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 #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 #10

November 28-December 4

 
Happy Belated Thanksgiving, everyone!  Still stuffed?  I hope you all had a great turkey day, full of family and good food.  We had two thanksgivings, which tends to become the norm when you are married.  Hubby and I celebrated with his family last Sunday, and with my family on actual turkey day.  This year, our brothers hosted thanksgiving!  Hubby's brother typically hosts, but this was a first for my brother.  He and his girlfriend made the most succulent, the most juicy, tastebud-defying turkey EVER!  It was, "Legend...wait for it....DARY!"

But alas, we are nearing the end of our leftovers.  So here we go again, embarking on another journey in meal planning.  This week is a mix of mostly oldies (recipes...not food), with one newbie, compliments of my school's PTO president.  She and I got to talking during the book fair about meal planning and cooking, and she was kind enough to print off a whole bunch of recipes her family enjoys.  Click on the links for the recipes or see any notes I make below the plan.  

Two wishes:  I wish you a quick recovery from your turkey day food hangover, and I wish my hubby a Happy 30th Birthday and quick recovery from his Texas de Brazil dinner tonight!  Mmmmm, mmmmm, mmmmm.

Sunday - Veggie BBQ Pizza (see below)
Monday - Creamy Linguini with Red Pepper and Zucchini (see below)
Tuesday - Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken
Wednesday - Loaded Baked Potatoes (see below)
Thursday -  Burrito Casserole
Friday - Linguini with White Clam Sauce (see below)
Saturday - Chicken Broccoli Casserole

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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 tbs of crushed red pepper
       1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
       1/2 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese


Directions

Preheat oven to suggested temperature on the Boboli package.  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.  Bake for 10 minutes.   

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Creamy Linguini with Red Pepper and Zucchini

 
Ingredients

      1/4 C. olive oil
      1 large zucchini, diced
      1 large sweet red pepper, diced
      2 cloves garlic, minced
      1/2 tsp. salt
      1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
      1 (12 oz.) package linguine pasta
      1 C. 1% milk
      2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
      1 C. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

*You could also add 2 cooked, diced chicken breasts for protein.

Directions

In a large skillet, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini, red pepper and garlic to hot oil, and season with salt and red pepper flakes. Cook, turning occasionally, until zucchini and pepper are slightly browned on all sides, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and set aside.

Stir milk into zucchini, and simmer until it is reduced by about half, about 10 minutes. Add pasta to skillet, and stir well. Sprinkle parsley and 1/2 C. Parmesan over the top, and toss. Garnish with remaining

Makes 6 servings.

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Loaded Baked Potatoes

A few weeks ago, one of our teams at school hosted a luncheon that was like a Baked Potato bar.  They baked some awesomely huge potatoes, and provided an array of fixin's: butter, sour cream, chili, cheese, salsa, broccoli, french fried onions, etc, etc, etc.  It really hit the spot and I've been craving another one ever since.  So, just buy enough BIG baked potatoes for your family, whatever toppings you all enjoy, and load 'em up!

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Linguini with White Clam Sauce

Ingrediants

     1/3 C of butter
     2 cloves garlic, minced
     2 Tbs of flour
     1 2/3 C of clam juice
     1/4 C chopped parsley
     2 C of minced clams
     1 lbs cook linguini noodles

Directions 

Melt butter and garlic over medium heat.  Add flour and stir for one minute.  Stir in clam juice.  Add clams and parsley.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Pour over cooked noodles and serve.  Easy peasy!

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Grocery List

1 large red pepper
1 zucchini
2 large red onion
Garlic
Baked potatoes
1 large head of broccoli
Fresh parsley
Frozen or fresh boneless chicken breast 
**1 lb ground beef** (edit: added)
1 1/2 lbs of clams
1 package of taco seasoning
Flour tortillas
Boboli pizza crust
1 can refried beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup 
1 packge of stuffing mix
BBQ sauce
Italian salad dressing
Worcestershire sauce
Clam juice
2 packages of linguini
1 package of elbow noodles
Brown sugar
Flour
Butter
Sour cream
16 oz cheddar cheese
8 oz mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese


Enjoy!

Val