Thankfully I started dinner before the crisis that slapped my family in the face tonight. Though I'm not sure the fam was thrilled at how similar the meal was to last night's, but we are on a *serious* budget right now, so we have to use up what we have, and that means meals that are simple.




Beef and Broccoli
~40 Minutes~
~4 Servings~

• 3 tablespoons margarine or butter, divided
• 1 pound angus boneless shoulder steak (any steak will do), cut into strips or cubed
• 1 (6.2oz) box of Rice-A-Roni, Fried Rice
• 1 (10oz) package of frozen broccoli florets

1. In large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon margarine. Add steak; saute 3 minutes or until just browned. Remove from skillet; set aside.
2. In same skillet over medium heat, saute rice-vermicelli mix with remaining 2 tablespoons margarine until vermicelli is golden brown. Slowly stir in 2 1/2 cups water and Special Seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 10 minutes.
3. Stir in steak and broccoli, return to a simmer. Cover; simmer 5 to 10 minutes or until rice is tender.

Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 4
~Amount Per Serving~
Calories: 359.0
Total Fat: 9.7 g
Cholesterol: 56.7 mg
Sodium: 872.4 mg
Total Carbs: 28.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.6 g
Protein: 28.7 g

I modified another simple recipe out of a tried and true cookbook for tonight. I doubled it again for my large family, but since we are ridiculously broke right now, I stretched it by using only one pound of beef, while I doubled the rest. I cubed the meat so it felt a little heartier. The little ones weren't crazy about the broccoli-I suppose they are at that "veggies are yucky" stage. *sigh* But one of the older kids had a plate twice as big as his Dad's, and still went back for seconds! You can find the original recipe on page 30 in The One-Dish Bible: More Than 150 Fabulous One-Dish Recipes.