Basic Weekly Menu Plan

You are here:  Home / Weekly Menu / Archive / July 27-31, 2009

Get the meal makeovers, nutrition data, dietary exchanges and point values for the menus.

 

Monday Recipes

Notes for Monday:

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!
   
   
2. Plan ahead...the broccoli salad is best when chilled.
   
   

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.

 

 

Tuesday Recipes

Notes for Tuesday:

1. The crockpot lasagna cooks in about 4-5 hours. If you work during the day, that may be inconvenient since you cannot put it on before leaving for work. In that case, you may wish to prepare the lasagna in a 9x13 pan and refrigerate it until you get home or until someone can start baking it in the oven (about 45-55 min. at 350°) in the afternoon.
   
   
2. Make a large enough salad to save half for tomorrow night.
   
   
   
   

 Crockpot Lasagna

• 1 28-oz. jar of spaghetti sauce
• 1 package frozen cheese ravioli (about 24-oz.)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Spray crockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Spread 1 cup sauce on the bottom and layer with half of the ravioli. Sprinkle with half of the cheese and another cup of sauce. Layer the remaining ravioli and top with the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake on low for 3-5 hours, depending on how hot your crockpot cooks.

 

 

Green Bean Casserole

• 4 cans green beans   
• 1 can French onions  
• 2 cups milk       
• 2 Tsp ground pepper (or to your liking)                                                              
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup

Mix green beans, milk, pepper, soup and 3/4 can of onions. Bake at 375°F for 35 minutes stirring  frequently. Add the remainder of onions and bake 5 minutes.

Salad

 

 

Wednesday Recipes

Notes for Wednesday:

1. Make the corn salad ahead of time so it can chill.
   
   .
   

Chicken Cheese Quesadillas

• 1-1/2 cups cooked chicken (from freezer)
• 8 whole wheat tortillas
• 2 cups Mexican blend cheese
• 1 can chopped green chiles (opt.)
• olive oil spray
• salsa
• sour cream

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray one side of 4 tortillas with olive oil spray. Lay the tortillas oiled side down on a cookie sheet (you may need to use two sheets or do two batches). Spread chicken and cheese evenly over tortillas. For extra flavor and heat, add a can of chopped green chiles for those who like spicy food. Top with the remaining 4 tortillas and spray the tops with olive oil spray.

Bake until tortillas are crisp and cheese is melted. Remove from oven and slice into triangles with a pizza cutter. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Corn Salad

• 2 cans shoepeg corn (or 1 bag frozen)
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1/4 onion, chopped
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 4 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp mustard

Drain corn (or thaw and drain if using frozen corn). Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Chill 2-3 hours or overnight. Serve chilled.

Leftover Salad

 

 

 

Thursday Recipes

Notes for Thursday:

1. We're having breakfast for dinner tonight! Plan on making extra buttermilk biscuits to freeze. Prepare as directed, cut out and then freeze in portions large enough for your family.
   

 

 Broccoli Ham Omelet

• 2 tbsp margarine
• 2 cups ham, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cups broccoli, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 12 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup fresh basil (optional)

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add ham, onion, broccoli, salt and pepper and saute for about 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, sour cream, and baking powder on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Pour ham mixture into a baking dish and pour egg mixture over ham mixture. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle cheese and basil, if desired, over top. Bake about 15 minutes longer or until set and cheese is melted.

adapted from Southern Living

 

Buttermilk Biscuits

• 4 cups self-rising flour
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1-1/2 cups buttermilk

Combine flour and butter, cutting with a fork. Stir in buttermilk. Add more flour if too wet, more buttermilk if too dry. When dough is rolling consistency, knead a few times and turn out onto a floured surface. Roll out and cut with a biscuit cutter or upside down glass. Bake half of the biscuits on cookie sheet at 475°F until brown. Place the other half of the biscuits on a cookie sheet or other flat pan and put in the freezer until frozen. Before going to bed or early the next morning, bag the biscuits in a dated freezer bag for later use. If cooking thawed biscuits, follow normal cooking instructions. To cook frozen biscuits, extend cooking time. Serve hot biscuits with butter and jelly.

 

Tropical Fruit Salad

• 2 (8.5 oz.) cans tropical fruit salad
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (or pineapple if you can find it)
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 apple, chopped
• 1/2 cup green grapes
• 1/2 cup strawberries, quartered

Drain fruit salad, saving 1/4 cup of the juice. In a small bowl, mix together yogurt, honey and reserved juice. Fold in tropical fruit, apple, strawberries and grapes. Can be served immediately or chilled.

 

 

 

Friday Recipes

Notes for Friday:

1. You can figure about 4 hamburgers per pound of ground beef so buy enough ground beef to feed your family. I'll put 2 pounds on the grocery list. If this amount is more than you need then freeze the extra patties for later use.
   
   
2. I used frozen french fries for convenience, but feel free to substitute your favorite homemade fries if you like. Just make sure you edit your grocery list depending on your plans.
   
   

Hamburgers

I usually use 1 lb. of ground beef, an egg, and Adobo seasoning (easily found in the spice section of most grocery stores; substitute garlic salt if you can't find it) to make patties. We are going to increase this mixture to 2 lbs. of ground beef, 2 eggs, and *lots* of Adobo seasoning. You may add some bread crumbs if you wish. Shape patties for tonight's dinner, then take the extra meat and make more hamburger patty shapes for the freezer. Freeze the hamburger patties with wax paper between each layer in a dated freezer bag.

Grill hamburgers and serve on buns with your favorite condiments.

Hamburger Buns

 French Fries

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 ripe tomatoes, minced
• 1-2 cucumbers, minced
• 1 lg. red pepper, minced
• 1 lg. red onion , minced
• basil, oregano, tarragon, and parsley (fresh if available, dried if necessary) to taste
• Lots of fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 squeeze lemon

Stir in olive oil - enough to "coat" everything. Serve chilled.

 

 

Watermelon

 

* 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 July 27-31, 2009 - PDF

Grocery List for July 27-31 , 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

Back to Kitchen Helps

About Us | Media | Site Map | Advertise | Affiliate Program | Privacy Policy and Terms of Use | Contact Us | RSS | ©2000-2009 Menus4Moms.com