Monday, August 25, 2008

Menu Planning Monday




This is my first time participating in Menu Planning Monday, but I am hoping it will make my grocery use more efficient. I used to plan out the weeks, but it seemed like something always came up and the meals didn't get made. I am going to try harder this time!

Monday - Crockpot Chicken Fettucine Alfredo, Garlic Bread

Tuesday - Beef Enchiladas, Mexican Rice, Tortilla chips
I like to make up a large skillet of "Mexican Beef" and keep it in the freezer for nights like this one. I just cook ground beef, onions, chili peppers, cumen, chili power and cayenne until it is cooked through. Then I freeze it in two pound batches. For the enchiladas, I heat the beef with corn and black beans and then put it into tortillas with shredded cheese. I put them into a casserole dish and cover them with enchilada sauce and more cheese. I cook them for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is good and bubbly.

Wednesday - Pizza, breadsticks, salad
We love to make homemade pizza, so it will just depend on the ingredients available in the refrigerator as to what ends up on the crust!

Thursday - Beef Stirfry, Rice, Eggrolls
My stirfry is a little different because my husband likes to have a beef broth to put on top of his rice, so make sure you read this one through before you decide if it is for you! We love it though.
To make my stirfry, I heat veggie oil in the bottom of my wok and cook chopped garlic in it until the taste is infused through the oil. Afterward, I add thin slices of beef or deer tenderloin until they are cooked almost through as well.
I remove the beef and then add a little more oil and garlic before I start cooking my chopped veggies. These depend on what I have from the farmer's market on Weds. I usually use broccoli, snow peas, onions, peppers, mushrooms and whatever else hits me.
After these have cooked enough to lose their toughness, I add back the meat and add one can of beef broth. Then I put the top on and let it simmer until the veggies are the consistency we like. I serve it over white or fried rice.

Friday - Chicken Casserole, Rice and Rolls
This chicken casserole is a favorite from when I was little. Bake about 1.5 pounds of chicken, and while it is cooking, add two cans of tiny baby peas to the bottom of a casserole dish. Mix together one cup of Miracle Whip or mayo (I prefer MW) and one can of cream of mushroom soup. Add two tablespoons of curry (or more depending on your taste) and one cup of shredded cheddar cheese. After the chicken is cooked, shred it and add it to the mixture. Pour this over the peas and then cover the top with more cheddar! (Love it!) Bake it for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. This is awesome served over white rice!

Saturday - Empty the fridge day

Sunday - Eat out at Mexican restaurant with whole family

Dessert for any of these meals includes fruit or homemade fruit juice popsicles.

2 comments:

Kiy said...

Welcome to MPM. I have found that it saves us a lot of money and I toss very little. We love left overs for lunch, so I tend to double one or two recipes each week.

Great menu, looks like a fun week!

Cheers, Kiy

Dana said...

Coming out from lurking to say...yumm! I want to eat at your house!