Meatless Fridays

I thought it would be fun to bring 'Meatless Fridays' back to the blog for these 40 days of Lent. I haven't done these in a while so if you'd like to check out additional recipes, click the 'Meatless Fridays' tab in the cloud to the left. 

 Let's get started!

 We started off our morning with banana bread. 

 This is my simple go-to recipe that my kids love. You can substitute 1/3 cup wheat flour instead of white or add ground flax seed and wheat germ to boost nutrition. 

 Breakfast Banana Bread: 

 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed 

1/3 cup melted butter 

1 cup sugar  

1 egg, beaten 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

Pinch of salt 

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour 

1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans-optional)  

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Add nuts if desired. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan or muffin tin. Bake for 50 minutes for the loaf, or 22-25 minutes for the muffins. Cool on a rack. 

 For lunch, the kids made their own mac and cheese. 

 This version is so much better (and easier) than the stuff from the blue box. 

 Mac and Cheese in a Mug: 

 In a mug or small bowl, mix together 

1/3 cup pasta and 3/4 cup water. 

Microwave for 3 minutes, stir, cook 3 more min. 

Stir in 1/3 cup shredded cheese add splash or two of milk and stir. You may need to cook an additional 30 seconds to thoroughly melt the cheese.  

For dinner we had ooey, gooey Spinach Enchiladas

 Spinach Enchiladas: 

 10-12 tortillas 

 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well 

 6 green onions, chopped, divided 

 1 cup ricotta cheese 

 1/2 cup sour cream 

 Salt and pepper, to taste 

 8 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded, divided 

 10 ounce can green enchilada sauce 

 In a medium bowl, mix the spinach, 3 green onions, ricotta and sour cream. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in half of the Monterey jack; blend well. Divide the filling mixture among the tortillas. Spread the filling down slightly off center of each one, then roll up. Place seam-side down in a greased 9x13" baking dish. Pour the enchilada sauce evenly over the top and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. Bake at 375º 20 minutes, or until hot, bubbly and slightly browned. Sprinkle the remaining green onions over the top.