Menu Plan Monday

So I'm back on track this week and actually got two weeks worth of menu planning done in one shot. I know that next week might need a little tweeking come Sunday night, so I'm only posting one week at a time. This is going to be a tough month. Its going to be just the kids and I for 28 days, as my husband will be checking in to inpatient rehab to hopefully get a grip on his alcoholism. I haven't touched on that much lately, and you can expect a post to come about this battle...


Recipes are below!!

Sunday: Beef Stew (carryover)

Monday: Grilled Cheese & Soup

Tuesday: "Mistake" Chicken

Wednesday: Crockpot Lasagne

Thursday: Penne with Cauliflour

Friday: Crockpot Swiss Steak

Saturday: Spaghetti Frittata

Once again, breakfasts are usually cold cereal, oatmeal and sometimes Boug just wants toast and a banana! Lunches usually are leftovers or sandwiches paired with yogurt or fruit generally. My meals are usually a bit heavier in meats and chickens as hub is a butcher and brings so much home for free or next to nothing!! Check out more Menu Plan Monday entries at orgjunkie!!

Recipes::

Crockpot Beef Stew
2 lbs. stew beef
pepper to taste
splash worcestershire sauce
3 potatoes, cut into chunks
4 celery stalks, cut into chunks
4 carrots, cut into chunks
salt to taste
1.5 c. beef broth
2 tbsp. minced garlic
1 large onion, cut into chunks
1/4 c. flour

Place meat into crockpot, mix together flour, salt, pepper and mix in with the meat. Stir to make sure meat is coated. Add in remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours. Stir and serve!

Mistake Chicken
1 lb. chicken breast
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can of French style green beans
1/2 of a 7 oz. can of French fried onions

Put the chicken into a casserole dish and top with soup, bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Add green beans and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Top with French fried onions and bake for an additional 5 minutes, careful not to burn the onions.

Crockpot Lasagna
12 lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 jar(28 ounces) spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup water
16 ounces cottage cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated

Break noodles in half. Place half of the noodles in bottom of greased 4-quart slow cooker. Stir Italian seasoning into meat and spread half over the noodles already in slow cooker. Then layer half of the sauce and water, half of the cottage cheese, and half of mozzarella cheese over beef. Repeat layers. Cover and cook on low heat for 4-5 hours. Do not cook more than 5 hours.Makes 6-8 servings.


Penne with Cauliflaur:
8 ounces penne pasta, uncooked
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup frozen chopped onion
1 tablespoon bottled minced garlic
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 (16-ounce) package frozen cauliflower
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon dried parsley
3 tablespoons bottled lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Cook the penne normally, but save 1 cup of the pasta water. Melt butter or margerine in a skillet, add olive oil, onion and garlic. Cook about 7 minutes or so, add in the cauliflaur and red pepper. Cover and cook about 5 minutes. Add in about 3/4 of the pasta water and cook about 5 minutes. Add in the penne, parmesean, parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and stir well. Cook til the cheese has melted and everything is heated through.

Crockpot Swiss Steak (from Finding Joy in my Kitchen)
1 1/2 lbs. boneless beef steak of your choosing
3 T flour
1 tsp. ground mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
2 T olive oil
1 can stewed tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large onion, sliced
1 large green bell pepper, sliced


Cut beef into 6 serving pieces. In a small bowl, combine flour, mustard and salt. Coat the beef in the flour mix. In a 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook beef in oil for about 15 minutes, turning once, until brown. Place beef in a 3.5-6 quart slow cooker. Top with onion and bell pepper. Mix tomatoes with garlic and pour over the beef and veggies (alternatively, you can used a can of diced tomatoes with onion and garlic). Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours.


Spaghetti Frittata:
2 c. cooked spaghetti
1 c. frozen peas
1/4 c. italian dressing
6 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1/2 c. chopped green onions
4 slices, cooked, drained, chopped bacon
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tomato cut into slices

Toss spaghetti, dressing and peas and put into a 9" pie plate. Beat eggs and milk and pour over top of the spaghetti mixture. Sprinkle with onion, bacon and cheese, top with tomatoes. Bake 40-45 minutes or until center is set. Wait 10 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.