Basic Weekly Menu Plan

You are here:  Home / Weekly Menu / Archive / March 16-20

We have entered Menus4Moms in the 2009 Leading Moms in Business Competition. This would be a great opportunity for publicity so if you appreciate the M4M resources, please consider voting daily throughout the rest of the month. The voting closes March 31. Every vote counts.

 

Monday Recipes

Notes for Monday:

1. If you want to save a little money, you can double the broccoli and half the chicken in the Chicken Divan recipe.
   
   
   

Chicken Divan

• 4 cups cooked chicken, cut up (from freezer)
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1 16 oz. pkg. frozen chopped broccoli, cooked
• 1 small bag Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix
• 2 cups rice, cooked

Heat soup and cheese until melted. Remove from heat. Add mayonnaise, lemon juice, and curry. Mix well. In a 9x12 casserole dish layer all of broccoli, then all of chicken, then all of soup and cheese mixture. Cover with stuffing mix. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Serve over rice.

 

White Rice

 

Strawberries and Bananas

 

Tuesday Recipes

Notes for Tuesday:

1. When making the green chili, you could make a double batch, one for the freezer for a future easy meal. It is very easy to make and can be made ahead of time and freezes very well. If you are in a time crunch, use two cans of canned green chili, but it won’t be nearly as yummy.
   
   
2. Last week we restocked the freezer with cooked ground beef. If you didn't do this last week or you are out already, make sure to add more ground beef to your grocery list. (I check the meat section every time I go to the store to see if there are any sales. That way I always have discounted ground beef in my freezer. After I have acquired a small collection of ground beef packs on sale, I thaw it all and cook it all. I freeze it in 1 pound portions and refreeze. I NEVER pay full price and I only buy the leanest 97% fat free.)
   
   

 Green Chili Burrito Bake

Very easy to make ahead and store extra green chili in the freezer.

GREEN CHILI:

• 1 lb. ground beef* (from freezer), or ground turkey
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped (from freezer)
• 5 tbsp flour
• 1 (14-1/2 oz.) can tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups water
• 1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chili
• 1-2 jalapeno peppers, chopped, more or less to taste (optional)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Thaw meat and onion. Heat meat and onion over medium heat. Cook until onion is soft but not brown. Stir in flour, add tomatoes, water, green chili, jalapeno peppers, salt, and garlic powder. Stir until thickened. Reduce heat to low, simmer 30 minutes. Use to prepare Burrito Casserole.

Assemble Burrito Casserole:

• 1 package, whole grain tortillas, corn or flour
• 2 cups refried beans; canned, or homemade*
• 2 cups Mexican blend cheese or cheddar cheese, shredded
• sour cream

Heat tortilla briefly in microwave or on hot griddle so the tortilla is pliable. Place 1/4 cup refried bean mixture inside the tortilla with 1-2 tbsp shredded cheese, and 1-2 tsp sour cream. Roll up tightly, place in 9 X 13 casserole dish. Make 8-10 burritos. Smother the burritos with hot green chili in casserole dish. Place casserole in the oven at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until the mixture is bubbly. Serve hot burritos on plates, and pass around the optional garnishes below.

Garnishes:

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 cups shredded lettuce
• 1-2 tomatoes, diced
• Guacamole (see recipe below)
• green onions, chopped

 

  Quick Guacamole

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1-2 tbsp salsa, optional

Peel and mash avocados. Add seasonings, adjust seasonings to taste.

 

Honey Nut Peaches

• 3 small peaches, pitted and sliced
• 3 tbsp chopped pecans* or walnuts
• 3 tsp honey

Preheat broiler (toaster oven is fine). Lay peach slices on broiling pan and drizzle with honey. Sprinkle with nuts and broil for 5 minutes. Serve warm.

 

 

 

Wednesday Recipes

Notes for Wednesday:

1. Start your roast in the morning.
   
   
2. Save leftovers in the freezer for future use. Make sure to label your freezer bags.
   
   
   

French Dip Sandwiches

• 3-4 lb. roast
• 2 tbsp. yellow mustard
• 1 package onion soup mix
• French rolls

Place meat in slow cooker, cover with mustard and sprinkle with onion soup mix. Cover and cook on low for 8-12 hours (depending on how hot your slow cooker cooks). When fully cooked, carve into thick slices or shred. Strain broth and skim fat if desired. Serve meat on French rolls with juice in small bowls or saucers for dipping.

 

Potato Salad

 

• 3 lbs. new potatoes, cooked and cooled
• 1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup stone-ground mustard
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 2 Tbsp dried parsley

Cut cooked potatoes into bite-size cubes and put into a large bowl with onion. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over potatoes and onion, mixing well. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.

 

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. If you don't have cooked ground beef in the freezer, make sure to add more to your grocery list.
   
   
2. This recipe would freeze well, so if you can, double the ingredients on your grocery list and make an extra pan of this pasta in a freezer safe dish. Label with clear cooking instructions and freeze for a time when you need a quick meal.
   
   
3. Make a large spinach salad tonight and save half for tomorrow night. Add "crunchies" and salad dressing just before serving each night.

 

 Baked Penne Pasta

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. ground beef, browned (from freezer)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup spaghetti sauce
  3/4 cup brown gravy
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp rosemary
• salt and pepper to taste
• 12 oz. penne pasta, cooked
• 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Reheat beef. In a large fry pan, saute garlic over low heat 1-2 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients except Mozzarella cheese and pasta. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add pasta and pour into a baking dish. Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese on top. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes.

 

 

Spinach Salad

• Bag baby spinach greens
• sliced mushrooms
• sunflower seeds
• raisins
• croutons
• salad dressing

Wash spinach and place in salad bowl. Top with remaining items and serve with salad dressing of your choice.

 

Garlic Cheese Toast

• 1 loaf of French bread
• Pam™ olive oil spray
• Italian blend cheese, shredded
• garlic salt or Adobo*

Slice bread and lay flat on a cookie sheet. Spray each slice with olive oil spray. Sprinkle with garlic salt or Adobo. Sprinkle with shredded cheese blend. Bake at 350°F until cheese is melted and starting to brown.

 

 

 

Friday Recipes

Notes for Friday:

1. If you don't have a grill, try baking the fish in the oven at 350°F until the fish is white and flaky.
   
   
2. Tonight's dessert is a great opportunity to get your kid's in the kitchen! My kids have been helping with this recipe for several years. Even when my 3 year old was a baby, he liked to hit my food chopper to chop the apples and to stir up the apple mixture. Sometimes we make a mess but they feel such a since of accomplishment when they can say they "made it all by myself!" Just put on your apron of patience and get out the camera! My kids each have their own apron and chef hat to make cooking "real".
   
   
   

Lemon Pepper Grilled Fish

• 2 lbs. bass, crappie, croaker, whiting (sea mullet), or flounder (or other flaky white fish)
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• generous sprinkling of lemon pepper seasoning (1 Tbsp)
• generous sprinkling of adobo* seasoning or garlic salt (1 Tbsp)

Place fish in a shallow dish for marinating. Combine all other ingredients and pour over fish. Marinate 20 minutes. Grill over medium heat until flesh is white and flaky.

 

Leftover Spinach Salad

 

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.

 

 

Apple Turnovers (Great for Kids in the Kitchen!)

• 1 medium tart apple, peeled and chopped (I like Granny Smith)
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
• 1 tube refrigerated biscuits
• 1 tbsp butter/margarine, melted
• 2 tbsp sugar
• vanilla ice cream

Heat oven to 400°F. Combine apple, applesauce, and 1/4 tsp cinnamon in a bowl. Separate biscuits and roll out each into a 6-inch circle. Place biscuits onto greased baking sheet. Place a heaping teaspoonful of apple mixture in the center of each biscuit. Fold biscuit in half and pinch the edges to seal. Brush tops of each biscuit with melted butter. Combine sugar and the rest of the cinnamon; sprinkle over the tops. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

 

 

* 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 March 16-20, 2009 - PDF

Grocery List for March 16-20 , 2009 - TXT (for PDAs or text editing)

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

Find sale prices on the grocery list items with our new Grocery Deals feature (brought to you in partnership with MyGroceryDeals)

Printer-friendly version

Eating healthy? Find out how to get the meal makeovers, nutrition data and point values for the menus.

Back to Kitchen Helps

About Us | Media | Site Map | Advertise | Affiliate Program | Privacy Policy and Terms of Use | Contact Us | RSS | ©2000-2010 Menus4Moms.com