Weekly Menu Plan

You are here: Home / Weekly Menu / Archive / Jan 7-11, 2008

Angel Food box customers, look for our new menus using Angel Food box items later this week! New for Premium Menu Subscribers - special New Year organization bonuses coming in January. Try the Premium Menus for 2 weeks for only a penny and get bonuses to keep!

Weekly menu links

Premium Subscriptions

Oven Fried Chicken
Sauteed Asparagus
Steamed Cauliflower

Tuesday

Crockpot Beef Casserole
Egg Noodles
Buttered Lima Beans
Dinner Rolls

Wednesday

Tater Tot Casserole
Seasoned Green Beans
Five Cup Salad

Thursday

Chicken Orecchiette
Salad
Crusty Bread with Olive Oil and Parmesan Cheese for Dipping

Friday

Split Pea Soup
Leftover Salad
Apple Slices

This week's Grocery List can be downloaded here:

Grocery List for Jan 7-11 , 2008 - PDF

Grocery List for Jan 7-11 , 2008 - TXT (for PDAs or text editing)

Shopping List Software format (download shopping list free Windows software)

Printer-friendly version

Would you like the nutrition data, point values, and meal makeovers for the current menu?

Our Sponsor

Are groceries getting unaffordable? Our Busy Mom Menu can help you save money and time on dinner!

(our sponsor)

Each weekly menu is designed to be easy to make, time-saving and delicious:

1	The menu for the week is summarized on the first page for easy viewing.
2	Menus include recipes and grocery list for 5 nights of dinners with nutritional data and points.
3	Meal Makeovers and Substitutions are listed for healthier versions of the meals .
4	You have access to a free software program that allows you to customize your grocery list.
5	You'll receive a free bonus every month .

Each weekly menu is designed to be easy to make, time-saving and delicious.

Listen to what this busy homeschool mom has to say about the Busy Mom Menu from Menus4Moms:

Testimonial: Ann F.

I love M4M! I get the Busy Moms Menu and love the meal makeovers! I am counting points and love the easy recipes and my family loves the great taste! I am a homeschooling, work at home mother of 5 and this makes mealtime simple not stressful! After I get my menu, I add the other things I need then order my groceries online for pickup. Oh the time and aggravation I save! I know just what I need because I have a plan thanks to M4M so my grocery budget isn't blown! No more wondering through the store for hours, going over budget and still wondering what to make for dinner. Thank you thank you thank you!!!! I even posted your site on my Facebook page and I tell everyone about how great M4M is! Thanks for the great menus, my daughter has celiac disease (no wheat, barley, or rye allowed) but the recipes are easy to modify, so even allergy sufferers can use them!

Ann F.

How much is it worth to you to save hours of time each month and possibly hundreds of dollars? The Busy Mom Menu is worth so much more than you actually pay...

The Busy Mom Menu only costs $7.95/month, but it can save you 10-20X that amount in food costs and hours of planning and cooking time. Order the Busy Mom Menu today and get a free bonus, How to Save with Roast Chicken!

Monday Recipes

Notes for Monday:

This is a really easy chicken recipe that my husband introduced me to when we first met. Sometimes we add a slice of Swiss cheese to the top of each chicken breast the last 5 minutes of baking time. Be sure to add swiss cheese to your grocery list if you would like this addition.
Since you will be using the oven tonight anyway, we will plan on buying extra chicken breasts and cooking extra for later in the week and for freezer restocking. Season all but the 4 breasts for tonight with a few of your favorite spices (we like Montreal Chicken Seasoning from McCormick; Mary Ann likes Adobo Seasoning) and bake along with tonight's dinner. Allow this extra chicken to cool while you're eating dinner and then cube and freeze for restocking purposes. The grocery list has 5 lbs of boneless, skinless breast; use about 1 1/2 lbs. for tonight's recipe, about 1 to 1 1/2 lbs for Thursday's Chicken Orrechiette and the rest to stock your freezer.

Oven Fried Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 c. dry bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. dried basil, oregano, or italian seasoning*
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. margarine or butter, melted

Rinse chicken. Pat dry. In a small mixing bowl stir together the bread crumbs, herb, and pepper. Add the melted margarine and toss to coat. Arrange chicken pieces in a baking dish. Sprinkle the top of each chicken piece with the crumb mixture, pressing onto the chicken to coat. Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender and no longer pink. Do not turn.

Sauteed Asparagus

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1-2 pkg. frozen asparagus
1 tsp basil
1 tsp dried rosemary

Heat oil and balsamic vinegar in large skillet over medium heat. Add frozen asparagus and herbs; saute for about 15 minutes, turning asparagus over frequently.

Steamed Cauliflower

Add cauliflower to a saucepan, then add a small amount of water, ¼ the level of the vegetables at most. Bring to a boil-this will happen quickly-then reduce the heat, cover and simmer five minutes. They are done when their texture is tender-crisp. Drain. Season with salt and pepper and serve with melted cheese, if desired.

Tuesday Recipes

Notes for Tuesday:

This recipe will freeze well so you may want to double the ingredients on your grocery list and freeze half. (Don't freeze with the egg noodles.)

Crockpot Beef Casserole

2 lbs. stew beef cut into 1 inch pieces
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 (10 1/2 oz.) can cream golden mushroom soup (substitutions)
1 (4 oz.) can whole mushrooms
1/2 cup red wine

Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Stir together well. Cover (don't peek!) and cook on low for 8-10 hours (or on high for 5-6 hours). Serve over egg noodles.

Egg Noodles

Buttered Lima Beans

1 (16 oz.) package frozen lima beans
1 tbsp butter

Cook Lima Beans according to package directions. Drain. Add butter to taste.

Dinner Rolls

Wednesday Recipes

Notes for Wednesday:

This isn't one of the healthiest meals, but it is easy to make and easy to adapt to what you have on hand. Feel free to substitute cooked chicken and cream of chicken soup if that is what you have.
Make the Five Cup Salad early so it has time to chill.

Tater Tot Casserole

32. oz package frozen Tater Tots
1/2 lb. browned ground beef, thawed (from freezer)
16 oz. container sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup (substitutions)
1 can cream of celery soup (substitutions)
4 oz. can mushrooms, drained
1 pkg. sauteed onions, thawed (from freezer)
6 oz. can French fried onions

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9x13 casserole pan. Place frozen tater tots in bottom of pan. Sprinkle beef over tater tots. In a bowl, mix sour cream,cheese, soups, mushrooms, and sauteed onions. Pour over beef. Top with French fried onions. Bake for 50-60 minutes.

Seasoned Green Beans

1 lb. fresh green beans, slightly steamed
2 T. butter
1/2 package Good Seasonings Italian dressing mix

Melt butter in large fry pan. Add green beans. Sprinkle with the 1/2 package of seasoning mix and stir well while sauteing.

Five Cup Salad

1 cup pineapple chucks, drained
1 cup mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup coconut flakes

Mix together all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Thursday Recipes

Notes for Thursday:

Tonight's recipe calls for orecchiette pasta but if you cannot find this type, use medium shells.
If you have never tried dipping your bread in a shallow dish of olive oil with seasonings, do try it. Tonight we are flavoring the olive oil with Parmesan cheese, but you can change it to balsamic vinegar or fresh pesto and it is delicious.
If you have chicken in your freezer, use that for tonight's dish or if you cooked extra chicken on Monday, use that. If you don't, either boil or grill several pounds of chicken for the freezer and tonight's meal. The grocery list will have the chicken included so you can stock your freezer.
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.

Chicken Orecchiette

1 (16 oz) package Pasta LaBella Orecchiette
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup tomatoes, diced
1 cup yellow pepper, diced
1/2 cup scallions
3 cups cooked and cubed chicken meat (from Monday)
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped (I usually use 2-3 tsp. dried*)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 oz. feta cheese (the kind that is flavored with basil works great)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and place hot pasta in mixing bowl. Pour olive oil and balsamic vinegar over pasta. Add tomatoes, bell peppers, scallions, and chicken. Toss well. Add basil, salt, pepper, feta, and Parmesan cheese. Toss well and serve immediately.

Salad

Crusty Bread with Olive Oil and Parmesan Cheese for Dipping

Friday Recipes

Notes for Friday:

The Split Pea Soup Recipe comes from the Ham Plan article.
If you are running low on chopped onions in your freezer, add a bag to the grocery list and restock.
The grocery list includes ham, but if you have any diced ham in the freezer, use that.
Using the leftover salad from Thursday night, add croutons, bacon bits, sunflower seeds, and any other "crunchies" just before serving.

Split Pea Soup with Ham (from busycooks)

1 lb. split peas
8 cups ham stock (if you have it, or 8 more cups of chicken stock)
8 cups chicken stock (use bouillon cubes* or chicken broth* if you don't have chicken stock)
1 bay leaf
2 tsp thyme
1 onion - chopped (from freezer)
2 carrots - diced
2 ribs celery - diced
2 cups diced ham* or smoked sausage (from freezer if you have any)
soy sauce
Tabasco sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Rinse split peas and soak in water for 1 - 2 hours. Place in a large pot with the ham stock and chicken broth. Add bay leaf, thyme, and onion. Simmer, partially covered, for 1 1/2 hours.

Add ham, carrots, celery and simmer for an additional 1 - 2 hours, or until the peas have cooked into a smooth soup. Season with soy sauce, tabasco sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

Leftover Salad

Apple Slices

* 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