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. I am adding 5 lbs. of ground beef to the grocery list. Cook all 5 lbs. and use 1 lb. tonight, and freeze the rest in freezer bags for future meals.
   
   

Baked Penne Pasta

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. ground beef, browned (buy 5 lbs.)
• 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

Cook beef, drain and rinse with hot water to remove excess fat. 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.

 

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.

Italian Bread

 

Tuesday Recipes

Notes for Tuesday: none

 Crustless Quiche

 

• 5 eggs
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 stick melted butter
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1/2 lb. grated cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients and pour into a well-greased 9x9 pan. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Reduce to 350° and cook for 30-40 more minutes.

 

Bacon or Sausage

 

 

Cantaloupe

 

 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. Bake half of the biscuits on cookie sheet at 475° 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.

 

 

 

Wednesday Recipes

Notes for Wednesday: none

 Cheddar Chicken Spaghetti

• 1 package (8 oz) spaghetti, broken in half
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (substitutions)
• 1 cup milk
• 1 T diced pimientos (optional)
• 1 can green chiles (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. tarragon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the chicken, 1 cup cheese, soup, milk, pimientos, green chiles, tarragon, salt and pepper. Drain spaghetti, add to the chicken mixture and toss to coat.

Transfer to a greased 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Yellow Squash and Onions

• 4 summer squash (yellow squash)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 T. butter

Wash squash and slice into thin slices. Slice onion into thin slices. Melt butter in a large saucepan and add squash and onions. Saute until squash is tender and onion is caramelized (turns sweet and brown). Salt to taste.

 

 

 

 

Thursday Recipes

Notes for Thursday:

1. Make enough salad tonight for leftovers tomorrow. Add crunchy items each night right before serving to keep from getting soggy.

 

 Lemon Pepper Grilled Tilapia

• 2 lbs. tilapia (or bass, crappie, croaker, whiting, or flounder)
• 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 30 minutes. Grill over medium heat until flesh is white and flaky.

 

 

Salad

 

 

 Creamed Peas

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoon flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Dash pepper
• 2 cups frozen peas (use a 10 oz box, or measure 2-cups from a bag of loose frozen peas)

 

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add flour and stir with a whisk for 1 minute. Do not brown the flour and butter mixture. Continue stirring constantly and add the milk gradually. Add salt, pepper, and sugar. Heat to a simmer and continue cooking, stirring constantly, for one minute. Add peas and heat to a simmer. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, or until peas are tender-crisp. Do not overcook.

 

 

 

Wild Rice

 

 

Friday Recipes

Notes for Friday:

1. Using minced garlic in a jar makes this and other recipes easier to clean up.
   
   
2. Use last night's extra salad tonight, adding crunchy ingredients and salad dressing just before serving.
   
   

Mexican Meatball Soup (Crockpot)

• 1 lb. frozen Italian meatballs (store-bought or homemade from freezer*)
• 2/3 cup sauteed onion (see notes above)
• 2/3 cup sauteed green bell pepper (see notes above)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans beef broth
• 16 oz. jar salsa
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 cup pasta shells
• 2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Combine meatballs, onion, green pepper, garlic, beef broth, salsa, chili powder, and cumin in a crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours. Add pasta and seasonings, stir well, cover, and cook on low an additional hour or until pasta is tender. Garnish with cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.

 

 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. (If you don't use cast iron, mix the other half of the oil in the batter and cook as usual.)

 

Salad (leftover from last night)

 

* 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 October 12-16, 2009 - PDF

Grocery List for October 12-16 , 2009 - TXT (for PDAs or text editing)

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