You are here: Home / Weekly Menu / Archive / September 22-26, 2008
Monday
- Taco Crescent Bake
- Bacon Ranch Green Beans
- Mexicorn
Tuesday
- Baked Fish
- Wild Rice
- Sugar Snap Peas
Wednesday
- Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
- Potato Chips
- Raw Vegetables and Dip
Thursday
- Easy Chicken Parmesan
- Acorn Squash
- Salad
Friday
- Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Leftover Salad
- Garlic Bread
Monday Recipes
Notes for Monday:
- 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°F 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.
Bacon Ranch Green Beans
- 1 package (16 oz) frozen green beans
- 2 tbsp butter or margarine
- 1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
- 4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled or bacon bits* (I like Hormel Real Bacon Bits)
In a skillet, saute the green beans in butter. Add the salad dressing mix and toss to coat. Just before serving, sprinkle in the bacon and mix.
Mexicorn
Tuesday Recipes
Notes for Tuesday: none
Baked Fish
- 2 lbs. tilapia fillets
- 1 tsp. salt
- Dash of pepper
- 4 Tbsp. butter, melted
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- Adobo to taste
- Paprika (optional)
Sprinkle both sides of fish fillets with salt and pepper. Mix together melted butter, lemon juice and grated onion. Dip fish into butter mixture; arrange into an ungreased square pan. Pour remaining butter mixture over fish. Cook uncovered into a preheated 350°F oven, until fish flakes easily with fork, for 25 to 30 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with paprika before serving.
Wild Rice
Sugar Snap Peas
- 1-2 small packages fresh sugar snap peas
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 1 tsp. sugar
Wash pea pods. Drain and dry on a paper towel. Melt butter in a fry pan and add sugar snap peas. Toss well and sprinkle with sugar. Heat on medium heat until peas are tender but crisp. Serve hot.
Dinner Rolls
Wednesday Recipes
Notes for Wednesday:
- If you make your own whole grain bread, this is a good meal to have the night you bake your bread. If you have a breadmaker, use it to make a loaf for tonight (add ingredients to your grocery list).
- If your family prefers all meals to include meat, add some sliced deli ham to your grilled cheese for ham and cheese sandwiches.
- Any veggies are that your family likes raw can be used with the dip; our family likes sliced green bell peppers, celery sticks, and carrot sticks, all of which I have added to the grocery list.
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
- bread
- American cheese slices
- butter
Put 1-2 slices of cheese between two bread slices and butter the outside on both sides. Grill on a flat griddle until both sides are golden brown and crispy.
Potato Chips
Raw Vegetables and Dip
Thursday Recipes
Notes for Thursday:
- In keeping with Menus 4 Moms' effort to keep prep time to a minimum, we will make a large salad tonight which we will eat of off tonight and Friday night, saving prep time Friday. Be sure to keep your crunchies (bacon, sunflower seeds, croutons, etc.) and dressing separate from the lettuce and vegetables and combine all just before serving.
Easy Chicken Parmesan
- 3lb. chicken parts
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese
- 1/4 tsp. oregano
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- Salt to taste
- 1 clove garlic or 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
- 3/4 cup melted butter
Combine bread crumbs, cheese, oregano, pepper, and salt; set aside. Lightly saute garlic in 2 T. butter then stir in remaining butter. Dip chicken in garlic butter then roll each piece in bread crumb mixture. Place chicken in 9x13 pan and sprinkle with remaining bread crumb mixture. Pour on remaining butter. Bake at 350°F for 55 minutes.
Acorn Squash
- 1 acorn squash for each 2 people
Wash acorn squash, cut in half; scrape out seeds. Place upside down into a glass baking dish containing 2 Tbsp. water. Cook in microwave until squash is tender, (time depends on your microwave strength and the number of squash you are cooking).
Remove from microwave, turn squash right side up in same dish. Into each hollow, place:
- 1 tsp. brown sugar or honey
- 1 tsp. butter
- dash salt
Cook in microwave until butter mixture is bubbly. Serve hot.
Salad
Friday Recipes
Notes for Friday:
- If you do not have any meatballs in your freezer, you can purchase a bag of frozen meatballs at the store or you can plan on making meatballs today. I've included a recipe for meatballs in case you want to make your own but I have NOT included the meatball ingredients on your shopping list.
Spaghetti with Meatballs
- 1 (28 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
- 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 onion (from freezer), thawed
- 2-3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 1 tsp. basil
- meatballs (from freezer)
- 1 (8 oz.) pkg. spaghetti noodles, cooked according to package directions
Combine all ingredients and simmer in a slow cooker for 4-5 hours on low. Serve over cooked spaghetti noodles.
Meatballs
- 5 lbs. ground beef
- 1 cup italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup steak sauce (I like A1) or worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp basil
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
Mix all ingredients together in large bowl by using your hands. (Yes, it's easiest to just get messy and mix away!) If your mixture is a little too dry add a little more steak sauce or worcestershire sauce. If your mixture is a little too moist, add a little more bread crumbs. Shape into 1 inch balls. Place on foil lined baking sheets (the kind with sides!) and bake at 350°F for about 20-30 minutes, turning occasionally with tongs. Allow to cool. Divide into 5 portions: 1 for tonight and 4 in labeled, freezer safe containers.
Garlic Bread
- 1 loaf ciabatta* or Italian bread
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 4 tsp. minced garlic
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°F until bread is crusty and butter mixture is bubbly.
Leftover Salad
* Indicates that of the options listed, this item is the one on the grocery list.