Meal Plan for August 10th - 16th

Be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. I Peter 4:9-10

Don't forget to tidy your fridge and sort your coupons before making your meal plan for next week!!

Meal Plan for August 10th - 16th

Monday - Bacon, Mushroom and Spinach Pasta and Garlic Bread

Bacon, Mushroom and Spinach Pasta

1/2 lb. thick sliced bacon
2 tbsp. butter
1 c. onion, chopped
1/2 c. sweet red pepper, diced
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup chicken broth OR 1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved 1 cup hot water
Salt and pepper
1 lb. pasta - your choice
10 oz. fresh, washed spinach
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking:

Fry bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Discard fat, but do not wash skillet. Place bacon on paper towels to drain.

Add butter to same skillet. Sauté onions and peppers for 2 to 3 minutes; add mushrooms and sauté until mushrooms are tender, about 3 minutes or so.

Raise skillet temperature to high and stir in broth. Bring mixture to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 2 -3 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

When pasta is done, drain and return to pasta pot, adding vegetable sauce and spinach. Toss over medium heat until spinach is wilted and most of the sauce is absorbed.
Plate pasta, topping each serving with crumbled bacon and Parmesan cheese.



Tuesday - Pizza Pot Pie and Super Easy Caesar Salad

Pizza Pot Pie

1/2 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1/2 pound sausage, browned and drained
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, chopped OR a bit of onion powder
2 garlic cloves, minced OR a bit of garlic powder
1 (8-oz.) package sliced fresh mushrooms
1 (26-oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 refrigerated pizza crust dough
1 - 2 cups shredded Italian five-cheese blend

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sauté onion in butter for 2 minutes. Add garlic, and cook 2 minutes. Add mushrooms. Sauté 8 to 10 minutes, until most of liquid has evaporated. Stir in beef, sausage, spaghetti sauce and sugar. Bring to a light boil; simmer 5 minutes.
Pour meat mixture into a 9x13 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
Sprinkle with shredded cheese.
Unroll pizza dough and place on top of meat mixture. Brush with a bit of olive oil, if you like.
Bake for 16 to 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown.


Super Easy Caesar Salad

1 bag of romaine lettuce
½ cup Parmesan cheese
Croutons

For dressing, combine:

4 heaping tablespoons of mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste
a bit of milk to thin, if you like

Toss lettuce, cheese and croutons with dressing, until all is well coated. Serve immediately.



Wednesday - Southwestern Skillet Chicken and Mrs. Schubert's Rolls

1 Tbsp. oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 cups water
1 cup salsa, thick and chunky
1 pkg. (10 ounces) frozen corn
2 cups MINUTE® Brown Rice, uncooked
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Heat oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add chicken; cover. Cook 5 to 7 minutes per side or until well-browned and almost cooked through. Transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

2. Add rice, water, corn and salsa to skillet; mix well. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to low; simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Nestle the chicken into the rice and sprinkle with cheese. Cover; simmer for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and chicken is fully cooked. Serve with additional salsa on the side (if using).



Thursday - "Leftovers Buffet" OR Caesar’s Fish, My Hash Brown Casserole and Hush Puppies

Caesar's Fish

1 lb. fish fillets (I will get some fresh MS catfish from Piggly Wiggly.)
½ cup commercial Caesar salad dressing*
1 cup Ritz cracker crumbs
½ cup Parmesan Cheese
2 Tablespoons melted butter

Make your own Easy Caesar Dressing by blending the following ingredients in a food processor. Half the recipe for use in Caesar’s Fish:

1 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Worcestershire
1 clove of garlic (minced)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp of milk or half and half

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine crumbs, cheese and butter; set aside.

Place fillets in a 9x13 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.

Drizzle with Caesar dressing.

Bake for about 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with crumb mixture. Return to oven for another 5 - 10 minutes, until fish flakes easily.


My Hash Brown Casserole

2 pound bag of shredded hash browns, thawed
4 teaspoons butter
1 medium onion, grated
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
3 - 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large sauce pan, melt butter. Add grated onion, and saute until onion is translucent. Add cream cheese to pan, and stir until smooth. Add sour cream and mayonnaise. Stir until smooth and well-combined. Mix sauce with hash browns. Add 2 cups of the cheddar cheese. Pour hash browns into a sprayed baking dish. Cover with foil. Bake for about an hour. Remove foil, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Return to oven long enough to melt cheese.


I will bake some of the Hush Puppies we like from Wal-mart at the same time I bake the fish.

Friday - Eat Out!!!



Saturday - “Leftovers Buffet” OR Copycat Hard Rock Café Shrimp Fajitas and Easy Mexican Rice


Copycat Hard Rock Café Shrimp Fajitas

2 lbs medium shrimp, shelled
1 cup chopped cilantro
3 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup lime juice
8 (9 inch) flour tortillas
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 large bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
sour cream

Stir together shrimp, cilantro, garlic, and lime juice. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, wrap tortillas in foil and place in oven that has been preheated to 250 degrees.

Heat oil in a wide nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. A cast iron Dutch oven works great for this!

Add peppers and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until limp (about 10 minutes). Remove vegetables and keep warm in the oven where the tortillas are heating.

Add shrimp mixture to pan, increase heat to high, and cook, stirring often, until shrimp are done, usually about 3 - 5 minutes depending on the size of the shrimp. Return vegetables to pan with shrimp. Mix well.

Spoon shrimp mixture into tortillas, top with sour cream, and roll up.


Easy Mexican Rice

1 cup rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 tablespoons salsa
2 cups chicken broth or water
1 cup whole kernel frozen corn

Sauté rice in olive oil in a hot skillet until lightly brown.

Add the salsa, stirring to coat rice. Cook until liquid from salsa has evaporated.

Add broth and corn; turn the heat down to low, cover, and let simmer about
20 minutes or so, until the liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.