Basic Weekly Menu Plan

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Monday Recipes

 

Notes for Monday:

 

1. The pesto sauce mix I use is Knorr Pesto. To make this you would stir the dry mix into oil and water and heat. A jar of prepared pesto sauce or frozen pesto sauce would also work well in this recipe. I actually use double the amount of pasta listed here for the same amount of pesto sauce due to my kids' taste buds. We also like to sprinkle pecan pieces or pine nuts over the dish for added flavor, which I didn't add to the shopping list. Just add if you so choose.
   
   
2. If you do not have chicken in the freezer that you can use for Thursday's Chicken Taco Bake, I would cook a few extra pieces with tonight's meal. Do not coat those pieces with pesto mix, but remove the extra from the pan and set aside before mixing with the pesto sauce.
   
   
3. Make a large salad tonight and save half for tomorrow night. Add "crunchies" and salad dressing just before serving each night.
   
   
   
   
   

 

Chicken Pesto

 

• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) Angel Hair Pasta
• 1 pkg. Pesto Sauce mix* or 1 jar prepared pesto sauce
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 2 lb chicken, cooked, cubed (from freezer)
• 1 tbsp. basil
• grated parmesan cheese

 

Prepare pasta according to directions. Prepare pesto sauce mix according to directions. In frying pan, place cooked chicken from yesterday in heated oil and sprinkle basil over chicken until reheated. Mix pasta, chicken and pesto together. Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over mixture and serve.

 

 

 

Salad

 

 

Apple Slices

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday Recipes

 

Notes for Tuesday: none

 

 Kielbasa Skillet Stew

• 5 bacon strips, cooked
• 1 onion, sauteed (from freezer)
• olive oil
• 1 to 1-1/2 lbs. smoked kielbasa (fully cooked), thinly sliced
• 2 - 15.5 oz. cans great northern beans, undrained
• 2 - 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
• 1 can chopped green chiles
• 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/8 tsp. pepper

 

In a large skillet, cook sausage in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Add remaining ingredients except bacon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Crumble bacon. Serve hot with bacon on top.

 

 

 Cornbread

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 can corn, drained

 

Preheat oven to 425°F. Put half of the olive oil in a 9x9x2 cast iron skillet and preheat in oven without burning oil. Mix all remaining ingredients in a bowl. Pour batter into preheated cast iron skillet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until done.

 

 

Leftover Salad

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday Recipes

 

Notes for Wednesday:

 

1. Double the Macaroni and Cheese recipe and freeze the extra one. The grocery list reflects doubling the recipe.
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Beans and Franks

• 2- 28 oz. cans pork and beans
• ketchup to taste
• 1 tsp. mustard
• 3-4 hot dogs, sliced into bite size pieces

 

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat until bubbly.

 

 

 

 

 

 Macaroni and Cheese

 

• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard (optional)
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2-1/2 cups milk
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 cups (8 oz) shredded American or Cheddar cheese, divided
• 8 oz Mueller's Elbows (about 2 cups), cooked 5 minutes and drained

 

In medium saucepan combine corn starch, salt, dry mustard and pepper; stir in milk. Add margarine. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in 1-3/4 cups (425 ml) cheese until melted. Add elbows. Pour into greased 2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with reserved cheese. Bake uncovered in 375°F oven 25 minutes or until lightly browned. This can be prepared ahead of time and kept refrigerated until you are ready to bake. Add 5-7 minutes to the cooking time if cold.

 

Source: Mueller's elbow macaroni box

 

Buttered Peas

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday Recipes

 

Notes for Thursday: none .

 

 

 Chicken Taco Bake

 

• 4 - 8" tortillas
• 1 pkg. taco seasoning
• 1 lb. cooked chicken, shredded (from freezer or Monday)
• 1 cup water
• 1 jar queso (cheese) dip
• salsa
• sour cream

 

In a skillet, cook together shredded chicken, seasoning packet, and water for 10 minutes or until meat is well-seasoned. Add 1/2 jar of queso dip and stir occasionally until melted. If mixture appears to be drying out, add more water. In a greased 9" pie dish, layer tortilla and 1/4 of meat mixture, repeating 4 times, ending with meat mixture on top. Top with 1/4 jar of queso sauce and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes or until heated through and queso is melted. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

 

 

 

 Corn

 

 

 

 Black Bean Salad

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 2 cups black beans (from freezer, thawed & rinsed, or 1 can, rinsed)
• 1 cup cut corn, drained
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 2 Tbsp. dried parsley

 

Combine vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and sugar. Mix well and combine with remaining ingredients. Toss before serving.

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Friday Recipes

 

Notes for Friday:

 

1. I like to pan fry in my cast iron skillet. Cast iron distributes heat evenly so the oil heats evenly and it is easy to clean out by rinsing with extremely hot water and wiping clean with paper towels.
   
   
2. Remember to never walk away from a stove with hot oil. Mary Ann's grandmother caught her kitchen on fire with a grease fire several years ago - it happens quickly.
   
   
3. The cole slaw can be prepared in advance and refrigerated.
   
   
4. If you have a favorite seafood breading, that can be used in place of the flour/cornmeal mixture. We like House Autry Seafood Breader but it isn't available everywhere.
   
   
   
   
   

 

Fried Flounder or Catfish

 

• flounder or catfish fillets (enough for your family) - I use about 2 lbs.
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• salt and pepper to taste
• dash cayenne pepper
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• vegetable oil for pan frying

 

Wash the fillets and dry them on paper towels. Heat oil in a heavy duty skillet. Set up an assembly line to dip the fillets with the milk and egg beaten together in one container and the flour, cornmeal, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to taste in another. Test the oil to see if it is hot enough by dropping a pinch of the dry mixture and see if it sizzles. Be careful not to let the oil get too hot. Dip the fillets in the dry mixture, then the milk mixture, then back into the dry mixture before carefully placing in the hot oil. Watch for the bottom to get golden brown, then flip the fillets to the other side (carefully). When the second side is golden brown, test one of the fillets to see if it is white all the way through. It should be completely opaque with no sign of translucence left. When it is done, remove to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Serve immediately.

 

 Sauteed Okra

 

• 2 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen okra (not breaded)* or about 1 lb. fresh okra, sliced with tops removed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans, if desired

 

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add okra, salt and pepper to taste, and pecans, if desired. Pan fry okra, stirring occasionally, until no longer "slimy", about 15 minutes. Allow okra to "brown" but not burn. Serve warm.

 

 

 

 Cole Slaw

 

• 1 bag prepared cabbage slaw, or homemade shreds
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp. vinegar
• 2 tsp. sugar or sugar substitute

 

Combine last 3 ingredients and refrigerate covered until ready to use. Mix with shredded slaw vegetables just before serving.

 

 

* 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 30 - April 3 , 2009 - PDF

Grocery List for March 30 - April 3 , 2009 - TXT (for PDAs or text editing)

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

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