Meal Plan for November 2nd - 8th

It’s meal plan day!!

Don’t forget to tidy your fridge and sort your coupons before planning next week’s menu!

Sunday Coupon Preview


A man who is eating or lying with his wife or preparing to go to sleep in humility, thankfulness and temperance, is, by Christian standards, in an infinitely higher state than one who is listening to Bach or reading Plato in a state of pride.
~C. S. Lewis


I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30

Monday - Chili Topped Ziti and Easy Focaccia Bread

Chili Topped Ziti

2 pounds lean ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (16 ounces) jar pizza sauce
1 -2 teaspoons cumin
1 - 2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar (optional for a sweeter sauce)
salt and pepper to taste
16 ounces dry ziti pasta
1 cup shredded cheese

Brown ground beef, onion and garlic until the meat is no longer pink; drain fat.
Pour in pizza sauce, cumin, chili powder and sugar; mix thoroughly. Add salt and
pepper to taste. Simmer on low for 30 minutes.
Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Pour in the ziti pasta and cook according
to package directions; drain.
Serve the chili over the ziti; sprinkle with cheese.

Easy Focaccia Bread

1 Pillsbury refrigerated pizza dough
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 - 2 tablespoons dry Italian seasonings
½ - 1 cup Italian blended cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Press pizza dough evenly onto the bottom of cookie sheet; set aside.
Combine olive oil, minced garlic and Italian seasonings. Brush olive oil mixture over the entire top of the pizza dough, making sure it’s completely coated.
Sprinkle cheese on the top of the pizza dough.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the dough is a nice golden brown color. Cut into squares to serve.

Tuesday - Cowboy BBQ Pizza

1 tube refrigerated pizza dough
1container (18 ounces) refrigerated or frozen bar-b-que meat with sauce
¼ - ½  cup chopped cooked bacon (4 - 8 slices)
2cups shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Pat pizza dough onto pizza pan.

Spread bar-b-que mixture over dough. Top with bacon. Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until crust is light golden brown and cheese is melted.

Wednesday - Leftovers Buffet

Thursday - Crescent Roll Breakfast Bake and Fried Apples

1 can crescent rolls
1 pound sausage, browned and drained
2 cups mozzarella cheese
4 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Press crescent rolls into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cooked sausage.  Top with cheese. Mix eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour over other ingredients. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until set.

Fried Apples

4 medium Granny Smith apples, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
Cinnamon and nutmeg to taste (optional)

Melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sauté 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are tender.

Friday - Eat out!!!

Saturday - Cheese-stuffed Meat Loaf, Garlicky Cream Cheesy Mashed Potatoes, Bacon-y Green Beans and Biscuit Rolls

Cheese-stuffed Meat Loaf

1 ½ pounds ground beef
1 (26 ounce) can spaghetti sauce
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup plain dry bread crumbs
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degree.  Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
Stir sugar into spaghetti sauce.
Combine beef, 1/3 cup spaghetti sauce, egg, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Place mixture in prepared dish. Flatten into a 12x8 rectangle.  Sprinkle 1 ½ cups of the cheese over the meat, leaving a ¾-inch border.  Starting at long end, roll meat and cheese in a jelly-roll fashion. Press ends together to seal.
Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes.  Pour remaining sauce over meat loaf and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Return to oven and bake about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for a few minutes before serving. 

Garlicky Cream Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

6 medium to large potatoes
2 to 3 cloves of peeled garlic
1 t. salt
1/2 cup milk
3 t. butter
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 stick softened cream cheese (4oz.)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 325F degrees.
Peel potatoes and cut into cubes. Place potatoes, salt and peeled garlic in a boiler. Cover with water. Boil potatoes 15 minutes, or until done. Drain and transfer potatoes into a large mixing bowl, add butter, salt, cream cheese, sour cream, milk.

Bacon-y Green Beans

2 -4 slices of chopped bacon
2 - 3 green onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 can chicken broth plus water to completely cover green beans
2 cans Allen's Italian-style green beans, drained

If possible, use a cast iron Dutch oven for cooking these. You can use a large cast iron skillet - just stir carefully!

Sauté bacon with green onions. Cook until onions become translucent. Add garlic and cook a few more minutes. Add green beans and broth. Lower heat and cover. Cook until green beans reach desired tenderness. Remove lid and allow liquid to evaporate.

The longer you can cook these, the better. An hour or a bit longer is great!!

Biscuit Rolls

My kids love these!

I buy the cheap, store-brand butter-flavored canned biscuits. Depending on the size of your family, you can use the 5-count or 10-count rolls of biscuits.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter.

Spray muffin pan with cooking spray. Place a refrigerated biscuit into each muffin cup. Spoon melted butter over each biscuit. Bake for about 10 minutes.