Week 21 Summary |
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Notes for this week |
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Day 1 |
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Slow Cooker Roast Beef | White Rice | Green Salad |
Day 2 |
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Cheddary Chicken and Broccoli | Glazed Baby Carrots | Green Salad |
Day 3 |
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Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches | Mashed Potatoes | Steamed Broccoli |
Day 4 |
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South of the Border Quiche | Fruit of Your Choice | |
Day 5 |
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Chinese Cashew Chicken | Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing |
🗓️ Day 1
- Slow Cooker Roast Beef
- White Rice
- Green Salad
Easy Crockpot Roast Beef & Gravy
The easiest roast beef also happens to be the tastiest! Just season, place in the crockpot, and cook on low all day. This simple roast yields the most heavenly gravy, so be sure to serve it with rice or mashed potatoes.
Ingredients
For the roast:
- 3 lb. beef rump roast
- Salt, as needed
- Coarsely ground black pepper, as needed
For the gravy:
- 1 cup beef broth, or more as needed
- 1-½ Tbsp. flour
Instructions
- Cut excess fat from roast if necessary.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper all over roast and press into sides.
- Place roast in crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours or until done to your preference.
- Remove roast from crockpot, reserving drippings, and let rest while preparing gravy.
For gravy:
- Strain the drippings from the roast into a pan and add ½ cup of the beef broth. Heat over medium heat.
- In a jar with a lid, mix flour with about ½ cup beef broth, shaking well to combine.
- Slowly add about half of the flour mixture to the drippings over medium heat, whisking constantly.
- Continue to heat and whisk as the gravy thickens. If necessary, add more of the flour mixture to thicken or more beef broth to thin.
- The roast beef gravy is ready when it is heated through and you are happy with the consistency.
To serve:
- Slice the roast against the grain and serve with gravy.
Notes
If you are going to be home, you can also prepare this roast beef in a slow oven (about 300°F) for several hours in a covered cast iron dutch oven. With this method, the gravy can be made in the same pan as the roast.
The gravy will thicken more as it cools, and when refrigerated it will gel due to the beef drippings. This is perfectly normal.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 163 calCarbohydrates: 1 gProtein: 26 gFat: 6 gSodium: 429 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 1 g
Easy Crockpot Roast Beef & Gravy Permalink
🗓️ Day 2
- Cheddary Chicken and Broccoli
- Glazed Baby Carrots
- Green Salad
Cheddary Chicken and Broccoli
Delightfully flaky puff pastry is the perfect complement to the lemony flavor of Cheddary Chicken and Broccoli.
Ingredients
- 1 package puff pastry shells
- 24 oz chicken gravy
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 cups cooked chicken, from freezer
- 2 cups frozen broccoli cuts or florets, thawed
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, separated
- Montreal chicken seasoning, to taste (affiliate link)
Instructions
- Bake puff pastry according to package instructions.
- While puff pastry is baking, combine gravy, lemon juice, chicken, broccoli, ½ cup of the cheese, and seasoning in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until heated through.
- Serve in pastry shells with remaining cheese sprinkled on top.
Notes
- Nutrition calculation uses 1 teaspoon Montreal Chicken Seasoning.
- Servings are calculated using 1 puff pastry per serving.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 467 calCarbohydrates: 26 gProtein: 20 gFat: 30 gSodium: 763 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 2 g
Cheddary Chicken and Broccoli Permalink
Glazed Baby Carrots
Tender and sweet baby carrots coated with a glaze of honey, brown sugar, and butter with a hint of salt
Ingredients
- 1 lb. baby carrots
- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- Salt to taste
- Thyme if desired, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook carrots by steaming to your tenderness preference.
- Place remaining ingredients in a serving bowl and mix well.
- Add steamed carrots to the bowl while still hot. Toss gently until coated with glaze.
- Garnish with thyme if desired.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 115 calCarbohydrates: 18 gProtein: 1 gFat: 5 gSodium: 115 mgFiber: 3 gSugar: 15 g
Glazed Baby Carrots Permalink
🗓️ Day 3
- Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches
- Mashed Potatoes
- Steamed Broccoli
Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches
Open-faced hot roast beef sandwiches with gravy are a wonderful way to use leftovers in a familiar comfort food.
Ingredients
- 1 lb leftover roast beef
- 4 slices bread
- 1 cup brown gravy
Instructions
- Slice leftover roast beef thinly and heat. Place roast beef slices on top of bread and cover with hot gravy before serving.
Notes
If you have leftover gravy from making your roast beef, use that. If not, a jar of gravy can be substituted.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 304 calCarbohydrates: 17 gProtein: 24 gFat: 14 gSodium: 566 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 3 g
Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches Permalink
Homemade Mashed Potatoes
Whether you prefer creamy potatoes or potatoes with some body to them, homemade mashed potatoes are worth the effort.
Ingredients
- 5 lbs. potatoes, cleaned and peeled (see note below)
- 6 tablespoon butter, divided
- ¼ cup skim milk, or more as needed
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- paprika, for garnish
Instructions
- Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Boil until potatoes are fork tender; drain and return to pot.
- Add 4 Tbsp. butter, salt, and pepper to pot and mix; adding enough milk while mixing to reach desired consistency.
- Transfer mashed potatoes to a serving bowl, top with 2 Tbsp. butter, and garnish with paprika.
Notes
Russet potatoes are a good choice for mashed potatoes, but if you prefer to not peel your potatoes, Yukon Gold is perfect for mashing with the skin on.
If you need to speed up the cooking process, try chopping your potatoes before boiling.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 193 calCarbohydrates: 28.52 gProtein: 6.11 gFat: 7.04 gSodium: 434.05 mgFiber: 5.67 gSugar: 0.32 g
🗓️ Day 4
- South of the Border Quiche
- Fruit of Your Choice
South of the Border Quiche
This recipe makes two quiches, so one can go in the freezer for a night when you have less time for meal prep.
Ingredients
- 2 pie crusts, unbaked
- 1-½ teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1-½ cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- 8 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 8 ounces can diced green chilies, chopped
- ½ medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon cilantro
- 1 cup black olives, sliced and drained
- salt and pepper, to taste
Optional Garnishes
- salsa
- sour cream
Instructions
- Place pie crusts in two pie pans. Line crusts with aluminum foil. Bake both pie crusts at 400°F for 5 minutes; remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes. Add chili powder, cumin, and cheeses to bottom of baked crusts.
- Mix together eggs, milk, chilies, onions, olives, and cilantro in a large mixing bowl. Pour half in each pie crust.
- Place one pie on baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 30 minutes. Add foil to edge of crust as crust starts to brown. Continue to bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to set up for about 5 -10 minutes before serving.
- Cover and freeze second quiche for future use. (Label quiche for freezer “South of the Border Quiche. Remove quiche from freezer 30 minutes before baking. Bake at 400°F for 40 minutes. Line edges of crust with foil as crust starts to brown. Continue baking about 30 minutes until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let set for 10 minutes before serving.”)
Notes
Optional ingredients not included in nutritional data.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 424 calCarbohydrates: 20 gProtein: 17 gFat: 29 gSodium: 750 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 3 g
South of the Border Quiche Permalink
🗓️ Day 5
- Chinese Cashew Chicken
- Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
Chinese Chicken with Cashews
Preparing the chicken in a fresh garlic and ginger marinade and cooking in sesame oil is the secret to the wonderful flavor in Chinese Chicken with Cashews.
Ingredients
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ medium red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- salt and pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup cashews
- ¼ cup green onions, sliced
- 2 cups Calrose rice, prepared
Marinade
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- ½ cup cooking sherry
- 4 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves
Instructions
- Mix all marinade ingredients together thoroughly in a small bowl. Pour half of marinade over raw chicken in a container with a lid. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Reserve other half of marinade for basting later in the cooking process.
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Carefully add chicken to heated oil. Use a slotted spoon to avoid adding the marinade to the hot oil. Add the garlic and ginger from the marinade, then dispose of the leftover marinade from the chicken.
- Stir fry until chicken is cooked through; remove chicken from skillet and keep warm. Add the red bell pepper slices to the skillet and stir fry for 2 minutes. Next, add cornstarch to the reserved marinade. Add cornstarch/marinade mixture and the chicken to the peppers in the skillet; stir fry for 2 more minutes.
- Remove skillet from heat. Season with salt and pepper; garnish with scallions and cashews. Serve over rice.
Notes
You'll need to plan ahead for this recipe to ensure you allow time for the chicken to marinate.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 378 calCarbohydrates: 55 gProtein: 19 gFat: 5 gSodium: 1540 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 1 g
Chinese Chicken with Cashews Permalink
Spinach and Strawberry Salad
Sweet poppy seed dressing pairs will with spinach and strawberries in this refreshing summer salad.
Ingredients
- 6 cups spinach leaves, rinsed well
- 2 cups strawberries, sliced
- ¼ cup walnuts, optional
- ¾ cup poppy seed dressing
Instructions
- Wash spinach thoroughly. Mix spinach and prepared strawberries together in a medium salad bowl. Mix with poppy seed dressing and sprinkle with nuts if desired.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 214 calCarbohydrates: 12 gProtein: 2 gFat: 17 gSodium: 244 mgFiber: 2 gSugar: 10 g
Spinach and Strawberry Salad Permalink
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