Sign up to get the weekly dinner menus by email each week.

 

Monday Recipes

Notes for Monday:

1. We are making extra meat and vegetables tonight so that we can use the leftovers to make fajitas on Tuesday, so don't eat your leftover meat and vegetables.
   
   
2. Make a salad large enough for tonight and start the base of tomorrow night's Mexican Salad, but don't combine the salad dressing or any crunchy ingredients until just before serving each night.
   
   
3. I've put a whole bag of onions on the grocery list: four for tonight's kabobs, and one for Wednesday's chicken. Also, we will need 1/2 cup chopped onion, sauteed, for Friday's Brussels Sprouts. Chop the remaining onions and freeze for later use.
   
   

 Beef Kabobs over Yellow Rice

• 4 lbs. beef kabob meat
• 6 red and/or green* bell peppers
• 8 oz. whole mushrooms
• 4 onions
• 1 pkg yellow rice, cooked according to directions

Marinade

• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil

Mix marinade ingredients. Pour half of the marinade into a freezer bag with half (2 lbs.) of the meat; freeze  for whenever you would like marinated beef. Pour the other half of the marinade into a marinating container with the other 2 pounds of the beef. Marinate for several hours.

Wash vegetables and chop into 2x2 pieces (leave mushrooms whole). Alternate beef and vegetables on kabob skewers and grill until beef is done. Serve one half of kabobs over yellow rice, reserving the other half for fajitas on Tuesday.

Pineapple Slices

Salad

 

Tuesday Recipes

Notes for Tuesday:

1. Tonight we are using the leftover meat and vegetables from last night's beef kabobs to make fajitas. Reheat the beef and vegetables in a little olive oil on the stovetop, or in the microwave.
   
   
2. Use the extra salad that you prepared last night as the starter for tonight's Mexican Salad.
   
   
3. Prepare the sticky chicken for tomorrow so it can marinate overnight in the spices.
   
   
   

 Fajitas

• leftover meat and vegetables
• whole wheat tortillas (store bought or homemade*)
• sour cream
• shredded lettuce
• salsa
• guacamole (optional)

Serve heated meat and vegetables with tortillas, guacamole, sour cream, and salsa. Each person assembles their own fajitas by putting meat/vegetable mixture and topping with their choice of condiments, rolling up the tortilla and eating by hand. Be careful not to overload the tortilla.

 

Homemade Tortillas

• 4 cups flour
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups water

Mix all ingredients. Form into golf ball size balls. Roll out flat into a circle. Cook on each side in a dry non-stick pan until starting to brown. DO NOT OVERCOOK. The tortillas cook quickly and it is easy to burn them if you turn away.

 

Mexican Salad

• variety of lettuces, torn into bite-sized pieces (from last night)
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded & chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded & chopped
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 1 can black olives, drained
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 bottle ranch salad dressing (try the Spicy Ranch if you've never tried it)

Add all of tonight's "mexican additions" to last night salad base. Add salad dressing right before serving.

Corn on the Cob

If you can't find fresh corn on the cob, try the little ears from Green Giant in the freezer section. Just remember...don't overcook the frozen ears as they may become mushy.

 

 

 Roast Sticky Chicken Preparation (for tomorrow)

• 1 large roasting chicken
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 4 teaspoons salt

In a small bowl, thoroughly combine all the spices. Remove giblets from chicken, clean the cavity well and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, both inside and out, making sure it is evenly distributed and down deep into the skin. Place in a re-sealable plastic bag, seal and refrigerate overnight.

 

Wednesday Recipes

Notes for Wednesday:

1. If you have never tried fried okra, tonight is your chance to be brave and adventurous. It is delicious and most kids love it.
   
   
2. Save 2 cups of chopped or shredded chicken from tonight for the pot pie tomorrow. Any extra can be bagged and frozen for soups and casseroles if you are not eating it as leftovers.Also, save some of the chicken broth for the pot pie.

  Roast Sticky Chicken in the Crockpot

• Chicken prepared last night
• 1 cup onion, chopped

When ready to roast chicken, stuff cavity with onions, and place in crockpot. Cook on low for 5 hours. The pan juices will start to caramelize on the bottom of pan and the chicken will turn golden brown. Use a meat thermometer to ensure that the meat is thoroughly cooked (180° is well done for a whole chicken). Let chicken rest about 10 minutes before carving.

This recipe was originally created by Mimi Hiller of Mimi's Cyber Kitchen, http://www.cyber-kitchen.com/ and this version was actually an adaptation written by Lynn Nelson, former guide of Busy Cooks, http://busycooks.about.com

 

 

 

  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.

Apple Slices and Cheddar

Dinner Rolls

 

 

Thursday Recipes

Notes for Thursday:

1. Tonight we are going to make a chicken pot pie with some of the chicken from last night. If you have pie crusts still in the freezer, use those. If you have a wheat mill, use whole wheat flour for these crusts. I recommend making the pie crusts in the morning and putting the two you are going to use in the refrigerator. Set them on the counter 30 minutes before using.
   
   
2. If you have some fresh vegetables available for the pot pie, by all means use those. The list will include frozen vegetables.
   
   

 

Chicken Pot Pie

• 2 cups chicken broth (from last night)
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, shredded (from last night)
• 1/2 bag frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
• 2 hard boiled eggs, sliced (optional)
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 T. flour
• 2 T. butter
• 1 tsp. Adobo or season salt
• 2 pie crusts
• 1 beaten egg + 2T. water

Make a white sauce by melting butter and adding flour. Stir for 1-2 minutes but don't let it burn. Add milk and stir while it thickens. Add 1/2 can of broth, seasoning, chicken, vegetables, and hard boiled eggs if you are using them.

Roll out 1 pie crust and place in a 9" pie pan. Put chicken mixture in pan. Roll out second pie crust and place on top of pie. Pierce with a fork and brush with beaten egg. Bake at 350° until crust is brown and filling is bubbly.

 

Bulk Pie Crust

• 6 cups flour
• 1 lb. butter, softened (4 sticks)
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups water

Mix flour and salt. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in butter until mixture is uniformly crumbly. Add water a little at a time and mix until mixture forms a ball. Add water as necessary to get correct texture.

Divide dough in half, then divide each half into 3 equal parts. Form balls and flatten to freeze. Set aside two crusts for tonight's dinner and put the rest in individual quart-sized freezer bags. Freeze 4 crusts.

 

Edamame* or Sugar Snap Peas

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.

 

Strawberries and Bananas

 

Friday Recipes

Notes for Friday:

1. Marinate your fish at least 20 minutes before cooking.
   
   

 Grilled Fish

• 2 lbs. bass, crappie, croaker, whiting (sea mullet), or flounder (or other flaky white fish)
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• generous sprinkling of lemon pepper seasoning (1 Tbsp)
• generous sprinkling of adobo* seasoning or garlic salt (1 Tbsp)

Place fish in a shallow dish for marinating. Combine all other ingredients and pour over fish. Marinate 20 minutes. Grill over medium heat until flesh is white and flaky.

 

 Brussels Sprouts

• 2 pints fresh Brussels Sprouts or 1 package frozen Brussels Sprouts*
• 1/2 cup chopped onions, sauteed (from freezer) (or from onions prepared from Monday night's notes)
• 1 Tbsp. flour
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup sour cream

Steam sprouts until tender, or cook according to package directions. Combine thawed onions with juices, flour, brown sugar, and mustard in a saucepan, mixing well. Gradually add milk while heating, stirring constantly. Bring mixture to a boil; simmer for 2 minutes. Reduce heat and add sour cream; heat thoroughly. Pour Brussels sprouts into a serving dish and cover with cream sauce.

Adapted from a recipe on a bag of Pictsweet Brussels Sprouts

 

Wild Rice

Sherbert

 

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

Back to the May 7-11 menu

Back to Menus 4 Moms archive