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• 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

 

Monday Recipes

 

Notes for Monday:

 

1. 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.
   
   
2. 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:

 

1. 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:

 

1. 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.
   
   
2. 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:

 

1. Tonight's recipe calls for orecchiette pasta but if you cannot find this type, use medium shells.
   
   
2. 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.
   
   
3. 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.
   
   
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.
   

 

 

 

  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:

 

1. The Split Pea Soup Recipe comes from the Ham Plan article.
   
   
2. If you are running low on chopped onions in your freezer, add a bag to the grocery list and restock.
   
   
3. The grocery list includes ham, but if you have any diced ham in the freezer, use that.
   
   
4. 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.

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