Menu Plan Monday: Pantry Menu Week 2 + Homemade Pretzel Bites

We made Homemade Pretzel Bites (recipe below) and tried them with our Guacamole dip last week! So good!!!

Last week I came up with a menu based on the items I had in my pantry and produce on sale. I didn’t get through all the recipes last week, and some I’m repeating this week, just because I can! (I used The Prudent Homemaker’s Strictly Pantry Menu as an inspiration for most of this menu!)

Monday

Breakfast: Oatmeal with brown sugar and Homemade Whole-Wheat toast

Lunch: leftover Pizza and salad

Dinner: Baked Potato Soup from our freezer with canned pears and green beans

Tuesday

Breakfast: Homemade Whole-Wheat Waffles OR

Nonfat Yogurt with Homemade Granola

Lunch: Stir-Fry challenge – make a stir fry meal from whatever we have in the pantry/freezer with salad

Dinner: leftover soup from Monday or Tuesday with Fruit Salad (using last week’s blueberries, oranges, and Checkers Blackberries for 98 cents and Kiwi 5 for $1)

Wednesday

Breakfast: Loaded Scrambled Eggs

Lunch: Spanish Rice with corn

Dinner: at the Morsches’

Thursday

Breakfast: Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal (awesome, easy recipe!)

Lunch: Salad with fruit and Pretzel Bites

Dinner: leftovers

quick homemade chapatis

Friday

Breakfast: Homemade English Muffins

Lunch: Soup

Dinner: Personal Pan Pizzas using  Homemade Chapatis as the crust (we loved them so much last week, we had to have some more this week!

Banana Bread

Saturday

Breakfast: Banana Bread made with some whole-wheat flour

Lunch: Chicken and Rice Soup with French bread

Dinner: out

Sunday

Breakfast: Smoothies

Lunch: Baked Potato with broccoli and cheese and side of fruit

- Top 1 baked potato with 1 tsp. butter, 1 c. broccoli, and 1/4 c. reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

Dinner: leftovers or Minestrone Soup

Favorite Meal from Last Week:

Chicken Curry with Homemade Chapatis

Homemade Pretzel Bites

Soft Pretzels: (I doubled this recipe)
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
3 ounces unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil
3 quarts water
3/4 cup baking soda
1 whole egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water
Coarse sea salt

Cheese sauce: (we didn’t make this time, but we have before)
½ Tablespoon unsalted butter
½ Tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ cup milk
8 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

Step 1:

Combine the water, sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (I use a Bosch mixer) and mix with the dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Step 2:

Add the salt and flour and mix on low-speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface and knead into a ball with your hands.

Oil a bowl with vegetable oil, add the dough and turn to coat with the oil. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Step 3:

Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces (or 16 pieces if you doubled the recipe), about 4 – 4 1/2 ounces each. Roll each piece into a long thin rope measuring 12 -18 inches. Cut the dough into one inch pieces to make the pretzel bites.

Step 4:

When you are about halfway through rolling and cutting each section, bring the water to a boil in a small roasting pan over high heat and add the baking soda. Prepare a baking sheet by spraying with cooking spray. Boil the pretzel bites in the water solution for 30 seconds – 1 min. in batches. Remove with a large slotted spoon and place on baking sheet. Make sure the bites are close but not touching.

Step 5:

Brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with the salt. Place into the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove to a baking rack and let rest 5 minutes before eating. Serve with cheese sauce.

To make the cheese sauce:

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the Cheddar cheese until smooth and all the cheese has melted. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Enjoy! Let me know if you try any of these recipes. For more recipe ideas,visit my other Menu Planning Monday posts or Organizing Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday Blog Hop!

Come back Tuesday for the Take it on Tuesday blog hop!!

© 2012, Betsy Pool. All rights reserved.