Makin' a Comeback!

Hello friends!  So sorry to have been MIA for almost 4 months.  Life happened and I needed a break from "stuff".  I kept meal planning myself, but have honestly been too embarrassed about our meal plans to post them.  With buying a house, our budget has gotten a little tighter...so we now have two staple dinners every week:


Frozen Pizza
Hamburgers (the frozen patties bought in bulk)


I hated the idea of posting a meal plan that reflected these two items every week, but also hated the idea of planning two additional meals to AVOID posting these two items.  It's stupid...I know.  Who really reads this enough to care?!?  Haha.  And I know those who do read wouldn't care if there were two repeats every week.  It's about getting ideas right?


Well, I guess I was wrong about the, "who reads my blog anyway?!" mentality.  After taking my hiatus and strolling back here today, I found a comment from Katrina from Not-So-Newlywed Adventures that she missed my plans and had payed me forward a blog award...The Versatile Blogger Award.

Granted this was back in May she posted, but Katrina...THANK YOU!  I am so touched and honored to have been payed forward this award.

Anyone receiving the Versatile Blogger Award must follow the rules to pay it forward, if you will. The rules are as follows:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post.
2. Tell your readers seven (7) things about yourself.
3. Give this award to fifteen (15) recently discovered bloggers.
4. Contact those bloggers and let them in on the exciting news.

These is a neat and fun way to get to know new/other bloggers, which is good for me because I need to getting back into both blogging myself and reading other blogs!  So here we go!

About me:

1. I LOVE wine.  Red wine is my favorite.  I started our drinking Shiraz which people find odd because it's so dry and peppery.  It was the only one within my grasp when I start experimenting since that is what my mom was also drinking at the time (she had only recently started drinking wine, too).  
2. Unfortunately, as per my post about my birthday, I think I now have the official reputation of a wino.  I got wine, wine charms, a wine cooler sleeve, a wine cooler in the shape of a wine bottle, chocolate wine, and a wine fridge for my birthday.  Oh...and a wine stopper candelabra!  Yeah-I'm a wino.  
3. DH and I have two cats (Ellie & Apollo) and a dog (Zeus).  DH thinks if he hadn't come along I would be the crazy cat lady with 10 cats or something.  He's probably right.  
4. I can play every instrument in the concert band, except for bassoon, which isn't necessarily in all concert bands.  
5. Even though I know all those instruments, instead I teach general music to students in 1st-5th grade.  We play rhythm sticks, maracas, bells, xylophones among many other things and sing, sing, sing!  I LOVE my job. (There is a lot more to it then just that, but...I just LOVE it!)
6. When I was 10 I fell out of a tree in my friend's backyard.  They had a treehouse built, but she was showing me how to climb even higher!  Needless to say, I wasn't paying attention to the exact branches she was using, and I ended up pulling up on a dead branch that broke.  So, there I fell...23 feet to the ground!  Luckily a bush broke my fall, but I still hit the ground hard enough to get the wind knocked out of me and badly bruise my tailbone.  I had to sit on a pillow at school for a week afterwards.  
7. After our honeymoon to Napa, DH jokingly talked about moving out there and getting jobs teaching while also opening/running our own winery.  I've secretly considered it!  Maybe when we retire (let the countdown begin!).  :-)

And now to pay it foward.  Some of these fine bloggers have probably gotten this award before, but it just means they continue to be more versatile!  It is without hesitation that I proudly award the The Versatile Blogger Award to:

• The Life and Times of Us
• Erin's Eats & Exploits
• homemade brownie
• Heather's Ramblings
• The Journey to Baby G
• Nathan and Becky Fagarlie
• Love, Marriage, and a Baby Carriage?
• Not Quite the Middle of Nowhere
• Random Ramblings of an Artsy Crafter
• Growth and Joy
  
• Fields and Fine Linen
• Brie Fit
• My Life in D.C
• Fun, Food, and Foolishness
• A Boy, A Girl & A Cat

Everyone on my blog roll deserves this award, really.  But the rules said 15. :-(   Please know I love you, even if you weren't listed here.  

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Alright.  I made it.  My first post back in a loooooong time.  I'm not sure how often I will keep this up, or if it will be soley about meal planning anymore.  I'm thinking as life happens, this blog might become more about life in general.   If I do put up meal plans, I will stick to my guns and post those two embarrassing staples mentioned above, but that does still leave me with 5 other meals to freshly plan.  We'll see.  But now, you tell me...if this blog does change direction, should I change the name?  Decisions, decisions.  

Ta-ta for now!

Weekly Meal Plan #24

April 10 - April 16
 
I'm officially 30!  It's not as bad as I thought.  I had a wonderful time celebrating with family and friends yesterday.  In addition to officially being 30, I am officially a wino.  People were asking my hubby what to get me for my birthday.  He said that I (and we...as a semi-housewarming) didn't want any gifts, just their wonderful presence for the evening.  Still, if they did really want to get something, anything wine related would be perfect.  So, wine, wine and more wine is what I got!  I got bottles of wine, wine stoppers, a wine stopper candleabra, Chocovine wine, a traveling wine cooler in the shape of a wine bottle (it's cool), a gift card to buy more wine, and...wait for it...my best friend and maid of honor from our wedding, she and her husband got us a wine refridgerator!  It should be arriving in 4 days!  Phew!  That's a lot of wine.  I officially have the reputation of being a wino. 

After enjoying so much wine on my 30th birthday, it is now time to plan a recuperative meal plan for the week!  It's nice being back in the meal planning business and I am starting to get used to my new kitchen.  So...without further ado, this weeks meal plan.


Sunday - Tater Tot Casserole

1lb ground beef
1 can reduced fat cream of chicken soup
Skim Milk
Oregano
1lb tater tots
16oz shredded cheddar cheese


Monday -   Chicken Shiitake and Wild Rice Soup

Butter
1 small onion
Flour
64oz chicken broth
2 carrots
3 cloves of garlic
2 celery stalks
4 skinless chicken thighs
Long grain rice and wild rice combo
Long grain white rice
1/2 shiitake mushrooms
Light Sour Cream


Tuesday - Pasta with Asparagus

1lb thin asparagus
6oz pasta
Olive Oil
3 cloves of garlic
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup parmesan cheese


Wednesday - BLAT Wraps

8 slices of bacon
4 flour tortillas
Ranch dressing
1 avocado
1 tomato
Lettuce


Thursday - Crockpot Chicken with Black Beans 

4-5 boneless chicken breasts
1 large can black beans
1 large can corn
1 large jar of salsa
8oz cream cheese


Friday - Broiled Tilapia with Garlic

6 tilapia fillets
2 cloves of garlic
Olive Oil
Oregano
Parsley
1 lemon


Saturday - Barbequed Marinated Flank Steak

Soy Sauce
Honey
White Vinegar
Ginger
Garlic Powder
Olive Oil
1 1/2 lb Flank Steak

Weekly Meal Plan #23 - And we're back!

April 3 - April 9

As I type, I'm enjoying a cup of coffee in our lovely kitchen in OUR NEW HOME!  We did it!  We are all cleaned and painted and packed and moved and unpacked and ready to Rock and Roll!  I'm still in disbelief that we are here.  It's been a week and every morning I wake up I get excited all over again our being in OUR house. 

I did not meal plan last week because we had a little snafu with our refrigerator and ended up needing buy a new one.  Our cold stuff only last so long in a cooler while waiting for the new fridge, which didn't get here until Thursday.  It was one long week of eating like garbage.  Ugh.  I never want to do that again.  I am so excited to finally cook in our kitchen this week!  This week's plan is mainly made up of familiar favorites, with two new meals thrown into the mix.  I thought I would keep it familiar for myself, since I'm still getting used to maneuvering around our kitchen.  Don't need to make cooking this week more difficult then it needs to be!  Oh, and shhhh...I'm most likely actually NOT making next Saturday's (4/9) meal myself because....::wimpers:: it's my 30th birthday.  Eek!!!  I don't know what we are doing yet, but I will be having a meal worthy of celebrating a 30th birthday...that's for sure!

I'm playing around with a new format.  I'm going to list the meal with it's link to the recipe and directions, and directly below it I will list what you will need a the grocery store for that meal.  You can still copy and paste to a word document and print out an entire grocery list in the end, but now you can better pick and choose which ones you will be doing! 

It's good to be back!  Have a great week, everyone!!

Sunday - Simple Hamburger Stroganoff

1 package egg noodles
1lb ground beef
1 packet dry brown gravy mix
1 package cream cheese
1 (6oz) can of chopped mushroom
1 (8oz) container of sour cream
2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
Milk


Monday - Broccoli Sausage Pasta

Olive oil
Garlic
1 small onion
1 head of broccoli 
1lb smoke sausage
8oz penne pasta
Parmesan cheese


Tuesday - Artichoke and Tomato Chicken

Olive oil
4 tomatoes
Fresh basil
Fresh oregano
2 red bell peppers
1 (8oz) package mozzarella cheese
6 chicken breasts
Marinara sauce


Wednesday - Creamy Burrito Casserole

1lb ground beef or turkey
1 small onion
1 package taco seasoning
6 flour tortillas
1 package of shredded cheddar
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sour cream


Thursday -  Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Shallots

Butter
4 pork loin chops
Shallots
Chicken stock
Baby bella mushrooms
Dijon mustard
Fresh parsley


Friday -  Chicken Broccoli Casserole

2 chicken breasts
1lb broccoli
1 box of elbow noodles
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 package stuffing mix
1 package of cheddar cheese
Milk


Saturday - Cream Cheese Potato Soup

Chicken broth
4 medium potatoes
1 small onion
1 package cream cheese
 

Weekly Meal Plan #22

March 13 - March 19

Hey all!  I want to give you a heads up that the next two or three weeks, meal plans will be simple, no nonsense meal plans.  I didn't want to take a complete hiatus during our move, but need to keep is basic.  We officially close on our house in 9 days!  I can't believe it.  It still doesn't feel real.

We got our mortgage commitment this week, arranged for our first year's insurance, and started seeing up utilities and such.  Our apartment is the messiest it has EVER been with the boxes (full and empty) strewn about.  DH packed up the DVD player last night with my 30 Day Shred DVD in it!  How I am going to exercise.  He nicely plugged it back it, removed the DVD, and then told me to use my computer for the next two weeks.  That will be fun.  All pictures are off the walls, kitchen stuff we don't use on a regular basis (at least once a week) has been packed, and the cats are enjoying their new maze to play in.

So yeah - like I said.  We're going to keep it simple for now with the meal plans.  I'll be honest, too; sometimes depending on how our meals went the previous week, my actual meal plan may not be exactly what I post.  But for the next two to three week, I'm posting exactly what we are doing.  ::blushes in preparation for slight embarrassment::   ENJOY!

Sunday - Leftover Simple Hamburger Stroganoff (this was super yummy!!)
Monday - Frozen Pizza
Tuesday -Half BBQ Chicken over Potatoes and Onions (cook for 45 minutes in a dutch oven)
Wednesday - Eggs and Bacon (with chorizo for me!)
Thursday - Omaha Steak Hamburgers and Sweet Potatoe Fries
Friday - Ordering out!
Saturday - Easy Bisquick Chicken Pot Pie

You'll notice most of these don't have links.  That's how simple we are going!  They are what they are! (Cues Ke$ha...) The Simple Hamburger Stroganoff are left overs, so I'm not including their ingredients in the grocery list.  Do what you need to do!

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The Grocery List

4 medium potatoes
1 large onion
1/2 BBQ Chicken
1-2 chicken breasts
Eggs
Bacon
Chorizo
Hamburgers
Buns
Sweet Potatoe Fries
1 pkg frozen veggies
1 can cream of chicken soup
Milk
Bisquick Reduced-Fat Baking Mix

That's all folks!

Weekly Meal Plan #21

March 6th - March 12th
 
Woohoo!  Here's another meal plan! 

Why am I so excited?  Well....with every meal plan, DH and I are closer to closing on our house and moving day!  We are 15 days out from closing, and 20 days from moving.  I can't believe it!  This rollercoaster is finally starting to slow down and pull into the station. 

So get this...DH is suddenly on a low-fat kick!  I guess a couple of his co-workers do WW online and while at work will randomly figure out points for certain foods.  It's opened his eye a little to how bad some things are.  So, this week we've got meals from of course our new favorite, Skinny Taste, and other lower fat meals from other websites.  Enjoy!! 

Sunday - Baked Chicken Parmesan
Monday - Turkey Chili Taco Soup
Tuesday - Pasta with Asparagus
Wednesday - Classic Baked Chicken
Thursday - Ragu-Stuffed Peppers
Friday - Turkey & Balsamic Onion Quesadillas
Saturday - Simple Hamburger Stroganoff

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The Grocery List

2 medium red onions
5 bell pepper
1 lb thin asparagus
1 bunch of parsley
Garlic
4 Chicken breast halves
3-4lbs chicken (breasts, thighs, legs, wings, whatever!)
1.3 lbs 99% lean ground turkey
8oz of sliced deli turkey
1lb lean ground beef
24oz Ragu
8oz marinara sauce
10oz can rotel tomatoes with green chilies
15oz can corn kernals
15oz can kidney beans
8oz can tomato sauce
Small can of tomato paste
16oz fat free refried beans
1 can chopped mushrooms
1 pkt taco seasoning
1pkg uncooked pasta
1 pkg of egg noodles
Breadcrumbs
1 pkg whole-wheat tortillas
4oz Coucous
8oz cup raisins
24oz fat free low sodium chicken broth
1 pkt dry brown gravy mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Parmesan cheese
8oz Asiago cheese
8oz Mozzarella cheese
8oz Sharp Cheddar cheese
8oz low-fat cream cheese
8oz low-fat sour cream
Eggs
Red wine vinegar
Balsamic Vinegar
 

Weekly Meal Plan #20

February 27 - March 5

Welcome back, everyone!  This past week has been long and exhausting, but we all survived, right?  I can't believe that this is meal plan #20!  In honor of it being #20, I'm going to create this weeks meal plan using several favorite meals from the past 20 meal plans.  Well...at least they are some of my favorites and DH's favorites.  I really hope they are some of your favorites, too!  I know...a lot of them are creamy dishes.  You can always reduce calories by using skim or 1% milk!  Have a fabulous week! 

Sunday -  Creamy Zucchini Linguini  
Monday - French Onion Chicken 
Tuesday - Cream Cheese Potato Soup 
Wednesday - Easy Bisquick Chicken Pot Pie 
Thursday - Broccoli-Sausage Pasta 
Friday - P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wraps 
Saturday - Creamy Garlic Penne Pasta 

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The Grocery List

1 large zucchini
1 bunch fresh parsley
3 large potatoes
2 medium onions
1 large head of broccoli
8 oz of mushrooms
1 head of iceberg lettuce
Garlic
1 pkg frozen vegetables
1 can water chestnuts
2 1/2 lb chicken breasts
1 pkg smoked sausage
2 pkgs of penne pasta
1 pkg linguini pasta
French's Fried Onions
Bisquick reduced-fat baking mix
1 can cream of chicken soup
64oz chicken broth
Parmesan cheese
8oz cream cheese
Flour
Milk
Eggs
Butter
Mustard



*Check the P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps recipes for the ingredients to the sauces you will need.  I did not include all of those ingredients because if you've made this before (or some other dishes) most likely you will have most of the ingredients necessary! :-)

Bye-week!

Hello Friends!  This week coming up is a crazy week where I actually won't be cooking several nights, so I'm taking a week off of meal planning.  I'll still be planning for the couple meals I'm doing, just not a full week.  We'll be back to normal next week, February 27th-March 5th!  Here's some yummy Dark Chocolate Chuck Bread Pudding from Skinny Taste to get you through!

Weekly Meal Plan #19

February 13 - February 19

I am sooooo excited for this week's meal plan!  I discovered a new blog: Skinny Taste.  The blogger, Gina, offers "skinny recipes" and she organizes them not only by dish type, or ingredients, but Weight Watcher Points!  I've been browsing her blog all week and it has me drooling every time.  I think that is a good sign, because healthy dishes don't normally have me drooling just by the sight of them.  So, I decided this weeks plan will be composed of all meals from this blog.  Enjoy!

Sunday - Lighter Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Monday - Arroz Con Pollo, Lightened Up
Tuesday - Shrimp Quesadillas with Tomato Avocado Salsa
Wednesday - Turkey Stuffed Zucchini
Thursday - Chicken Enchiladas
Friday - Shepard's Pie, Lightened Up
Saturday - Low Fat Baked Ziti with Spinach

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The Grocery List

3 medium onions
1 shallot
1 bunch of spinach
2 bunches of green onions
1 1/2 lbs of potatoes
1 small bell pepper
4 medium zucchini
2 tomatos
1 avocado
1 line
1 bunch of cilantro
1 celery stalk
8oz mushrooms
Garlic
1 package frozen mixed veggies
10 oz frozen spinach
8 skinless chicken thighs
2 skinless chicken breasts
1lb ground turkey
1lb lean ground beef
16 large shrimp
12 oz high fiber elbow pasta
1 lb high fiber ziti
2 packages of low carb, whole wheat, flour tortillas
Whole wheat bread crumbs
Long grain rice
1 packet Goya Sazon
1 packet of Goya Sazon Tropical
Adobo Powder
Chicken bouillon cubes
1 small can chipotle chilis in adobo sauce
2 cans tomato sauce
1 small can tomato paste
28 oz crushed tomatoes
Worcestershire sauce
Pam spray - butter flavored
Butter
Light Butter
Flour
Skim milk
64oz Fat Free Chicken Broth
1 small can of fat free beef broth
16 oz Sargento 2% reduced fat mild cheddar
16 oz shredded low fat mexican cheese
8 oz fat-free ricatto
8 oz part skim mozzarella
Sour cream
Parmesan cheese
White wine
Eggs

*Check for spices!!!

Weekly Meal Plan #18

February 5 - February 11
 
Hello fellow mayhem-ers!  What a crazy week, huh?  Well, you know what I mean if you've got 2-3 feet of snow piled up in from of your dwelling.  We teachers scored 2 snow days this week.  Being that I took a personal day on Monday, I only had a 2 day work week!  haha.  It was nice, but also got me antsy and anxious.  See-we are still waiting to hear back from the sellers of the house we bought on how they are going to respond to our home inspection requests.  We have a few semi-serious issues that need to be addressed.  With the snow, though, the letter from our attorney didn't get sent until Thursday, so it was a long week in which my brain kept brewing and brewing.  What it was brewing was not very sweet or yummy either....it was brewing the worst case scenario.  But, we did finally hear "something" on Friday.  The sellers are beginning to work on the issues on their end (from afar-they are out of town looking for new housing themselves).  It will be a few more days before we hear anything more as to the extent they are willing to address the issues we found, but at least we heard something.  It makes for a much more relaxing, less brain-brewing, weekend. 

This morning I slept in late and immediately sat down with my breakfast and coffee to work on this week's meal plan.  There are a couple new, yummy looking ones included, and of course, a couple repeats.  I'm especially interested to see how the Black-eyed Pea and Chorizo Soup turns out.  I'm a big fan of chorizo.  Mmmmmm.  Enjoy!

Sunday - Creamy Burrito Casserole
Monday - Shrimp Fritters
Tuesday - Turkey and Tomato Panini
Wednesday - Butternut Squash Orzotta
Thursday - Black-Eyed Pea and Chorizo Soup
Friday - Tater Tot Casserole
Saturday - Meatball Subs w/Caramelized Onions (See note below)

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Meatball Subs w/Caramelized Onions

I will not be making the meatballs from scratch.  Aldi has a Fit & Active brand of frozen turkey meatballs that I've been wanting to try, so I'll be getting these this week.  Therefore, I have not included the "meatball" ingredients to the grocery list.  If you want to make them from scratch, see the recipe! :-)

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The Grocery List

1 large tomato
2 medium onions
2 large onions
1 medium shallot
1 bunch green onions
1 small butternut squash (3/4 cup pureed)
1 bunch of cilantro
1 large lime
Garlic
Romaine lettuce
Fresh Basil
2 lbs ground beef or turkey
1 lb peeled/deveined cooked shrimp
1 lb chorizo
8 oz thin sliced deli turkey
8 oz whole wheat orzo
Flour tortillas
Whole wheat bread
Tortilla chips
4 sandwich rolls
1 can refried beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 can chipotle chiles
3 15oz cans black-eyes peas
16 oz cheddar cheese
8 oz pepper jack cheese
8 oz gruyere cheese
Parmesan cheese
8 oz container sour cream
Eggs
Flour
Honey
Lemon juice
White wine
Milk
1 small container plain yogurt
Seafood seasoning blend
Mayonnaise or salad dressing
2 32 oz containers chicken broth
18 oz tater tots
1 bag frozen meatballs

Weekly Meal Plan #17

January 20 - February 5
 
I've got some exciting news everyone!  First-I figured out how to make a blog roll!  Woohoo!  I know...kind of lame, but when searching the design feature, it said "Blog List", and I was used to the term "Blog Roll", and alas, I missed it.  But...I did it!  So, check out some other blogs I follow!

Second-and this is a little bigger then creating a blog roll...Hubby and I bought a house!!!!!!!!!!   OMG...what a great feeling!  Of course, it's not totally real yet.  We put an offer in on Monday, went back and fourth for two days before they finally accepted our final offer, and now we have a signed contract.  Next is the inspection, appraisal and getting officially approved financing.  It won't feel really real until all that goes through.  But hey-we bought a house!  As of right now, we close on March 21st, which is my Spring Break.  So-I'll pack and do some cleaning at the new place.  We will officially move on Saturday, March 26th.  Then, DH has his spring break and he can organize the new place...and clean the old place!  (He doesn't know that part yet...haha).  And yes-I trust him to organize, he'll do a better job then me!

So, that's our big news for the week.  On to a new meal plan!  I came across a new recipe website called Simply Recipes.  Most of my meals this week come from here.  I've got two favorite dishes as a repeat again, and one attempt at "Clean Eating", from the Clean Eating Magazine website.   Enjoy!

Sunday  - Mom's Chili Beans
Monday - Broccoli Sausage Pasta
Tuesday - Quesadilla Pie
Wednesday - BLAT Wraps
Thursday - Chicken and Apples in a Honey Mustard Sauce
Friday - Hamburger and Macaroni
Saturday - Spinach and Chicken Sausage Pizza

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The Grocery List

3 small onions
1 large head of broccoli 
1 avocado
1 tomato
1 jalapeno pepper (cooked or canned)
1 bunch of cilantro
1 bunch parsley 
6 oz spinach leaves
2 apples
Lettuce
Garlic
2 lbs ground beef or turkey
1 lb of smoke sausage
2 all natural, deli chicken sausages
1 pkg bacon
1 lb chicken breats
8 oz penne pasta
16 oz pinto beans (uncooked or canned)
16oz white rice
1 pkg flour tortillas 
1 pkg macaroni pasta 
1 whole wheat thin crust pizza (Boboli)
Breadcrumbs 
2 14.5oz cans of no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1 28oz can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
Ranch dressing
Apple cider
8 oz chicken broth
Cornstarch
Honey
Mustard
Worcestershire sauce
Parmesan cheese
Mild or sharp cheddar
Mozzarella cheese

*Check for spices you will need within each recipe!
*Decide on your own fillings and garnishes for the quesadillas (suggestions on website) and add that to your list!

Weekly Meal Plan #16

January 23 - January 29

What a long week this was!  Which is odd, since we had no school on Monday.   Why does that happen...short weeks feeling longer?  Well, either way, it's now the weekend and it's a beautiful (although cold) snowy morning outside.  I am ready for winter to be over, but the fresh, soft, falling snow is still a wondrous sight. 

Hopefully last weeks meal plan was a little easier.  We really enjoyed the Italian Vegetable Enchiladas.   Next time we might add chicken!  It was similar to the Swiss Enchiladas that's been on previous meal plans. 

This upcoming week is a crazy busy week.  I'm starting a grad class on Tuesday!  I'm not looking forward to 12 weeks of driving 45 minutes beyond where I live to take the class, but it was pretty much free thanks to a waiver a colleague gave to me.  And, it's one more class towards getting my ESL endorsement.  Yay! 

Enjoy your week!

Sunday- Fiery Fish Tacos
Monday - Tuna Noodle Casserole
Tuesday - Vegetable Cheesy Soup
Wednesday - Helen's Zucchini Casserole
Thursday - Tostada Cups
Friday - Bourbon Chicken
Saturday - Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

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Tostada Cups
Original recipe - Refried Bean Tostadas

Ingredients

• 6 flour or corn tortillas
• 1/2 cup fat-free refried beans
• 1/2 lbs ground beef, browned
• 3/4 cup of salsa
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• 1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
• 1 tbs finely chopped cilantro
• 2 tbs light sour cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray every other cup of a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.  Press a tortilla into each sprayed cup, flattening edges out.  Bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes. 
2. Season and brown ground beef.  Mix in refried beans and cook until warmed through.
3. Divide ground beef and bean mixture among each tortilla cup.  Top with salsa and sprinkle with cheese.  Return to oven, and bake 7 to 10 minutes, or until warmed through.  
4. Place each tostada cup on a plate and sprinkle with cilantro.  Top with lettuce and sour cream.  Serve with extra salsa, if desired. 

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The Grocery List

3 small red onion
1 small jicama
1 red pepper
1 bunch cilantro
1 lime
1 bunch celery 
6 medium zucchini
1 large tomato
1 small butternut squash
Romaine lettuce
Garlic
2lbs boneless chicken breasts
1/2 lb ground beef
6 tilapia fillets
1 8oz can corn kernals
1 can peas
1 can creamed corn
2 cans of tuna
1 can cream of mushroom soup 
1 can tomato sauce 
1 can fat-free refried beans
1 16oz package frozen mix vegetables 
1 package egg noodles
12oz elbow macaroni
2 packages of corn or flour tortillas
Bread crumbs 
Flour
Brown sugar
Ketchup
Salsa
Cider vinegar
Soy Sauce
24oz cheddar cheese 
8oz monterey jack cheese
16oz mozzarella cheese
16oz sour cream  
Margerine or Smart Balance  
Milk
Apple juice (small bottle)

Weekly Meal Plan #15

January 16-January 22

So, did anyone end up making those Beef Carnitas Empanada meal?  Well, I did.  And I decided to make the beef myself, instead of buying some pre-made fajita mixture or something.  What I failed to do was calculate how long the meal was going to take to make when trying to do it all in one fell swoop.  Do you know how long it took?  2 hours!  Holy Cow.  Never again.  But you know what?  It...was...awesome!  Ok...the beef was the awesome part.  It was so tasty!  The "empanada" part wasn't the greatest.  I didn't buy saffron, thinking I could do without it.  I have a feeling it needed that special flavoring, whatever it is.  But still...despite the time it took, it turned out pretty great.  Next time, though, we are just going to make the beef and turn them into fajitas or something.  Estimated time to make that?  Half the time it took to make the Beef Carnitas Empanada.  Phew!

So this week, I focused on trying to make sure the meals in the plan didn't take as much time, or that you could actually do something else while it was cooking.  I couldn't with the empanadas...I spent an entire 2 hours standing and cooking.  Ugh!  Hope you find this week less involved! 

Sunday- Italian Vegetable Enchiladas 
Monday- Spicy Shrimp and Fettuccine 
Tuesday- Easy Bisquick Chicken Pot Pie 
Wednesday- Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken BBQ 
Thursday- Cream Cheese Potato Soup 
Friday- Creamy Garlic Penne Pasta 
Saturday- Pepsi Pot Roast 

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Italian Vegetable Enchiladas

Easy Meals in Minutes, Time Life Books
 
Ingredients

• 1 clove garlic
• 1 small onion
• 1 medium green bell pepper
• 1/2 lb mushrooms
• 1 medium tomato
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1/2 tsp basil
•  1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
• 8 flour tortillas
• 3 tbs shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
   
2. In a food processor, coarsely chop garlic, onion and bell pepper.  Remove to a large bowl.  In same bowl, chop mushrooms.  Chop mushrooms and add to bwol.  By hand, coarsely chop tomato and add to bowl.
3. In large skillet, warm oil over medium-high heat.  Ad chopped vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally for 3 minutes, until onion is slightly softened.  Cool slightly.
4. In medium bowl, combine tomato sauce, 1/4 tsp basil, 1/4 tsp oregano and 1/4 tsp black pepper.
5. In another bowl, combine cottage heese with remaining basil, oregano and black pepper.
6. Place tortillas on a working surface and spread each evenly with 2 tsp of tomato sauce. 
7. Spread 2 tbs of cottage cheese along the bottom third of each tortilla.
8. Dividing evenly, spread sauteed vegetable mixture over cottage cheese.  Roll the tortillas up.  Place rolled tortillas in a single layer in a baking dish.  Top with remaining tomato sauce and mozzarella.
9. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the tortillas are heated through and cheese is melted.  If desired, place enchiladas under broiler to lightly brown them.

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Pepsi Pot Roast 

Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook

Ingredients

• 3-4 lb pot roast
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 package dry onion soup mix
• 16oz Pepsi, or other cola 
  

 Directions

1. Place meat in slow cooker.
2. Top with mushroom soup and onion soup mix.
3. Pour in Pepsi.
4. Cover.  Cook on high for 6 hours.

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The Grocery List

Garlic
2 small onion
1 medium green pepper
1/2 lb mushrooms
1 medium tomato
5 plum tomatos 
4 large potatoes (red or baking) 
1 package frozen vegetables
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined 
2lbs chicken breasts
3-4lb pot roast
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste 
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 package dry onion soup mix
Bisquick baking mix
1 package flour tortillas
8 oz fettuccine 
1lb penne pasta12 oz BBQ
Italian dressing
Worcestershire sauce
40oz chicken broth
8oz container low-fat cottage cheese
8oz container sour cream 
1 package shredded mozzarella cheese 
8oz cream cheese 
Parmesan cheese 
Brown Sugar 
Milk
Eggs
Flour 
Butter (or margarine) (or SmartBalance?)
16oz Pepsi (or other cola)

Weekly Meal Plan #14

Wow-what a great first week of 2011! I hope you all had a great week, too!  It was actually nice to be back at school, in a routine, and working with my students.  I had a student teacher for 8 weeks before winter break.  I really enjoyed that experience.  Still, it's really nice to be back in the saddle with my kids. 

Despite the busy week, I found a couple new favs in terms of meals to have in the back pocket.  I don't know about anyone else, but the Tomato Florentine Soup from last week was so warm and cozy.  It had a great robust flavor, and although it had just a little protein in it, it was very tasty and filling!  I hope you enjoyed it, too. 

Here we go again!  So old, some new...all for you!  I was excited to find the P.F. Chang's recipe, as the hubs and I LOVE P.F. Chang's.  I am crossing my fingers that it turns out just as yummy! 

Side note-it's my little puppy's (not so little anymore) 3rd birthday on Monday.  Happy Birthday, Zeusy!

The night we adopted him.

Our big boy.

January 9-January 15

Sunday - To Die for Crock Pot Roast
Monday - BBQ Chicken
Tuesday - Beef Carnitas Empanada
Wednesday - Ragu Stuffed Peppers
Thursday - Mostaccioli with Vodka Sauce
Friday - Brown Rice, Tomatoes and Basil
Saturday - P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps

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BBQ Chicken

This is a crazy simple meal.  At our local fresh produce store, they have already cut and seasoned BBQ Chicken.  It’s an entire half of a chicken.

To cook it, we cut up red potatoes, onions and red peppers, layer them at the bottom of a dutch oven, drizzle them with olive oil, place the half chicken on top, and pop it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 60 minutes, or until internal thermometer reads 180 degrees.   That’s all folks!

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Mostaccioli with Vodka Sauce

Betty Crocker Easy Italian 

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped prosciutto or fully cooked ham
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup vodka (or chicken broth)
• 1/2 cup whipping (heavy) cream
• 1/2 cup sliced large pitted ripe olives
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
• 1 package (16 oz) mostaccioli or penne pasta
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In 10-inch skillet, heat butter and oil over medium-high heat.  Cook garlic and onion in butter about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender.
2. Stir in prosciutto and chicken.  Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is brown.  Stir in vodka.  Cook uncovered until liquid has evaporated.
3. Stir in whipping cream, olives, parsley and pepper.  Heat to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer uncovered about 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened. 
4. Meanwhile, cook and drain pasta as directed on package.  Add pasta to sauce; toss gently until pasta is evenly coated.  Sprinkle with cheese. 

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The Grocery List

1 beef roast, any kind
1 half pre-seasoned BBQ chicken
12 oz beef carnitas (check local fresh market for pre-made version or check recipe)
2oz proscuitto or fully cooked ham
1lb chicken breasts
8oz water chesnuts
8oz mushrooms
4-5 leaves iceburg lettuce
2 red potatoes
3 medium red onion
5 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 1/2 lbs tomatoes
1 bunch fresh parsely
Garlic
2oz saffron threads
8oz brown rice
16oz mostaccioli or penne pasta
1 small can tomato paste
1 small can sliced olives
1 package brown gravy mix, dry
1 package dried Italian salad dressing mix
1 package ranch dressing mix, dry
1 jar Ragu pasta sauce (3 cups)
Couscous
8oz package raisins
Cider vinegar
Red wine vinegar
Rice wine vinegar
Soy sauce
Ketcup
Lemon juice
Sesame Oil
Hot mustard
Garlic and red chile pasts
Vodka (or 8oz chicken broth)
Flour
Baking powder
Sugar
Brown sugar
Butter
8oz heavy whipping cream 
8oz grated asiago or fontina cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan

*Remember that you might have several of the oils and other ingredients from previous meal plans!  Check that pantry!

Weekly Meal Plan #13: Happy New Year!

January 2-January  8
 
I can't believe it's already 2011!  Time really flies by...especially as you get older.  Weird, huh?  As a kid, time sometimes seems to come to a complete stand still, like when waiting for something exciting to happen.  Ah, memories.  As adults we just have to embrace that time feels as though it goes by more quickly and make every moment count!  Here's to making the first meal plan for 2011 count!

This weeks I've got a couple new recipes for us to try from two new cookbooks I received over the holidays.  Thank you, Kate, for the Betty Crocker Easy Italian cookbook, and thank you, Char, for the CyberFeasts & Foodstocks cookbook!  Here we go!

Sunday - Chicken and Garlic Ravioli with Peppers and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Monday -Veggie BBQ Pizza
Tuesday - Poblano Chicken
Wednesday - Tomato Florentine Soup
Thursday - Creamy Burrito Casserole
Friday - Salsa-Fied Turkey and Rice
Saturday - Beefy Tomato Stew over Noodles

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Chicken and Garlic Ravioli with Peppers and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Betty Crocker Easy Italian

Ingredients

• 2 packages refrigerated chicken and roasted garlic-filled ravioli
• 1/2 cup julienne sun-dried tomatoes in oil and herbs, drained.  Reserve 2 tbs oil.      
• 1 bag frozen bell pepper and onion stir-fry, thaw, drained. (I'm considering making my own bell pepper and onion mixture.  I'm figuring 1-2 peppers and 1 large onion should do the trick.) 
• 2 cups shredded provolone cheese

Directions

1. Cook and drain ravioli as directed on package.
2. Heat reserved oil over medium heat in a 12-inch skillet.  Cook bell pepper mixture in oil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in tomatoes and ravioli.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until hot.
3. Sprinkle with cheese; remove from heat.  Cover; let stand 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Serve immediately.  Makes 6 servings

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Veggie BBQ Pizza

Ingrediants:

• 1 Boboli Thin Crust Pizza
• 1 C Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce (or any kind you like)
• 1 C chopped red onion
• 1 C chopped sweet red pepper
• 1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper
• 1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to suggested temperature on the Boboli package.  
2. Spread BBQ sauce over pizza crust.  Top with red onion and sweet red pepper.  Sprinkle with crushed red pepper.  Cover entire pizza with mozzarella cheese.  Sprinkle cheddar cheese over mozzarella.  
3. Bake for 10 minutes.

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Poblano Chicken
Cyberfeasts and Foodstocks 

Ingredients

• 3 large poblano chili peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 3 tbs butter 
• 3 chicken breats, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 cups grated Monterey jack cheese

Directions

1. Melt 2 tbs butter in skillet.  Saute peppers and onion until limp.  Remove from pan and puree peppers and onions with milk and sour cream in blender.  Salt and pepper to taste.
2. Melt remaining butter in skillet.  Saute chicken 5-8 minutes.  Chicken doesn't need to be done, but the pink should be mostly gone.  Salt and pepper to taste.
3. Place chicken in a casserole dish and pour the pepper-onion mixture over top.  Liberally sprinkle the top with cheese.  
4. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, or until cheese is lightly browned.  Serve over rice.  Makes 4 servings

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Tomato Florentine Soup
Cyberfeasts and Foodstocks

Ingredients

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1 tbs diced basil
• 1 1/2 tsp fined chopped oregano
• 2 oz diced country ham
• grated mozzarella cheese 

Directions

1. Heat oil in heavy saucepan.  Add onion and garlic, cook until soft. 
2. Add crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, broth, spinach, wine and herbs.  Bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 35 minutes. 
3. Add diced country ham and simmer for 10 more minutes.  Serve warm, garnished with Romano cheese.  Makes 2 servings.  

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Beefy Tomato Stew over Noodles
Fix-it and Forget-it Cookbook

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs cubed stewing beef
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups stewed tomatoes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2-1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• water
• 12 oz bag noodles (I might use rotini for this one!)   

Directions

1. Combine meat and flour until cubed are coated.  Place in slow cooker.
2. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, and onion.  Add water to cover. 
3. Cover.  Simmer on low heat for 6-8 hours.
4. Serve over cooked noodles.  Makes 8 servings.  

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The Grocery List

3 large red onions
2 medium red peppers
3 large poblano chilies
Garlic
4 medium tomatoes
1 bunch spinach
Frozen chicken breasts
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground turkey
1.5 lbs cubed stew meat
1 package diced country ham
2 packages of chicken and garlic ravioli
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can refried beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can corn
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 jar salsa
1 jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1 package of taco seasoning
1 Boboli pizza crust
1 package flour tortillas
1 box of noodles
1 bottle BBQ sauce
32 oz sour cream
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
16 oz of shredded cheddar cheese
16 oz of shredded provolone cheese 
Milk  
*Red wine (red cooking wine should work)

Enjoy!

~Chef Val  
*edit