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Monday - Recipes

• Burritos Smothered with Green Chili Bake
• Shredded lettuce, chopped tomato and onion
• Guacamole

Tuesday - Recipes

• Baked Ranch Chicken
• Bacon Ranch Zucchini
• Pasta Salad

Wednesday - Recipes

• Sausage and Onions
• Fried Okra
• Fruit Salad

Thursday - Recipes

• Chicken Caesar Salad
• Crusty Bread
• Jello Parfait

Friday - Recipes

• Beef Kabobs
• Steamed Broccoli
• Pineapple with Yogurt

Notes for Monday:

1. When making the green chili, you could make a double batch, one for the freezer for a future easy meal. It is very easy to make and can be made ahead of time and freezes very well. If you are in a time crunch, use two cans of canned green chili, but it won’t be nearly as yummy.
   
   

 Green Chili Burrito Bake

Very easy to make ahead and store extra green chili in the freezer.

GREEN CHILI:

• 1 lb. ground beef* (from freezer), or ground turkey
• 2 TB oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped (from freezer)
• 5 TB flour
• 1 - 14-1/2 oz. can tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cans water
• 1- 4 oz. can chopped green chili
• 1-2 jalapeno peppers, chopped, more or less to taste (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. garlic powder

Thaw meat and onion. Heat meat and onion over medium heat. Cook until onion is soft but not brown. Stir in flour, add tomatoes, water, green chili, jalapeno peppers, salt, and garlic powder. Stir until thickened. Reduce heat to low, simmer 30 minutes. Use to prepare Burrito Casserole.

Assemble Burrito Casserole:

• 1 package, whole grain tortillas, corn or flour
• 2 Cups Refried beans; canned, or homemade*
• 2 Cups - 4 Cheese Mexican blend or Cheddar cheese, shredded
• Sour cream

Heat tortilla briefly in microwave or on hot griddle so the tortilla is pliable. Place 1/4 Cup refried bean mixture inside the tortilla, with 1-2 TB shredded cheese, and 1-2 tsp. sour cream. Roll up tightly, place in 9 X 13 casserole dish. Make 8-10 burritos. Smother the burritos with hot green chili in casserole dish. Place casserole in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the mixture is bubbly. Serve hot burritos on plates, and pass around the optional garnishes below.

Garnishes:

• 1/2 Cup sour cream
• 2 Cups shredded lettuce (use small amount of the Romaine purchased for Thursday's Caesar Salad0
• 1-2 tomatoes, diced
• Guacamole
• Green onions, chopped

 

  Quick Guacamole

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1-2 TB lemon juice
• 1-2 TB salsa, optional

Peel and mash avocados. Add seasonings, adjust seasonings to taste.

 

 

Tuesday Recipes

Notes for Tuesday:

1. If you do not have chicken in the freezer that you can use for Thursday's Chicken Caesar Salad, I would put a few extra pieces in the oven with tonight's meal. Do not coat those pieces with dressing mix, but rub them with olive oil and sprinkle with adobo.
   
   
2. I like using Ranch Dressing mix as a seasoning in a lot of things so I buy it in bulk and keep it in the pantry for when I need it. It is much cheaper than buying packs. You can generally find it in bulk at farmer's market type places or stores that carry bulk items. (I buy it at Sharp Shopper.)
   
   
3. Plan ahead...Pasta Salad needs to chill.
   
   

  Ranch Chicken

• 2 lbs. chicken pieces, your choice
• 2 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (save 2 tbsp. for zucchini below)

Empty Ranch dressing envelopes into a bowl and mix well. You may add bread crumbs to the dressing if you would like more of a coating to your chicken. After rinsing and drying chicken, dredge chicken pieces in the dressing mix. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray and place coated chicken in it. Bake 45 minutes at 325° or until done.

 

  Bacon Ranch Zucchini

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2-3 small zucchini, thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
• 2 tbsp bacon bits (use the real kind for the best flavor)

Saute the zucchini over medium heat in olive oil for about 5-8 minutes or until crisp tender. Sprinkle in the ranch dressing mix and the bacon bits and stir until zucchini is evenly covered with the dressing mix. Cook until zucchini is desired consistency. Serve.

  Pasta Salad

• 8 ounces rotini pasta, cooked and chilled
• 2 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed and drained
• 1/2 cup diced Cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup pitted black olives, drained (optional)
• 1 cup Italian-style salad dressing

Combine all ingredients and serve chilled.

 

 

Wednesday Recipes

Notes for Wednesday: none

 Grilled Sausage and Onions on Buns

• 2 lbs. Kielbasa or other sausage
• 2 sweet onions, sliced
• 6 hoagie rolls or sub rolls
• 6 provolone cheese slices (optional)
• 1 jar roasted sweet red peppers
• condiments as you prefer

Grill sausages and onions until sausage is hot and onions are tender and translucent. Split rolls and toast or grill until light brown. Slice sausage into bun-length sections. Make sandwiches by spreading each roll with mayonnaise or mustard if desired. Place a length of sausage, a piece of cheese, onions, and roasted red bell peppers on each roll. Serve warm.

 

  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.

 

 Fruit Salad

Your favorite combination of canned or fresh fruit. I suggest grapes, banana, apple, and pineapple (these are on your grocery list). Serve with sweetened yogurt mixed with softened cream cheese.

 

 

 

Thursday Recipes

Notes for Thursday:

1. While adults will enjoy the Chicken Caesar Salad, children will likely prefer their salad and chicken separate.
   
   
2. I would recommend preparing the jello parfait early enough in the day to allow time to chill.
   
   
   

Chicken Caesar Salad

• 1 lb. cooked, cubed chicken (from freezer)
• 1 head Romaine lettuce
• 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• Croutons
• Caesar Salad Dressing

Reheat cooked chicken if desired by placing in the microwave for about 1 minute. Add more time if needed. Chop up lettuce into bite-size pieces and mix all ingredients. Serve.

Crusty Bread

 Jell-O Parfait

• 1 sm. Jell-O (strawberry-banana)
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• Fresh strawberries or other available berries
• 2 Bananas, sliced

Mix the Jell-O packet with the sour cream. Add vanilla and mix well. Fold in Cool Whip. Layer fruit and Jell-O mixture in parfait glasses. Serve cold.

 

Friday Recipes

Notes for Friday:

1. Some of you have been requesting more vegetarian meals. This would be a great meal to leave out the beef and just add more veggies. Try adding pieces of squash, sweet potatoes, etc. The grocery list will reflect the menu as you see it below, but try adding your own favorites and post to the Yahoo Group and let us know what you tried.
   
   

  Beef Kabobs over Yellow Rice

• 1-2 lbs. beef kabob meat
• 3 red or green* bell peppers
• 8 oz. whole mushrooms
• 2 onions
• 1 pkg cherry tomatoes
• 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 in a container with the beef. Marinate for several hours.

Wash vegetables and chop into 2x2 pieces (leave mushrooms and cherries whole). Put the other half of the marinade into a container with the vegetables and marinate them for about an hour. Alternate beef and vegetables on kabob skewers and grill until beef is done. Serve over yellow rice.

 

Steamed Broccoli

Pineapple with Yogurt

 

 

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

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