Meal Plan Monday

Hello everyone, I'm back again with this week's meal plan.  I'm sorry if you

missed me last week - I took a little break from the blog - had some stuff going on, and was also busy with Halloween.  

How was your Halloween?  We had a phenomenal night.  We have a great neighborhood with some creative neighbors who like to get right into the fun spirit of Halloween.  It's nice because there is no competition in the neighborhood, just everyone wanting to make it a great evening!  We welcomed 155 kids to our door - my husband had a blast entertaining the groups when they came to our house, and I had a blast trick-or-treating with the kids.  I was so proud of my little guys, at each house they visited they both showed great manners, thanking everyone for their treats, wishing everyone a Happy Halloween, and complimenting homes where there were decorations that they liked.

Now that the "holiday" is over, I'm "back to the grind"...here is this week's meal plan!

Sunday - Slow Cooker Meatballs, Rice and Corn

Monday - Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Dawn's Baked Beans, and Carrots

Tuesday - Leftovers

Wednesday - Spaghetti with Dawn's Tomato Sauce

Thursday - Butternut Squash Soup with Cheddar, Chive and Sundried Tomato Bread

Friday - Breakfast for Dinner Night - Cinnamon Raisin French Toast, Bacon, Hashbrowns

Saturday - Steak, Baked Potatoes, Grilled Vegetables

I hope you have a fantastic week!

Dawn's Tomato Sauce

Ahh tomato season.  The time of year when the little Addicted to Recipes garden is producing tomatoes like crazy.  Today was a cooler day with some storms blowing through, which meant a perfect day for a big pot of spaghetti.  And since we have that abundance of tomatoes, I figured I should make some tomato sauce for our spaghetti.  Here is what I did:

Dawn's Tomato Sauce

4 cups cherry tomatoes (4 varieties) - peeled (see instructions below about peeling tomatoes)
Salt & pepper (to taste)
15 basil leaves, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Dash red pepper flakes
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/3 orange pepper, diced
1/3 yellow pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 green onion, diced
Handful fresh mushrooms, diced

1 lb ground beef, browned

Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Put the tomatoes in the boiling water for 1 minute, then drain and place the tomatoes in ice cold water.  This will allow you to easily peel the skin from the tomatoes (and yes I did that with 4 cups of cherry tomatoes, it really didn't take much time to pull the skins off).  Once the tomatoes are peeled, place them in a large saucepan, salt and pepper the tomatoes, and turn the pan on medium.

Meanwhile, brown your ground beef.  I left mine unseasoned as I added it to the tomato sauce a little later on.

While the tomatoes are cooking, add the basil, garlic, and Italian seasoning to the pan.  Mix well.  Add in the vegetables.  Taste and add any salt and pepper as needed.  Reduce heat and simmer for 40 - 50 minutes.  When the beef has browned, add it to the tomato sauce.

Prepare your favourite pasta (we went for traditional spaghetti), and serve.

VERDICT:
My hubby's first words were that the sauce tasted just so fresh.  He could tell there were no glass jars or cans involved.  It was so good, and nice to know exactly each ingredient that went into the sauce.  Our kids devoured their meals too.  Yay!