Welcome to a new year with A Busy Mom's Kitchen! Thank you for signing up to receive kitchen tips, meal planning strategies for busy families, recipes and more. A warm welcome to my newest subscribers! Feel free to forward this to your family and friends and encourage them to join the mailing list. For suggestions on topics you'd like to see in upcoming issues of A Busy Mom's Kitchen, please write to  

Lots of "busy" people I've talked with, push meal planning aside thinking they just don't have the time to bother with meal planning. Once you get the hang of it though, you'll see that not only is it quite easy to do, it will also save your family money and make the looming cloud of "What are we having for dinner tonight?" disappear.

 With meal planning, you'll always have your ingredients on hand, healthy snack choices in the pantry, ready when needed, and your dinners totally under control.

Noel

 Here are some of the blog highlights from last week. If you didn't make it to the blog last week, head on over to see what you've been missing. Don't forget to leave a comment. I love hearing from you! 

•  Taco Rice with Beans and Corn~Beans and Rice are regular staple in our house and these key ingredients are always found on the weekly menu. Sometimes they are a side dish and sometimes they just make it as the main meal. That's why I love the fact that these three key ingredients work so well together.
•  Weekly Menu Plan, Grocery List and Recipes~Are you interested in a more organized way to meal plan and grocery shop? Maybe you would like to be able to customize your grocery lists and add more nutrition or see how many calories are on your weekly menus.
•  Just In Time! Family Meal Planning Challenge!~ Just In Time! was inspired by rummaging through some old cookbooks, new cookbooks and some of my favorite family recipes. I had already been brainstorming on the idea of a challenge that helped to inspire us to meal plan.
•  Homemade Cleaning Recipes From The Pantry~Homemade cleaners can smell better, work just as well, cut down on packaging, and save you money. Lastly, this is a very simple green step you can take at home, yet the rewards are huge - cleaner indoor air quality and a healthy, happy family.

Shop For Shortcuts~

Spend some time roaming the supermarket for items such as packaged salad greens, rice pilaf mixes, precut fruits and vegetables and prepared salsas and sauces. You will be minutes ahead later.

And Remember, the original menu will always be available in the Tools and Resources option in your Premium Family Meals Tools section of your Member Dashboard to refer back to. You'll also find the most recent information and updates on the Home page under Noel's Family Meals. If you're not already a Premium Family Meal Member, you can find out how to join HERE.

Thanks for being a member of Noel's Family Meals!

 

Imagine an easy breakfast bread that tastes like cinnamon rolls. It is delicious warm and doesn't need butter. The bread can be assembled the night before, then left to rise in the refrigerator overnight.

  Cinnamon Swirl Bread 

 

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 Tablespoons butter
• 4 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon bread machine yeast
• 2 Tablespoons very soft butter
• 6 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 6 Tablespoons raisins (optional)
• 4 Tablespoons chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

  

 

Directions: 

1. Put first six ingredients in bread pan in order listed. Set bread machine to dough cycle. Press Start.
2. Remove butter from refrigerator to soften it. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together. Butter a 9 1/2 inch loaf pan.
3. Remove dough from bread machine and punch down. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
4. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to form a rectangle about 8 inches wide and about 16 inches long. Spread the butter with a silicone basting brush, then sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the surface of the dough. Roll it into a fat 8-inch-long cylinder.
5. Loosely cover and put in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the loaf until the top is golden and a skewer  inserted in the bread  comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes.
7. Remove the bread from the pan and put it on a wire rack. Let it cool at least 30 minutes so the hot sugar does not burn you.

 

Noel's Notes: The bread can be assembled the night before, then left to rise in the refrigerator overnight.

 

Variations: Raisins, Chopped Nuts or Diced Fruit can be added after the first kneading or when beep sounds ( first resting period of dough cycle.) Drizzle warm cream cheese frosting over the top for an extra special taste.

 

Makes: 1 1/2 pound loaf

Cooking Time: 25 to 30 minutes

Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes dough cycle (includes first rising time); 1 hour second rising time or overnight in refrigerator.

Total Cooking Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Meal Type: Breakfast, Brunch