Breakfast Menus

I made a small goal last weekend to not have cereal for breakfast once this week. Cereal is quick and easy, and there's nothing horribly wrong with it (we rarely buy the sugary kind), but with 5 children we can go through a LOT of cereal in a very short time. I figured that I could probably make healthier breakfasts more cheaply, and a bonus is that we could save money on milk too. Hence, the goal. Here are my breakfast menus for the week:

Monday

Chocolate Chip Pancakes, bananas



Tuesday

Applesauce Bread, yogurt, sausage

Wednesday

Oatmeal, sausage

Thursday

French toast sticks

Friday

Breakfast pizzas

Saturday

Cereal!! The children now have a new appreciation for cereal. :-)

Applesauce Bread

I found this recipe on Laura's blog, Heavenly Homemakers and thought I'd give it a try. A new twist on bread for me, and very delicious!



Applesauce Bread

1 1/2 cups flour (whole wheat or white, I used a mixture)
3/4 cup rapadura or 1/2 cup honey (never heard of rapadura so I used honey!)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup applesauce
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted

I doubled this recipe for 2 standard loaves. Mix dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and add applesauce, eggs, honey, and melted butter. Stir well. Pour into a greased bread pan and bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.


Very delicious and smelled GREAT while baking! Laura said she has made this with shredded apples instead of applesauce, so I'm thinking this may be a great way to use up slightly bad apples.

Chicken Nachos

I found this recipe at Cooking During Stolen Moments and thought it would be a great one to try since my family tends to love anything Mexican-ish. I was right! Very delicious and loved by all.

Chicken Nachos

1 T olive oil
1/2 - 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (what you see in the picture below is the 2.5 pounds that I cooked so I'd have enough to freeze for a second meal later)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper (I ended up doubling these last 3 ingredients since I was doubling the amount of chicken I was cooking)
1 jar salsa (I used a small jar since my kids are not huge tomato fans)
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp each of cumin and chili powder (yes, cumin again!)
Tortilla chips
Shredded cheese, sour cream, olives, lettuce, or any other desired toppings

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Season both sides of chicken with the cumin, salt and pepper mixture. Add to skillet and cook chicken just until both sides are slightly browned, about 2-3 minutes per side. Add salsa, water and remaining seasonings. Cover skillet and simmer over medium low heat for at least 20 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked.


Remove chicken and shred. Set aside.


Bring remaining liquid in the skillet to a boil and simmer until thickened and reduced by half. Remove from heat and stir shredded chicken back in to skillet. Spread tortilla chips on a cookie sheet and pour chicken mixture evenly on top. Cover with shredded cheese and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes, until cheese is melted.


Top as desired and serve!

Verdict: well liked by the whole family. Will definitely make again!