Saturday, December 5, 2009

December 6-12

Sunday: Saucy pepper Steak
Monday: Foil Pack Chicken & Artichoke Dinner
Tuesday: Mini Pizzas
Wednesday: Spaghetti with Bolognese
Thursday: Out for dinner due to son's Christmas Program
Friday: Cheesy Salsa Mini Meatloaves
Saturday: Saucy Pork Medalions


Review of last week:

Sunday: Chinese takeout

Monday: Sloppy Janes
-One of my favorite recipes. The kiddos love it as do we. So easy and I love that I can simmer it most of the afternoon without losing flavor

Tuesday: BBQ pulled pork
-Way too liquid-y. The BBQ sauce was way too diluted and there was really no taste. I have made a different recipe before that was 100x better. Will definitely be going back to my old recipe

Wednesday: Cheesy Beef Stroganoff
-Good but needed more cheese; didn't taste like traditional stroganoff

Thursday:Tuna Noodle Casserole
-Probably would have been better if I would have actually planned ahead of time and put it in the crockpot instead of trying to short cut it and make it on the stove top.

Friday: Pizza Meatloaf
-Not as well liked by the hubby although the kiddos liked it; might have been because I used diet lean beef versus ground sirloin. I plan on making again!

Saturday: Ground Beef Dinner
-If you choose a meal based on appearance, then this is NOT the meal for you. It is definitely not the most visually appealing, but it tastes good. Think beef chop suey minus the sprouts.

Recipe of the week
Cheesy Salsa Mini Meatloaves

Makes:
6 servings
What you need:
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1 egg
12 Saltine Crackers, finely crushed (1/2 cup)
1-1/2 cups Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese, divided
1 cup Thick 'N Chunky Salsa, divided

Make It:

HEAT oven to 400ºF.

MIX first 4 ingredients with 1 cup cheese and 1/2 cup salsa.

PRESS evenly into 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. Use back of spoon to make indentation in center of each. Place muffin pan on foil-covered baking sheet.

BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until meatloaves are done (160°F). Top with remaining salsa and cheese; bake 3 min. or until cheese is melted.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

November 29-December 5th

Sunday: Chinese takeout
Monday: Sloppy Janes
Tuesday: BBQ pulled pork
Wednesday: Cheesy Beef Stroganoff
Thursday:Tuna Noodle Casserole
Friday: Pizza Meatloaf
Saturday: Ground Beef Dinner

Review:

Sunday: Alfredo Linguine: Very good!

Monday: Shrimp Scampi: Sort of bland but the shrimp definitely helped

Tuesday: White Bean Turkey Chili: Yummy and like other soups & chilis, it was better the next day!
Wednesday: Baked Macaroni & Cheese: I was tired so this turned into Crockpot Mac & Cheese. The kiddos loved it, and we thought it was pretty darn good as well!

Thursday:I made creamed corn (easy and everyone loved it even though there was another corn dish, I hardly had any to take home!), hashbrown casserole (considering there was about a spoonful left, I would say it was a hit as well. The Reeses penaut Pie...not so much. Not that it was bad b/c it wasn't at all, it just didn't want to set at all. Maybe because I used Skim milk instead of 2%, who knows? It was good nonethelesss

Friday: Mozzarella Meatloaf: Notice a meatloaf theme? This one was delicious. It has been a while since i made one in the corckpot and this time it was totally different. Everyone loved it!

Saturday: Roasted Vegetable Orzo Salad: Hmm...sort of band until the flavors started to combine. It was good but I can't say it is one of my most fa
vorite meals. It did reheat fine but it seemed to be missing the key "'something".

Recipe of the week:

Ground Beef Dinner

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pound ground beef
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup rice
2 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup onion
1/2 cup celery
canned French-fried onions



Directions:
Brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet; drain well. Place in crockpot. Mix in the uncooked rice, raw celery and the rest of the ingredients. Top with the canned french-fried onions. Cover; cook for 4 to 6 hours on low.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

November 22-28


Sunday: Alfredo Linguine
Monday: Shrimp Scampi
Tuesday: White Bean Turkey Chili
Wednesday: Baked Macaroni & Cheese
Thursday: HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! No cooking for me today...just sides and dessert!
Friday: Mozzarella Meatloaf
Saturday: Roasted Vegetable Orzo Salad


Review from the 15th-21st:
Sunday: Crunchy Onion Chicken: Quick and easy. Very good

Monday: Turkey Meatloaf: "Exceptional" "Great" "One of the best meatloaf recipes" "Delicious" (ALL words used by the husband and kiddos to describe)

Tuesday: Meatball Sandwiches: So easy...definitely cheated on making these!

Wednesday: Creamy Italian Chicken: First dud I have had in a long time. It was bland as bland can be. You know it's bad when the husband compares eating it to eating a sock! But for some reason the kiddos devoured it!

Thursday: Chicken Quesadillas: No recipe here...just tortillas, chicken and cheese. The kiddos made them themselves and loved them.

Friday: Salmon Patties: Yummy..now if only I knew how to use my Deep Fryer a bit better.

Saturday: Turkey Enchiladas Suizas
: Still in process although I'm thinking it might be a disaster waiting to happen...no sour cream and I can't roll an enchilada to save my life. Here goes nothing!

Requested Recipe for Aimee:

FRENCH'S® CRUNCHY ONION CHICKEN™

Ingredients:

2 cups (4 oz.) FRENCH'S® Original or Cheddar French Fried Onions

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

4 (5 oz.) boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 egg, beaten

Directions:

Place French Fried Onions and flour into plastic bag. Lightly crush with hands or with rolling pin. Transfer to pie plate or waxed paper.

Dip chicken into egg; then coat with onion crumbs, pressing firmly to adhere. Place chicken on baking sheet.

Bake at 400°F for 20 min. or until no longer pink in center.


(I cannot in good faith give you the Creamy Italian Chicken recipe...it was just that bad!)


Recipe for the week:



ALFREDO LINGUINE









Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® Spread
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
1 jar Bertolli® Creamy Alfredo Sauce
8 ounces linguine, cooked and drained


Instructions:
  • Melt Spread in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat and cook walnuts 3 minutes or until golden. Stir in garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in Sauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes or until heated through. To serve, toss sauce with hot linguine. Sprinkle with additional chopped walnuts and garnish, if desired, with chopped fresh parsley.

Cost per recipe*: $4.33.

Cost per serving*: $1.08.

*Based on average retail prices at national supermarkets.

Serves:
4
Preparation Time:
20 Minute(s)
Cook Time:
10 Minute(s)

Nutrition Information per serving
Calories 500, Calories From Fat 260, Saturated Fat 11g, Trans Fat 0g, Total Fat 29g, Cholesterol 65mg, Sodium 820mg, Total Carbohydrate 49g, Sugars 5g, Dietary Fiber 3g, Protein 13g, Vitamin A 15%, Vitamin C 0%, Calcium 10%, Iron 15%



Sunday, November 15, 2009

November 15-21

Sunday: Crunchy Onion Chicken
Monday: Turkey Meatloaf
Tuesday: Meatball Sandwiches
Wednesday: Creamy Italian Chicken
Thursday: Chicken Quesadillas
Friday: Salmon Patties
Saturday: Turkey Enchiladas Suizas

Review from last week:
Sunday: Peanut Chicken with Rice & Green Beans DELICIOUS-Not spicy like I expected at all. Everyone loved it even my littlest one who is the most picky child ever!

Monday: Fast Chicken & Rice When the little one eats it, you know it is GREAT

Tuesday: Zesty chicken with black beans & rice The little one liked the cheese & sour cream I served on top, but the chicken and black beans didn't get eaten by her. However everyone else thought it was delicious and it was a great meal to take to work and reheat.

Wednesday: Herbed Turkey & broccoli-Not bad but not fabulous either. The noodles stuck together but once you got past that part it was good. The kiddos loved the broccoli, the husband not so much but then again he isn't a fan of broccoli and I know that.

Thursday: Cheesy Grilled Ham Sandwiches- This was a kiddos only meal as husband and I both work late Thursdays. According to the nanny, the kids loved it though.

Friday: Sausage & Cavatelli Skillet- The Kiddos and husband loved it...I think it needed more sauce. Then again husband made it and he measures everything exactly so I would have probably added more sauce from the sauce since I am not usually a measuring type girl.

Saturday: Cheeseburger Pasta-


Requested Recipe for Kim:
Zesty Chicken With Black Beans & Rice
(This was one of the best recipes of the week! Everyone loved it and it was so easy!)

1 pound of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts cut into bite size pieces
1 package of Spanish Rice Mix
1 3/4c water
1 can of black beans rinsed and drained
1 can of diced tomatoes undrained
Sour cream, green onions, lime wedges, cheddar cheese (optional)

Brown Chicken over medium heat. Remove chicken when browned. Add rice mix, water, beans, tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Add chicken and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer 15-20m until chicken is no longer pink and rice is cooked through. Let stand, covered 5minutes.

If desired, top with sour cream, green onions, etc.

(We topped ours with sour cream & cheddar cheese! Delicious!)


Recipe for this week:
TANGY GLAZED TURKEY MEATLOAF
From COOKS.COM

1 lb. ground turkey
1/4 c. bread crumbs
1 sm. onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
2 tbsp. catsup (or 2 tbsp. chili sauce)
1/3 c. milk
1 egg beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all meat loaf ingredients in a bowl. Mix well and pat into small loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
GLAZE: (optional)
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 c. catsup
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Mix glaze ingredients and spoon over meatloaf. Bake 20 minutes longer.

Please leave comments and let me know if you try any of the recipes and your thoughts!


Sunday, November 8, 2009

November 8-14th

Sunday: Peanut Chicken with Rice & Green Beans
Monday: Fast Chicken & Rice
Tuesday: Zesty chicken with black beans & rice
Wednesday: Herbed Turkey & broccoli
Thursday: Cheesy Grilled Ham Sandwiches
Friday: Sausage & Cavatelli Skillet
Saturday: Cheeseburger Pasta

Recipe of the week:

I found this in a magazine and decided to give it a try.


Baked Peanut Chicken
Yield
4-6 servings

Time
10 minutes to assemble
25-35 minutes to bake
Total time: 45 minutes

This simple and delicious recipe takes less than 10 minutes to prepare. Its sweet and mildly spicy peanutty flavors will delight the whole family. Spoon extra sauce over potatoes, rice or noodles.

INGREDIENTS
2-3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken
1-13.5 oz can A Taste of Thai Coconut Milk
1-3.5 oz packet A Taste of Thai Peanut Sauce Mix, both inner envelopes
DIRECTIONS
    1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
    2. Place chicken in a size appropriate baking dish.
    3. Combine Coconut Milk and Peanut Sauce Mix in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil stirring frequently. Reduce heat to an active simmer and stirring, cook 3-4 minutes until thickened.
    4. Pour sauce over chicken. Bake uncovered 25-35 minutes or until done. Spoon extra sauce over mashed potatoes or rice.

Oh No what's for dinner?

I'm here to help. As a mom of 2 who works full time, I need fast easy dinners that I can make with a minimal amount of ingredients, because I can't be spending all my time in my kitchen. Before the children came along, I didn't really cook. If it didn't involve take out or just heating something up, we didn't have dinner. Then the children came and I needed balanced healthy meals so that's how my weekly meal planner was born. Each week, I sit down and plan our meals and create our grocery list. It has definitely made life easier and I no longer dread the question, "Mommy what are we having for dinner?"

I do plan breakfast and lunch as well but they only cycle and don't change weekly unless there is something special going on. Dinner however is MY meal. I am determined that my family will be exposed to a wide variety of food and that we don't get in the dinner time rut. Occasionally I will repeat a meal, but only if it is an absolute favorite of all of us. Otherwise every night is something new. Some are good adventures and some are not, but you never know unless you try!

So here I will present my weekly dinner plans. My original thought is that I will provide one recipe each week that is for the new week and one that was a favorite from the week before. I wll rely on feedback though...if you want a specific recipe, ASK.

Enjoy...what's for dinner!