You are here: Home / Weekly Menu / Archive / October 15-19, 2007
Sign up to get the weekly dinner menus by email each week.
Monday
- Beef Burgundy Simplified
- Egg Noodles
- Broccoli Salad
Tuesday
- Crockpot Lemon Pepper Chicken
- Seasoned Green Beans
- Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
Wednesday
- Taco Crescent Bake
- Leftover Spinach Salad
- Mexicorn
Thursday
- Chicken Stir Fry
- Fruit Salad
Friday
- Beans And Franks
- Macaroni and Cheese
- Buttered Peas
Monday Recipes
Notes for Monday:
- Pay close attention to the notes this week as there are a lot of grocery list options listed. You may be able to greatly reduce the grocery list total cost following the notes.
- If you can make the Beef Burgundy a day or two early and refrigerate it, the flavor will intensify. If not, start it in the early afternoon to be ready for dinner. I do this recipe in my slow cooker, and I add the mushrooms at the beginning with the other ingredients.
- I have listed substitutes for the red wine in this recipe, but I do not recommending substituting unless absolutely necessary. The red wine is what gives this wonderful dish its depth of flavor and the alcohol will cook off.
Beef Burgundy Simplified
- 2 T. oil
- 18 small white onions, peeled (or frozen)
- 3-5 pounds beef chuck, cut in 1 1/2 inch cubes
- 2 T flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
- 1-2 C. Burgundy or other dry red cooking wine (substitutes)
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 3/4 Cup beef stock (or canned beef bouillon*)
- 1- 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 2 T. chopped parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp. thyme
- 3/4 pound fresh mushrooms
- 2 T. butter
Lightly brown the onions in the oil and remove with a slotted spoon and reserve. Pat meat dry between paper towels and brown it on all sides in the same pot without crowding. You may have to do it in batches. Sprinkle browned meat with flour, salt, and pepper. Add wine, garlic, stock, tomato sauce and herbs. Over heat, bring the mixture to a simmer and then cook it, tightly covered for two or more hours or until the meat is fork tender. Add the onions after one hour.
Meanwhile, wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth and trim off stem ends. Quarter mushrooms if large, leave small ones whole. Heat the butter and remaining part of oil in a large skillet and lightly saute the mushrooms for about 4 minutes and set aside.
When done, skim off any fat and add the mushrooms. Voila! Beef burgundy! After cooling, it can be refrigerated or frozen at this point. If the sauce is too thin, combine 2 TB flour with 1/2 Cup water and whisk the mixture into boiling beef burgundy. Serve over egg noodles.
This recipe is courtesy of Marilyn Moll at www.UrbanHomemaker.com.
Egg Noodles
Broccoli Salad
- 3 cups fresh broccoli florets
- 3/4 cup cheddar cheese
- 2 T. chopped onion
- 3/4 mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 T. red wine vinegar* or cider vinegar
- 6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled; or REAL bacon bits*
In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, cheese, and onion. Combine the mayo, sugar, and vinegar; pour over the broccoli mixture and toss to coat. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Just before serving, stir in the bacon.
Tuesday Recipes
Notes for Tuesday:
- This dressing recipe makes a lot so we will use it again tomorrow on leftover Spinach Salad and on Thursday for our Fruit Salad. You may still have some leftover so plan on using it as a dressing on a salad next week, too.
- If you have any leftover chicken you can slice it and use it in your stir fry on Thursday. Chicken will be on the grocery list for the stir fry, but feel free to use the cooked chicken from tonight and just reheat it in the wok or pan for a short time on Thursday.
- I doubled the ingredients for the Spinach Salad on the grocery list so there would be enough for tonight and tomorrow night. If one bag of spinach and one package of strawberries is enough for two meals for your family, just delete the doubled ingredients from your grocery list. Go ahead and wash all the spinach and strawberries for both nights, then add the dressing each night separately so it will keep better.
Crockpot Lemon Pepper Chicken
- 1 whole roaster/fryer chicken (about 5 pounds)
- 2 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
Spray crockpot with olive oil spray. Put washed, cleaned out whole chicken in the crockpot. Sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning. Cook on high 5-6 hours or on low 8-10 hours. There is no need to add liquid as the chicken will make it's own juices while in the crockpot.
Seasoned Green Beans
Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
- 1 pkg. baby spinach leaves, rinsed well
- 1 pkg. Strawberries, quartered
- Poppy Seed Dressing, recipe below
Poppy Seed Dressing
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp dry mustard
- 2 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup white vinegar
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 2 cups salad oil (or any light vegetable oil)
- 3 tbsp poppy seed
Mix sugar, mustard, salt and vinegar. Add onion powder and stir thoroughly. Add oil slowly, beating constantly with a whisk until thick and well blended. Add poppy seed and beat for a few more minutes. Store in cool place or in the fridge for up to two weeks. Can also be served over fruit such as grapefruit or avocado.
Wednesday Recipes
Notes for Wednesday:
- Tonight we will be restocking our freezer with taco seasoned ground beef. The grocery list shows 5 pounds of ground beef and the ingredients for a homemade taco seasoning mix. You can add store bought taco seasoning packets to your grocery list if you prefer.
- Cook all 5 pounds and season according to seasoning recipe below. Use one pound for tonight and and freeze the remaining beef in one pound portions, making sure to label as Taco Seasoned Ground Beef. If you already have precooked taco seasoned ground beef in your freezer you can delete the ground beef and seasoning from your list. Also, if you have plenty of cooked ground beef in your freezer, but it is not seasoned, you can just thaw a pound and season it according to package directions in a frying pan.
- Mexicorn comes in a can. Look in the canned vegetables aisle in your grocery store.
Taco Crescent Bake
- 1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls
- 2 cups crushed tortilla chips, divided
- 1 lb. taco seasoned ground beef
- 1 container sour cream (8 oz.)
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (4 oz.)
Cook ground beef and add seasoning according to the recipe below. Unroll crescent dough into a rectangle; press onto the bottom and 1 in. up
the sides of a greased 13 in x 9 in x 2 in baking dish. Seal seams and
perforations. Sprinkle with 1 cup of crushed chips; set aside. Spoon seasoned ground beef over chips. Top with sour cream, cheese and remaining chips. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.
Taco Seasoning Mix
- 1/4 c dried minced onion
- 1/4 c chili powder
- 3 tbsp salt
- 4 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp dried minced garlic
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp beef bouillon granules
- 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
Combine all ingredients. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 year.
To prepare taco meat: brown ground beef in a skillet, drain. For every pound of ground beef, add 2 tbsp of the mix and 1/3 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then cook and stir for two minutes.
Leftover Spinach Salad
Mexicorn
Thursday Recipes
Notes for Thursday:
- If you've had enough of the poppy seed dressing already, then just eat your fruit salad plain.
- If you have enough leftover cooked chicken from Tuesday's crock pot chicken, just reheat your leftovers and omit the boneless chicken from your grocery list.
Chicken Stir-fry
- 14 oz. bag stir-fry frozen vegetables
- 1 lb. raw boneless chicken
- 1 bottle Kikkoman Stir-fry sauce
- olive oil
Slice or chop chicken. In a wok or large fry pan, sauté chicken in oil until done. Add frozen vegetables and cook until hot and water from frozen veggies cooks out. . Pour 1/2 - 3/4 bottle of the stir fry sauce over everything and simmer until bubbly. Serve over rice (for children it may be better to serve rice with soy sauce and stir-fry separately).
Rice (preferably Calrose), cooked according to directions
Fruit Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
- 2 plum, chopped
- 1 cantaloupe, chopped
- 1 banana, sliced
- 2 kiwi, chopped
- 1 cup seedless red grapes
- 1/2 cup Poppy Seed Dressing (from Tuesday)
Wash, mix and cut up all fruit. Stir in dressing and toss to coat. Add more dressing if desired.
Friday Recipes
Notes for Friday:
- Double the Macaroni and Cheese recipe and freeze the extra one. The grocery list reflects doubling the recipe.
Beans and Franks
- 2- 28 oz. cans pork and beans
- ketchup to taste
- 1 tsp. mustard
- 3-4 hot dogs, sliced into bite size pieces
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat until bubbly.
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
Buttered Peas
* Indicates that of the options listed, this item is the one on the grocery list.
Back to Menus 4 Moms archive
Back to Kitchen Helps