Basic Weekly Menu Plan

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

 

Monday Recipes

Notes for Monday:

1. Tonight's stir fry can use chicken, beef, shrimp, or simply go vegetarian. If you use meat, precooked meat from the freezer works great - just thaw and saute with the vegetables.
   
   
2. This is a good meal to add any vegetables that you have on hand that may need to be used up such as green beans, carrots, mushrooms, etc. Do not be limited by the listed ingredients if you have other items that can be added or substituted.
   
   
3. 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.
   
   

Stir Fry

• 1-2 lbs. chicken, beef, or shrimp* (optional)
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 white onion, sliced
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil (optional)
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• jarred stir fry sauce, such as Kikkoman's

Start cooking rice according to directions. Steam veggies until tender crisp and drain. This will help keep the liquid from the vegetables from turning your stir fry into "stir soup". Heat sesame and olive oils in a large fry pan or wok. Stir fry vegetables and cooked meat until tender and slightly brown on the edges. Add stir fry sauce and heat through. Serve over rice.

 

 Rice

 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.

 

 

 

Tuesday Recipes

Notes for Tuesday:

1. Tonight we are using the leftover spaghetti sauce from last week. If you do not have any, you can make some using this spaghetti sauce recipe.
   
   
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.
   
   
   
   

 Frozen Ravioli with Spaghetti Sauce

Cook one bag of your choice of frozen ravioli according to the directions. While it is cooking, heat your leftover spaghetti sauce from last week. Serve over ravioli and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

 

 

Salad

 

 

 

Italian Bread

 

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.

 

 

 

Wednesday Recipes

Notes for Wednesday:

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 Friday's 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 starting the soup.
   
   
2. Save 2 cups of the chicken for Friday's soup and freeze the rest for use next week.
   
   

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

 

Baked Sweet Potato

Bake 4-6 sweet potatoes just like you would regular potatoes or wash, pierce with a fork and cook in the microwave for about 5 minutes. Check regularly for doneness and add additional time as needed. Serve with butter and brown sugar.

 

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.

 

 

Thursday Recipes

Notes for Thursday: none

 

 Baked Fish

• 2 lbs. tilapia fillets
• 1 tsp. salt
• Dash of pepper
• 4 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• Adobo to taste
• Paprika (optional)

Sprinkle both sides of fish fillets with salt and pepper. Mix together melted butter, lemon juice and adobo. Dip fish into butter mixture; arrange into an ungreased square pan. Pour remaining butter mixture over fish. Cook uncovered into a preheated 350°F oven, until fish flakes easily with fork, for 25 to 30 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with paprika before serving.

 

 

Steamed Broccoli

 

 

Baked Yellow Squash

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup sweet onion, diced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp basil
• 2 tsp thyme
• 4 medium yellow squash, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
• 2/3 cup freshly grated parmesan
  

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease 9x13 inch baking dish with a little oil and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Stir in onion and season with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook until the onion's soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, basil, and thyme, stir to mix and sauté until the garlic becomes fragrant, 1 minute or so. Toss in the squash and cook 2 minutes. Pour the vegetables into the baking dish and spread them out into an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes or until the squash soften. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese, then bake another 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and browned.

 

Friday Recipes

Notes for Friday:

1. Use chicken and broth from Wednesday night.
   
   

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup with Mushrooms

• 2 cups shredded chicken
• 2 cans chicken broth or 4 cups homemade broth*
• 1 onion, chopped & sauteed (from freezer)
• 1/2 cup wild rice blend
• 8 oz. sliced mushrooms
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup cooking sherry (optional)
• Adobo seasoning
• 4 tbsp. flour

Combine first 4 ingredients in slow cooker on high. Saute mushrooms in butter until tender. Add to slow cooker. Once soup is hot, add cream of mushroom soup, stirring until well blended. Season to taste with Adobo. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.1 hour before serving, mix flour with 1/3 cup hot water until dissolved and add to soup to thicken. 30 minutes before serving, add milk and sherry.

 

Sourdough Bread

 

Apple Slices with Cheddar Cheese

 

 

* 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 November 9-13, 2009 - PDF

Grocery List for November 9-13 , 2009 - TXT (for PDAs or text editing)

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