You are here:  Home / Weekly Menu / Archive / August 18-22, 2008

Monday

• Marinated Flank Steak
• Baked Potato
• Grilled Asparagus

Tuesday

• Italian Hoagies
• Pasta Salad
• Grilled Zucchini

Wednesday

• Linguini with Vegetables and Sauce
• Garlic Bread

Thursday

• Steak Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
• Crusty Bread
• Fruit Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Friday

• Chicken Kabobs
• Asian Slaw
• Sliced Pineapple

 

Monday Recipes

Notes for Monday:

1. Prepare the steak in the morning so it can marinate all day.
   
   
2. We will be using extra flank steak from tonight in Thursday's salad. You can marinade the extra meat overnight in the the italian dressing and steak sauce (see Thursday's recipe) tonight if you want. Otherwise, make sure you leave several hours time tomorrow for this step.
   
   
3. When you buy asparagus, look for small stalks. Tiny stalks mean tender asparagus, large stalks mean it will be tough.
   

Marinated Flank Steak

• 2 lb. flank steak
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
• 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• pinch cayenne pepper
• dash hot sauce

Combine all ingredients except steak. Trim fat from steak. Place steak in gallon-sized freezer bag and pour in marinade, reserving 1/4 cup. Close tightly and shake gently. Marinate all day or overnight. Remove steak from bag, discarding marinade. Grill, covered on medium until desired doneness is reached (use a meat thermometer to determine doneness). Baste twice with reserved 1/4 cup marinade.

Slice into thin slices against the grain before serving.

 

Baked Potatoes

Grilled Asparagus

• 1 lb. fresh asparagus
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• dill

Wash asparagus and snap tough ends off. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a little bit of dill. Grill until tender. In order to keep the tips from burning, you should either wrap them in foil or face them to a cool part of the grill.

 

 

Tuesday Recipes

Notes for Tuesday:

1. Last week we put aside some leftover pork roast that we will be using tonight. If you did not have leftover pork roast from last week, you may want to add meat, either some boneless pork chops or maybe some meatballs, to your grocery list for tonight's hoagies.
   
   
   

 Italian Roast Pork Hoagies

• 6 hoagie rolls, split
• 1/2 cup pizza sauce
• 12 slices, cooked pork loin from last week
• 1/2 cup Italian dressing
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place split hoagie rolls, split side up, onto a cookie sheet. Spread pizza sauce on the bottom half of each hoagie roll. Top with pork and then drizzle pork with Italian dressing. Sprinkle cheese over top of dressing. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and tops of rolls are lightly toasted. Place bun tops on bottoms and 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.

 

 

Grilled Zucchini

• 4 lbs. zucchini, sliced lengthwise
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp basil
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp coarse salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
  

Mix all marinade ingredients together in a small bowl. Place sliced zucchini in a large zip lock bag or a large bowl and pour marinade over zucchini. Toss to coat. Place zucchini directly on grill (medium heat). Grill about 8-10 minutes, turning once.

 

 

Wednesday Recipes

Notes for Wednesday:

1. A jar of Alfredo sauce will make tonight's meal a breeze to prepare.
   
   
2. This dish is a great vegetarian dish, but you can easily add cooked chicken from the freezer if you have meat eaters.
   
   
   

 Linguini with Vegetables and Sauce

• 28 oz. jar of Alfredo sauce
• 1 lb. box linguini
• 1 1/2 cups chopped chicken from freezer, (optional)
• 1 bag (14 oz.) bag frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots
• 1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
• Parmesan Cheese (to taste)

Prepare linguine according to directions, cooking frozen vegetables in with linguini. Drain all and return to pan. Add sauce and chicken (if desired) and heat. Heat tomatoes in microwave or on stovetop. Serve pasta mixture topped with tomatoes and Parmesan cheese.

 

 

 Garlic Bread

• 1 loaf ciabatta* or Italian bread
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

Slice bread in half length-wise. Mix butter and garlic well. Spread each half with half of the garlic butter mixture and place halves together on baking sheet. Bake at 350° until bread is crusty and butter mixture is bubbly.

 

 

Thursday Recipes

Notes for Thursday:

1. Tonight's salad uses leftover flank steak from Monday night. If you do not have any, try using a package of deli-style roast beef (I like the flavor of the Oscar Mayer). If you did not marinade the meat last night, make sure to plan ahead today to leave enough time for this step.
   
   
2. Tonight we will make the Asian Slaw for tomorrow to allow time to chill.
   
   
3. This dressing recipe makes a lot so we will use it again next week on our Spinach Salad.
   
   
   
   
   

   Steak Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

• Mixed salad greens
• Sliced bell peppers
• Cherry tomatoes
• Blue Cheese dressing
• Leftover flank steak (from Friday), sliced
• 1/2 cup Italian dressing
• 1/2 cup steak sauce

Mix flank steak or roast beef with Italian dressing and steak sauce in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

Layer salad greens, bell peppers, and meat on plates; garnish with cherry tomatoes. Serve with Blue Cheese dressing.

Crusty Bread

 

 

 

 

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

Wash, mix and cut up all fruit. Stir in dressing and toss to coat. Add more dressing if desired.

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 spinach salad or fruit such as grapefruit or avocado.

 

  Asian Slaw (for tomorrow)

• 2 (3 oz.) packages Ramen noodles, oriental* or beef flavored
• 2 (8.5 oz.) packages cole slaw mix*, or homemade cabbage shreds
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup sunflower kernels
• 1 cup green onions, chopped, optional
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup vinegar (I use white)

Toast almonds by placing sliced almonds and 1 tablespoon butter in a microwave-proof plate. Microwave on high, stirring every minute until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes.

While still in packets, crush Ramen noodles. Open noodle packets and remove flavor packs and reserve for use in the dressing. Place crushed noodles in bottom of a large bowl. Top with cole slaw mix and then sprinkle with toasted almonds, sunflower seeds, and onions.

Mix together contents from flavor packs, sugar, oil, and vinegar. Pour over slaw, but do not stir. Cover and chill 24 hours. Toss well before serving.

 

 

 

Friday Recipes

Notes for Friday:

1. If you did not make the Asian Slaw last night, make it early enough in the day today to allow some time to chill.
   
   
2. Tonight we are grilling (you may bake or broil if you don't have a grill). Be sure to marinade early in the day so the meat will be flavorful.
   
   
3. If you need to replenish your freezer chicken, this is the same marinade that we use to make grilled chicken so you can add some chicken parts to grill and freeze.
   
   
   

 Chicken Kabobs over Yellow Rice

• 1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into 2" squares
• 3 red or green* bell peppers
• 8 oz. whole mushrooms
• 2 onions
• 1 pkg yellow rice, cooked according to directions

Marinade

• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1 tsp. garlic salt or Adobo*
• 1/2 tsp. pepper

Mix marinade ingredients. Pour half into a marinating container with the other chicken. Use the other half to marinate the vegetables (see below) and for later basting. Marinate for several hours.

Wash vegetables and chop into 2x2 pieces (leave mushrooms whole). Marinate with half of the marinade for at least 30 minutes. Alternate chicken and vegetables on kabob skewers and grill until chicken is done. Serve over yellow rice.

 

  Asian Slaw

• 2 (3 oz.) packages Ramen noodles, oriental* or beef flavored
• 2 (8.5 oz.) packages cole slaw mix*, or homemade cabbage shreds
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup sunflower kernels
• 1 cup green onions, chopped, optional
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup vinegar (I use white)

Toast almonds by placing sliced almonds and 1 tablespoon butter in a microwave-proof plate. Microwave on high, stirring every minute until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes.

While still in packets, crush Ramen noodles. Open noodle packets and remove flavor packs and reserve for use in the dressing. Place crushed noodles in bottom of a large bowl. Top with cole slaw mix and then sprinkle with toasted almonds, sunflower seeds, and onions.

Mix together contents from flavor packs, sugar, oil, and vinegar. Pour over slaw, but do not stir. Cover and chill 24 hours. Toss well before serving.

 

Sliced Pineapple

 

 

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

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