Menu for Feb 17-23 and Feb. 24-March 2

Here is my plan for the next 2 weeks.  I don't always stick to it exactly as written, but it gives me something to follow and a list to choose from each night.  And I don't have 14 different recipes listed, either.  I never know what the weekends will look like, so I always leave those empty.  And I always have salad stuff or homemade pizza stuff if I need to cook on a night that I didn't have a plan for. 

Feb. 17-23

Monday--Easy Chicken on a Bed of Vegetables (This was on the menu for last week, but because of the weather I was home and didn't need a freezer meal.  I decided to save it for this week.)

Tuesday--Cheeseburger wraps, organic corn, salad 

Wednesday--Honey-Pepper Pork with carrots 

Thursday--Taco Chili

Friday--Adam has a softball scrimmage so it will just be the kids and me (and I?!?!)  Harper has requested "Wegular Wed Spaghetti"  AKA Regular Red Spaghetti  

Saturday/ Sunday-- I have these enchiladas already frozen from a few weeks ago.  So, I can pull them out one night for dinner.  

 

Feb. 24-March 3 (Seriously?! MARCH already?!)

Monday-- Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

Tuesday-- Italian Chicken, Carrots, zucchini 

Wednesday-- Beef stroganoff over whole grain brown rice

Thursday--Pepperoni and Chicken with a salad 

Friday/ Saturday/ Sunday--  No clue!  :)

Slow Cooker Pepperoni and Chicken

I found this one on Pinterest.  And it linked to Skinnymom.com.  Looks good!  And easy!
Go here to check out her entire site.

I will throw everything in a bag and freeze it.  And then thaw it overnight, and put it in the crock pot in the morning.

Slow Cooker Pepperoni and Chicken

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 3-7 hours (depending on temperature)

Yield: 8 servings

Serving size: 1 chicken breast with topping

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 3/4 oz turkey pepperoni (about 40 slices), sliced in half
• 1/4 cup black olives, sliced
• 3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
• 3/4 cup shredded, part-skim mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Place chicken in a slow cooker. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Cut pepperoni slices in half. Add pepperoni and olives to cooker.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together chicken broth, tomato paste and Italian seasoning.
4. Pour mixture in cooker.
5. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 7 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
6. Five minutes before you serve, sprinkle cheese on top of chicken. Cover with lid and allow cheese to melt.
7. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken, pepperoni and olives to plates. Discard cooking liquid.

Beef Stroganoff

This is from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

I am going to dump everything in a bag (except the last 4 ingredients) and freeze it.  And then dump it all in the crock pot the morning.  And then follow the last 2 steps when I get home.  She tells you to cook it and then freeze leftovers.

Ultimate Beef Stroganoff {Slow Cooker}

INGREDIENTS

• 2-3 pounds stew meat (or a 3-pound chuck roast, cubed)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 ½ cups beef broth or stock
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1/3 cup flour
• 6-7 tablespoons apple juice or water
• 4-8 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup light or regular sour cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Place the stew meat, salt, pepper and onion in the slow cooker. Stir to distribute the seasonings and onion. In a small bowl, combine the garlic salt, Worcestershrie sauce, beef broth and ketchup. Pour over the meat.
2. Cook for 7-9 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high.
3. About 30 minutes before serving, combine the flour and apple juice in a small bowl, whisking vigorously to combine well. The roux should be thick but still pourable so add a tablespoon of apple juice or water at a time to thin, if needed. Pour the flour mixture into the slow cooker, whisking quickly to mix in the roux with the stew meat and juices and to avoid lumps. Add the mushrooms and stir.
4. Cook on high for 30 minutes. Stir in ½ cup sour cream right before serving. Serve over pasta, rice or baked potatoes.

NOTES

Freezable Meal: The leftovers of the stroganoff can be frozen. I store the leftovers in a freezer-safe container and then thaw in the refrigerator (usually takes about a day) and reheat over medium-low heat in a saucepan on the stove.

Honey-Pepper Pork

This is from Ready, Set, Eat! Cookbook (from Gooseberry Patch).  I don't think there's an online link to this one.  I'm just typing it from my actual cookbook! :)

This is not a crock pot meal.  You cook it and then freeze it and re-heat the day you want to eat.  I guess you could put all the ingredients in a bag and then put it in the crock pot in the morning, but I've never tried that with this one.

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs. boneless pork loin, cubed                    2 T. red win vinegar
2 T. oil                                                            1/2 t. ground ginger
.75-oz. pkg. brown gravy mix                          1/8 t. garlic powder
1 c. water                                                        1 green pepper, chopped
1/4 c. honey                                                     1 red pepper, chopped
3 T. soy sauce                                                  1 onion, chopped

In a large skillet over medium, saute pork in oil until browned, about 15 minutes.  Add gravy mix, water, honey, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic powder; stir well.  Cover and reduce heat to low; simmer for 15 minutes, until sauce thickens.  Add peppers and onion; let cool, package in a plastic zipping freezer bag and freeze, or simmer until vegetables are tender.  Serves 4.

Heat and Eat Instructions:
Thaw overnight in the fridge.  Pour into a saucepan; cover and simmer over medium heat until heated through and vegetables are tender.

Menu for Feb 10 week

Every 2 weeks, I make my menus (2 weeks worth) and make my list to go grocery shopping. I love to go grocery shopping (I know, I'm weird).  However, I only go on the weekends.  I don't have time during the week.  If we need something, I will make do without it during the week.  Anyhow.  I buy what I need for 2 weeks worth of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.  The weekend after the menu-planned-shopping-trip, I normally have to go back to the store for milk, eggs, deli lunch meat, or something we ran out of that I didn't plan for.

Also, while I love the planning and list making, I don't always stick to the menu.  If I don't feel like having Monday's meal on Monday, I will pull something else out of the freezer.  I do keep some type of crock pot meal on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays because we aren't here to cook.  (And Adam has started calling Mondays "Mexican Mondays."  Apparently, I cook Mexican food every Monday.  Whatever! haha) 

So, here's the "plan" for this week:

Sunday:  Mini Turkey Meatballs, green beans, carrots in coconut oil and Himalayan salt 

Monday (dance night)-- Crock pot chicken fajitas from Stacy Makes Cents 
--I didn't chop up peppers and onion.  I used bag of frozen fajita mix veggies (which is peppers and onions.)
--I put everything in a bag and froze it last week.  I will put it in the fridge tonight.

Tuesday-- Cheeseburger wraps (from here) with sweet potato fries (homemade using this recipe) and steamed broccoli

Wednesday (gymnastics night)--Easy Chicken on a Bed of Veggies

Thursday (gymnastics again)--Stuffed Bell Peppers (I've never tried this recipe before.  But, it looks easy.  And sounds good.  I'll let you know what we think!)

Friday--Valentine's Day!  (And I will not be cooking!)

Saturday-- Paleo Pizza (I never made it last week, even though it was on the "menu."  Eh..  it happens!)

What's on your menu for the week?
Have y'all tried any of these recipes yet?

Stuffed Bell Peppers

I haven't tried this one yet.  But it sounds good!

This is from Loving My Nest

5 assorted bell peppers, tops cut off and seeds removed
1 pound of ground Italian hot sausage.
1/2 head of cauliflower, grated or chopped into a rice consistency.
1 small (8 ounce) can of tomato paste.
1 small white onion, medium dice.
5 cloves of garlic, minced.
2 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp dried oregano.
2 tsp dried thyme.

Mix all ingredients and stuff into seeded bell peppers. Place in gallon zip lock bag and freeze. On cooking day, place in slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours.

Menu for this week

Here's our plan for this week!

Since today is the Super Bowl, I decided to do some some snack-y/ appetizer-ish foods for dinner.
--whole wheat pizza (Archer Farms Organic Whole Wheat pizza crust from Target), with Organic pizza sauce (Muir Glen also from Target--so good!), turkey pepperoni, and shredded cheese for the kids. Probably fix another one with Boar's Head ham, pepperoni, spinach and cheese for us.
--veggie tray with broccoli, carrots, red peppers, and cucumbers with Spinach and Herb dip (using the mix from Tastefully Simple)
--Adam wants the little cocktail hot dog things

And I made these  "cookies" for dessert.  One of those Pinterest things that I've always wanted to try. They are pretty good.  Better than no dessert at all!

• Monday (dance night)-- Chicken quesadillas with butternut squash from here

          I will prep this one today, but it's not a crock pot meal.  My kids love these and they have no clue                 they have squash in them. :)

• Tuesday--Chicken wraps ("grilled" on a grilling pan with whatever seasoning I feel like) with Romaine lettuce as the wraps.  With zucchini and carrots baked in coconut oil and pink Himalayan salt

• Wednesday (gymnastics night)--Crock pot breakfast casserole (I will fix the bacon today and freeze it and then prep the rest on Tuesday night.)

• Thursday (gymnastics again)--Paleo Pizza using this recipe  (and leftover sauce and toppings from today)

• Friday--Talent Show night.  No clue what the plan is.  But it will not involve me cooking :)

• Saturday--Chicken stir fry with "cauliflower" rice

     Using carrots and zucchini for the veggies and cauliflower as the "rice" (You can pulse it in the food                 processor until it resembles rice)
     This is my favorite Teriyaki sauce recipe

• Sunday-- No clue! :)

Chicken Quesadillas with Butternut Squash (not a freezer meal)

One of my favorite recipes is from Jessica Seinfield's cookbook "Deceptively Delicious."  This isn't a freezer meal, but I'm gonna prepare some of it today and then just assembly everything tomorrow.

I can't find the recipe online, and I'm not going to type it word for word from the cookbook.  So, here's my version:

1. First, you need to cook and puree a butternut squash.  (I already have some in my freezer from last time I made this.)

2. Cook some chicken (whatever amount works for your family.)  Cook it anyway you want.  You can add some taco seasoning from here, if you want.

3. After the chicken is cooked and cooled some, chop it up in a food processor.  I have a mini chopper like this one that I use.  Leave the chicken in a small bowl and set aside.

4. Put 1 can of white beans (chickpeas, northern beans, whatever you want) in the chopper.

5. Mix the chopped beans with some sour cream.  Don't know the amount of sour cream.  Whatever you feel like! :)

6. In another bowl, mix some shredded cheese into the squash puree.  You should now have 3 different bowls of quesadilla filling.

7. Spread some of the sour cream and bean mixture on one side of a whole wheat tortilla.  Put some of the chopped chicken on top.  Then spread some of the squash and cheese mixture on one side of another tortilla.  Put that tortilla on top of the chicken.  The sour cream mixture and squash mixture will stick together.

8. Bake everything at 350 degrees until the cheese melts.  When the cheese melts, it will hide the squash and the sour cream hides the beans.  This makes 4 quesadillas (using 8 tortilla shells all together).

9. Let them cool slightly before cutting them into triangles. Since this isn't a freezer meal, I do steps 1-6 the day before.  Leave everything in the fridge until the next day when it's time to assemble everything.

Loaded Nachos (Not a Freezer Meal)

Tonight was "Mama doesn't feel like cooking" night.  So, I made some nachos.  And, yes, this is my "recipe." Really, it's just common sense. :)

Ingredients:
Tortilla chips (We used organic ones from Lowes Foods)
1 can of organic black beans (Again from Lowes Foods)
shredded cheese
1 avocado
Taco seasoning (from here)

First I put some foil on a cookie sheet and sprayed it with coconut oil cooking spray.  (I HATE when food sticks to pans.  So I always use foil and spray.)
Anyhow.  Put some chips down first.  Whatever your little heart desires.
Then some shredded cheese on top.
Then rinse and drain the black beans and put them on top of the cheese.
Slice the avocado and put that on top.
Then sprinkle some taco seasoning on top.
And then add some more cheese
Bake all of that at 350 degrees until the cheese melts.  Yummy!

Since I really didn't want to fight with my kids.. and I knew they wouldn't eat the nachos... I fixed them some wraps instead.
Carter had ham and cheese (Boar's Head) on a whole wheat wrap.  With mustard.  He also had sweet potato tortilla chips (Food Should Taste Good brand. So so good!), carrots, and a clementine.
Harp had ham and cheese without mustard on a spinach wrap.  She doesn't like the sweet potato chips, so she had veggie sticks (chips from Lowes Foods) and a clementine.  And carrots with ranch!

OK, that's all I've got for now! :)