simply heat up the Chili w/ Sloppy Joes and mix with the Macaroni and Cheese for delicious Mac & Cheese! Kids love this.

For more recipes, visit the Meal Chain page HERE or the Recipe page HERE.

Meal Chain: Mexican Pizza

We're having a family game night tonight and for us, that means pizza! Remember those beans we made at the beginning and we put half away for later? Now is the time to pull them out! Then give them to the kids to smash in the Ziploc bag, because they'll have fun doing it. Make sure they get nice and mushy! You could even refry them if you'd like.

INGREDIENTS
Mashed Beans
Sloppy Jose w/ Taco Seasoning (left overs from Taco Salad)
Pizza Crust
Lettuce (shredded)
Cheese (shredded)
Tomatoes (diced)
Black Olives (diced)
Jalapenos (diced)
Peppers: Red, Green, &/or Yellow (diced)
Onion (diced)
Sour Cream
Salsa

Spread your pizza crust out and cook as directed. Next top with mashed beans (spread out like sauce), Sloppy Joe's meat mixed with taco seasoning from the taco salad the previous night, and shredded cheese. Finish cooking as directed by pizza crust instructions.

When done, top with lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, jalapenos, peppers, onions, and extra cheese. Serve with sour cream and/or salsa to dip and enjoy!

You could also make Chili Pizza which is similar, just topped with Chili and your favorite toppings.

To get more recipes check out the Meal Chains or Recipes.

Meal Chain: Taco Salad

It's salad night for us!

INGREDIENTS

Lettuce

Chili (left overs)

Sloppy Joes (left overs)

Tomatoes (diced)

Onions (diced)

Olives (black, diced)

Cheese (shredded)

Tortilla or Tortilla Chips

Salsa

Taco Seasoning

Sour Cream

Place shredded lettuce on a tortilla or tortilla chips. Heat left over sloppy joes on the stove and mix in taco seasoning as directed. Also heat the left over chili in the microwave. Place the chili, then seasoned sloppy joes on top of the lettuce. Top with tomatoes, onion, and olives. Add shredded cheese and a drop of sour cream and salsa. Serve!

We're approaching the weekend! Come back tomorrow to see what we made next.

For easy navigation, I added a Meal Chain page HERE with links to the recipes. You can also access this page from the Recipe page by using the button at the top of the page.

Meal Chain: Sloppy Joe's

INGREDIENTS

1/2 lb Ground Beef

1/2 Cup Chili Broth (liquid from Chili)

2 TBSP Water

1 TBSP Brown Sugar

1 tsp Worchester Sauce

1 tsp Honey Mustard
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

1/4 Chopped Onions & Peppers (from previous meal)

Hamburger Buns

Salt & Pepper (to taste)

In a saucepan, cook beef, onions, & peppers over medium heat until done and drain. Stir in the remaining ingredients (excluding buns). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low or simmer. Cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Serve on buns.

You can mix in a bit of the chili beans and other ingredients to spice this meal up a bit more or add jalapenos or hot sauce.

Come back tomorrow after dinner to see what we made next and get the recipe! Keep the left over sloppy joes! We're going to use them with the left over chili!

Meal Chain: Chili Dogs

INGREDIENTS

Hot Dogs

Buns or Bread

Chili

Cheese (Shredded)

We've been running around all day, so tonight's meal is easy and quick! First, cook your hot dogs as directed on the package. Serve your hot dog on a bun smothered in chili and topped with cheese. Eat this with a fork or you will make a mess!

We served ours with cottage cheese and a side salad, but the side options are endless - macaroni & cheese, french fries, fruit, etc...

Tomorrow we're taking a break from the chili and enjoying sweetened sloppy joes, so come back tomorrow after dinner for the recipe!

Meal Chain: Meatless Chili

INGREDIENTS

1/2 Onion (diced)

1/2 Green Pepper (diced)

1/2 Yellow Pepper (diced)

1/2 Red Pepper (diced)

1 Can Tomato Juice (quart)

1/2 Beans (see Meal Plan post)
Garlic Powder (to taste)

Chili Powder (to taste)

Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Hot Sauce (to taste)

Cheese (shredded)

Sour Cream

Rice (cooked)

Toss all ingredients (excluding cheese, sour cream, & rice) into a pot on your stove to cook quickly. Bring to a boil, then lower to simmer until vegetables soften. Or slow cook all day in your crock pot!

Serve strained over rice, top with shredded cheese & sour cream. Keep the other 1/2 of the onion and peppers to use later! Also, keep your left overs to continue our meal chain.

We used brown rice and served grilled 3-cheese sandwiches as a side. You can alter this recipe by adding a few of your own favorite ingredients like celery, ground beef, noodles, jalapenos, or chicken!

Check back tomorrow after dinner to see what we had next and to snag the recipe! And find out how this meal chain started HERE.

Meal Plan Monday: The Meal Chain (Beans)

Money Saving Mom inspired me this week to try a meal chain. What is a meal chain? Well, they are when you make one meal then you all or parts of the left-overs to make another meal. This week, I'm taking a page from Money Saving Mom's book and starting with beans, because beans are not only nutritious, but they are also cheap and my family loves them.

There are many benefits to a meal chain. You'll save on ingredients, since you'll be using similar ingredients though out the chain of meals. However, to do a week's worth of chain meals, you do have to be one of those people who does not get sick of eating the same thing over and over. Luckily, my family doesn't have a problem with that. If I was not around, they would live on hot dogs and baked chicken forever without complaint.

We're starting out this morning making beans! I usually use the long method of getting beans ready. I soak them overnight in a huge bowl and next, I put them in a large pot on the stove and heat on high until they boil. Next, I lower the heat to simmer or low and sit back until they are done, stirring every so often. Make sure to add more water if it evaporates during soaking or boiling.

We'll use 1/2 of our beans tonight and stick the other half in a bag for later this week.

Come back later tonight to see what we enjoyed for dinner and get the recipe!

Meal Chains: Recipes

Below are a list of Meal Chains. What is a Meal Chain? It is when you cook one meal, then use all or part of the left overs to make the next meal! It's a great way to save money and time! Get more details HERE and get some delicious recipes below. Keep in mind, many of these meal chains can go in any order or be mixed up according to preference!

BEANS
1. Meatless Chili
2. Chili Dogs
3. Sloppy Joes
4. Taco Salad
5. Mexican Pizza
6. Chili Mac
Tip: Find out how to get your beans ready HERE.

THANKSGIVING LEFT OVERS (**Coming Soon**)