Meal Plan for June 22nd - 28th

God always keeps His promises;
he judges in favor of the oppressed and
gives food to the hungry.
Psalm 146:6-7

Before you plan your meals and go grocery shopping,
don't forget to tidy your fridge and wipe it clean!!

Monday - Chicken Alfredo Bake, Quick and Easy Caesar Salad, *Garlic Bread

Chicken Alfredo Bake

8 ounces penne noodles
3 - 4 tablespoons butter
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
2 cups Parmesan cheese, divided
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups cooked diced chicken

Cook noodles according to package directions and drain. In large skillet, melt butter over low heat; sauté mushrooms. Blend in flour, stirring until smooth. Gradually add broth, milk, salt and pepper, stirring constantly until sauce is thickened. Stir in half of Parmesan cheese. Combine noodles, chicken and sauce. Pour into a sprayed 2½ quart casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese over top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in a preheated 350° oven.

Quick and Easy Caesar Salad

1 bag Romaine lettuce
1 bottle Caesar salad dressing
1 box of Caesar salad croutons
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Rinse, and dry lettuce. Toss with desired amount of dressing, croutons (reserve a few for garnish) and half of Parmesan cheese. Place in salad bowls and garnish with remaining Parmesan cheese and a few croutons.
Serve immediately. (Croutons will get soggy.)

*Garlic Bread - We like New York Lite Texas Toast.


Tuesday - BLT Pizza

1 refrigerated pizza dough
½ cup mayonnaise
4 sliced plum tomatoes
8 slices precooked bacon, cooked according to pkg. directions and crumbled

2 cups of shredded Italian cheese blend
1 - 2 cups torn lettuce
Ranch dressing, to taste

Spread dough with mayo; layer with tomatoes and bacon. Bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle cheese over pizza. Return to oven for about 5 - 10 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted

Top with torn lettuce and drizzle with ranch dressing. Cut into wedges.


Wednesday - Tater Tot Casserole, corn-on-the-cob, Easy Slaw and “Biscuit Rolls”

Tater Tot Casserole

2 lb. ground chuck, browned and drained
1 can cream of cheddar soup
½ cup mayo
½ cup sour cream
2 -3 cups cheddar cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together, and pour into a sprayed baking dish:
Ground chuck, cheddar soup, mayo, sour cream and 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese

Top with tater tots.

Bake for 45 minutes. Sprinkle more cheese ( 1 - 2 cups) on top of tater tots. Return to oven long enough to melt cheese.

Easy Slaw

One bag slaw mix (We prefer the slaw mix on the produce tray at Piggly Wiggly.)
¼ to 1/3 cup Kraft Cole Slaw Dressing
1/2 cup mayo, or to taste (We use low-fat mayo.)

Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

“Biscuit” Rolls

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.


Thursday - Shrimp and Grits, Easy Mandarin Orange Salad and Hush Puppies OR *”Leftover Buffet”

*If you have enough leftovers from the week’s previous meals, heat everything and serve it to your family buffet-style.

Shrimp and Grits

This recipe is courtesy of Roan at Joyful Always. Thanks, Roan!!

3 cups chicken broth
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
6 slices of bacon
2 lbs. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced (I use the kind in the jar already chopped)

Bring chicken broth to boil. Stir in grits. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5-7 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in salt, pepper, butter, and cheese. Set aside and keep warm.
Cook bacon until crisp, set aside to cool then crumble. Cook shrimp in the same pan over medium heat 3 minutes or until almost pink, stirring occasionally. Add lemon juice and next 4 ingredients and cook 3 minutes. Stir in bacon. Spoon grits onto individual plates. Top with shrimp mixture. Serve immediately.
Serves 4-6

Easy Mandarin Orange Salad

1 bag Romaine OR spring mix lettuce
*½ cup toasted slivered almonds
1 can Mandarin oranges, drained
1 bottle Italian salad dressing

Place lettuce on salad plates. Top with drained oranges and toasted almonds. Drizzle with salad dressing.

*To toast almonds, place slivered almonds and 1 tablespoon butter in a microwave-safe pie plate. Microwave on high, stirring every minute until brown, 4 to 5 minutes.

Hush Puppies

We really like Hush Puppies from Wal-mart. The bag doesn’t have a brand name, not even Great Value. It simply says - Hush Puppies. On the back of the bag, it says they are distributed by Wal-mart. They are really good and a hit with all of us. As Larry says, they are better than many restaurant hush puppies. I just follow the directions on the bag for baking them.


Friday - Eat out!!!


Saturday - Baked Chicken Casserole, a box of prepared Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice, Green Beans with Bacon and Onions and Parmesan Cheese Muffins

Baked Chicken Casserole

This recipe courtesy of Vicki at From Our Home to Yours. Thanks for sharing this on your blog, Vicki!

3 cups cooked chicken
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 cup diced celery
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. each of salt and pepper
2 tsp. grated onion
1 small can mushrooms
2 cans of cream of chicken soup

Mix all together and pour into casserole dish. Top with Ritz crackers. Bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

Note from Connie:
Since the kids and Larry aren't terribly fond of celery, I'll probably slip just a bit of it into this dish by using 1 can mushroom soup, 1 can chicken soup and 1 can celery soup. They'll never know! ;)

Green Beans with Bacon and Onions

6 slices bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 - 16 oz. cans Allen Italian-style green beans
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
salt and pepper, to taste

Sauté bacon and onions in a cast iron Dutch oven or large saucepan, until bacon is crisp.

Add green beans, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer until liquid is evaporated.

Parmesan Cheese Muffins

2 cups baking mix* (I use light Bisquick)
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup milk (add more if needed)
2 tablespoons melted butter, slightly cooled
2 large eggs

*You may substitute 2 cups of self-rising flour, but increase butter to 4 tablespoons

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine baking mix and cheese in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.
Whisk together milk, butter, and eggs until well blended. Add to dry ingredients, and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.
Spoon mixture into lightly greased muffin pans, filling two-thirds full.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown.