Meal Plan Nov. 2-7

Monday: Dinner at Chick-Fil-A (proceeds support Athletes In Action -- Tim & Wendy Pitcher)
Tuesday: Pork Roast with Hard Cider Gravy (click here for recipe), mashed potatoes, vegetable of choice
Wednesday: Dinner at Church
Thursday: Honey-Beer Glazed Chicken (click here for recipe), scalloped potatoes, salad of choice
Friday: Lemon-Chicken Schnitzel, Spaetzel
Saturday: Chicken Enchillada Ring, salad
Sunday: You're On Your Own

Lemon-Chicken Schnitzel
1 T. olive oil
1/2 c. frozen, chopped onion
3 T. lemon juice (and zest of a lemon if you have one, but the recipe still turns out great without the zest)
salt & pepper
4 T. butter
1/2 c. flour
1 pkg. thin sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 8 oz. container sliced mushrooms
1/4 c. white wine
1 T. parsley flakes

• In large nonstick skillet, heat olive oil and 2 T. butter over med.-hi heat.
• Place flour on large plate or pie pan; season w/ salt.
• Season chicken w/ salt & pepper then dredge in flour, shaking off excess.
• Fry chicken until just cooked through, about 3 min. per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
• Add remaining 2 T. butter to skillet. Add mushrooms and cook 3 min. until softened. Deglaze pan w/ lemon juice, zest (optional), and wine, scraping bits off the bottom of pan w/ a wooden spoon or whisk. Season sauce w/ salt and pepper. Let sauce reduce about 5 min. until slightly thickened. Add parsley.
• Return chicken to pan for 2-3 min.
• Serve w/ spaetzel (can be purchased in international section of most grocery stores -- I've found it at Meijer and Kroger).

Chicken Enchillada Ring

2 large cans white meat chicken

1 small can sliced black olives

1 c. shredded Monterey Jack/Cheddar blend cheese

1 4 oz. can chopped green chilies, undrained

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1 T. taco seasoning

1 t. lime juice

1/3 c. finely crushed tortilla chips

2 pkg. crescent rolls (the reduced fat taste great in this)

Salsa & Sour Cream

• Prehead oven to 375 degrees
• Mix chicken, olives, cheese, green chilies, mayo., and taco seasoning, lime juice, and crushed chips in bowl. Mix well.
• Seperate dough into triangles. Arrange triangles in a circle on a 13" baking stone. Wide ends should overlap in the center and points should be toward the outside. There should be a 5" diameter opening in the center.
• Scoop chicken mixture onto the wide ends of the triangles. Bring points of the triangles up over filling and tuck under wide ends. Do not cover filling completely. It should show in between each triangle.
• Bake 20-25 min. or until golden brown.
• Serve w/ salsa and sour cream.

Meal Plan for Week of Sept. 28-Oct. 4

Monday: Chicken Noodle -- Hold the Soup
Tuesday: Savory Cranberry Pork Roast
Wednesday: Dinner at Church
Thursday: Chicken Enchilladas
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: Ravioli
Sunday: Your On Your Own

Dessert: Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Chicken Noodle -- Hold the Soup
rotisserie chicken pulled off the bone OR click here for an easy cooked chicken recipe, which can be made ahead
1 T. EVOO
1 c. frozen miripoix (chopped celery, carrot, onion) -- can be purchased at Kroger
1 bag Reames frozen homestyle egg noodles or dry wide egg noodles
3 T. butter
2 T. flour
1 c. chicken broth or stock
1 T. dried parsley
1/2 box frozen peas, defrosted

Bring a large pot of salted water or chicken broth to boil over high heat for noodles.

Place large skillet over med.-hi heat w/ EVOO. Add miripoix and cook until veggies begin to get tender, about 3-4 min. Add salt and pepper.

While veggies are cooking, drop noodles into boiling water and cook according to package directions. Drain noodles and add butter and parsley to pot and toss.

Make a well in center of pan w/ veggies in it. Add 2 T. butter and melt. Add flour and whisk into veggie mixture. Add broth and whisk to incorporate. Mixture will thicken when it comes to a boil.

Add shredded chicken and peas to the pan w/ the veggies and cook until chicken is heated through.

To serve, spoon some noodles into bowls and top w/ chicken and veggie mixture.

Savory Cranberry Pork Roast
Click here for recipe. Substitute a pork roast for the beef roast.

Chicken Enchilladas
1/2 c. green onions, chopped
1 t. minced garlic (or 2 garlic cloves chopped)
4 T. veg. oil
1 T. chili powder
1/2 t. dried oregano
2 t. cumin
2 (15 oz.) cans tomato sauce
1 c. water
3 1/2 cups cooked chicken (click here for an easy recipe that can be made ahead)
3 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
8 small flour tortillas
sour cream

Saute onions and garlic in oil for about 3 min. Add chili powder, oregano and cumin; cook 1-2 min. longer, stirring constantly. Add tomato sauce and water; simmer for 5 min. Add 3/4 c. sauce to chicken and 1-2 c. cheese; mix well. Heat tortillas for 30 seconds on High in the microwave. Spread 1/2 c. sauce in bottom of shallow 2-quart baking dish. Divide chicken misture evenly between tortillas; fold the sides over the filling and place seam side down in the baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over the enchilladas; bake at 350 degrees for 20 min. Sprinkle remaining cheese evenly over enchilladas; bake an additional 5 min. Top each serving with a spoonful of sour cream. Refrigerate leftovers. Serves 4.

Pizza
Either frozen or homemade. Click here for bread machine pizza dough recipe.

Ravioli
frozen ravioli of your choice
jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce

Prepare ravioli according to package directions. Heat sauce. Serve w/ salad and frozen garlic bread or Pillsbury refrigerated bread sticks.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
1 c. butter, melted
2 c. graham cracker crumbs (these can be purchased precrushed in the baking section, or you can crush them yourself)
2 c. confectioners' sugar
1 c. and 4 T. peanut butter, divided
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips

In med. bowl, mix together butter, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar and 1 c. peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into bottom of ungreased 9x13" pan.

Microwave chocolate chips w/ 4 T. peanut butter on hi for 1 min. Stir. Continue microwaving and stirring every 30 sec. until smooth. Spread over prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting into squares. STore bars in airtight container in refrigerator. Yields 20 bars.

Meal Plan for June 15-21

This week (and probably for several weeks to come), my meal plan will be in honor of the great savings I got at Bigg's this week. They had triple coupons from Thursday - Sunday. I went on Thursday night (with a very sleepy 3 year old) and then went back again on Friday by myself. I got lots of things for free (6 jars of Chi-Chi's salsa) and many things for very cheap (12 4-packs of Cottonelle toilet paper for $0.25 a piece). So now that my refrigerator/freezer and pantry are so full we can hardly shut the doors, I'll have to start using some stuff up. So almost all of the meals this week and next week (at least) will include something that I purchased on my mega trips to Bigg's.

Monday: Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Tuesday: Dinner at Chick-Fil-A (family night -- receive 2 free kids meals with the purchase of any regular value meal)

Wednesday: Hamburgers & Chips

Thursday: Smokey Mt. Chicken (click here for recipe), Lipton pasta side -- Thanks Erin! I can't wait to try it!

Friday: Tacos

Saturday: Macaroni Grill Chicken Dinner Kit, Salad & Breadsticks

Sunday: You're on your own

Dessert: S'mores

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
*boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 per person)
*chicken marinade (or salad dressing that can be used as a marinade)
*lettuce (I use prewashed and cut salad in a sack)
*Caesar salad dressing
*Parmesan cheese (use a vegetable peeler to make big curls from a sold brick of Parmesan)
*croutons

• I pound the chicken breasts so that they're thinner and cook faster, but this step is optional.
• Marinate chicken according to marinade directions (at least 30 min.)
• Grill until cooked through (on indoor or outdoor grill).
• While chicken is cooking, place a large mound of lettuce on each plate. Top w/ dressing, cheese and croutons.
• Allow chicken to rest 3-5 min.
• Slice chicken into thin strips using an electric knife.
• Place sliced chicken on top of salads.

Meal Plan for Week of May 18

Unfortunately, I only have 2 recipes for you this week. I'm a little behind so I have a couple meals from last week that I haven't made for my family yet. We had a CRAZY weekend and an equally crazy week coming up, so I'm not going to be doing a lot of cooking this week. So you'll have to make your own meal plan and add a few things on your own. Sorry!!

Chicken Noodle Casserole (recipe courtesy of Teresa Berter)
4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or cut into bite-sized pieces (click here for recipe)
4 c. (measured dry) egg noodles, cooked according to package directions and drained
1 sleeve saltine crackers, crushed
1 stick plus 6 T. butter
6 T. flour
1 t. paprika
1/8 t. pepper
1 t. salt
3 c. chicken broth
3 T. parsley, chopped, or 3 t. dried parsley flakes

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9" pan.
*Melt 1 stick butter in skillet. Stir in cracker crumbs until buttered. Set aside.
*In a sauce pan, melt 6 T. butter. Stir in flour, paprika, pepper, salt and chicken broth. Cook over low heat until thickened, stirring occasionally. Add noodles, chicken, and parsley. Spoon into 13x9" pan. Top w/ buttered crumbs.
*Bake uncovered for 50 to 60 min.

Ravioli (this one's a no-brainer)
frozen ravioli (cheese or meat)
1 jar spaghetti sauce

*Boil ravioli according to package directions and drain.
*Heat spaghetti sauce until hot.
*Serve ravioli w/ sauce on top. Top w/ Parmesan cheese. Serve w/ bread sticks and salad.

Mississippi Mud Brownies
1 family size brownie mix (for 9x13" pan)
1/2 can chocolate frosting
1/2 jar marshmallow fluff

*Prepare and bake brownies according to package directions.
*As soon as you remove brownies from the oven, while they're still warm, top w/ frosting and marshmallow fluff. Both will begin to melt. Swirl together to make "mud sauce".
*Allow brownies to cool before serving.

Please Share

I'm always on the hunt for new and exciting recipes. The criteria for me is that they have to be easy, quick (or can go in the crock pot), fairly cheap, and delicious -- or I have to be able to adapt them to fit these criteria (for example: using frozen chopped veggies, or using broth in a box instead of homemade, etc.). That's not asking for too much, is it? I'd love to hear what you love to cook. If you have any recipes you love to make and your family loves to eat, please share them! You never know when they might show back up on my meal plan for the week in the future.

Menu for Week of May 11

Monday: Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
Tuesday: Pork BBQ Sandwiches, Scalloped Potatoes
Wednesday: Meal At Church
Thursday: Savory Cranberry Beef Roast, Mashed Potatoes, salad
Friday: Frozen Pizza
Saturday: Hot Dogs
Sunday: Your On Your Own

Meatloaf:
1 1/2-2 lbs. ground beef
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 c. ketsup, divided
1/4 c. water
3/4 c. dry breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 c. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 t. pepper
1 T. light brown sugar
1 t. prepared mustard

Crock Pot Preparation (this is not a "set it and forget it method" and only works if you're going to be home while it cooks)

• Combine beef, soup mix, 1/2 c. ketsup, and next 6 ingredients; place loaf in slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on HIGH 1 hour. Reduce heat to LOW, and cook 3 hours. Remove ceramic insert from cooker, and carefully pour grease off meat loaf; return insert to cooker.
• Stir together remaining 1/2 c. ketsup, brown sugar, and mustard in small bowl; spread over meat loaf.
• Cover and cook on LOVE 1 more hour or until meat loaf registers 160 degrees. Remove meat loaf from ceramic insert, and let stand 10 min. before serving. Makes 6-8 servings.

Oven Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine beef, soup mix, 1/2 c. ketsup, and next 6 ingredients; place in loaf pan.
• Stir together remaining 1/2 c. ketsup, brown sugar, and mustard in small bowl; spread over meat loaf.
• Bake for 1-1 1/4 hours; pour grease off after 45 min.
• Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serve w/ mashed potatoes and green beans.

BBQ Pork Sandwiches

Pork loan or boneless pork roast

BBQ dry rub seasoning

1/2 c. beer

Bottled BBQ sauce (we use Montgomery Inn)

Hamburger buns

• Rub pork w/ dry rub and place in slow cooker w/ beer.
• Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.
• Remove pork from slow cooker; discard any grease. Shred pork w/ 2 forks.
• Place pork back in slow cooker w/ 1/2 jar of BBQ sauce.
• Serve on buns; heat remaining BBQ sauce for topping sandwiches.
• Serve w/ boxed scalloped potatoes.

Savory Cranberry Beef Roast

Beef roast

1 can whole berry cranberry sauce

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

• Combine cranberry sauce and onion soup mix in small bowl.
• Place roast in crock pot and pour cranberry onion mixture on top. Cover and cook on LOW 6-8 hours.
• Remove beef and shred w/ 2 forks.
• If drippings are thick enough, they can be used as is for a gravy. If thickening is desired, combine 1 T. cornstarch w/ 1 T. cold water. Pour into drippings and stir; turn crock pot on HIGH. Drippings will thicken once they come to a boil (this will happen faster if you remove the drippings from the crock pot and place them in a small sauce pan on the stove on med.-high heat.
• Serve w/ mashed potatoes and salad.

Meal Planning Tips

• Use my suggestions if you like, but make it fit your life. For example, if I have tacos listed on Friday night, but your ground beef expires on Thursday, swap that meal out with something earlier in the week.
• Write your meal plan on your calendar. This way the whole family knows what's coming. I also write when things like meat, eggs, bread, and buns expire on my calendar. This helps me use things up or remember to freeze them before they go bad.
• Have staples on hand at all times and when you run out, buy more the next time you go shopping. Here are some staples that I always have on hand for cooking: chicken and beef broth/stock, olive oil, taco seasoning (I buy the canister instead of individual packages), dry ranch dressing (I buy the canister instead of individual packages), parmasan cheese, dry bread crumbs, a variety of commonly used spices & condiments, tomato paste (in a tube), minced garlic, frozen chopped onions, frozen chopped green peppers, frozen chopped miripoix (carrot, celery, onion), white wine, beer.