Meal Plan Week of February 21st

Blueberry Waffles



Blue cheese chicken
"fruit" salad....both of these are new recipes so I will post with updates



Ribeyes
Grilled veggies

Spaghetti.......so this is my "rough" recipe

brown mild italian sausage or hamburger...remove from pan
saute chopped onions and mushrooms in a little olive oil
add 2 cans petite diced tomato with garlic/olive oil and 1 tomato sauce
add 2-3 tsp minced garlic and approx 1 tsp sugar
add back meat and simmer....the longer the better
I puree the sauce with a hand blender so it is not so chunky b/c my girls like it better that way.

Update on New Recipes

I tried two new crock-pot recipes this week and they were both GREAT! Definite do-overs at our house.

The Sweet Aromatic Chicken was tender and only mildly sweet. It would be great for those of you that are currently avoiding processed foods. I do believe chicken breasts would work but probably wouldn't be as tender. I would probably use bone-in breasts and just remove the skin.

We also loved the souped-up round steak. I mixed 1 can reduced-fat cream of mushroom soup, 1 can beef broth, and 1 package onion soup mix and poured it over round steak in the crock pot. I cooked it for approx. 7 hours on low. I then took the meat out and whisked in 1 T flour and turned the pot up to high. I did put the meat back in to keep it warm. The meat was good but the gravy was fantastic! My 2-year old kept asking for more.

I hope you get a chance to enjoy these 2 really easy main dishes!

Weekly Menu Plan 2-14-10

Happy Valentine's Day! It's a strange mix this week as I try to use up some of what we already have in the freezer and pantry....but here's what's on the menu. The cheese soup recipe is not for beginners :)

Meatloaf recipe
steamed veggies
rolls

Sweet Aromatic Chicken recipe
brown rice
green beans

Round Steak with mushroom gravy (I'm winging this one so I'll post what I did if it works out)
mashed potatoes

Cheese Soup:

Approx. the same amount of Carrots, celery, potatoes, onions, chopped
Enough water to cover the vegetables
Cook until veggies are tender (DO NOT DRAIN)

Make a white sauce: (double this if making a big pot of soup)

1/2 stick butter, melted in a pan
add 1-2 T of flour
slowly add milk stirring constantly (add milk until thick white sauce forms)
Add 2 C sharp cheddar, until melted

Add white sauce to veggies
Add chopped ham if desired

This will thicken if left overnight which you might prefer.

Super Bowl Supper

This is what we ate for the Super Bowl yesterday. It was really great, but I won't make it again if the Colts are playing....I'm just superstitious like that.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole (adapted from Southern Living)

1 Rotisserie chicken, skinned and shredded
2 T butter
1 med onion, chopped
1 green pepper chopped
2 tsp bottled minced garlic
3/4 C chicken broth
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cans Rotel, drained
1 t oregano
1 t cumin
1 t Mexican chili powder
3 C sharp cheddar
Lime flavored tortilla chips

Preheat to 350. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onion and saute 7 min, then add pepper and garlic and saute 4 min. Add chicken broth, soups and next 5 ingredients. Cook, stirring, 8 min.

Layer 1/2 of chicken in 9x13 pan. Top with 1/2 soup mixture and 1 cup cheese. Cover with crushed chips. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Let stand 10 min before serving.

Where to get fabulous meat very cheap!!

This past year my parents and I decided we would split a pig from a local farm where they live. My Dad went and bought a couple if single items that they sell there and prepared them. They were fabulous! And it was great knowing that I was giving my family the best quality, all natural, meat available. We then went back and split a cow. How nice is it to go to my freezer when I need to make a meal??? The absolute best part......it is much cheaper per pound than buying meat in the store. If you've got room in your freezer I would certainly check into it. This is the farm that we purchase from. I do not know if they ship anywhere because my parents brought my meat to me.

http://cloverfieldnaturalmeats.com

You can also check out localharvest.org to find farms in your area.