Meal Planning Monday and a new macaroni salad recipe

 Last week a friend dropped off a bowl of macaroni salad that she had made but wasn't crazy about. Our house loves all things pasta and we really liked it! I called her for the recipe and she had gotten it from Taste of Home. It is super simple to make. I'm planning to make it again next weekend. This recipe is so economical and very easy to customize using whatever you have on hand. No macaroni? You can use any other small shaped pasta. Too many eggs? Use 4 or 5 instead. Got a green pepper or some leftover onion to use up? Through it in! In this kind of recipe, as long as you try to get the dressing proportions right, the stir ins and their amounts are very flexible. Making a salad does not have to be as precise as, say, baking a cake where the cake will not turn out at all if you change the amount of something. That is what I love about salads, you can customize, change and add to suit whatever you have on hand.

Ingredients

• 2-1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1-1/2 cups mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sweet pickle juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 6 hard-boiled large eggs, chopped
• 6 sweet pickles, chopped

Directions

• Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain macaroni; rinse with cold water and drain well.
• In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, pickle juice, salt and pepper. Stir in cheese, eggs and pickles. Add macaroni; toss gently to coat. Refrigerate, covered, until chilled, at least 2 hours.

 

Monday-

• Breakfast- Scrambled eggs, toast, 1/2 banana
  
• Lunch- Kids eat at school, Us- Leftovers, canned pineapple
  
• Dinner-  Tacos (with half lentils)
  

Tuesday-

• Breakfast- PB&J toast, apple slices
  
• Lunch- Kids eat at school, Us- sandwiches, pretzels, carrot and celery sticks
  
• Dinner- Easy Salisbury Steak, mashed potatoes, roasted broccoli
  

Wednesday-

• Breakfast- Boiled egg, cinnamon sugar toast, 1/2 banana
  
• Lunch- Kids eat at school, Us- leftovers
  
• Dinner- Turkey and cheese roll ups, crackers, celery, carrots, cucumber
  

Thursday-

• Breakfast- Toast, scrambled egg, apple slices
  
• Lunch- Kids eat at school, Us-Sandwiches, pretzels, canned peaches
  
• Dinner- -Vegetable Casserole, baked beans, biscuits

Friday-

• Breakfast- Boiled egg, toast, canned pears
  
• Lunch- Kids at school, Us- Leftovers
  
• Dinner- Easy Pan Pizza, (using Easy Homemade Pizza sauce), salad

Saturday-

• Brunch-  Fritatta, toast, fruit salad with whatever fruit we have left
  
• Dinner- Hot dogs, Judy's macaroni salad, corn
  

Sunday-

• Brunch- Fried egg sandwiches, fried onions and potatoes, strawberry banana smoothies (from frozen blend I got at the dollar store to try out)
  
• Dinner-  Cabbage with Chicken (I use a bag of coleslaw mix to make it easier), whatever fruit we have left over, buttery rice, peas