I'm keeping my meal plan simple this week as we are heading back to Minnesota for a week on Friday. Most of our meals are coming from the freezer. If you aren't freezing leftovers or making meals ahead, I would highly recommend it. It is great to have a freezer full of meals to heat-up and enjoy during busy weeks. Feel free to use the following meals as inspiration to start stocking your freezer.
Monday: baked ziti (Many baked pasta dishes freeze well. Follow the recipe to the point where you would bake it, then freeze instead. If baking from frozen, allow extra time or allow to thaw in the fridge then bake.)
Tuesday: jambalaya (This was leftovers from last month.)
Wednesday: soup (Make a big pot of soup and freeze. If you freeze soup flat in freezer bags, they can be stacked to save space.)
Thursday: leftovers/clean-out the fridge
Friday-next Saturday: traveling
Showing posts with label menu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label menu. Show all posts
Monday, June 8
Monday, June 1
Menu Week of June 1
I wasn't feeling inspired yesterday while menu planning, but hopefully our meals will be a little more exciting than what you see here.
Monday: something with chicken breast
Tuesday: Campbell's Tasty 2-Step Pork Chops & mashed potatoes
Wednesday: bean burritos (from freezer)
Thursday: Pasta of some sort or leftovers
Friday: Tacos (leftover meat in freezer)
Monday: something with chicken breast
Tuesday: Campbell's Tasty 2-Step Pork Chops & mashed potatoes
Wednesday: bean burritos (from freezer)
Thursday: Pasta of some sort or leftovers
Friday: Tacos (leftover meat in freezer)
Monday, May 18
This Week's Menu
This week's meals will be pretty simple with most pulled from the freezer. I like having meals put away in the freezer for weeks when I don't really feel like cooking. Must be the Memorial Day weekend coming up that's making me want to take it easy.
Monday: pasta with veggies
Tuesday: leftovers
Wednesday: stuffed chicken (from freezer) with rice
Thursday: broccoli calzones (from freezer)
Friday: orange chicken (from freezer) with leftover rice
Weekend: Vacation!
I'm looking forward to this weekend and visiting some friends in Charleston, SC. It will be nice to get out of town (and the house) for a couple days, catch-up with friends and spend some quality time with Korey.
Monday: pasta with veggies
Tuesday: leftovers
Wednesday: stuffed chicken (from freezer) with rice
Thursday: broccoli calzones (from freezer)
Friday: orange chicken (from freezer) with leftover rice
Weekend: Vacation!
I'm looking forward to this weekend and visiting some friends in Charleston, SC. It will be nice to get out of town (and the house) for a couple days, catch-up with friends and spend some quality time with Korey.
Monday, May 11
This Week's Menu
Here's the plan for this week's meals.
Monday: leftovers
Tuesday: grilled chicken with zucchini & squash
Wednesday: smoked sausage & potatoes or rice
Thursday: something with leftover chicken from Tues. - quesadillas?
Friday: Spaghetti with meatballs (from the freezer)
Saturday: leftover smoked sausage with mac & cheese?
Monday: leftovers
Tuesday: grilled chicken with zucchini & squash
Wednesday: smoked sausage & potatoes or rice
Thursday: something with leftover chicken from Tues. - quesadillas?
Friday: Spaghetti with meatballs (from the freezer)
Saturday: leftover smoked sausage with mac & cheese?
Monday, May 4
Menu Week of May 4
Monday: Red beans & rice (from the freezer)
Tuesday: Chicken taco salads
Wednesday: Pork chops on the grill with baked potatoes
Thursday: Leftovers or eat out
Friday: pizza, pasta or stir fry depending on what's in the fridge
No real recipes this week. I'm just going to wing it with these simple meals. What are you making for dinner this week?
Tuesday: Chicken taco salads
Wednesday: Pork chops on the grill with baked potatoes
Thursday: Leftovers or eat out
Friday: pizza, pasta or stir fry depending on what's in the fridge
No real recipes this week. I'm just going to wing it with these simple meals. What are you making for dinner this week?
Monday, April 20
Menu Week of April 20
This week's plan is subject to adjustments. Our friend Aleathea is visiting us and I'm not sure what we will be doing each afternoon, so I've tried to choose meals that I've made ahead or are easy to put together.
Monday: Salads
Tuesday: Sloppy Joes (I'm going to try making with ground turkey. I hope it will be just as delicious.)
Wednesday: Vegetable Lasagna (from the freezer)
Thursday: Brats
Friday: Homemade Pizza or Calzones (from the freezer)
Weekend: Camping? Eat out?
Monday: Salads
Tuesday: Sloppy Joes (I'm going to try making with ground turkey. I hope it will be just as delicious.)
Wednesday: Vegetable Lasagna (from the freezer)
Thursday: Brats
Friday: Homemade Pizza or Calzones (from the freezer)
Weekend: Camping? Eat out?
Monday, April 6
Supper This Week
Sorry I didn't post my meal plan for last week. I didn't really have much of a plan - or at least I thought - but we ended up eating meals at home all week! I'm still an advocate for having a plan though, so here is mine for this week.
Monday: mac & cheese (from freezer) & steamed broccoli
Tuesday: spinach salads with soup or sandwiches
Wednesday: BBQ chicken sandwiches & broccoli salad
Thursday: pasta with sausage & spinach
Friday: sweet & sour chicken over rice (The recipe calls for meatballs, but I think I can substitute chicken with good results.)
Most of the meal ideas were taken from Kraft Food & Family Magazine Spring 2008. However, I'm using most of the recipes simply as inspiration and adjusting/substituting as I go.
Also, as you can see, I've planned meals with similar ingredients all week. This is a good way to make sure nothing goes to waste - like the baby spinach I need to buy & the fresh broccoli that's on sale.
Monday: mac & cheese (from freezer) & steamed broccoli
Tuesday: spinach salads with soup or sandwiches
Wednesday: BBQ chicken sandwiches & broccoli salad
Thursday: pasta with sausage & spinach
Friday: sweet & sour chicken over rice (The recipe calls for meatballs, but I think I can substitute chicken with good results.)
Most of the meal ideas were taken from Kraft Food & Family Magazine Spring 2008. However, I'm using most of the recipes simply as inspiration and adjusting/substituting as I go.
Also, as you can see, I've planned meals with similar ingredients all week. This is a good way to make sure nothing goes to waste - like the baby spinach I need to buy & the fresh broccoli that's on sale.
Monday, March 23
Menu Week of March 22
I'm a little late on planning my menu for this week. I'm also about out of money in my grocery budget for this month, so I've been looking around to see what we have in the pantry and the freezer. Looks like nothing exciting to eat this week - I'm not feeling inspired.
Monday: cheese ravioli
Tuesday: grilled steak & baked beans (maybe?)
Wednesday: lentil soup (from freezer) & dinner rolls
Thursday: baked potato bar - this has been a back-up plan for the past couple weeks, so I think I'll actually put it on the menu this week.
Friday: pizza? leftovers?
What are you making this week? I would love to see your menus!
Monday: cheese ravioli
Tuesday: grilled steak & baked beans (maybe?)
Wednesday: lentil soup (from freezer) & dinner rolls
Thursday: baked potato bar - this has been a back-up plan for the past couple weeks, so I think I'll actually put it on the menu this week.
Friday: pizza? leftovers?
What are you making this week? I would love to see your menus!
Monday, March 16
This Week's Menu
Last week I realized that I'd already used 2/3 of my grocery budget and the month is only half over, but the good news is, my freezer is stuffed with food. Therefore, I'll be pulling things out of the freezer to eat this week and maybe putting a few things back in.
Monday: bean burritos & salad (I agree with the comments that these burritos are a little bland. Next time I think I will mix some salsa into the rice or add something else to spice them up a bit.)
Tuesday: broccoli calzones (made pizza bread last week instead, will probably freeze half the calzones)
Wednesday: spinach manicotti & garlic bread (I made a whole package of manicotti a while ago and since we can't eat that much, I froze the individual filled manicotti. To freeze the pasta, I simply put them back in their packaging, wrapped with plastic and put in a freezer bag. You can thaw the manicotti overnight in the refridgerator, but you don't have to, it will just take longer to bake. To serve, I just take out 2-3 for each of us and then bake in pasta sauce & top with cheese - 375°, 30-45 min. or until heated through.)
Thursday: simple roast chicken & potatoes
Friday: chicken noodle soup from leftover chicken (hope to have enough to freeze some)
Saturday/Sunday: baked potato bar/leftovers/eat out?
Monday: bean burritos & salad (I agree with the comments that these burritos are a little bland. Next time I think I will mix some salsa into the rice or add something else to spice them up a bit.)
Tuesday: broccoli calzones (made pizza bread last week instead, will probably freeze half the calzones)
Wednesday: spinach manicotti & garlic bread (I made a whole package of manicotti a while ago and since we can't eat that much, I froze the individual filled manicotti. To freeze the pasta, I simply put them back in their packaging, wrapped with plastic and put in a freezer bag. You can thaw the manicotti overnight in the refridgerator, but you don't have to, it will just take longer to bake. To serve, I just take out 2-3 for each of us and then bake in pasta sauce & top with cheese - 375°, 30-45 min. or until heated through.)
Thursday: simple roast chicken & potatoes
Friday: chicken noodle soup from leftover chicken (hope to have enough to freeze some)
Saturday/Sunday: baked potato bar/leftovers/eat out?
Monday, March 9
This Week's Menu
I share my weekly meal plan almost every week at This Week for Dinner, but I thought I would also post it here to inspire those of you reading my blog. I am also going to try to post recipes on this blog and I figured this would be a good first step.
Monday: Red Beans & Rice (slow cooker) - see below for recipe
Tuesday: Fiesta Salad with Black Beans (something similar to this without the chicken)
Wednesday: Salsa Rice Enchiladas and Salad - a variation on the recipe below with leftovers from Monday & Tuesday.
Thursday: Broccoli-cheese Calzones - see below for recipe
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday & Sunday: I don't usually plan meals for the weekend, because I'm never sure what we'll be doing or if we'll be home around mealtime. I also don't plan meals for the weekend, because I typically have more leftovers than I thought or we didn't eat a certain meal earlier in the week for whatever reason. However, I do try to keep simple meals from the freezer and pantry ready for if we are home and there isn't anything we haven't eaten yet this week. This weekend we might have pasta or a baked potato bar.
Red Beans & Rice
Betty Crocker Easy Everyday Vegetarian Cookbook
1lb dried kidney beans (2 cups), sorted, rinsed
1 large green bell pepper, chopped (1 ½ cups)
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
7 cups water
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 cups uncooked instant rice
Red pepper sauce
In 4 to 5-quart slow cooker, mix all ingredients except rice and red pepper sauce.
Cover, cook on high 4 to 5 hours or low 8 to 10 hours
Stir in rice. Cover; cook on high 15 to 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Serve with pepper sauce.
Makes 8 servings
Notes 3/10/09: We thought this recipe was good, but a little bland. However, it was super cheap and easy. If I make it again, I might add more seasonings to the slow cooker. We had leftover rice in the fridge, so I didn't add it to the crock pot. I also thought it would freeze better without the rice. I ended up freezing three 2 cup portions because we had A LOT of leftovers.
Salsa Rice Enchiladas
Betty Crocker Easy Everyday Vegetarian Cookbook
1 ½ cups chunky salsa
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
1 cup uncooked instant rice
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (11 oz) whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, undrained
1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
8 flour tortillas (8 inch)
Additional salsa, if desired
In 10-inch skillet, heat 1 ½ cups salsa and the chili powder to boiling. Stir in rice. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in beans, corn and cheese.
Spoon about ½ cup rice mixture onto center of each tortilla. Fold up bottom of each tortilla; fold over sides. Secure with toothpick if necessary. Serve with additional salsa, if desired.
Makes 4 servings (2 enchiladas each)
Broccoli-cheese Calzones
Betty Crocker Easy Everyday Vegetarian Cookbook
1 15 oz container ricotta cheese
9 oz frozen cut broccoli, thawed (? cups)
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 egg whites (or 1 egg?)
1 teaspoon dried basil or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 loaf (1 lb) frozen white or wheat bread dough, thawed
1 can (8 oz) pizza sauce
Heat oven to 375. Grease 2 cookie sheets. In medium bowl, mix all ingredients except dough and pizza sauce.
Divide bread dough into 6 equal pieces. On lightly floured surface using a floured rolling pin, roll each piece into 7-inch round.
Top half of each dough round with cheese mixture to within 1-inch of edge. Carefully fold dough over filling; pinch edge or press with fork to seal securely. Place calzones on cookie sheets.
Bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes.
In small saucepan, heat pizza sauce over medium, stirring occasionally until hot. Serve warm sauce with calzones.
Makes 6 servings
If you're wondering why all the recipes are from the same cookbook this week, it's because I just checked it out from the library. Everything looked so good and EASY that I just had to get started trying them!
Monday: Red Beans & Rice (slow cooker) - see below for recipe
Tuesday: Fiesta Salad with Black Beans (something similar to this without the chicken)
Wednesday: Salsa Rice Enchiladas and Salad - a variation on the recipe below with leftovers from Monday & Tuesday.
Thursday: Broccoli-cheese Calzones - see below for recipe
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday & Sunday: I don't usually plan meals for the weekend, because I'm never sure what we'll be doing or if we'll be home around mealtime. I also don't plan meals for the weekend, because I typically have more leftovers than I thought or we didn't eat a certain meal earlier in the week for whatever reason. However, I do try to keep simple meals from the freezer and pantry ready for if we are home and there isn't anything we haven't eaten yet this week. This weekend we might have pasta or a baked potato bar.
Red Beans & Rice
Betty Crocker Easy Everyday Vegetarian Cookbook
1lb dried kidney beans (2 cups), sorted, rinsed
1 large green bell pepper, chopped (1 ½ cups)
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
7 cups water
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 cups uncooked instant rice
Red pepper sauce
In 4 to 5-quart slow cooker, mix all ingredients except rice and red pepper sauce.
Cover, cook on high 4 to 5 hours or low 8 to 10 hours
Stir in rice. Cover; cook on high 15 to 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Serve with pepper sauce.
Makes 8 servings
Notes 3/10/09: We thought this recipe was good, but a little bland. However, it was super cheap and easy. If I make it again, I might add more seasonings to the slow cooker. We had leftover rice in the fridge, so I didn't add it to the crock pot. I also thought it would freeze better without the rice. I ended up freezing three 2 cup portions because we had A LOT of leftovers.
Salsa Rice Enchiladas
Betty Crocker Easy Everyday Vegetarian Cookbook
1 ½ cups chunky salsa
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
1 cup uncooked instant rice
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (11 oz) whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, undrained
1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
8 flour tortillas (8 inch)
Additional salsa, if desired
In 10-inch skillet, heat 1 ½ cups salsa and the chili powder to boiling. Stir in rice. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in beans, corn and cheese.
Spoon about ½ cup rice mixture onto center of each tortilla. Fold up bottom of each tortilla; fold over sides. Secure with toothpick if necessary. Serve with additional salsa, if desired.
Makes 4 servings (2 enchiladas each)
Broccoli-cheese Calzones
Betty Crocker Easy Everyday Vegetarian Cookbook
1 15 oz container ricotta cheese
9 oz frozen cut broccoli, thawed (? cups)
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 egg whites (or 1 egg?)
1 teaspoon dried basil or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 loaf (1 lb) frozen white or wheat bread dough, thawed
1 can (8 oz) pizza sauce
Heat oven to 375. Grease 2 cookie sheets. In medium bowl, mix all ingredients except dough and pizza sauce.
Divide bread dough into 6 equal pieces. On lightly floured surface using a floured rolling pin, roll each piece into 7-inch round.
Top half of each dough round with cheese mixture to within 1-inch of edge. Carefully fold dough over filling; pinch edge or press with fork to seal securely. Place calzones on cookie sheets.
Bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes.
In small saucepan, heat pizza sauce over medium, stirring occasionally until hot. Serve warm sauce with calzones.
Makes 6 servings
If you're wondering why all the recipes are from the same cookbook this week, it's because I just checked it out from the library. Everything looked so good and EASY that I just had to get started trying them!
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