Basic Weekly Menu Plan

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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. Leave out a 1 pound portion for tonight and place the remaining seasoned beef in individual freezer bags. Be sure to label and date your taco beef.
   
   
2. I suggest making soft tacos with whole wheat tortillas for a healthier meal, but you may substitute hard tacos if you wish. The grocery list includes flour tortillas, but I am including a recipe if you would like to make your own. They are easy and if you own a grain mill they are good made with whole wheat flour.
   
   
3. If you don't have black beans in the freezer, you may prepare dry black beans according to the package directions and freeze all but 4 cups, using those for the refried beans.
   
   
   

Tacos

• 1 lb. browned ground beef (see notes above)
• 1 pkg. taco seasoning
• 1 pkg. whole wheat tortillas* (or make your own-see below )
• cheddar cheese
• shredded lettuce
• chopped tomatoes
• salsa

Cook taco seasoning and cooked beef according to package directions. Serve meat with remaining ingredients at the table so everyone can make their own tacos.

 

Homemade Tortillas (ingredients not on grocery list)

• 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.

 

 Refried Beans

• Black turtle beans (from freezer)
• cumin
• Adobo or garlic salt
• olive oil
• 1 can red enchilada sauce
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mash 4 cups of beans, adding enough liquid to make beans mushy and soft. Heat 2 T. olive oil in a fry pan and add mashed beans and spices to taste. Stir until hot and bubbly. Heat enchilada sauce in a sauce pan and serve beans topped with enchilada sauce and shredded cheddar cheese.

 

Mexican Corn

 

Tuesday Recipes

Notes for Tuesday:

1. You may adjust the amount of cheese in this soup. If your family prefers it less cheesy, use 8 or 12 oz. of Velveeta. You may also add cooked chicken if you would like.
   
   
2. Make a large salad and save half to go with your pizza on Friday. Add any crunchie items and salad dressing to the salad right before serving each night.
   
   
   

 Cheesy Broccoli Soup

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1/4 cup chopped onion (from freezer)
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1 lb. Velveeta prepared cheese product, chopped into 1-1/2" cubes for easier melting
• 1 pkg. (10-16* oz., depending on how much broccoli you want in the soup) frozen broccoli, thawed and drained
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. marjoram
• 1/4 tsp. Adobo

Melt butter over medium heat in a large saucepan (6 qt. is good) on stovetop. Add onion and saute until tender. Add flour, stirring constantly for 1 minute over medium heat.

Add milk, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 1 minute. Add all remaining ingredients and cook until cheese is melted and soup is heated through.

 

Salad

 

Crusty Bread

 

Fruit Cocktail, canned or fresh*

Combine your favorite fruits, chopped into bite size pieces. The grocery list contains apples, bananas, pineapple and grapes.

 

 

Wednesday Recipes

Notes for Wednesday:

1. If you do not have any chicken in your freezer from when we restocked, make sure to add more chicken to your grocery list.
   
   

 Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

• 2 cups cooked chicken (from freezer)
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 sleeve round buttery crackers
• 1 Tbsp. poppy seed

Topping

• 1 sleeve round buttery crackers
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• poppy seed for garnish

Combine chicken, soups, sour cream, 1 sleeve crackers, and 1 Tbsp. poppy seed in a large bowl. Mix well and transfer to a greased casserole dish. Mix together remaining crackers and melted butter and sprinkle on top. Garnish with poppy seed. Bake at 325° for 25 minutes.

 

  Green Beans

• 1 pkg. frozen green beans
• 1 tbsp butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook green beans according to package directions. Drain. Add butter, salt and pepper to taste.

Fresh Oranges or Clementines

 

Thursday Recipes

Notes for Thursday:

1. Save the other half of the green bell pepper for Friday's pizza.
   
   
2. You may want to double the applesauce recipe and use the other half as leftovers tomorrow night.

 

 Crockpot Chicken and Vegetables

• 2 cups fresh baby carrots
• 4 medium white or red potatoes, cut into quarters
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• Adobo seasoning to taste

Place carrots, potatoes, onion, chicken and pepper in crock in order. Mix soup, water, adobo, and oregano and pour over chicken. Top with paprika. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

 

 

 

 Homemade Applesauce

• 5 Granny Smith apples
• 1/4 cup water
• 1-2 tsp. vanilla
• 1-2 tsp. sugar

Wash, peel, core, and slice apples. Place all ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer, stirring occasionally until apples are tender. You may need to add more water if it cooks down. You may either serve these hot as slices or mash them up and serve them as hot or cold applesauce.

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.

 Vegetarian Pizza

• Your favorite pizza dough recipe (see notes above)
• 28 oz. can spaghetti sauce
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• Sliced onions, peppers, black olives, mushrooms, and any other veggies you like on pizza

Make pizza dough according to recipe and roll out on a pizza stone or pan. Layer remaining ingredients. Cook at 400° until brown and bubbly.

 

Salad


Leftover Applesauce

 

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

This week's Grocery List can be downloaded here:

Grocery List for December 15-19 , 2008 - PDF

Grocery List for December 15-19 , 2008 - TXT (for PDAs or text editing)

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