Weekly Menu Plan

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Welcome to the menu for October 24-28! In order to make the best use of Menus 4 Moms, before beginning the Menu please read the Menus 4 Moms plan basics and the Busy Cooks Pyramid as Menus 4 Moms will be based on these items each week. If you have questions, please check the FAQ page.

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Menu for October 24-28, 2005

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Monday - Recipes

Navy Bean Soup
Apple, Grape, and Walnut Salad
Bread of your choice

Tuesday - Recipes

Chicken Kabobs over Yellow Rice
Edamame
Honey Nut Peaches

Wednesday - Recipes

Bolognese Sauce over Spaghetti
Garlic Bread
Salad

Thursday - Recipes

Chicken, Ham, and Rice Casserole
Peas and Carrots
Apple Slices

Friday - Recipes

Chili Mac
Cornbread
Jello Salad

Grocery List

This week's Grocery List can be downloaded here:

Grocery List for October 24-28, 2005 - PDF

Shopping List Software format (download shopping list free Windows software)

 

Monday Recipes

Notes for Monday:

1. Tonight's soup is based on the leftover ham and stock from last week's baked ham. If you didn't make the ham, add diced ham to your grocery list (you can usually find a small package of diced ham with the other hams in the refrigerated meat section). Just use water in place of stock or drippings.

 Navy Bean Soup

• 1 bag dry navy beans
• water as needed
• 1-2 cups ham stock or whatever drippings you saved (from last week)
• 1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1-2 carrots, finely diced
• 1-2 stalks celery, finely diced
• sauteed onion (from freezer)
• 1-1/2 cups diced ham (from last week)
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• salt to taste

Rinse beans in a colander and check to be sure there are no stones or other debris. Place beans in a dutch oven and cover with water so that the water is twice as deep as the beans. Heat to boiling and boil for 2 minutes. Turn heat off and cover, let sit for 1 hour. Drain beans in colander and rinse pot. Place beans in slow cooker and add ham stock or drippings. Cover with water, making sure the water is twice as deep as the beans. Add all remaining ingredients except flour and butter. Cook on Hi for 5 hours or Low for 8-10 hours. When beans are tender, use a separate small saucepan to make a roux by melting the butter over medium heat and adding the flour. Stir constantly for 1 min. over heat, then add to soup. Stir well and simmer until slightly thickened (15 minutes or so).

 

 
Apple, Grape, and Walnut Salad

• 3 sliced and cored Granny Smith apples
• 1 bunch red grapes, pulled from the stems
• chopped walnuts (use as many as you like, I use about 2/3 cup)
• 8 oz. vanilla yogurt
• 3 oz. cream cheese

Combine fruit and nuts and serve with vanilla yogurt mixed with cream cheese (use a mixer for a smooth blend).

 

  
Bread of Your Choice

 

Tuesday Recipes

Notes for Tuesday:

1. Tonight we are grilling (you may bake or broil if you don't have a grill). Be sure to marinate early in the day so the meat will be flavorful.
   
2. If you need to replenish your freezer chicken, this is the same marinade that we use to make grilled chicken so you can add some chicken parts to grill and freeze.
   
3. Edamame are soy beans salted and boiled in the pod. They are a popular Japanese snack that is sold frozen. If your local grocer, health food store, or oriental food store sells them, definitely give them a try. They are very popular with children since they are a finger food and kids like popping the beans from the pod into their mouths. If you can't find them, serve Snow Peas with dip.
   
4. Although the peaches are absolutely delicious with honey and nuts, you may want to serve plain sliced peaches for the younger children.

Chicken Kabobs over Yellow Rice

• 1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into 2" squares
• 3 red or green* bell peppers
• 8 oz. whole mushrooms
• 2 onions
• 1 pkg yellow rice, cooked according to directions

Marinade

• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1 tsp. garlic salt or Adobo
• 1/2 tsp. pepper

Mix marinade ingredients. Pour half into a marinating container with the other chicken. Use the other half to marinate the vegetables (see below) and for later basting. Marinate for several hours.

Wash vegetables and chop into 2x2 pieces (leave mushrooms whole). Marinate with half of the marinade for at least 30 minutes. Alternate chicken and vegetables on kabob skewers and grill until chicken is done. Serve over yellow rice.

 

 Edamame

Boil 1 bag of frozen edamame in salted water until they float. Drain in a colander, rinse with cold water, and sprinkle with coarse salt. Serve at room temperature by holding the pod to your mouth and squeezing until the beans pop into your mouth. Discard the pod.

  Honey Nut Peaches

• 3 small peaches, pitted and sliced
• 3 T. chopped pecans or walnuts
• 3 tsp. honey

Preheat broiler (toaster oven is fine). Lay peach slices on broiling pan and drizzle with honey. Sprinkle with nuts and broil for 5 minutes. Serve warm.

 

Wednesday Recipes

Notes for Wednesday:

1. Tonight we are making a big batch of Bolognese meat sauce for the freezer. This recipe makes a lot of sauce and is absolutely delicious. If you have never made spaghetti sauce with Italian sausage, I encourage you to give this recipe a try before substituting your own recipe. You won't be sorry!
   
2. There is a lot of chopping and simmering to do for this recipe, so I recommend making the sauce in the morning.

Bolognese Sauce over Spaghetti

• 2 lbs. Hot Italian Sausage
• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 lg. yellow onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 cans crushed tomatoes (28 oz.)
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 T. dried oregano
• 2 T. dried basil
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 cup dry red wine (substitutions)
• 2 cans tomato paste (6 oz. each)
• 1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Remove sausage from casing (the rubbery-looking skin on the link). Place in pan with 1/4 cup water and crumble with spoon while browning. When cooked, drain in colander and rinse with very hot water (this washes the extra grease off); set aside.

Brown ground beef, drain, rinse as above, and set aside.

Heat olive oil in dutch oven. Saute celery, onion, and pepper until tender. Add sausage, beef, tomatoes, bay leaf, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Simmer covered for an hour. Add wine, tomato paste and cinnamon. Simmer covered for 15 minutes. Cool and refrigerate until dinner time. Freeze any extra sauce in dated gallon freezer bags. You may want to leave at least one bag in the refrigerator because after you taste it you are going to want to have some as leftovers for lunch or a weekend dinner this week!

 

  Salad

 

Garlic Bread

• 2 fresh hoagie rolls, sliced loafwise
• 1/2 stick butter
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• salt

Melt butter in saucepan. Add garlic and salt to taste. Dip one side of bread slices into garlic butter and place on cookie sheet in loaf form. Warm at 350° until hot.

 

Thursday Recipes

Notes for Thursday:

1. If you have cooked chicken in the refrigerator, use some of that along with leftover ham from last week. If you do not, buy some chicken and boil it (add to your grocery list).
   
   
2. Cook your brown rice in the morning and it will be ready for your assembly in the afternoon. I recommend cooking 3 times the amount you will need and freezing the other 2 portions for later use in casseroles and soups.
   
   
3. If you don't have ham and chicken in your freezer, you can buy small packets or cooked diced ham in the prepared meat dept. at the store. In case you haven't noticed, I recommend *always* having cooked chicken and beef in your freezer, so if you need to cook chicken for tonight's meal, do enough extra to freeze several portions.
   
   
4. If you have enough chicken and ham, double this recipe and freeze one dish before baking. I did not include amounts on the grocery list for doubling this recipe. Be sure to label your frozen dishes with cooking instructions!
   
5. The Frozen Fruit Salad for tomorrow needs to freeze tonight so make it today (recipe below tonight's dishes).

 Chicken, Ham, and Rice Casserole

• 2 c. cooked brown rice
• 1 c. cubed ham, cooked (from freezer)
• 2 c. cubed chicken, cooked (from freezer)
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
• 1 c. buttered bread crumbs

Combine all ingredients except bread crumbs and cheese. Top with bread crumbs then cheese and bake at 350° for 30 min.

 

  Peas and Carrots

  Apple Slices

 Frozen Fruit Salad

• 2 T. sugar
• 3 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 T. milk
• 2 T. lemon juice
• 1 can mandarin oranges
• 1/2 cup pecans (optional)
• 1 cup maraschino cherries, quartered
• 1 can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup whipping cream, whipped
• lettuce leaves

Mix cream cheese and milk. Add mayonnaise, lemon juice, dash salt, pineapple, pecans, cherries, and sugar. Fold in whipped cream (do not stir). Freeze. Serve on lettuce leaf.

Friday Recipes

Notes for Friday:

1. This chicken recipe is adapted from my grandmother's and it is my favorite! You will need to toast the almonds yourself. I use my toaster oven and toast them on the broiler pan. Watch carefully so they don't burn.

 Chili Mac

• 1 lb. browned ground beef (from freezer)
• 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 sauteed onion (from freezer)
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped and sauteed
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 can beans (your choice; I like red kidney), drained (you may use cooked dry beans if you have any in the freezer)
• 1 packet chili seasoning (you can use 2 Tbsp. of this homemade chili spice blend recipe*)
• 8 oz. whole wheat elbow macaroni, cooked

Combine all ingredients in a stock pot and simmer for 2-3 hours. Serve over cooked elbow macaroni.

 Cornbread

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 can corn, drained (optional)

Preheat oven to 425°F. Put half of the olive oil in a 9x9x2 cast iron skillet and preheat in oven without burning oil. Mix all remaining ingredients in a bowl. Pour batter into preheated cast iron skillet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until done.

 

 Frozen Fruit Salad

(see Thursday for recipe)

Put frozen salad in the refrigerator around 10am so it will be soft enough to cut at dinner time. Serve on lettuce leaf.

* Indicates that of the options listed, this item is the one on the grocery list.