Printer-friendly Weekly Menu Plan | Recipes | Grocery List | May 1-5, 2006

Grease a 9x13 casserole pan and layer half of the French fries, then spaghetti sauce, ground beef, and cheese. Top with other half of French fries and bake uncovered for one hour (or until fries on top are brown) at 350°.

Veggies and Dip

Green Beans

Tuesday Recipes

Notes for Tuesday:

Today's recipe can be doubled or if your children are not into chicken with sauce, just bake or pan-fry a couple of extra pieces of chicken for them. I have put 2 lbs. of chicken on the grocery list so you will have enough for everyone.
I have a link to substitutions for wine in cooking. If you would like to use real wine but don't drink it, I suggest buying the small individual bottles that are available in 4 packs. You can keep them for cooking and they won't go bad like a large bottle will once it is opened.

Chicken in Mustard Cream Sauce

4 boned, skinned chicken breast halves
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Mustard Cream Sauce

1/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup dry white wine (substitutions)
2 additional tsp.Dijon mustard

Flatten chicken by placing between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and pounding with a rolling pin or the side of a meat mallet. Sprinkle chicken with pepper and spread 1 Tbsp. dijon on one side of the chicken pieces. Pan-fry in olive oil, turning often, for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from pan and keep warm.

Combine sauce ingredients in pan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened and spoon over chicken before serving.

Glazed Carrots

1 bag baby carrots
2/3 c. honey
6 tbsp. butter

Cook carrots in a small amount of water until tender crisp. Drain water, add honey and butter. Cook on med. low until carrots are glazed, turning carrots once or twice.

Dinner Rolls

Salad

Wednesday Recipes

Notes for Wednesday:

Baked potatoes can be easily prepared by cleaning them in the morning and cooking in the slow cooker for 3-4 hours on high or 6-7 hours on low. If the timing doesn't work for you, just cook them in the microwave before dinner. I prick them with a fork and start with 6 minutes, checking them regularly to see if they are done.
I like to coat my potatoes in olive oil, kosher salt, and cracked pepper before baking.
I recommend setting up this meal like a potato bar at a restaurant. Chili (canned or homemade from the freezer), broccoli in cheese sauce, butter, bacon bits, shredded cheese, sour cream, and more can be set out for everyone to fix their own potato.

Loaded Baked Potatoes

Potatoes for everyone, baked
Chili (canned or homemade from the freezer)
Broccoli in cheese sauce
Butter
Bacon bits
Shredded cheese
Sour cream
Any other toppings your family enjoys

Salad

Easy Stovetop Vegetables

1 can cut corn
2 cans diced tomatoes and green chilies (you may want to just use diced tomatoes for kids)
2 cups black beans (from freezer)* or 1 can black beans
1 10 oz. pkg. frozen okra (not breaded)
Adobo or garlic salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients except cheese and heat in a saucepan until bubbly. Serve topped with shredded cheese.

Thursday Recipes

Notes for Thursday:

The roast we are going to make today is not the most common cut, but it makes the best gravy you have ever tasted. This cut of beef does not have a lot of fat, so do not overcook it or it will get dried out. The leftovers are wonderful as a hot roast beef sandwich with gravy. If you have extra meat after sandwiches, freeze it for use in soups or casseroles later. You can use shredded roast in almost all recipes that call for cooked ground beef.
We will use one of our bags of sauteed onions from the freezer for the creamed spinach, so you won't need to saute it in oil as called for in the recipe.

Eye of Round Roast

3-4 lb. eye of round roast
salt
pepper
oil

Preheat oven to 325°. Salt and pepper the outside of the roast on all sides. If you have a dutch oven that can be used on the stovetop and in the oven that would be best. If you don't you will need to transfer the roast to an oven-safe pan before baking. Heat enough oil to barely cover the bottom of a dutch oven large enough to hold roast. Brown roast on all sides in oil. Cover pan and place in preheated oven for 1-1/2 hours. Check for tenderness after about an hour and continue cooking until roast is done all the way through and tender. Add a little water if the juices dry out.

Remove roast from oven and place on stovetop. Carefully add 1/2-3/4 cup hot water to pan (water hitting hot drippings may splatter). Remove roast from pan and place on a platter for slicing. Mix about 2 Tbsp. flour with 3 Tbsp. hot water in a jar with a lid, shaking until flour is dissolved. Add this to the juices in the pan to create gravy. Slice roast and serve with rice and gravy.

Rice

Peas

Creamed Spinach

Recipe is here

Friday Recipes

Notes for Friday:

If you do not have any black beans in the freezer, add a bag to your shopping list. You can soak them the night before and cook them in the slow cooker all day. They will be ready in time for supper to use in the Black Beans and Rice and you can freeze the rest.

Black Beans and Rice

1 onion, sauteed (from freezer)
1 green bell pepper, sauteed (from freezer)
2 cups black beans* (from freezer) or 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup salsa
salt and pepper
white* or brown rice (enough for your family)

Combine all ingredients except rice in a skillet. Cover and let simmer while preparing rice. Add water if necessary. Serve beans over rice when rice is ready.

Salad

Corn

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