September 30 - October 6 meal plan

Another frugal, dairy-free meal plan!  Anything requiring milk will be made with almond milk.

Sunday - baked chicken & gravy using chicken thighs, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies, salad
Monday - slow cooker roast beef dinner
Tuesday - slow cooker chicken taco soup (the dairy free people will not have cheese or sour cream with theirs)
Wednesday - potato and ham soup
Thursday - shepherds pie
Friday - "instant pot" beef stew
Saturday - pizza salad

Marshmallow Fondant

Fondant seems to be the "thing" in cake decorating.  It creates a much smoother look, can be formed into figures similar to using play dough, cut like pie crust dough....yet most fondant doesn't have a pleasant flavor for some reason.  Years ago I found a recipe on CakeCentral's website for marshmallow fondant, used it, and had great results with usability and flavor!  Here is a link to those results:  Halloween 2009.  I used it again on one of my daughter's birthday cakes in 2010.  The fondant covering the cake is marbled with food coloring.  The letters are cut out with a cutter set.  Everything else made of fondant was formed by hand.

I'll be using this recipe again this week for a baby shower cake, and below is the link to the recipe for this fondant.  Don't get frustrated with it; read the comments below the recipe to find tips from other users.  It requires quite a bit of kneading, but the results are very nice!  

T's Marshmallow Fondant

Instant Pot Sausage and Bean soup

This is a hearty favorite on those cool evenings, and it's quick to make in an electric pressure cooker!


Instant Pot Sausage and Bean Soup

1 - 2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced about 1/4" thin
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves (1 tsp.) minced garlic
2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/3 to 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
7 cups chicken broth OR 7c. water w/7 tsp. chicken bouillon granules or 7 chicken bouillon cubes
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 tsp. or more salt (to taste)
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Using the SAUTE function, heat olive oil and saute sausage slices until starting to brown.  Add onion and garlic and continue to saute.  Turn off SAUTE function.

Add remaining ingredients and set to cook on HIGH for 20 minutes. Seal the lid on the pot and make sure vent is set to Seal position.   When cook time is up, do a quick release of pressure before removing the lid.

If you want to thicken the soup, mash some of the beans against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon.

Season to taste, if needed, and serve.

Meal plan for September 16 - 22

Cooler temps and busy work days are a sure sign of autumn in our household.  Add to that a newly discovered dairy intolerance, and meal planning can be interesting!  


Here's what we're having for dinner for the week of September 16 - 22, in no particular order.  It's all dairy-free (I'll use unflavored almond milk in recipes) and it's all real food.  To save time during the week, I plan to prep veggies as much as possible and bake the muffins on Sunday, September 16, which is my only day off during the week.  Click on the dishes printed in gray for the link to those recipes.


Teriyaki chicken & veggies 

Instant Pot Honey Mustard chicken with rice, steamed broccoli & carrots, salad 

Salisbury steaks, gravy, baked potatoes, green beans, tossed salad

Chicken pot pie, tossed salad 

Instant pot porcupine meatballs, rice, mixed veggie salad

Instant pot smoked sausage & bean soup, paleo cinnamon swirl muffins 

Crock pot roast chicken, butternut squash made in the pressure cooker, steamed broccoli or peas

"Instant Pot" Beef Stew

My only complaint is that I need a bigger electric pressure cooker to satisfy everyone's appetite for this stew.  Even the grandbaby loves it!


"Instant Pot" Beef Stew

• 2 1/2 - 3 lb. round steak, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/3 c. all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper (add more if you like a peppery stew)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil or butter
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced thickly
• 2 celery stalks, sliced thickly
• 1 onion, cut up
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced OR 1 tsp. minced garlic
• approximately 1 lb. potatoes, scrubbed and cubed (1/2 inch cubes)
• 3 c. beef broth, or 3 c. water w/1 Tbsp (3 cubes) dry beef bouillon added
• 1 - 2 Tbsp. tomato paste

Put the beef cubes in a plastic baggie or bowl; add flour/salt/pepper and mix well by shaking or stirring.  Brown the beef cubes in the olive oil or butter using the saute setting on the pressure cooker.  Turn off Saute.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir to mix.  Put the lid on the pressure cooker and make sure the vent is sealed.  Set for 20 minutes cook time. 

When cooking time is over, let it sit for 10 minutes before doing a quick release of pressure.  Carefully remove lid, stir again and serve.

Instant Pot Spaghetti (link)

I needed a quick meal tonight (full day at work, forgot to thaw the planned pork chops, hungry granddaughter) and this filled the requirements.  The only change I would make is to add 1/4 tsp. to 1/2 tsp. more of salt, but that's to my personal preferences.  Do as you need to fit your taste.  We also topped our servings with Parmesan cheese.



Photo is from the linked page.

Instant Pot Spaghetti