Weekly Menu Plan

Welcome to the menu for February 27 - March 3, 2006. In order to make the best use of Menus 4 Moms, please browse the Menu Plan Basics (links are to the left); they will explain the basics of the menu plan.

If you have questions or suggestions for other moms using the menus, you now have a place to post! The Menus 4 Moms Discussion Boards are the place to discuss the menus and recipes, ask for help, make suggestions, and meet other moms using the menus.

Menu for February 27 - March 3, 2006

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Please check the message board if you have questions or comments about these recipes.

Monday - Recipes

Breaded Pork Chops
Browned Rice
Cooked Apples
Asparagus

Tuesday - Recipes

Cheeseburger Pie
Corn on the Cob
Lima Beans

Wednesday - Recipes

Spaghetti
Green Beans
Fruit

Thursday - Recipes

Macaroni and Cheese
Peas and Carrots
Fried Okra

Friday - Recipes

Fried Rice
Egg Drop Soup
Edamame

Grocery List

This week's Grocery List can be downloaded here:

Grocery List for February 27 - March 3, 2006 - PDF

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

Monday Recipes

Notes for Monday:

This is a good time for asparagus so let's take advantage of that this week by buying fresh asparagus. If you have never bought asparagus fresh, look for the smallest stalks as they are tender and flavorful. To prepare them, wash them with water and hold the fat end near the end with your left hand and hold the stalk near the middle with your right hand. Make a snapping motion with your hands and the tough ends will snap off exactly where they should.

Breaded Pork Chops

6 pork chops, trimmed of fat
bread crumbs
2 eggs
oil for browning

Tenderize pork chops with a metal pounder. Beat eggs in a bowl. Put bread crumbs in a container large enough to fit one pork chop in it at a time. Dip each pork chop in the bread crumbs, then the egg, then back into the bread crumbs. Line a 9x13 pan with heavy duty foil and preheat oven to 350°.

Heat oil in a fry pan. Brown the breaded pork chops lightly on each side. Place chops in the foil lined pan and bake covered at 350° for 1 hour, turning halfway through.

Browned Rice

olive oil
1-1/2 cups rice
1 can chicken broth
1 cup water
seasonings (like adobo, Italian seasoning, or other spices as preferred), optional

Add 2 T. olive oil to pan and brown the uncooked rice. Do not burn! Add chicken broth and water (this will sizzle loudly when the liquid meets the hot oil), add seasonings to taste, and bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low for 20 minutes; do not open until time is up.

Cooked Apples

6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
2 T. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
2 T. water

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer until apples are tender. Serve hot or cold.

Steamed Asparagus

Tuesday Recipes

Notes for Tuesday: none

Cheeseburger Pie

1 pound cooked ground beef
1 large onion, chopped and sauteed
1 can diced green chiles (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
1/2 cup Bisquick® mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Heat oven to 400°F. Grease 9-inch pie plate. Combine beef and onion. Spread in pie plate; sprinkle with salt, chiles, and cheese. Stir in remaining ingredients until blended. Pour into pie plate. Bake about 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Corn on the Cob (frozen)

Lima Beans

Wednesday Recipes

Notes for Wednesday:

Save half of the spaghetti sauce for next week for lasagna.

Spaghetti

2 (28 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
2 lb. cooked ground beef (from freezer)
2 (14.5 ounce) cans peeled and diced tomatoes
2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 chopped, cooked onions (from freezer)
3-4 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp. dried thyme
2 bay leaf
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. basil
1 (8 ounce) box spaghetti or vermicelli

Combine all ingredients except pasta and simmer in a slow cooker for 4-5 hours on low. Reserve half of the sauce in the freezer or refrigerator for lasagna next week. Serve the other half over prepared spaghetti or vermicelli.

Green Beans

Fruit of Your Choice

Thursday Recipes

Notes for Thursday:

If your family believes dinner isn't dinner without meat, try adding tuna, cooked chicken, or cooked diced ham to the macaroni and cheese. It that isn't enough, fried ham slices could be added on the side.

Macaroni and Cheese

2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard (optional)
1/4 tsp pepper
2-1/2 cups milk
2 tbsp butter
2 cups (8 oz) shredded American or Cheddar cheese, divided
8 oz Mueller's Elbows (about 2 cups), cooked 5 minutes and drained

In medium saucepan combine corn starch, salt, dry mustard and pepper; stir in milk. Add margarine. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in 1-3/4 cups (425 ml) cheese until melted. Add elbows. Pour into greased 2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with reserved cheese. Bake uncovered in 375 degree oven 25 minutes or until lightly browned. This can be prepared ahead of time and kept refrigerated until you are ready to bake. Add 5-7 minutes to the cooking time if cold.

Source: Mueller's elbow macaroni box

Peas and Carrots

Save the leftovers for tomorrow's fried rice.

Fried Okra

1 bag frozen breaded okra (or two if your family likes it as much as ours)
oil for pan frying

Heat oil in a deep (2-3") fry pan. Fry okra (do not crowd in pan) until golden brown. Drain on paper towels, salt and serve.

Friday Recipes

Notes for Friday:

This is an authentic Japanese fried rice recipe and is delicious. I took cooking lessons when I lived in Japan and this is one of the recipes we learned. It can be made vegetarian style or you can add meat, such as baby shrimp (frozen are easy), cubed cooked chicken, or beef strips. I have not added meat to the grocery list so if you want meat in the fried rice you will need to add it to your grocery list.
You may not have heard of tamari. It is a premium soy sauce that has the wonderful rich flavor of soy sauce but does not taste as salty. It can be quite expensive at health food stores, but the Food Lion in my area carries it for $.99/bottle. It is definitely worth trying; it is all we use except for marinades that require large quantities of soy sauce.
Calrose rice is not the same as white rice. Look for it with the white rice in your grocery store. Cook your rice at least an hour before you plan to start your fried rice. It works better if it is still slightly warm when you fry it.
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.

Fried Rice

Calrose rice, cooked (about 2-3 cups)
1 egg
1 onion, chopped
frozen peas and carrots, thawed
corn if you like it
meat (optional, not on grocery list)
soy sauce or tamari

Cook calrose rice according to directions. Heat some oil in wok or deep fry pan (I use about a tablespoon) and scramble one egg in it. Remove egg and add some more oil (I add about 3 tbsp) to the pan, heating. Add chopped onion, some thawed peas & carrots (and corn if you like), and anything else you like in your rice. We sometimes add leftover chicken or canned baby shrimp. When the onions are tender, add the rice and add soy sauce to taste and stir with a big flat wooden spoon or large cooking chopsticks, if you have them (mine are about 18" long). Add the cooked egg near the end of cooking time and stir well. When the rice is heated through and a bit crispy, it is ready to serve.

Egg Drop Soup

3 cups chicken broth
1 green onion with part of green top, chopped
1 t salt
dash of pepper
2 eggs slightly beaten
frozen wanton sheets (optional)

Heat chicken broth, salt and pepper to boiling in saucepan. Stir green onions into eggs. Pour egg mixture slowly into boiling broth, stirring constantly with fork to form shreds of egg.

If you want to add fried wantons to your soup, you can buy frozen wanton sheets (wrappers), thaw them and slice them into strips. Deep fry the strips and serve on top of soup.

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.

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

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