Basic Weekly Menu Plan

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Monday Recipes

Notes for Monday:

1. If you do not have any cooked ground beef in the freezer, be sure to add beef to your shopping list. This would be a good time to buy in bulk and restock your freezer. I have put 5 lbs on the shopping list. Cook it all tonight if you wish and just be sure to label everything for your freezer.
   
   
2. Reserve half of your salad for Wednesday.
   
   
   

Beef Taco Skillet

• 1 lb. browned ground beef
• 1 can tomato soup
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1/2 cup water
• 6 flour tortillas, cut into 1" pieces
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Thaw beef. In a frying pan, add beef, soup, salsa, water and tortillas. Heat to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Stir and top with cheese.

 

Mexican Salad

• variety of lettuces, torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded & chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded & chopped
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 1 can black olives, drained
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 bottle salsa ranch salad dressing

Combine all fresh ingredients then reserve half for Wednesday. Add salsa ranch dressing just before serving each night.

 

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

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. If you do not have a cast iron skillet, use whatever pan you have but do not preheat it unless it is heavy duty and can be heated without food in it.

 

 

Tuesday Recipes

Notes for Tuesday:

1. Couscous, a staple grain in many North African countries, is a coarsely ground semolina pasta. You can find boxed couscous, both flavored and unflavored, near the rice in your grocery store. If you haven't had couscous before, give it a try. Just follow the directions on the box. My kids love it but be warned...my toddler makes a total MESS eating couscous!
   
   
   
   

 Mandarin Topped Chops

• 6 pork chops (we like boneless thin pork loin chops but any cut works)
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 can (11 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• pepper to taste

In a skillet, brown chops on both sides in oil. Top with oranges, sprinkle with cinnamon. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until meat juices run clear.

 

Couscous

Broccoli Salad

• 3 cups fresh broccoli florets
• 3/4 cup cheddar cheese
• 2 T. chopped onion
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 T. red wine vinegar* or cider vinegar
• 6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled; or REAL bacon bits*

In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, cheese, and onion. Combine the mayo, sugar, and vinegar; pour over the broccoli mixture and toss to coat. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Just before serving, stir in the bacon.

Wednesday Recipes

Notes for Wednesday:

1. We restocked chicken last week so you should have enough in the freezer for tonight's dish. If you did not restock, make sure to add chicken to your grocery list. We will plan to restock your sauteed onions, so check your supply and if you already have enough in your freezer, delete the bag of onions from the grocery list. Chop and saute most of the bag and store in 1/2 cup portions in labeled freezer bags.
   
   
2. We are separating the recipe into 2 smaller pans for planned leftovers. If you have a larger family you may want to cook all the enchiladas in one 9x13 pan and not have any leftover to freeze.
   

Chicken Enchiladas

• 2 cups shredded or chopped cooked chicken (from freezer)
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can chicken broth
• 8 oz. sour cream
• 1 onions, sauteed (from freezer or see notes above)
• 1 bell pepper, chopped & sauteed
• cilantro
• cumin
• Adobo or garlic salt
• 6 whole wheat flour tortillas (if you can't find them, get regular ones)
• 2 cups Mexican blend cheese

Combine soup, 3/4 can chicken broth, and sour cream. Set aside 1 cup of this mixture. To the remaining mixture, add chicken, onion, pepper, and spices to taste. Add 1 cup of the cheese.

Place 2-3 T. of mixture onto each tortilla, roll up, and place the tortillas in a 9x12 pan. Add the remaining chicken broth to the reserved soup mixture and pour over enchiladas. Sprinkle remaining cheese over enchiladas. Cook at 350°F until bubbly.

 

Corn

 

Leftover Mexican Salad

 

 

Thursday Recipes

Notes for Thursday:

1. Tonight's dish is a meal in itself. If you feel like you need to have more than one dish, add a salad with a ginger dressing.
   
   
2. You will find the rice noodles in the ethnic section of the grocery store. If you can't find rice noodles, I would serve this dish on brown rice.
   
   
3. Ginger is a root that is found in the produce department. Ask the produce employee for help if you can't find it.
   
   
4. Juliennned vegetables are ones that have been slivered thinly.
   
   
5. The peanut sauce makes a lot and you may or may not use it all. The leftovers can be used as a dip for veggie roll-ups for lunches. The peanut sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated then reheated before use.
   

Thai Noodles with Vegetables and Peanut Sauce

• 8 oz. dried rice noodles
• 1 1/2 cups carrots, julienned
• 1 1/2 cups red bell peppers, julienned
• 1 1/2 cups green onion, chopped
• olive oil
• 2 cups peanut sauce (see recipe below)
• toasted pine nuts or peanuts* (for garnish, opt.)

Prepare the peanut sauce (below) and leave to warm on the stove. Start preparing rice noodles according to package directions. Saute vegetables in non-stick pan until tender. Drain noodles. Serve with vegetables on noodles and peanut sauce on top of all. I recommend serving plates individually instead of putting it all on one dish as it is harder to serve from one dish.

Peanut Sauce

• 2 T. Thai chili paste (opt. - leave out if you don't have it)
• 2-3 T. honey
• 1 T. vinegar
• 3 tsp. soy sauce
• 2 T. finely minced ginger (peel first)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter
• 1 cup water or more

Heat chili paste, honey, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic in a saucepan on low. Heat, stirring constantly, until blended. Add peanut butter in thirds, mixing well after each third is added. Simmer until hot. Keep warm until use or store in refrigerator for later.

 

 

 

 

Friday Recipes

Notes for Friday:

1. You may add 1 lb. of sliced and browned Kielbasa to the pasta dish if you prefer.
   

Primavera Pasta Pie

• 8 ounces spaghetti, cooked
• 3 eggs, beaten, separated
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese plus 3 Tbsp., separated
• 3 Tbsp. butter, separated
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• Italian seasoning to taste
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 cup half and half

Combine warm cooked spaghetti, 1 beaten egg, 1 Tbsp. butter, and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese. Mix well and place as a crust into a greased casserole dish (slightly smaller than 9x12 but larger than 9x9). In a large fry pan, melt 2 Tbsp. butter. When melted, add broccoli, onion, and red bell pepper. Season with Italian seasoning and salt. Cook until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently. Turn vegetable mixture into pan with spaghetti crust. Sprinkle with remaining 3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese. Mix remaining 2 beaten eggs and 1/2 cup half and half; pour over casserole. Cook at 350°F for 25 minutes or until light brown and bubbly.

 

 

Pineapple over Cottage Cheese

 

 

Dinner Rolls

 

* 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 April 6-10, 2009 - PDF

Grocery List for April 6-10 , 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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