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. 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. Calrose rice is not the same as white rice. Look for it with the white rice in your grocery store.
   
   
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. 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.
   
   
4. 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.
   
   
   
   
   

Fried Rice

• Calrose rice, cooked (about 2-3 cups)
• 1 egg
• 1 onion, chopped
• frozen peas and carrots, thawed
• corn if you like it
• chicken* or shrimp (optional, I am using cooked chicken from the freezer)
• 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.

 

 

 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. Use diced leftover ham from Christmas dinner. If you did not cook the ham last Friday or if you did not have any leftovers, be sure to add more ham to your grocery list.
   
   
2. Prepare the Jello Parfait in the morning.
   
   
   
   

 Shortcut Chicken Cordon Blue

• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 cups diced cooked chicken (from freezer)
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp dry white wine
• 1/2 cup swiss cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup cooked ham, diced (leftover from Christmas ham)
• 4 cups cooked egg noodles

In a medium skillet over medium heat add soup, water, wine, cheese and ham. Heat to a boil, stirring often. Add cooked chicken to pan. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 5 minutes or until chicken is heated through, stirring occasionally. Serve over cooked egg noodles.

 

Sauteed Greens of Your Choice

 Orange Jell-O Parfait

• 1 sm. Jell-O (orange)
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 can mandarin oranges, drained well

Mix the Jell-O packet with the sour cream. Add vanilla and mix well. Fold in Cool Whip. Layer fruit and Jell-O mixture in parfait glasses. Chill. Serve cold.

 

 

 

Wednesday Recipes

Notes for Wednesday:

1. Tonight's soup can be prepared on the stovetop or in a slow cooker.

Hash Brown Soup

• 1 sauteed onion (from freezer)
• 3 cans chicken broth
• 1 large bag frozen hash browns
• 1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of celery soup (substitutions)
• 1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of chicken soup (substitutions)
• 1 (12 oz.) can of Evaporated Milk (I use regular milk instead of evaporated milk)
• 1 pound Velveeta cheese

Combine onion and broth, bring to boil. Add hash browns, bring to boil. Add soups (don't dilute) and evaporated milk, bring to boil. Add Cheese. Heat until cheese melts. Optional, serve with bacon bits on top.

 

Salad

 

 

Sourdough Bread

 

 

Thursday Recipes

Notes for Thursday:

1. If you do not have any ham in the freezer from Christmas last week, be sure to add ham to your grocery list. The Scalloped Potatoes and Ham dish is from Kim Tilley's Bulk Cooking: Ham Plan.
   
   
2. Double the Apple Grape and Walnut Salad if you would like to have it for leftovers with your Cabbage Sausage Supper tomorrow. The grocery list reflects doubling the recipe below.
   

 

 Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 cups chopped cooked ham
• 2 small onions, thinly sliced and separated into rings
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 2 cloves minced garlic

Melt butter in heavy saucepan over low heat, add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook one minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add half and half, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir in salt and white pepper.

Spoon 1/4 cup sauce mixture into greased 10 inch oven proof skillet. Combine potato and remaining ingredients in a large bowl, stir well. Layer half of potato mixture over sauce, top with half of remaining sauce. Repeat layers. Cover and bake at 350°F for one hour or until potatoes are tender.

 

 

 

 Apple, Grape and Walnut Salad (double if you want leftovers for tomorrow)

• 3 sliced and cored Granny Smith apples
• 1 bunch red grapes, pulled from the stems
• chopped walnuts
• 8 oz. vanilla yogurt
• 3 oz. cream cheese

Combine fruit and nuts and serve with vanilla yogurt mixed with cream cheese (use a mixer for a smooth blend).

 

 

Friday Recipes

Notes for Friday: None

One Pot Cabbage Sausage Supper

• 1 pound cooked smoked sausage, cut in 1/2 inch slices
• 1/3 cup onion, cut into wedges
• 1 small head of cabbage, chopped
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 pound carrots, cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

In a large pot, cook sausage and onion over medium heat until sausage is lightly browned and onion is tender. Drain. Add cabbage and water. Cover and cook on low for 10 minutes. Stir in carrots and potatoes. Cover and cook for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

 

 

Leftover Apple, Grape and Walnut Salad

 

* 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 December 28 - January 1, 2009 - PDF

Grocery List for December 28 - January 1 , 2009 - TXT (for PDAs or text editing)

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