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Monday

• Roasted Rosemary Chicken
• Rice Pilaf
• Green Bean Casserole

Tuesday

• Mexican Black Bean Lasagna
• Mexicorn
• Honey Nut Peaches

Wednesday

• Poppy Seed Chicken
• Lemon Parmesan Broccoli
• Apple, Grape and Walnut Salad

Thursday

• Linguini with Ham, Peas and Mushrooms
• Sliced Apples
• Salad
• Italian Bread

Friday

• Salmon
• Creamed Peas
• Baked Sweet Potato
• Leftover Salad

 

Monday Recipes

Notes for Monday:

1. Tonight's chicken can be cooked a number of different ways. You can follow the instructions as they are written for a roaster oven, or you can bake or grill. The length of time and the cook temperature will depend on how much chicken you are cooking. Just remember that for chicken to be "done" the internal temperature needs to be 165° F.
   
   
2. When I made this I actually cooked 9 split chicken breasts in my roaster oven. The chicken pieces were so big that my family of 5 (kids age 2-8) only ate two breasts and I had 7 breasts leftover. I bought the split breasts on sale and cooked them all at once for convenience. After dinner I picked all the meat off the bones and froze all the leftovers. The recipe and the grocery list will reflect the chicken as I made it. If you cannot afford this much chicken this week, just buy what you can and make the recipe according to what you bought.
   
   
3. We will be using cooked cubed chicken again on Wednesday, so try to make at least enough extras for Wednesday's Poppy Seed Chicken.
   
   
   

 Roasted Rosemary Chicken

• 6-9 lbs split chicken breasts or chicken pieces*
• 2 tsp coarse ground salt
• 2 tsp pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary

In a small bowl, mix together all seasonings. Spray inside of large roasting pan with cooking spray. Place chicken in pan by layering your chicken, then sprinkling a portion on your seasoning mix on the chicken. Add next layer of chicken and add more seasoning. If baking in the oven, or in a small roaster oven, cook at 325°F for about 3-4 hours depending on how much chicken you end up cooking. Test for doneness using a meat thermometer. Chicken is done with inside temperatures reach at least 165°F. If cooking in a crockpot, set temperature to low and cook for 7-9 hours, again checking for doneness.

 

 

 Rice Pilaf

• 3 T. olive oil
• 1 medium onion chopped (from freezer)
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1/2 green pepper chopped, seeded
• 1/2 red pepper chopped, seeded
• 1 cup of frozen peas, thawed
• 1 c. long grain rice (or brown rice* for healthier version)
• 2 c. chicken broth (if you are using brown rice add extra water)
• herbs of your choice (basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, etc.)

Thaw onion. Saute garlic and peppers in oil until tender. Add rice and cook until lightly browned. Mix the rest of the ingredients and add to pan. Cover and cook 20-25 minutes (longer - closer to 45 minutes - for brown rice).

 

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.

 

Tuesday Recipes

Notes for Tuesday:

1. This "lasagna" recipe is meatless and the grocery list will reflect the vegetarian dish. You can, however, add some taco seasoned ground beef if you have "meat eaters" in your crew.
   
   
2. If you did not prepare the black beans for the freezer last week, make sure to add a can of black beans to your grocery list.
   
   
3. Although the peaches are absolutely delicious with honey and nuts, you may want to serve plain sliced peaches for the younger children.
   
   
   
   

 Mexican Black Bean "Lasagna"

• 2 cups frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
• 1/3 cup sliced green onions
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 -2 cups black beans (from freezer)
• 1 can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano (14.5 oz.)
• 1 can chopped green chiles
• 4-6 flour tortillas
• 2 cups four cheese Mexican blend cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F . Combine the first seven ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Coat an 11 x 7 in. baking dish with cooking spray. Place a layer of tortillas in the bottom of the dish. Spoon half of the corn and tomato mixture over the tortillas. Top with one cup of cheese. Repeat the layers. Bake for 15 minutes or until heated through.

 

 

Mexican Corn

 

 

 

Honey Nut Peaches

• 3 small peaches, pitted and sliced
• 3 T. chopped pecans* or walnuts
• 3 tsp. honey

Preheat broiler (toaster oven is fine). Lay peach slices on broiling pan and drizzle with honey. Sprinkle with nuts and broil for 5 minutes. Serve warm.

 

 

 

Wednesday Recipes

Notes for Wednesday:

1. Use leftover chicken from Monday for this dish.
   
   
   

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

• 2 cups cooked chicken (from freezer)
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 sleeve round buttery crackers
• 1 Tbsp. poppy seed

Topping

• 1 sleeve round buttery crackers
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• poppy seed for garnish

Combine chicken, soups, sour cream, 1 sleeve crackers, and 1 Tbsp. poppy seed in a large bowl. Mix well and transfer to a greased casserole dish. Mix together remaining crackers and melted butter and sprinkle on top. Garnish with poppy seed. Bake at 325°F for 25 minutes.

 

  Lemon Parmesan Broccoli

• Family pack (32 oz.) frozen broccoli
• lemon juice
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Steam or boil broccoli according to instructions. Drain. Set aside a small amount for the Baked Potato bar on Friday. Place the broccoli you will eat tonight in a serving bowl and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. lemon juice (or more to taste). Toss to distribute evenly and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve warm.

  Apple, Grape, and Walnut Salad

• 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).

 

 

Thursday Recipes

Notes for Thursday:

1. If you do not have ham in your freezer, be sure to add ham to your shopping list.
   
   
2. Make a large salad tonight and save half for tomorrow night. Add croutons and any other "crunchies" just before serving each night.
   
   

 

 Linguini with Ham, Peas, and Mushrooms

• 16 oz Linguine
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil
• 8 scallions, including tops, thinly sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 8 oz baked ham, (from freezer or buy it if necessary)
• 2 ½ cups frozen green peas, thawed
• 3 cups chicken stock (or use bouillon to make your own)
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 2 Tbs. butter
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the linguine according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbs. of the oil in a deep 12 inch skillet over moderate heat for 1 minute. Add the scallions and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and the remaining oil and sauté 3 minutes longer. Add the ham and sauté, stirring, for 12 minutes. Add the peas, stock and pepper, raise the heat to high, and boil uncovered, for 3 minutes or until the liquid is slightly reduced. Remove from the heat and swirl in the butter, drain the linguine and add to the skillet along with the cheese and toss lightly. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese on the side if desired.

 

Sliced Apples

 

 

Salad

Italian Bread

 

 

Friday Recipes

Notes for Friday:

1. Start marinating your salmon several hours before you plan to cook dinner.
   

Grilled Salmon

• 4-6 fresh salmon steaks or fillets
• 1 c. light olive oil
• Juice of 2 lemons (or 6 Tbsp. lemon juice)
• 1 tsp. dill weed

Mix oil, lemon juice and dill in a marinating container and add fillets or steaks. Refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours, turning every hour. Grill or broil at medium heat, turning. Cook until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with melted butter.

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.

 

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.

 

Leftover Salad

 

 

 

* Indicates that of the options listed, this item is the one on the grocery list.

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