Menu Plan for September 4 through September 10

Hopefully I will be adding more content soon! I am planning some stationery meal days to assist with meal planning:

Meatless Monday
Fishy Wednesday
Rice Thursday (either fried rice or beans and rice)
Fun Friday (either out or a fun, easy meal like homemade pizza)

That being said, here's the menu for this week:

Sunday: Dinner at parents
Monday: Grilled hamburgers, green salad, fresh fruit
Tuesday: Joe's Special (eggs with spinach, grown turkey, and mushrooms)
Wednesday: Goldfish chowder (From Tyler Florence's Start Fresh), fresh fruit
Thursday: Thai basil chicken (from this month's Kiwi magazine) with brown rice and salad
Friday: Out
Saturday: Camping (haven't decided yet)

Menu Plan for August 28 through September 3

We just got back from a mini vacation, so we're having some laid back dinners this week:

Sunday: Dinner out
Monday: Dinner out
Tuesday: Baked breaded cod with homemade cocktail sauce, roasted red potatoes, caprese salad
Wednesday: Green salad with roasted chicken
Thursday: Pizza (for the hubby and son), big green salad (for me - I'll be out during dinner time)
Friday: Orange chicken (from Trader Joes), brown rice
Saturday: Fiesta chicken soup, tortilla chips, avocado

Menu Plan for August 21 through August 27

I had a meal plan for last week but it didn't actually get finalized until Tuesday - oops! We had a fantastic sushi salad from Clean Living magazine that really satisfied my craving for sushi - it's not posted on their website though :(

We're eating from the freezer and pantry this week - not grocery shopping except for produce and other perishables. Here it is:

Sunday: Turkey Taco salad (without shells)
Monday: Mac and cheese with leftover taco meat, green salad, fruit
Tuesday: Baked tilapia (possibly Latin themed, not sure yet), fake Spanish rice, fruit
Wednesday: Barbecued hamburgers, roasted red potatoes, corn on the cob
Thursday: Chicken peanut stew (with turkey and brown rice instead of chicken and couscous)
Friday: Fried rice, fruit
Saturday: out

Menu Plan for August 7 through August 13

Wrote up the meal plan then remembered we're going camping and possibly entertaining this week! Oops...

Sunday: Chicken fried rice with leftovers, fruit
Monday: Refried beans with homemade Spanish rice
Tuesday: Baked tilapia, green beans and peppers, brown rice
Wednesday: Meatball sandwiches, corn on the cob
Thursday: Crockpot barbecue chicken, green salad
Friday: Marinated grilled chicken thighs, corn on the cob, Caprese salad
Saturday: Grilled hot dogs, foil roasted veggies

Meal Plan for July 31 through August 6

Simple this week:

Sunday: Whole wheat rotini with marinara, green salad, watermelon
Monday: Barbecued turkey burgers, corn on the cob, fresh fruit
Tuesday: Baked asiago cod, corn on the cob, cherries
Wednesday: Chicken spinach enchiladas (I'll be eating without the tortillas), sliced pears
Thursday: Chopped green salad with chicken and black beans, served with homemade salsa dressing
Friday: Peanut sesame whole wheat noodles with snow peas and mixed veggies
Saturday: Rogan josh chicken with palak paneer (both from packaged mixes), brown rice

Menu Plan for July 24 through July 30

Sunday: Hamburgers, fresh fruit, leftover black bean salad
Monday: Fried rice with leftover chicken, veggies about to turn, and veggies from the garden
Tuesday: Crockpot barbecue chicken thighs, fresh fruit, green beans
Wednesday: Bruchetta, fresh fruit
Thursday: Salsa topped tilapia, green salad, brown rice
Friday and Saturday: Well, this is embarrassing. I haven't actually planned these days. We are anticipating eating; however, I'm lacking motivation. There is so much produce in abundance right now that I know I will find frugal inspiration later in the week.

Breakfast Zucchini Bread

I'm not a fan of sugary food in the morning. A little sugar is ok, but please save the maple syrup and HFCS until dessert time. (Actually, you can keep the HFCS.) With this in mind, I made a very slightly sweet breakfast bread.

Breakfast Zucchini Bread
(modified from heavenlyhomemakers.com)

3 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup no sugar added applesauce
2 cups shredded zucchini (I use my food processor to shred zucchini, skin and all)
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and baking powder.  Stir in honey, applesauce, zucchini, eggs and butter.  Mix ingredients until well combined.  Pour into two well buttered loaf pans.  Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Menu Plan for July 17 through July 23

Despite the fact that it is mid July, the weather appears to be October-like - gray, rainy, mid-60's. Yuck. So I'm mixing in some winter favorites as well...

Sunday: Chicken and veggie quesadillas, cherries
Monday: Chicken kebabs (from How to Cook Everything), green salad
Tuesday: Chicken caesar salad
Wednesday: Red turkey enchiladas
Thursday: Tilapia with salsa, brown rice, garlicy green beans
Friday: Homemade pizza with ground turkey and veggies
Saturday: Crustless quiche with spinach and bacon, peaches

Buffalo Chicken Soup

I modified this from the Year of Slow Cooking blog. It doesn't quite remind me of buffalo wings, but it's delicious none the less.

Buffalo Chicken Soup


1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 cups low fat milk
1 cup chicken broth
4 ounces low fat cream cheese
1/3 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder

In a small sauce pan, heat butter until melted. Stir in the flour, and heat until thoroughly blended, stirring constantly. Set aside.

Combine chicken, celery, milk, chicken broth, cream cheese, hot sauce, and garlic powder in a 3-4 quart crockpot. Stir in butter mixture. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Menu Plan for July 10 through July 16

I checked out a cookbook from the library, "The 150 Healthiest 15 Minute Recipes on Earth," and it has a lot of simple, relatively frugal recipes that look really good. I've already cooked some of the meals out of it, but I definitely want to try more!

Sunday: Barbecued hamburgers, mashed potatoes, fruit
Monday: Tomato bruchetta
Tuesday: Teriyaki salmon with pineapple (from The 150 Healthiest Recipes) and brown rice
Wednesday: Sun dried tomato quinoa, salad, fruit
Thursday: Sesame Thai chicken and broccoli (from The 150 Healthiest Recipes) and brown rice
Friday: Fried rice, fruit
Saturday: Garlic chicken pasta, salad

Black Bean Salad and Spicy Avocado Dip

This isn't one of my recipes, so I'll just link it instead - Black Bean Salad.

Amazing on a hot day. Serve with lemonade, fresh fruit, and some crusty bread.

Also - Spicy Avocado Dip (or Guacamole if you're nasty). Easy, and you don't really need to measure - it'll turn out ok if you don't! So easy.

Creamy Sun-Dried chicken over Quinoa

1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken broth

1 bunch of green onions, diced (white parts and most of the green parts)
olive oil
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tb cornstarch
2 tb butter
1/4 cup fresh basil, julienned
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, diced
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups already cooked chicken, shredded

Rinse the quinoa. Place water and quinoa in a pot together; heat on high until boiling. Cover, turn the heat to medium low, and simmer for 12 minutes.

In a separate pan, saute green onions in olive oil until very fragrant. Combine milk and cornstarch in a different bowl, and pour into pan. Add  butter, and heat until boiling and thickened. Add basil, tomatoes, garlic powder, red pepper, salt and pepper, and chicken and heat until cooked through. Serve warm over quinoa.

Menu Plan for May 22 through May 28

Starting next week I may be adding a lunch plan as well. Lunch time here has become ridiculous, because I don't think about it until it is actually lunch time and Henry is a few minutes away from a hunger tantrum. It's ridiculous and makes for some weird choices. (Peanut butter and jelly on hamburger buns is fine, but not what I intended those buns for.)

That being said...

Sunday: Chicken and Veggie Quesadillas
Monday: Bacon and mushroom crustless quiche, oranges
Tuesday: Salmon burgers, steamed veggies, store bought potato salad (it was on sale, ok??)
Wednesday: French onion soup (if this turns out well, I'll post the recipe)
Thursday: Chicken cheesy rice (with Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute), oranges
Friday: White chicken enchiladas (the kind that everyone knows how to make, with yogurt and non-MSG cream of mushroom soup subbed in for sour cream and Campbells)
Saturday: Family barbecue

Chicken and Veggie Quesadillas

We had this last night, and it was so easy, simple, and delicious that I wanted to share.

Chicken and Veggie Quesadillas

1 medium onion, diced
2 bell peppers, diced (use two different colors for more fun/nutrition!)
1 tb chili powder
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup shredded cooked chicken
1 cup cheese
6 large tortillas (we actually used FlatOut Bread)

Saute onions and peppers in a small amount of olive oil until soft. In a bowl, place vegetables, spices, and chicken. Mix. Spread the mixture evenly over three tortillas. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the mixture. Top with the remaining tortillas, and fry in a small amount of butter or olive oil until the cheese is melted.

Menu Plan for May 15 through 21

This week will feature a roast chicken, bookended by Daddy's cooking! (I'll be out on both Sunday and Saturday.)

Sunday: Sean's choice (probably frozen flaxseed waffles)
Monday: Crockpot roast chicken with roasted red potatoes and steamed green  beans
Tuesday: Black bean taco salad with chicken
Wednesday: Chicken cheesy rice with fruit
Thursday: Chicken lettuce wraps with peanut sauce (based on a recipe from 1-2-3 Cook for Me) and stir fried veggies
Friday: Chicken pot pie with biscuits (based on this recipe)
Saturday: Sean's choice (probably scrambled eggs)

Crockpot Barbecue Chicken

This is so ridiculously easy that I'm afraid to post it. But it is quite good. And ridiculously easy.


Crockpot Barbecue Chicken

2 chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
1/2 cup of barbecue sauce

Use a one to two quart crockpot (the size you see dips in). Put the breasts in the crockpot. Pour the barbecue sauce on top. Cook on high for three hours. Take the chicken out, shred it, and place it back in the crockpot with all the sauce and juice. If it doesn't look as juicy as you'd like, add more sauce. DONE. Serve with hamburger buns or rice.

Menu Plan for May 8 through May 14

It's, um, a little late. The weather's been so nice, and the house needs cleaning so often... it's easy to forget to blog, until I see my meal planning notebook open and realize I should post.

For those keeping score at home, there's a fabulous sale going on at Fred Meyer this week on organic strawberries. Hence, the excessive amounts of strawberry sides.

Sunday: Hamburgers, homemade hash browns, berries
Monday: Crockpot barbecue chicken with buns, steamed green beans, strawberries
Tuesday: Healthier Cheese Dip with chips for Sean and I, rice for Henry, strawberries
A note - Sean and I used to have something called cheesy taco dip for dinner before Henry came along. It called for excessive amounts of Velveeta and was sooo good. We'd gain a couple of pounds the next day. Hopefully this is a tasty healthier substitute.
Wednesday: Curry spiced veggies with garbanzo beans and rice
Thursday: Popcorn chicken, carrot sticks, strawberries
Friday: Parmesan fish sticks, steamed broccoli, berries or applesauce
Saturday: Date night

Menu Plan for May 1 through May 7

I can't believe it's May already! Here's our meal plan for the week:

Sunday:  General Tso's Chicken and brown rice
Monday: Chicken noodle soup with yogurt biscuits from How to Cook Everything
Tuesday: Ham and green bean casserole, fruit
Wednesday: Barbecue chicken in the crockpot, brown rice, green salad
Thursday: Picadillo
Friday: Papa Murphy's pizza
Saturday: Baked egg rolls (from Deliciously Healthy Family Meals), by popular request

Meal Plan for April 24 - April 30

It's been a couple of weeks! We're celebrating a couple of pantry staples this week...

Sunday: Easter dinner with family
Monday: Annies' macaroni and cheese with fruit
Tuesday: Veggie frittata (from Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook)
Wednesday: Rice and beans with green salad
Thursday: Baked egg rolls (from Deliciously Healthy Family Meals)
Friday: Baked salmon, steamed broccoli, and brown rice
Saturday: Fried brown rice with leftovers

Menu Plan for April 3 through April 9

It's a little late, but here's our meal plan for the week...

S: Mediterranean quinoa salad (from The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook)
M: Scrambled eggs, tater tots, applesauce
T: Salmon, quinoa, and steamed broccoli
W: Roast chicken, tater tots, and steamed veggies
R: Deconstructed chicken pot pie (I'm starting with this vegan pot pie, but adding chicken and chicken stock)
F: Fried rice
S: Chicken divan and rice

Menu Plan for March 27 through April 2

Here's what's on the schedule for this week:

Sunday: Pasta with broccoli and mushrooms, from How to Cook Everything
Monday: Green salad with grilled chicken
Tuesday: Lentil and rice casserole, from The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook
Wednesday: Salmon, green salad, and quinoa
Thursday: Grilled cheese and egg salad sandwiches with soup
Friday: Broccoli and cheese soup
Saturday: Dinner out

Menu Plan for March 20 through March 26

This week I'm starting my elimination diet on Monday, so Sean and I will be eating separate meals (he doesn't think he could eat only fruits and vegetables with a limited amount of grains). Henry will be sharing my meals with me.

I'm also not scheduling the meals out - we will make what we want to eat when we want to eat it. "Want" being an objective term, of course.

Sunday: Papa Murphy's thin crust pizza and salad

Then...

Stephanie:
Salad with avocado with adzuki beans
Baked salmon, brown rice, and steamed vegetables x2
Brown Rice and Lentil Casserole
Spiced Pumpkin Soup and fruit
Quinoa and broccoli

Sean:
Tuna sandwiches
Grilled cheese sandwiches
Michael Angelo's Italian entrees x2
Scrambled eggs
Macaroni and cheese
(all side dishes TBD)

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Another one of my "classic" dishes, this is simple, not too expensive, and perfect for a rainy Northwest day. Pull out your crockpot and...

Chicken Tortilla Soup

4 chicken breast halves (if frozen, make sure they're thawed first)
2 cans black beans, drained
2 15oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup salsa
1 4oz can green chiles
1 14oz can tomato sauce
tortilla chips and cheese

Combine all ingredients except chips and cheese in a crockpot (at least a 4 quart). Cook on low for 8 hours. Before serving, remove the chicken, shred it, and return to the crockpot. Serve over tortilla chips and sprinkle with cheese.

Crustless Quiche

I prefer recipes that let you use wide categories of food, so you can make your dinner your own. Crustless quiche is one of these:

Crustless Quiche

Grease a 9 inch pie pan. Place 1 1/2 cups filling ingredients in the pan. Combine 4 eggs with 1 1/2 cups milk and desired seasonings (like salt and pepper, nutmeg, or anything else, really). Pour into pie pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 375 degrees.

Filling ingredient ideas:
Shredded cheese
Spinach (if it's been frozen, thawed and thoroughly drained)
Broccoli
Bacon bits
Sausage
Green chiles
Onion
Leftover ham or chicken

Menu Plan for March 6 through March 12

Here's our dinner plan for this week (mostly from the freezer and pantry):

Sunday: Freezer meal (I'll figure out which one when I pull it out), broccoli salad, bread
Monday: Black beans and rice (spicy, with chiles and veggies thrown in), apples
Tuesday: Enchilada sauced chicken over rice, steamed veggies
Wednesday: Tuna sandwiches, applesauce, carrot sticks
Thursday: Garlic Chicken Pasta, whatever fruit we have left
Friday: Freezer meal (again, I'll figure out which one when I pull it out), Italian style green beans
Saturday: Baked tilapia, cold pasta salad, applesauce

Meal Plan for February 27 - March 5

No special events lined up for this week - here's what we're having for dinner:

Sunday: Baked Cod with Chili-Roasted Carrots and leftover pasta salad from Saturday

Meatless Monday: Roasted Cauliflower, Chickpeas, and Olives, homemade bread, and grapes

Tuesday: Frozen entree (not sure what yet, there's quite a selection in the freezer), brown rice, and green salad

Wednesday: Ginger Chicken with Avocado with brown rice and steamed veggies

Thursday: Chicken Peanut Stew with couscous and steamed broccoli

Friday: Dinner out at a local teriyaki place (with a buy one entree, get one half off coupon - take out for under $15!)

Saturday: Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup (special request from Sean)

Chicken Peanut Stew

This was a staple of the "Stephanie's working a horrible job and Sean's still in school" years. I got it off a message board, maybe? I actually have no idea, I just look in my recipe book now :) It was described as having a West African flair to it. I'd say it's about as authentic as Chinese food from Safeway is.

Chicken Peanut Stew

1 chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
Olive oil
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 15 oz can chickpeas
2 tbsp tomato paste (I've omitted this in the past and used a little cornstarch and water because really? what do you do with the rest of the can?)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
1-2 tsp cumin
garlic powder to taste

Heat olive oil and chicken over medium heat. Saute with garlic powder until cooked through. Stir in tomatoes & chiles and chickpeas, stirring constantly for one minute. Stir in cumin, broth, and red pepper flakes, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomato paste and stir until smooth. Add peanut butter and stir until smooth. Replace lid and simmer until thickened. Serve with rice, couscous, or what have you.

Menu Plan for February 20 – February 26

This is what we’re having for supper this week:

Sunday: Nibbler’s adoption day! (See more tomorrow.) Grilled hamburgers, sweet potato fries, and green salad.  Nibbler will be having a mini burger and brown rice.

Monday: Leftovers / TBA. We’re celebrating Sean’s birthday with a belated pizza buffet lunch, so we’re not quite sure if we’ll be hungry for dinner.

Tuesday: Black bean pumpkin soup (subscribers only link), homemade bread. We’re celebrating Meatless Monday today. 

Wednesday: Pilaf with Chicken, Spinach, and Walnuts (from Cooking Light First Foods), carrot sticks (steamed for Henry)

Thursday: Picadillo, applesauce

Friday: “Chinese” peanut butter noodles (whole wheat spaghetti noodles and a Chinese Peanut Dip recipe from Cooking Light First Foods), steamed mixed veggies

Saturday: Tilapia, pasta salad (I'll toss in leftover veggies and make a simple vinaigrette)

Picadillo

Picadillo is a Latin American ground meat dish that I’ve been making variations of for years. I was first introduced to it by a seasoning packet from Whole Foods, and I believe it just called for ground beef and a can of tomatoes. I didn’t think much of it, and we didn’t have it for a while.

But then we started the South Beach diet, of which the beginning stage limits you essentially to meats and vegetables. Tired of salad and stir fries, I found a recipe on a South Beach message board that had a variant of the below recipe. We tried it, and it was delicious (at least it was to me. I think Sean merely tolerated it). It omitted the raisins.

We ate the raisin-less version for a while, not knowing the difference, until I saw another, more authentic version. It was good, but not quite right.

So I combined the two and came up with the following recipe (I’ll omit the tomatoes and olive juice for Henry’s meal):

Picadillo

Olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound ground turkey (or extra lean ground beef, whatever)

½ lb finely chopped cold cut ham (optional, or add less)

1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles undrained

1/4 cup of pimento-stuffed green olives cut in half and a tablespoon if its juice

1/3 cup raisins

½ tsp all purpose seasoning (I use Spike)

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes.

Add the turkey and ham and cook, stirring until the turkey is done, about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain off the excess fat. 

Add the remaining ingredients to the meat mixture in the skillet and cook through, another 5 to 10 minutes. Serve with rice or tortillas.

As a side note, I have always seen this described as a Cuban dish. However, according to Wikipedia, the above version is actually a Dominican dish.

Menu Plan for Feb 13 through 19

It's a little unusual for us to be going out twice for dinner in the same week - but we have excuses :)

Sunday - Fried brown rice made with chicken and veggie leftovers

Monday - Heart-shaped pizza from Papa Murphys (paid for with gift certificate from Plum District) and green salad
We get this pizza every Valentine's Day in lieu of experiencing an overpriced restaurant meal with loads of other couples.

Tuesday - "Indian" veggie puree w/garbanzo beans, served over brown rice
I steam and puree root veggies and spinach, and simmer with curry seasoning, ginger, tumeric, or whatever else I have on hand.

Wednesday - Roast chicken, asparagus, and homemade applesauce

Thursday - Cheesy veggie soup and homemade bread - I will be making a simple vegetable soup in the crockpot, then adding a can of condensed cheddar cheese soup I found in the recesses of the pantry

Friday - Restaurant mystery shop

Saturday - Chicken and bean soft tacos (made with leftover chicken from Wednesday), homemade applesauce

Applesauce

I LOVE making applesauce. It's so easy and tastes better than anything you can get at the store. The best part is it is just apples - you can add anything else that you want, but it is so nice having a versatile base.

Ingredients:

Apples. Around eight pounds, to be exact. If you get the sweeter varieties like Gala or Fuji, you don't need added sugar. I almost exclusively use Gala.

Directions:

Peel, core, and slice the apples. I like to peel the apples while watching a tv show, then use a corer/slicer to simultaneously core and slice the apples into eight slices each. The slices can be pretty chunky.

Place the apples in a six quart slow cooker. Cook on high for two hours, then stir. The apples should be soft and hot, but not mushy at this point. Turn down the temperature and cook on low for three to four hours. Stir it up, and voila! Chunky applesauce. (If you like a smoother texture, go ahead and puree it.)

For variations, I like to sprinkle some cinnamon in, or blend it with berries.

Enjoy! Perfect for tired mommies, hungry babies, and scrap happy dogs.