Basic Weekly Menu Plan

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

 

Monday Recipes

Notes for Monday:

1. Edamame are soy beans salted and boiled in the pod. They are a popular Japanese snack that is sold frozen. If your local grocer, health food store, or oriental food store sells them, definitely give them a try. They are very popular with children since they are a finger food and kids like popping the beans from the pod into their mouths. If you can't find them, serve Snow Peas with dip.
   
   
   

Chicken Teriyaki Burgers with Pineapple Slices

• 4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
• 4-6 hamburger buns
• 4 -6 pineapple slices
• Lettuce
• Mayo and Mustard

Marinate chicken breasts in teriyaki sauce overnight. (15-30 minutes if you're in a hurry.) On stovetop or grill, cook chicken about 12 to 14 minutes. Place each cooked chicken breast on a bun and top with a pineapple slice. Complete with lettuce and condiments your choice.

Edamame

Boil 1 bag of frozen edamame in salted water until they float. Drain in a colander, rinse with cold water, and sprinkle with coarse salt. Serve at room temperature by holding the pod to your mouth and squeezing until the beans pop into your mouth. Discard the pod.

 Mango/Strawberry/Pineapple Salsa

• 1 pint (12 oz) strawberries, stemmed and chopped
• 1 large Mango, peeled seeded and chopped
• 1 cup pineapple, (crushed and drained or pineapple chunks), optional
• ¼ cup green onions, sliced (can substitute with finely diced red onion)
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice (I used lemon)
• 1 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• Salt to taste

In bowl, toss all ingredients and blend thoroughly. Salsa will last for two days (it gets soupy after that).

 

 

Tuesday Recipes

Notes for Tuesday:

1. This is an authentic Japanese fried rice recipe and is delicious. Mary Ann took cooking lessons when she lived in Japan and this is one of the recipes she learned. It can be made vegetarian style or you can add meat, such as baby shrimp (frozen are easy), cubed cooked chicken, or beef strips. I have not added meat to the grocery list so if you want meat in the fried rice you will need to add it to your grocery list.
   
   
2. You may not have heard of tamari. It is a premium soy sauce that has the wonderful rich flavor of soy sauce but does not taste as salty. It can be quite expensive at health food stores, but the Food Lion in my area carries it for $.99/bottle. It is definitely worth trying; it is all we use except for marinades that require large quantities of soy sauce.
   
   
3. Last week we made extra rice for tonight's meal for quicker preparation. Calrose rice is preferred for this dish. Calrose rice is not the same as white rice. Look for it with the white rice in your grocery store. Again, if you did not cook the rice last week, cook your rice at least an hour before you plan to start your fried rice. It works better if it is still slightly warm when you fry it.
   
   
   

 Fried Rice

• Calrose rice, cooked (about 2-3 cups)
• 1 egg
• 1 onion, chopped
• frozen peas and carrots, thawed
• corn if you like it
• meat (optional, not on grocery list)
• soy sauce or tamari

Cook calrose rice according to directions. Heat some oil in wok or deep fry pan (I use about a tablespoon) and scramble one egg in it. Remove egg and add some more oil (I add about 3 tbsp) to the pan, heating. Add chopped onion, some thawed peas & carrots (and corn if you like), and anything else you like in your rice. We sometimes add leftover chicken or canned baby shrimp. When the onions are tender, add the rice and add soy sauce to taste and stir with a big flat wooden spoon or large cooking chopsticks, if you have them (mine are about 18" long). Add the cooked egg near the end of cooking time and stir well. When the rice is heated through and a bit crispy, it is ready to serve.

 

 Egg Drop Soup

• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 green onion with part of green top, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• dash of pepper
• 2 eggs slightly beaten
• frozen wanton sheets (optional)

Heat chicken broth, salt and pepper to boiling in saucepan. Stir green onions into eggs. Pour egg mixture slowly into boiling broth, stirring constantly with fork to form shreds of egg.

If you want to add fried wantons to your soup, you can buy frozen wanton sheets (wrappers - not on the grocery list), thaw them and slice them into strips. Deep fry the strips and serve on top of soup.

 

 

Strawberries and Bananas

 

 

Wednesday Recipes

Notes for Wednesday:

1. Tonight brown enough ground beef (5 lbs.) and onions (1 bag) to replenish your freezer supply. If you still have plenty of onions and beef in your freezer you can remove the larger quantities of these items from your grocery list and just get two individual onions. Use a pound of the cooked meat and 2 cooked onions for tonight's Crockpot Enchiladas and Spanish Rice, and freeze the rest.
   

Crockpot Enchiladas

• 1 lb. ground beef, cooked (from freezer)
• 1 medium onion, sauteed (from freezer)
• 1/2 tsp. Adobo seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 4 whole wheat flour tortillas
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 10-oz. can enchilada sauce
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
• 2 cups shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
• sour cream

In a bowl, combine ground beef, onion, Adobo, salt, and pepper. In another bowl, mix the Rotel and enchilada sauce. Place 2 tortillas in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place half of the following in layers over the tortillas: meat, corn, sauce mixture, and cheese. Repeat layers. Cook on low 5-6 hours.

 

 Corn on the Cob

 

 Spanish Rice

• 1 chopped onion, sauteed (from freezer)
• black pepper
• chili powder
• cumin
• Adobo seasoning
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
• Olive oil
• 1 can (15 oz.) chicken broth
• 1 cup water

Saute onion in olive oil in a Dutch oven until tender; remove from pan. Add 2 T. olive oil to pan and brown the uncooked rice. Do not burn! Add chicken broth and water (this will sizzle loudly when the liquid meets the hot oil), add seasonings to taste, and bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low for 20 minutes; do not open. When cooked, add onions and any other warmed items you may have on hand that would be good in rice (corn, salsa, Rotel, etc.). Stir gently and serve.

 

 

 

 

Thursday Recipes

Notes for Thursday:

1. Tonight's meatball sub recipe is from Bulk Cooking: The Hamburger Plan. If you do not have any meatballs from two week's ago when we made them, you may use store-bought meatballs from the freezer aisle (make sure to add them to your grocery list). The recipe makes 4 subs, so increase it as necessary for your family.
   
   
2. Make sure your chicken for roasting tomorrow is thawed. We are going to prepare the rub for it today and let it sit overnight.
   

 

 Meatball Subs

• 1 teaspoon oil
• 3/4 cup EACH: bell pepper strips, thin onion wedges
• 1/3 Freezer Stash Meatballs, thawed in refrigerator (about 16 meatballs)
• 1-1/2 cups spaghetti sauce
• 4 hoagie rolls, split
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high until very hot. Add peppers and onions and cook, stirring, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Add thawed, cooked meatballs and spaghetti sauce.

Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, 5 to 6 minutes. Divide among rolls and, if desired, sprinkle with cheese.

Broccoli Salad

• 3 cups fresh broccoli florets
• 3/4 cup cheddar cheese
• 2 T. chopped onion
• 3/4 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.

 

Fruit Cocktail

Roast Sticky Chicken (for tomorrow)

• 1 large chicken -- (roasting)
• 1 cup onion -- chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 4 teaspoons salt

In a small bowl, thoroughly combine all the spices (do not include the onion). Remove giblets from chicken, clean the cavity well and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, both inside and out, making sure it is evenly distributed and down deep into the skin. Place in a re-sealable plastic bag, seal and refrigerate overnight.

 

 

 

 

Friday Recipes

Notes for Friday:

1. After dinner, I like to tear the remaining chicken from the bone and boil the carcass and skin to create a nice broth for soup. I simmer it for an hour or two and then refrigerate the broth so I can skim off the fat in the morning before freezing or using.
   
   
2. Chop or cube any remaining chicken for re-stocking the freezer.
   
   
3. Today's creamed corn is not the sweet yellow kind that you get in a can, it is a southern-style white creamed corn that is delicious.
   
   

Roast Sticky Chicken

• 1 large chicken -- (roasting)
• 1 cup onion -- chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 4 teaspoons salt

In a small bowl, thoroughly combine all the spices. Remove giblets from chicken, clean the cavity well and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, both inside and out, making sure it is evenly distributed and down deep into the skin. Place in a re-sealable plastic bag, seal and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to roast chicken, stuff cavity with onions, and place in a shallow baking pan. Roast, uncovered, at 250° F for 5 hours. After the first hour, baste chicken occasionally (every half hour or so) with pan juices. (It may take awhile to have pan juices) The pan juices will start to caramelize on the bottom of pan and the chicken will turn golden brown. If the chicken contains a pop-up thermometer, ignore it. Let chicken rest about 10 minutes before carving.

NB: Food safety guidelines do not recommend baking chicken at a temperature this low. Please understand that it is safer to bake chicken at 350° and you may wish to use this safer temperature for less time. Also, I use a roasting bag to prepare this chicken. It cuts down the mess and tastes moist and wonderful.

This recipe was originally created by Mimi Hiller of Mimi's Cyber Kitchen, http://www.cyber-kitchen.com/ and this version was actually an adaptation written by Lynn Nelson, former guide of Busy Cooks, http://busycooks.about.com

 Creamed Corn

• 12 oz. bag frozen white shoepeg corn
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper

Thaw corn. Melt butter and in a blender, combine corn, butter, water, and sugar. Blend until creamy with bits of corn left in the mix. In a frypan over medium heat, mix milk, cornstarch, salt, and pepper, stirring constantly with a whisk to get rid of any lumps. Add corn mixture and heat, stirring occasionally, until thick and bubbly.

Green Beans

 

* 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 August 31 - September 4, 2009 - PDF

Grocery List for August 31 - September 4 , 2009 - TXT (for PDAs or text editing)

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