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Monday - Recipes

• Taco Mac Salad
• Yogurt With Berries

Tuesday - Recipes

• Chicken Ham and Rice Casserole
• Broccoli Salad
• Fruit of Your Choice

Wednesday - Recipes

• Homemade Pesto with Angel Hair Pasta
• Salad
• Garlic Bread

Thursday - Recipes

• Easy Feta Chicken Bake
• Zucchini Herb Casserole
•  Italian Bread dipped in Olive Oil with Pesto sauce

Friday - Recipes

• Hawaiian Pizza
• Salad
• Snow Cones

 

Monday Recipes

Notes for Monday:

1. Tonight we will be making taco seasoned ground beef. The grocery list shows 5 pounds ground beef and a pack of taco seasoning per pound. Brown your ground beef and follow seasoning packet directions. Divide taco-seasoned ground beef into 1 lb. portions and put in freezer-safe containers in the freezer for when you need a quick meal. Be sure to label your freezer items.
   
   
2. This recipe is basically a salad with fixings of your choice. If you want to add the onions and green peppers, this would be a good time to buy in bulk, chop and replenish your freezer. You will want to add extra to your shopping list. The recipe will call for 1/2 head lettuce. Use the other half later in the week for a regular salad.
   
   
3. You should have a 2-cup portion of cooked cubed chicken from last week that we labeled for a casserole on 8/7/07. Take this chicken out of your freezer and place in the refrigerator to thaw for tomorrow night. If you do not have any cooked chicken in your freezer, make sure you add it to your grocery list.
   
   

 Taco Mac Salad

• 1 box (8 oz.) tri-color spiral macaroni
• 1 lb. taco seasoned ground beef
• 1/2 cup green peppers, chopped
• 1/2 cup onions, chopped
• 1 cup cheese - cheddar, shredded
• 1 carton cherry tomatoes (save some for Thursday night
• 1/2 head lettuce, shredded
• salt
• pepper
• 1/2 cup french dressing
• 1 package nacho doritos

Cook macaroni as directed. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Drain again. In a large bowl mix macaroni, green pepper, onion, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, & seasonings. Chill. Just before serving, stir in warm seasoned ground beef, french dressing and chips. Toss lightly.

 

Yogurt with Berries

 

Tuesday Recipes

Notes for Tuesday:

1. You should have a thawed a bag of frozen, cooked chicken last night. If you do not have this, buy some chicken and boil it (add to your grocery list). 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.
   
   
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. The Zucchini Herb Casserole on Thursday calls for uncooked white rice, but you can substitute cooked brown rice. See the notes on Thursday.
   
   
3. If you don't have ham in your freezer, you can buy small packets or cooked diced ham in the prepared meat dept. at the store.
   
   
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. This week we are going to try out another recipe, Broccoli Salad, from Sensational Summer Salads by The Urban Homemaker, Marilyn Moll. This is a great ebook for encouraging those of you to step out of your comfort zone a little and experiment with adapting recipes to suit your own tastes.
   
   
   

 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.

Broccoli Salad

• 1 large bunch broccoli, cut into small florets; slice peeled stalks into 1/4" slices and blanch**
• 1/2 cup chopped red pepper
• 3 slices crisp bacon, chopped (bacon substitutes ok)
• 1/2 cup diagonally sliced celery
• 1/2 Red onion sliced thinly and separated into individual rounds
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded
• Ranch Dressing

**Blanching the broccoli softens it a bit and brightens the color. This is optional. To blanch broccoli, bring the cut pieces to a boil, covered with 1/2 cup water for one minute, drain, and cool in a colander. Dry the broccoli with paper towel or kitchen towel.

Combine prepared vegetables, cheese and dressing. Chill. Delicious!

Sensational Summer Salads by The Urban Homemaker, Marilyn Moll
Used by permission

 

Fruit of Your Choice

 

Wednesday Recipes

Notes for Wednesday:

1. Tonight we are making an easy and delicious pesto sauce. If you can get fresh basil at your local farmer's market or from a friend who grows it, do! If not, look for it in little plastic packages in the produce section of the grocery store.
   
   
2. For taste, be sure to use either shredded Parmesan cheese (available in a bag from Sargento and others) or get a block and grate it yourself. Do not use the pre-grated stuff in the green canister!
   
   
3. Save a 1/2 cup of the pesto sauce for use with your Italian Bread tomorrow night.
   
   
4. Make a large salad tonight and save half for Friday night. Add croutons, bacon bits, sunflower seeds, and any other "crunchies" just before serving each night.
   
   

  Homemade Pesto with Angel Hair Pasta

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup light olive oil
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. pine nuts
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 lb. angel hair pasta, prepared according to instructions

In a food processor (preferred) or blender, blend the basil and olive oil on medium speed. Add remaining ingredients except pasta and process, scraping the sides. Save 1/2 cup in the refrigerator for tomorrow night and mix the rest with the hot angel hair pasta. Never heat pesto!

 

 

 Salad

Make a salad using up the iceberg lettuce from Monday and any other veggies that you may have not used up from the grocery list this week, making sure not to use ingredients for tomorrow night's Zucchini Casserole.

 Garlic Bread

• 1/2 loaf ciabatta or Italian bread* (use other half for dipping with pesto tomorrow night)
• 1/2 stick butter, softened
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

Slice bread in half length-wise. Mix butter and garlic well. Spread each half with half of the garlic butter mixture and place halves together on baking sheet. Bake at 350° until bread is crusty and butter mixture is bubbly.

 

 

 

Thursday Recipes

Notes for Thursday: none

1. The Zucchini Herb Casserole calls for uncooked white rice, but if you cooked enough brown rice on Tuesday night you can skip the first past of the zucchini recipe (the part that tells you to cook the rice) and substitute the brown rice later in the recipe.
   

 

  Easy Chicken and Feta Bake

• 3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 2 tbsp lemon juice, divided
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 pkg. (4 oz.) crumbled Feta Cheese (we like the one seasoned with Basil and Tomato)
• 1/4 cup each finely chopped red pepper and parsley

Arrange chicken in 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp. lemon
juice. Season with salt and pepper. Top with feta cheese. Drizzle with
remaining 1 tbsp. lemon juice. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until
cooked through. Sprinkle with red pepper and parsley.

 

   Zucchini Herb Casserole

• 1/3 cup uncooked long grain white rice
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 pounds zucchini, cubed
• 1 cup sliced green onions
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/4 teaspoons garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 1/2 cups seeded, chopped tomatoes (use some of the leftover Cherry tomatoes from Monday)
• 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
  

Combine the rice and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, until rice is tender.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a shallow 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the zucchini, green onions, and garlic 5 minutes, or until tender. Season with garlic salt, basil, paprika, and oregano. Mix in the cooked rice, tomatoes, and 1 cup cheese. Continue to cook and stir until heated through. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Italian Bread dipped in Olive Oil with Pesto sauce

• 1/2 loaf Italian bread
• 1/2 cup pesto (from last night), room temperature
• olive oil

Warm bread in oven and slice. Combine pesto with enough olive oil to make a dipping sauce that will stick to the bread. Use either a community bowl to dip or give each person a shallow bowl/dish to dip their bread into.

 

Friday Recipes

Notes for Friday:

1. I recommend periodically making a double (or triple) pizza dough recipe in your bread machine or large mixer and freezing the extra dough for an easy lunch or dinner another day. The Urban Homemaker has a double pizza dough recipe that is very good. It has variations for garlic, herbed, or seeded dough.
   
   
2. If you are using a bread machine to make dough, time it so that it is ready just before you want to cook the pizza. If you are using a frozen pizza dough, be sure to allow enough time for it to thaw. I like to thaw it for several hours in the refrigerator.
   
   
   

  Hawaiian Pizza

• Your favorite pizza dough recipe (see notes above)
• 28 oz. can spaghetti sauce
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup leftover shredded ham (from freezer)
• 1-20 oz. can pineapple chunks, drained

Roll out your prepared dough on a pizza pan. Spread with spaghetti sauce and top with cheeses. Add your toppings and bake at 450° until hot and bubbly.

 

Salad

Snow Cones

• Crushed Ice
• 1 pkg. flavored drink mix (flavor of your choice)

Mix drink mix half strength according to directions. Chill 1 hour. Just before serving, crush some ice. You can use either a snow cone maker or put some ice cubes in a plastic bag and pound with hammer. Pack ice chips into cups, pour chilled drink mix over the ice and serve. You can also use fruit juice boiled down to half with food coloring added.

Apple juice: green or red food coloring

Grape juice: purple food coloring

From Chill Out This Summer, by Tawra Kellam
http://www.LivingOnADime.com/

 

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

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