Squash is on the Menu! The Meal Plan 9/12-9/18

My family is going on a squash diet this week.

In addition to the acorn squash that I picked from my garden on Friday, my youngest sister arrived for a weekend visit with bags of squash from our middle sister's enormous Indiana garden. Since I need to use it up, the focus of our meals this week will be some of my favorite squash recipes. I have acorn, butternut, spaghetti, yellow crookneck, and still more zucchini.

I haven't made a concrete plan yet. It will be a busy week. I'm preparing for my daughter's 7th birthday party and some out-of-town company. So, instead of daily meals and a grocery list, this week I have provided the links to some of my family's favorite squash recipes.

For Acorn Squash, we prefer it halved and filled with sausage, brown sugar, and spices.

Spaghetti Squash eats much like pasta, hence the name. I like to top mine with a fresh tomato sauce.

The crookneck squash is similar to zucchini and can complete many main dishes. However, one of my favorite recipes, "Squashed Squash" is a side dish that allows the crookneck to shine on it's own.

Zucchini is so versatile that I haven't yet decided what I will prepare with it this week. In THIS POST, I featured a number of delicious zucchini recipes. I may re-visit one of them or try something new.

I don't have a link for a Butternut Squash recipe...yet. Stay tuned this week, because I will be posting my favorite Cream of Butternut Soup recipe in addition to a non-squash recipe for Cheesesteak Pizza.

So that's the meal plan for this week. Sort of. I'll try to be better next week and return to my usual daily meal/grocery list format. I intended to post a more specific plan tonight, but The History Channel sucked me in. I couldn't take my eyes away from the horror and sadness on the screen long enough to commit to a recipe.

I don't know about you, but after re-living the tragedy of September 11th, 2001 through the 10 Year Anniversary coverage this weekend, I'm ready for an uplifting Monday.

One of my friends posted this on her Facebook page tonight:

"What are we doing in our daily lives to remember 9/11? Taking life for granted? Or soaking in every precious moment, telling family and friends we love them, and setting our priorities straight? Let's make this day more than about remembering where we were then - let's take a good look at where we are now."

I thought that it was good "food for thought". I remember the intensity of my emotions following 9/11. I was focused on all of the things that my friend listed above. I wish that I could say I have continued to do those things consistently over the last 10 years. While I will certainly "never forget", that intensity has waned over the years. My friend's post and everything that I watched this evening have served as a much needed reminder.

God Bless America and each and every one of you! I hope that you all have a wonderful week.

My Lackadaisical Meal Plan 9/6- 9/11

With this being a short week, I only needed to plan for 3 meals to feed my family. The choice of what to put on my meal plan was pretty easy since I wanted to find recipes that would utilize the produce I've accumulated from my garden.

So tomorrow, we'll make build-your-own subs, piled high with garden fresh lettuce and tomatoes.

On Wednesday, I'm cooking up a pot of chili. After today's cold, gloomy weather I'm craving big hearty bowl of chili with all of the "fixins". Plus, last week I dried a few pounds of chili peppers and ground most of them into powder. I'm excited to give my chili a flaming hot flavor boost with that homemade chili powder, and to show all of you how I dried those peppers.

Thursday, I've got my sights set on eggplant parmesan, since I still have the 3 eggplants that my grandma sent last week. I've never made eggplant parmesan, so I'm still searching for that perfect recipe.

On Friday, my youngest sister and her little ones are coming for a visit and we're going to a tailgate party before the high school football game.

On Saturday, we plan to attend the Cleveland Garlic Festival. I can't wait to report back here about this event. Should be fun!

And finally, on Sunday, we'll either have leftovers or I'll pull a meal from the freezer.

I know that this isn't my usual meal plan format. No grocery list this week, either. I think that I may have fried my brain on the 5 online teacher training modules and tests that I needed to complete today before the school board can approve me as a substitute teacher at their meeting tomorrow. Plus, my kiddos keep getting out of bed and I can't seem to finish typing a sentence before I have to "Super Nanny" them back upstairs. I'm having serious motivation problems tonight. Does that ever happen to you?

No worries though, I'm sure that tomorrow I'll be back to my usual chipper self and that the food this week is going to be delicious!

I hope that all of you had a wonderful long weekend!

The Meal Plan 8/29- 9/4 PLUS Some Questions About How to Use Some Garden Goodies...

I had the meal plan all ready to post on schedule last night, then my mom showed up for a surprise visit with a bounty of vegetables that my grandma picked from her garden to send along. A vegetable care package! Cool!

The most fascinating thing I found in all of the bags and buckets of produce was this gargantuan tomato. It was huge. 2-1/2 pounds according to my kitchen scale. Seriously impressive.

It put my regular-sized garden tomatoes to shame.

I am having some difficulty deciding what to do with a few of the items from grandma's garden. Maybe some of you can help me out?

First of all, Grandma sent bunches of flat leaf parsley. I'd like to preserve some. Do any of you have experience with this? What should I do? I've heard about freezing it in ice cube trays. Or maybe I should dry it?

She also sent 3 eggplants. I had just purchased 1 eggplant for the Garden Vegetable Tart that I plan to make later this week, so now I have 4 eggplants. How should I prepare it? Do any of you have a favorite recipe? I have fried it before, but I'd love to try a different recipe.

Finally, she sent a whole bucket full of red hot chili peppers. I was thinking about drying them. If anyone has tips, I'd be happy to read them. Also, have any of you ever dried pepper seeds and planted them the next year? My grandma suggested that I save some of the seeds for planting. I was just wondering if that really works and how I should go about it. Sound off, my pepper lovin' readers!

Okay, so now for the meal plan. I only had to plan for 4 meals this week, and I'm only cooking 3. Tuesday I'm pulling some barbecue out of the freezer to heat for sandwiches. On Thursdays during the school year, my daughters attend an evening children's program at our church, where I also teach a class. They serve dinner there. Love that! On Saturday we will probably cook out with our neighbors and on Sunday we have 2 birthday parties to attend. While I'm only cooking three meals, I'll probably keep pretty busy in the kitchen using up all of those vegetables!

Monday August 29th

Grilled Teriyaki Pork Loin
Sesame Green Bean Salad

Tuesday August 30th

Barbecued Brisket from the freezer
Cucumber Ribbon Salad

Wednesday August 31st

Harvest Vegetable Tart

Thursday September 1st

Dinner @ church for me and the girls.
Leftovers for my husband. : )

Friday September 2nd

Cheesesteak Pizza

Saturday September 3rd

Cookout

Sunday September 4th

Whole family @ a birthday party

Grocery List

Produce

1 lb. green beans
2-3 onions
garlic
2 cucumbers
4 radishes
red onion
green onions
egg plant
tomato
green pepper
red bell pepper

Meat

2 lbs. pork loin
4 lbs. beef brisket
4 Steak-ums

Deli

kalamata olives

Dairy

ATHENOS Crumbled Feta Cheese with Basil & Tomato
butter
grated Parmesan
2 eggs
Pillsbury Thin Crust Refrigerated Pizza dough
Shredded mozzarella/provolone
milk

Canned Goods

Teriyaki marinade
soy sauce
cider vinegar
canola oil
sesame oil
ketchup
beer
white vinegar
liquid smoke
Italian dressing
evaporated milk

Dry Goods

sugar
sesame seeds
brown sugar
smoked paprika
oregano
cornstarch
all-purpose flour
whole wheat flour
cornmeal
cayenne pepper

Freezer

1/2 cup frozen corn

Have a great week, everyone!

Meal Plan and Grocery List 8/22- 8/28

I was all set to come up with a new, exciting meal plan for this week. However, after a busy Saturday of catching up on projects around the house topped off with a late night at a neighborhood cookout, we were up and running early this morning to make it to our city's annual Autism Walk. By the time that we returned home this afternoon, we were all beat! My brain is about as useful a Jello right now. I decided to recycle a meal plan from last August instead.

Also, because school starts this week, I made a batch of Six Week Muffins to bake up for a quick breakfast on the days that we are rushing out of the door AND I baked dozens of Monster Cookies which are perfect for packing in lunches or for after school snacks. This recipe makes a ton of cookies. Eat some this week and freeze the rest for later!

I have made all of these recipes before, you can just click on the links below to get the recipes.

Monday August 22nd

Oven BBQ Chicken

Tuesday August 23rd

BBQ Chicken Salad

Wednesday August 24th

Easy Ravioli Bake

Thursday August 25th

Tomato Provolone Sandwiches with Pesto Mayonnaise

Friday August 26th

Bacon Onion and Mushroom Pizza
Sorry for the repeat pizza recipe from last week. Although, if you tried it, you might be ready to eat this pizza again!

Saturday August 27th

Leftovers

Sunday August 28th

Zucchini-Sausage Skillet

Grocery List


Produce

3-4 onions
garlic
lettuce
4-5 tomatoes
green onion
arugula
mushrooms
flat leaf parsley
2 zucchini
4 red potatoes

Meat

2 whole chickens, about 3-1/2 lbs. each
6 slices bacon
1 lb. bulk Italian sausage


Dairy

butter
shredded cheddar
8 oz. shredded Italian blend cheese
grated Parmesan
4 slices provolone
8 oz white cheddar

Canned Goods

cider vinegar
Worcestershire sauce
molasses
tomato paste
peanut oil
1 can black beans
1 can whole kernel corn
Ranch dressing
Spaghetti sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
light mayonnaise
refrigerated pesto
olive oil

Dry Goods

kosher salt
crushed red pepper
paprika
chili powder
brown sugar
Sliced sourdough or Italian bread

Freezer

2 lbs frozen cheese ravioli


Note: While my meal plan is pre-made, I'll still be posting some new recipes this week, starting with a lovley banana layer cake and a sesame green bean salad. So stay tuned!

Getting Ready for Fall! Meal Plan and Grocery List 8/15- 8/21

I sat down tonight to plan our week of meals right after I typed up our September-December family calendar. I have to admit that I had a little bit of a panic attack while looking at all of the "stuff" we've got going on.

This fall, for the first time since I began this blog nearly three years ago, I will be working outside of the home 2 days of the week. On Mondays and Wednesdays (while both girls are in school) I will be substitute teaching. Also, Wednesday evening is my deadline to submit the weekly food column I write to my editor, so I'll probably write the column on Tuesdays. On Thursdays I am a personal cook (I can't really call myself a chef) for a local family. Plus, one night each week (Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday depending on the week) I will teach adult cooking classes, AND every other Thursday evening I will teach the 4th grade class at our church. And that's just me! There are 3 other people in this household with activities of their own. YIKES!

I know that many of my readers are juggling similarly busy schedules. So this week's meal plan features a couple of meals that you all can double and put half in the freezer for another day. Over the last couple of weeks, I've been stocking our freezer with meals for the busy fall schedule. So far I have my Grandma Bailey's Zucchini Casserole, Chicken Enchiladas, Meatballs, and a batch of Beef BBQ stashed in our basement freezer for dinner-at-the-ready. I will add 2 more meals to my "food bank" this week, because Lord knows when I'm going to do laundry, let alone cook dinner this fall! 

If you're interested in creating your own store of meals, I'd recommend checking out my posts about Stocking Your Freezer and Batch Cooking Chicken.

Here's what I've got planned for this week:

Monday and Tuesday August 15th and 16th

We had out-of-town company this weekend and I cooked a ton of food. We have plenty of leftovers, so I hope that we can eat our way through those in the next couple of days before I need to cook again.

Wednesday August 17th

Artichoke Chicken Bake
Make 2 and freeze 1!

Thursday August 18th

Pastrami Paninis

Friday August 19th

Bacon, Onion, and Mushroom Pizza

Saturday August 20th

Grilling (Burgers or Chicken Breast)
Grandma's Cucumbers and Onions
Greek Pasta Salad

Sunday August 21st

Sloppy Joe Sandwiches
Freeze half!

Grocery List

Produce

garlic
5-6 onions
5 cucumbers
red onion
4 Roma tomatoes
flat leaf parsley
mushrooms

Deli

6 oz. thinly sliced pastrami (I used turkey pastrami)
4 oz. Swiss cheese slices (or your favorite white cheese, I'm using Muenster this week)

Meat

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2-1/2 lbs hamburger
6-8 bacon slices

Dairy

cream cheese
Parmesan
butter
half and half
1 lb. feta cheese
6 oz. white cheddar cheese
1 (11-ounce) can refrigerated French bread dough



Canned Goods

chicken broth
dry white wine (or white cooking wine)
14 oz. can artichoke hearts (not marinated)
vinegar
honey mustard
prepared horseradish
Thousand Island dressing
olive oil
red wine vinegar
sun-dried tomatoes in oil
small can sliced black olives
mustard
ketchup
cream of mushroom soup
Worcestershire sauce

Dry Goods

flour
8 slices hearty wheat or rye bread
sugar
1 lb. dry rotini or fusili (spiral) pasta
brown sugar
hamburger buns
cornmeal

Happy cooking, everyone!

For my readers in Ohio and Indiana: Next week I will be posting my fall cooking class schedule with locations. If you'd like to see me live and in action, check it out! I'd love to see some of you there!

The Meal Plan and Grocery List 8/8 -8/14

Hello friends! After a summer of sporadic meal planning, it's time to return to this organizational tool that ensures that the grocery shopping is done regularly, I have the ingredients to make meals at the ready, and that my little family sits down together whenever possible for home-cooked, healthy meals. I spent this weekend getting organized because as I printed off my daughter's school supply list last week, I realized that the first day school is just around the corner! In the coming days, we'll gradually work our way back to our fall routine. You know, the one that involves regular mealtimes and earlier bedtimes. I realize that the word "routine" and the mention of fall is a bit of a buzz kill. Why oh why does the carefree summer seem to fly by so fast when the winter months just drag on and on? I'm not kissing the summer goodbye just yet, though. We're going to milk each sunny summer day for the last drop- we just have to come in a little earlier for dinner this week.

I developed this meal plan with our garden in mind. Right now, we're loving the fresh tomatoes, green beans, zucchini, cucumbers, lettuce, peppers, and radishes. Everyday there's something new that's ripe for the picking. It's been fun to try out new recipes with all of this "free" produce.

Monday August 8th

Fried Green Tomatoes and Beer Battered Green Beans

Tuesday August 9th

Chicken and Tortellini Salad

Wednesday August 10th

Crock Pot Rosemary Roast

Thursday August 11th

Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches

Friday August 12th

Grilling out
Burgers and Brats
Salad
Banana Bars or No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake

Saturday August 13th

Not sure yet. We will have guests staying with us from out-of-town. We may take them out to dinner.

Sunday August 14th

Leftovers

Grocery List

Produce

4 large green tomatoes
1 lb. green beans
garlic
red bell pepper
green bell pepper
2 red onions
celery
1 yellow onion
carrots
baby red potatoes
zucchini
lemon

Meat

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
3-4 lb. beef roast

Dairy

sour cream
grated Parmesan
10 oz. fresh cheese tortellini
2 oz. crumbled feta (I used a tomato-basil feta crumble)

Dry Goods

cornmeal
sugar
cayenne pepper
flour
basil
parsley
garlic powder
onion soup mix
ranch dressing mix envelope
brown sugar
thyme
rosemary
basil
oregano
bay leaf
4 ciabatta rolls

Canned Goods

olive oil
cider vinegar
Dijon vinegar
honey
vegetable or canola oil for frying
light beer
cream of mushroom soup
beef broth
1 can whole tomatoes
balsamic vinegar

Chicken Skewers with Cool Avocado Sauce and the Meal Plan 7/18- 7/21

I'm just now catching up on my weekend posts. This was our dinner on Friday night. When I found this recipe in Taste of Home magazine I was curious about how the flavors would work together. Lime, balsamic vinegar, and chipotle pepper in adobo sauce? Hmmm. The two reviews that I read on the website stated the that flavor was "unremarkable" and "needed work". I have to say that I disagree. The flavor of the chicken skewers was unique. Definitely tangy- probably due to the acid in the lime juice and vinegar. We grilled ours over charcoal which I think added another dimension to the flavor. And I really enjoyed the avocado sauce. My whole family, kids included, ate this without complaint. I personally really enjoyed it.

Here's how it came together:

First, I zested a lime for the sauce using my awesome microplane grater.

Then I squeezed a couple of limes for the marinade and the sauce with my favorite juicer.

Next, I seeded and chopped a couple of chipotle chilies in adobo sauce.

With all of the zesting, juicing, and chopping finished I went about the "pounding" step. Place 1 lb. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a large, resealable plastic bag and pound to 1/4" thickness.

Cut the flattened chicken into 1" strips and place them in a large, resealable plastic bag.

Add 1/2 cup of lime juice to the bag with the chopped chipotle peppers, a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, and salt. Refrigerate for 30 minutes-2 hours. (Mine marinated for two hours).

Thread the chicken strips onto skewers. I recommend soaking wooden skewers in water for 20 minutes before skewering the meat.

While the grill heats, make the avocado sauce. I just tossed all of the ingredients into my immersion blender mixing cup. This is sour cream, avocado, a couple teaspoons of lime juice, a teaspoon of lime zest, and a little salt. I added extra cilantro. I'm digging the fresh taste of cilantro lately.

Blend until smooth.

This made a thick, creamy sauce. I really loved the flavors. Later that night, I mixed some chopped tomato and diced red onion into the leftover sauce for a quick snack of chips and guacamole.

Grill the chicken as directed. It cooks fast. Just 4 minutes per side. You don't want to overcook the chicken. In my opinion, dry, overcooked chicken is every bit as disgusting as undercooked chicken. Both are inedible.

Here they are hot off the grill.

While my husband grilled the skewers, I cut and washed the first crop of lettuce from our garden. It was delicious served with just a drizzle of salad dressing alongside our chicken. Oh how I love my garden!

With the addition of some cheesy rice, this was dinner. I'm still not sure why the recipe received poor reviews. The combination of chicken and sauce was yummy! Maybe ours was tastier because I added just a little more salt and allowed the chicken to marinate longer?

Here's the recipe from Taste of Home:

Chicken Skewers with Cool Avocado Sauce

Ingredients
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1/2-1 teaspoon salt

SAUCE:
1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon grated lime peel
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
•Flatten chicken to 1/4-in. thickness; cut lengthwise into sixteen
1-in.-wide strips. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the
lime juice, vinegar, chipotle pepper and salt; add the chicken. Seal
bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 30 minutes.

•Meanwhile, for the sauce, place remaining ingredients in a food
processor; cover and process until blended. Transfer to a serving
bowl; cover and refrigerate until serving.

•Drain chicken and discard marinade. Thread meat onto four metal or
soaked wooden skewers. Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper
towel with cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack.

•Grill, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for
8-12 minutes or until no longer pink, turning frequently. Serve with
sauce. Yield: 16 skewers (3/4 cup sauce).

Nutrition Facts: 1 skewer with about 2 teaspoons sauce equals 59 calories, 3 g fat (trace saturated fat), 17 mg cholesterol, 74 mg sodium, 3 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 6 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 lean meat, 1/2 fat.

And now for the meal plan....

This is a short week of meals for us. I only need to come up with 4 meals (Monday-Thursday) and then I'm leaving town. Wednesday we will have out-of-town company, so we're planning a cook out. For those of you who are fans of my "Posts from the Farm" series, stay tuned! I'll be posting from "the farm" (my parent's house in Indiana) all next week.

Here is my abbreviated meal plan:

Monday July 18th

Farmers Market Salad (bumped from last week)

Tuesday July 19th

Weeknight Ravioli Bake

Wednesday July 20th

Burgers on the Grill (try Totally Edible Turkey Burgers)
BLT Macaroni Salad
Banana Split Cake

Thursday July 21st

Barbecued Brisket from the freezer

Grocery List (does not include Barbecued Beef Brisket ingredients)

Produce

1 lb. green beans
3 zucchini
2-3 tomatoes
lettuce and onion (if desired for the burgers)
green onions
celery
6 bananas
strawberries

Meat

2 lbs. bacon
hamburger patties

Dairy

light sour cream
milk
eggs
8 oz. shredded Italian blend cheese
Parmesan cheese
butter
2 blocks cream cheese

Canned Goods

1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
vinegar
mayonnaise
crushed pineapple
chocolate syrup

Dry Goods

1 packet ranch dressing mix
hamburger buns
elbow macaroni
graham crackers or graham cracker crumbs (1-1/2 cups)
sugar
2 packets instant vanilla pudding

Freezer
2 lbs. fresh (in the refrigerator section in the deli) or frozen cheese ravioli
1 tub whipped topping

I hope that you all have a wonderful week!

Oh, and if you missed it, don't forget to enter my giveaway for a very cool apron HERE.

Meal Plan and Grocery List 7/11- 7/17

I realize that my meal plan went on summer break when school let out for the summer. Now that we're facing our busiest week yet this summer (Both children are enrolled in vacation bible school and I am in charge of organizing the snacks all week for 172 kiddos, plus we have swim lessons every evening and I have a couple of meetings this week too!), I thought it was time I revisited the meal plan. Hopefully this meal plan will keep me on track to provide healthy meals all week and I can resist the temptation to hit the drive-thru on the way home every night. Also, since my posts have been few and far between this summer, I'm hoping that this re-newed focus cooking and the groceries in my fridge and pantry will give me something to share with all of you!

Monday July 11th

Zucchini Ribbon Primavera

Tuesday July 12th

Chicken and Tortellini Salad

Wednesday July 13th

Beef Brisket BBQ with Easy Crisp Cucumber Salad

Thursday July 14th

Leftovers

Friday July 15th

Chicken Skewers with Cool Avocado Sauce

Saturday July 16th

Farmers' Market Salad

Sunday July 17th

Leftovers again. : )

Grocery List

Produce

shallots
garlic
5 zucchini
carrots
2 red bell peppers
1 green pepper
basil (1/2 cup, loosely packed)
celery
2 red onions
lime
avocado
cilantro
onion
2 cucumbers
8 radishes
tomato
1 lb. green beans

Deli

1/3 cup kalamata olives

Meat

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast
4 lb. beef brisket
3 strips bacon

Dairy

3 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
Parmesan cheese
9-10 oz. fresh tortellini
light or fat-free sour cream
crumbled feta cheese with tomato and basil (Athenos)
sour cream
milk
4 eggs

Canned Goods

3-1/4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3/4 cup dry white wine
olive oil
cider vinegar
honey
vegetable
Dijon mustard
lime juice (preferably fresh- add to produce list if you choose to purchase and juice limes)
balsamic vinegar
chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
ketchup
1 can beer
white vinegar
Worcestershire sauce
liquid smoke
Italian Dressing

Dry Goods

spaghetti - whole grain if you prefer
basil
garlic powder
parsley
chili powder
paprika
oregano
cornstarch
brown sugar
hamburger buns
Ranch dressing mix

Have a wonderful week everyone!

The Meal Plan and Grocery List 5/23- 5/29 PLUS Some Ideas For Your Weekend Cookout

It's been awhile since I posted a meal plan. Travel, yard work, and all of our spring activities have kept our little family hopping! We've been living off the reserves in our freezer in between my irregular shopping trips. For instance, tonight I pulled a Chicken Divan casserole out of the freezer for a no-fuss dinner. There's definitely some yummy food on the menu for this week and then for the long holiday weekend I am planning for some of our cookout favorites. Check out these past posts for ideas for your weekend festivities:
Grilling Favorites
My Favorite Pasta Salad and Jimmy Carter Cake
Macaroni Salad and Banana Cream Pie
More Cookout Favorites (including Black Raspberry Cream Freezer Pie!)

Here's the meal plan for this week:

Monday May 23rd

Chicken Divan

Tuesday May 24th

Rustic Beef and Onion Tart with Crispy Morel Mushrooms

Wednesday May 25th

Mexican Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing


Thursday May 26th

Spicy Pork with Asparagus and Chile

Friday May 27th

Tomato Basil Pizza

Saturday and Sunday May 28th & 29th

Cookout food (see links provided above)



Grocery List

Produce

red onion
1 lb. morel mushrooms or 8 oz. button mushrooms
avocado
lemon
garlic
2 heads romaine lettuce

3-4 large tomatoes
green onions
12 oz. asparagus spears
red jalapeno chile (or green if you can't find red)
ginger
basil
Meat

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 lb. pork loin or 1 lb. coarsely ground pork

Dairy

butter
shredded cheddar
2 tubs Philly Cooking Creme- Italian flavor
2 tubes refrigerated pizza dough (I like Pillsbury Thin Crust)
shredded Mexican blend cheese
shredded mozzarella

Canned Goods

cream of chicken soup
mayonnaise
lemon juice
hot sauce
olive oil
black beans
soy sauce
rice vinegar
sesame oil
oyster sauce
honey

Dry Goods

bread crumbs
corn chips (like Fritos)
cornstarch

Freezer

16 oz. package broccoli florets

I hope that all of you are having a wonderful week! Happy cooking!

The Meal Plan and Grocery List 5/2- 5/8

I am having the hardest time keeping this blog updated lately! Between Pampered Chef parties (you can shop my personal website HERE), teaching evening cooking classes, writing a weekly food column for a local publication, my daughters' activities, and yard work I can barely find the time to type a post. So this week, I'm recycling this meal plan from last May. That's right! It's May! Hooray! Let's just hope the weather starts acting like it....

This week I am going to try a new Arroz con Pollo recipe in the crock pot, plus I hope to post the recipes for Thai Crab Rangoon, Cantonese Dim Sum Rolls, and some "Secret Center" cookie cups that I made for a party over the weekend. Stay tuned for those recipes soon.

In the meantime, here's the plan!

Monday May 2nd

Crock Pot Beef Tacos

Tuesday May 3rd

BLT in a Bowl Soup
Texas Toast

Wednesday May 4th

Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Leftover BLT Soup or Taco Soup

Thursday May 5th

Chicken Divan

Friday May 6th

Bacon Onion and Mushroom Pizza

Saturday May 7th

Beef on a Stick
Fried Rice

Sunday May 8th

Leftovers


Grocery List

Produce
Lettuce
Tomato
6 oz. bag baby spinach
Lemon
Garlic
3 onions
Mushrooms
Flat leaf parsley
Ginger

Meat
3-4 lb. beef roast
Bacon
2 1/2 lbs. Boneless, skinless
chicken breast
1 boneless beef top sirloin
steak
3 oz. deli ham

Dairy
shredded cheese for tacos
Flour tortillas
Grated Parmesan
American cheese singles
Butter
6 oz. white cheddar
11 oz. French bread dough
3 eggs

Canned Goods
2 cans tomato soup
Banana pepper rings
1 can cream of chicken soup
Mayonnaise
1 jar salsa
Soy sauce
Rice vinegar
Hoisin sauce
Oil
Honey
Cider vinegar
Worcestershire sauce
Toasted Sesame Oil

Dry Goods
3 packets taco seasoning
Bread (for grilled cheese)
Curry powder
Bread crumbs
Brown sugar
Corn meal
Jasmin or basamati rice
Sugar

Freezer
6-8 oz. cheese tortellini
Garlic bread or Texas Toast
10-16 oz. broccoli cuts

I hope that you all have a wonderful week!

The Meal Plan 4/25- 5/1

I hope that you all had a wonderful Easter. I am so full right now I can hardly think about the meals that I will prepare this week! We attended a family Easter dinner at the home of good friends and feasted on everything from the traditional American favorites that I am accustomed to like ham and a cheesy potato casserole to Slovakian fare such as Halušky and Pierogies, Stuffed Cabbage, and Easter cheese. Then there were the Lebanese Tabbouleh, the Greek Stuffed Grapes Leaves, and a wonderful batch of Pad Thai Noodles. All of this AND a number of additional salads, appetizers, and too many desserts to mention. It was quite a multi-cultural smorgasbord! I was in foodie paradise. At one point I wondered if they would have to roll me out their front door when the festivities ended!

This week's meal plan consists of leftovers and easy recipes that I have prepared before. I will post the links to the recipes, so no need for a grocery list this week. In the place of the meals I would usually post, I will be writing about a few of the dishes I provided for the Easter pitch-in.

Here's what's on the menu at our house this week:

Monday April 25th

Easter Dinner Leftovers

Tuesday April 26th

Egg Salad (I need to use up all of the hard boiled eggs we colored over the weekend)
I've got my eye on THIS RECIPE.

Wednesday April 27th

Crock Pot Chicken Soft Tacos
This tried-and-true favorite is often on our menu. If you're looking for the perfect chicken taco meat, this is the recipe for you!

Thursday April 28th

Fabulous Focaccia Sandwiches

Friday-Sunday April 29th-May 1st

I'm going out of town. While away, I'll be cooking at a Pampered Chef Party and a Dinner Club Party, so I'm sure that I'll have some new recipes to share when I return!

I hope that all of you have a wonderful week!

Meal Plan and Grocery List 4/18- 4/24

I'm back to meal planning this week. It's time to get back into the groove after a few weeks off.   I had no idea that our Spring would be so busy! Really, I'm just easing back into meal planning. I only needed to plan 3 dinners (+ 1 night of leftovers) this week since it's a holiday week and we have plans for 3 dinners away from home. I knew that I would be making at least one dinner with ground beef. I ended up with 4 lbs of ground chuck that needed to be used after a couple of people didn't show up for a class that I taught last week.  I browned it and put it into my freezer on Friday.  The first recipe I choose to make with all of this beef is my sister's enchilada casserole. Even though it was featured as a guest post in the early days of my blog, I have never tried it. (You can click the link below to view the recipe)  Since I have all of that beef browned and in my freezer, I pulled up some other ground beef recipes that I've written about on this blog.

Just in case any of you ever find yourselves with an abundance of ground beef, here are some great ways to use it up. All of these recipes work well with fresh ground beef as well as beef that has been browned, then frozen.

Easy Ground Beef Recipes:

Chili
Sloppy Joes
Beefed up Ramen Noodles
Beef Chow Mein
Tater Tot Casserole
Shepherd's Pie
Italian Crescent Bake
Taco Salad

Here's the plan for this week:

Monday April 18th

Baked Chicken with Rosemary Onion Sauce

Tuesday April 19th

Enchilada Casserole

Wednesday April 20th

Happy Birthday to my husband!
Dinner Out

Thursday April 21st

Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork

Friday April 22nd

Dinner with friends

Saturday April 23rd

Leftovers

Sunday April 24th

HAPPY EASTER!

Here's the link to the Bunny Oreo Truffles I created last Easter. If you don't want to bother with the ears, decorate them like Easter eggs!



Grocery List

Produce

2 onions
garlic
green bell pepper


Dairy

milk
butter
1 cup Mexican blend cheese

Meat

4-6 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 1/2 lb. pork loin roast
1 lb. ground beef

Canned Goods

chicken broth
20 oz. can pineapple chunks
soy sauce
cider vinegar
Worcestershire sauce
vegetable oil
tomato soup
cream of mushroom soup
red enchilada sauce
refried beans

Dry Goods

flour
crushed rosemary
paprika
brown sugar
corn starch
1 packet taco seasoning
1 package hard corn taco shells

Individual Bacon Cheddar Meatloaves with Baked Onion Rings PLUS the Meal Plan and Grocery List 3/21-3/27

I will sing the praises of these yummy lil' meatloaves in a moment, but first this scene from my kitchen:

"What's for dinner?" my husband asked. "Meatloaf!" I sang out enthusiastically. Disregarding my exuberance, he gave me a wary look from across the kitchen and responded with one of those questions that isn't really a question, "I'm supposed to be excited about meatloaf?" (He might as well have added a nice juvenile "Ewwww" before he asked it and threw in  a "YUCK!" after his "question".)

Since it wasn't really a question anyhow, I ignored it and continued gathering my ingredients. Oh, you'll eat it, buddy. And you're gonna like it too....

Seriously, why does meatloaf get such a bad rap? It's good!

These individual-size meatloaves are especially good. Full of cheese and topped with bacon, these may just change the opinion of even the most adamant meat-loaf "haters". I had to laugh when I overhead my husband bragging to some friends later that evening, urging them to try the leftover meatloaf.

If you've never made meatloaf before, it's really simple. You just dump everything together and mix well. This was a pretty basic meatloaf recipe. I used ground beef, eggs, cracker crumbs, onion, salt, and pepper. The special ingredient here was shredded cheddar. I like to use my pastry cutter to blend the ingredients, but your hands work great too! Squish, squish!

Divide the mixture into 4 parts and shape into mini-loaves with your hands. Place in the bottom of a 11 X 7 inch baking dish.

Brush with equal parts of ketchup and barbecue sauce. (I left one plain for my anti-condiment kiddo). Top with bacon.

Then, to put these over-the-top I gave them a final sprinkle of cheese before popping the dish into the oven.

While the meatloaves baked, I set to work on the baked onion ring recipe that was featured with the meatloaves in Light and Tasty magazine. Just slice a large sweet onion into rings. Then, dip the onion rings in egg (or egg substitute) until coated.

Toss them with bread crumbs seasoned with salt and pepper. Arrange the onion rings on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and bake for 15-18 minutes, turning halfway through.

The meatloaf was a big hit. The onion rings were okay. No surprise... they tasted like baked onion rings. Not nearly as good as the fried version, but if you're trying to cut back on the fat and calories and you need to satisfy that onion ring craving, these might do the trick.

Bacon Cheddar Meatloaves inspired by Light & Tasty magazine April/May 2007
4 Servings Prep: 20 min. Bake: 40 min.
Ingredients
2 eggs
1/2 cup crushed butter crackers (about 13 crackers)
1/3 cup plus 8 teaspoons shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pound lean ground beef
2-3 tablespoons barbecue sauce
2-3 tablespoons ketchup
2-3 bacon strips, cut into smaller strips
Directions
•In a large bowl, combine the eggs, crackers, 1/3 cup cheese,
onion, salt and pepper. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well.
Shape into four small loaves; place in an ungreased 11-in. x 7-in.
baking dish. Combine barbecue sauce and ketchup, brush over the top of each meatloaf. Top each with a half-strip of bacon.

•Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until no pink remains and a
meat thermometer reads 160°. Sprinkle with remaining cheese;
bake 2-3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Yield: 4
servings.

Notes: The original recipe was a lightened up version of meatloaf. It called for 4 egg whites instead of 2 eggs, reduced fat crackers and cheese, turkey bacon, and did not call for a sauce on top. These are great ideas to lighten up this recipe!

Baked Sweet Onion Rings published in Light & Tasty April/May 2007

4 Servings Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

Ingredients
1/2 cup egg substitute
2/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 sweet onion, sliced and separated into rings
Directions
•Place egg substitute in a shallow dish. In another shallow dish,
combine the bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Dip onion rings into egg,
then roll in crumb mixture.

•Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425°
for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Yield: 4
servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving equals 66 calories, 1 g fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 312 mg sodium, 12 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein. Diabetic Exchange: 1 starch.

_____________________

And now for the meal plan and grocery list...

Monday March 21st

Cauliflower Cheese Soup and BLT Sandwiches

Tuesday March March 22nd

Chicken and Artichokes with Wine Sauce

Wednesday March 23rd

Cheesy Southwestern Pasta

Thursday March 24th

Leftovers

Friday March 25th

Tomato Gnocchi with Broccoli Pesto Cream Sauce

Saturday and Sunday March 26th and 27th

Road Trip! I'll be packing a basket of snacks, but no cooking for me this weekend.

Grocery List

Produce

onion
carrots
celery
1 whole cauliflower
parsley
lettuce
tomato
mushrooms
sweet red pepper
green onions
cilantro
1 head broccoli
garlic
pine nuts

Meat

bacon
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

Dairy

butter
milk
1 cup half and half
shredded cheddar
Parmesan cheese
eggs

Canned Goods

2 quarts + 1/3 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup dry white wine
cooking oil
chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
olive oil
tomato paste
1 cup prepared alfredo sauce

Dry Goods

bread for sandwiches
crushed sage
flour
bowtie pasta
cumin
chili powder
basil

Freezer

8-9 oz package frozen artichoke hearts

To download or for a printable copy of this meal plan and grocery list, click HERE!

Meal Plan and Grocery List 3/14- 3/20

Hello everyone!  I'm back this week with the meal plan AND grocery list. Hooray! For the next couple of weeks, it's smooth sailing...nothing crazy in our schedule...well, nothing crazier than usual. I'm looking forward to the menu this week...and the menu next week too! But I'm getting ahead of myself, I will post that next Sunday.

There are a couple of sites that I want to share before I post the meal plan. First, a handy little savings site I just found called Grocery Server. First off, it's free. BONUS! I refuse to pay for coupon sites...what's the point? Here's what it does: you just type in your grocery list and the site shows you what is on sale in YOUR TOWN on the list, where you can find the sale, AND provides coupons if they are available. I tried it out and my conclusion: It's pretty handy! Check it out at www.groceryserver.com

The next site I want to share is an online community forum, "Mom's the Word on Dinner". This one I haven't tried out yet, but it sounds pretty cool. I seem to be in an ongoing conversation with other moms, both in my circle of friends and when I'm out teaching, about getting our children to eat healthier. This forum sounds like a good source for dealing with this dilemma.

Here's an excerpt from the email I received from Mom Select regarding the forum:

Ragú® is launching "Mom's the Word on Dinner," an online community for moms to laugh, learn and share their take on what really happens at dinnertime.

Ragú® is teaming up with some familiar faces, including some of the fabulous ladies of Momversation™, to bring moms together to share stories and tips, celebrate the small wins and laugh about situations that only other moms can relate to. Each month, this online community will be tackling topics from how to deal with picky eaters, to getting them to eat their veggies to what's being discussed at the dinner table, with some tips from parenting expert and author, Dr. Michele Borba, and Registered Dietician, Dr. Felicia Stoler.

It's definitely worth a look. I figure that the folks at Ragu must know a little about nutrition since they've figured out how to pack 2 full servings of veggies into just 1/2 cup of their delicious Old World Style Traditional pasta sauce!  Check it out HERE on Facebook.

Finally, a few links to recipes here on Krista's Kitchen to those of you observing Meatless Fridays during the season of Lent. Check out the Meatless Meals and Seafood labels in my sidebar for dinner ideas.

Okay that's enough housekeeping, now for the meal plan! Oh wait, one more note: For a printable copy of the meal plan and grocery list, be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the provided link.

Monday March 14th

White Bean Fennel Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Tuesday March 15th

Taco Salad

Wednesday March 16th

Leftovers

Thursday March 17th

Crock Pot Irish Stew
White Soda Bread

Friday March 18th

Veggie Skillet Lasagna

Saturday March 19th

Bacon Cheddar Meatloaves with Oven Baked Onion Rings

Sunday March 20th

Leftovers again!

Grocery List

Produce

3 onions
1 large sweet onion
1 fennel bulb, also called anise
baby spinach (6-7 cups)
1 head of lettuce
4-5 tomatoes
green onions
carrots
potatoes
garlic
basil
zucchini

Dairy

Shredded cheddar
sour cream (I use reduced fat)
buttermilk
ricotta
eggs
fresh mozzarella
Parmesan

Meat

2 lbs. lean ground beef
1-1/2 to 2 lbs lamb shoulder roast
bacon

Canned Goods

5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1- 15 oz. can white beans
1-14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
oil, olive or canola
sliced black olives
light red kidney beans
salsa
4 cups beef broth

Dry Goods

thyme
bay leaf
Doritos or other nacho cheese flavored tortilla chips, baked or regular
1 package taco seasoning
celery seed
marjoram
flour
baking soda
no-bake lasagna noodles
butter crackers
bread crumbs

Freezer

Peas - if you like them- for the stew.
 For a printable version of this meal plan and grocery list click HERE.
 
Happy Cooking, everyone!

Croque-Madame Casserole and the Meal Plan 2/21- 2/26

This Croque-Madame Casserole was a hit at our Sunday brunch a couple of weeks ago. You may be familiar with the Croque Monsieur(the French version of a grilled ham and cheese sandwich) and the Croque Madame (the Croque Monsieur served with a fried or poached egg on top). Well, leave it to Paula Deen to find a way to make this French sandwich into a casserole! I found this recipe in my copy of The Deen Family Cookbook (seen in my left sidebar).

Certainly not on any list of healthy foods, I'd be willing to diet all week for a slice of this! My husband and I loved it. My kindergartner ate about half of her serving, exclaiming how good it tasted. But halfway through she stopped eating abruptly and asked, "Does this have mustard in it? " Before I could answer, she went on. "Yes. Yes it does have mustard. I definitely taste mustard. YUCK! Mustard. I am NOT eating this." As my oldest went on complaining I noticed as her little sister quietly pushed her plate away as a sign of solidarity. Oh well, more for me!

If your children (or you) are not a fan of mustard, just leave it out. But definitely make this!

Here's how:

As with many of Ms. Deen's recipes, we begin with butter. If you have a problem with the amount of butter used in this recipe, I'd like to quote the Queen of Southern Cooking here: "I'm your cook, not your doctor!"

Anyway, melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet to make the bechamel sauce. From The Deen Family Cookbook: Bechamel sauce- That's just French for plain ol' white sauce.

Cook the butter until it bubbles.



Whisk in flour and cook for one minute.



Slowly whisk in 2-1/2 cups of milk and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until thick and bubbling.





Pour a thin layer of the sauce into a greased baking dish.




Cover with 5-6 slices of bread.



Top with half of the ham.




And half of the cheese.



The recipe called for Gruyere cheese. Gruyere is an excellent melting cheese (ideal for fondues) with a taste that is distinctive but not overpowering. It takes it's name from the town of Gruyères in Switzerland. It IS a bit pricey. I think that I paid around $15 for this bag of shredded fondue blend cheese at my local grocery. If you don't want to pay the price, you could always substitute your favorite Swiss cheese instead.




Repeat the layers of bread, ham, and cheese, ending with the sauce.




Bake the casserole for 30 minutes. Then remove from the oven and cut into 6 equal pieces.



Fry eggs in a skillet heated with the remaining butter.



Plate the slices of casserole and top each with a fried egg.



Time to dig in! I served mine with an Artisanal Blend of salad greens, which was added a nice crisp, refreshing taste in between bites of this rich, delicious casserole.



Here's the recipe:

Croque-Madame Casserole from Paula Deen's Deen Family Cookbook

Prep Time:20 min
Cook Time:40 min
Serves: 6

Ingredients
•6 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, plus 2 tablespoons for eggs
•1/4 cup all-purpose flour
•2 cups milk
•2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
•3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
•1/2 teaspoon pepper, plus more for seasoning
•1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
•10 to 12 slices white bread
•3/4 pound deli ham
•1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) grated Gruyere, reserve some for top of casserole
•6 eggs
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish.

Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over low heat until bubbling. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk and cook until thick and bubbling, 3 to 5 minutes more. Whisk in the mustard, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Pour a thin layer of the sauce into the prepared baking dish and cover it with 5 or 6 slices of the bread, then slices of the ham and an even layer of the Gruyere. Repeat the layers once more, ending with a third layer of sauce to cover all. Bake the casserole for 30 minutes. Remove it from the oven and cut into 6 equal pieces.

Working in 2 batches, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Crack 3 eggs into the skillet and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until the whites are nearly set, about 3 minutes. Carefully flip the eggs and continue cooking until the whites are completely set, about 1 minute more. You're going to top each portion of the casserole with a fried egg. Repeat with the remaining 3 eggs and 1 tablespoon butter. Top with Gruyere and it in the oven for a few minutes until cheese melts.
___________________________

And now for the meal plan...this week I'm only trying one new recipe, "Crafty Lasagna". The rest of the meals featured in the plan below have already been posted on Krista's Kitchen. Just click the links to see the posts with step by step instructions.

Monday February 21st

Beef and Barley Soup

Tuesday February 22nd

Spicy Tuna Linguine

Wednesday February 23rd

Crafty Lasagna

Thursday February 24th

Leftovers

Friday February 25th

Make Your Own Pizza Night

Saturday February 26th

Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup with Mini Focaccias

Sunday February 27th

Chili Cheese Dogs

Grocery List

Produce

2-3 onions
celery
carrots
4 heads garlic
shallot
2-3 leeks
parsley
mushrooms
cilantro
pine nuts
pizza toppings of choice: mushrooms, onion, peppers
3 lbs. plum tomatoes
basil

Meat

3-4 cups cooked beef roast
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
hot dogs
12 oz. canned tuna packed in water
pizza toppings: pepperoni, sausage, bacon, ham

Dairy

shredded cheese for pizza
sour cream
1 (11 oz.) tube breadsticks
grated parmesan
shredded cheddar

Dry Goods

quick cooking barley
Italian seasoning
red pepper flakes
9 oz. dry linguine
quick rise yeast
sugar
all purpose flour
wheat flour
oregano
hot dog buns
brown sugar
chili powder
garlic powder
cumin

Canned Goods

olive oil
64 oz. beef broth
3 cans diced tomatoes
46 oz. chicken broth
pizza sauce
3- 6 oz. cans tomato paste
12 oz. evaporated milk
mustard

Heart-Shaped Pizza and The Meal Plan

Happy Valentine's Day!

We always spend the evening of Valentine's Day at home as a family. Usually I make a "fancy" dinner and we set the table with the crystal and china. We decorate the dining room. Sometimes we dress up. We have our own little kid-friendly, formal Valentine's dinner. I love this tradition...the loves of my life gathered around the table, celebrating our love for one another. It makes me happy.

But this particular Valentine's Monday happens to kick-off an extra-ordinarily busy week for our little family. Pure craziness this week, I'm tellin' ya!  And so, the other day, when I asked my 6 year old what she thought we should make for Valentine's dinner and she answered, "Heart Pizzas!" I could've kissed her. In fact, I did. Definitely do-able. Definitely a quick dinner. But still festive...I like the way she thinks!

Here's how I made the heart-shaped pizza:

First, I lightly sprinkled my Pampered Chef pastry mat with cornmeal. Then, I popped open a tube of refrigerated pizza dough and un-rolled it on the mat.

Next, I rolled out the dough to between 1/4 and 1/8 of an inch thickness. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into a heart shape.

Brush a pizza pan with oil and transfer the dough.

Now, top the pizza. Tonight the kiddos voted for plain cheese. Perfect! No chopping involved!

Twist the leftover dough into breadsticks. Brush with garlic butter and sprinkle with grated Parmesan.

Bake the pizza according to the dough package directions. Put the breadsticks in there too. The breadsticks turned out really nice! I think that these went into the 400 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. I can't be sure.  I forgot to take notes this time.

The heart-shaped pizza was a hit! Nothing fancy this year, we ate the pizza on paper plates. No one complained...least of all, me (aka The Dishwasher).

I did have to do something a little "fancy" for the occasion. A Valentine's treat for my family.... Check out this decadent Nutella Torte that we ate for dessert!

When things slow down around here, I promise to post the step-by-step and recipe for this spectacular cake! It was loaded with chocolate-hazelnut goodness!

It was a good Valentine's night!
__________________

Now for the belated, abbreviated meal plan. You may notice that I'm on a chicken kick this week. You can cook all of the chicken at once and use it for meals throughout the week!

Monday February 14th

Heart Pizza
Nutella Torte

Tuesday February 15th

Chicken Florentine Lasagna

Wednesday February 16th

Chicken Tortellini Salad

Thursday February 17th

Leftovers

Friday February 18th

Chicken Enchilada Pizza

Saturday February 19th

Dinner Out with Friends

Sunday February 20th

Leftovers again? Takeout? Not sure yet....
(The kiddos will be at their grandparent's overnight!)

Grocery List

Produce

Spinach
Mushrooms
Garlic
Pecans
Red Bell Pepper
Green Bell Pepper
Celery
Red Onion
Onion
Jalapeno Pepper
Grape Tomatoes
Cilantro

Dairy

Sour (light) cream
Grated Parmesan
Shredded Cheddar
10 oz. fresh tortellini
Refrigerated pizza crust
8 oz. Colby Jack cheese, shredded

Meat

6 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves

Canned Goods

1 can cream of mushroom soup
Cider vinegar
Honey
Dijon mustard
Vegetable oil
Green Taco Sauce

Dry Goods

Lasagna noodles
Parsley
Dry Mustard
Basil


I hope that you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day and have an equally wonderful week!