Meal Plan for July 27th - August 2nd

It's meal planning day!!

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

We've added new kitchen, baking and recycling tips for the week!
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The ear tests words as the palate tastes food.
Job 34:3

Monday - Chicken Strips with Swiss Cheese Sauce over Angel Hair Pasta and Garlic Bread


Chicken Strips with Swiss Cheese Sauce over Angel Hair Pasta

1-1½ pounds chicken strips (or 2 -3 chicken breasts cut into strips)
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil or butter
2 cloves minces garlic (or teaspoon of jarred)
2 tablespoons plain flour
1½ cups chicken broth
2 - 3 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1 lb. angel hair pasta, cooked according to package directions

Garnish options: chopped parsley, Parmesan Cheese, or paprika

Sprinkle chicken tenders with salt and pepper. Heat oil or butter in skillet. Add chicken strips. Saute until chicken is done and tender, about 8 - 10 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet onto a plate and cover with plastic wrap, reserving drippings in skillet.

Saute garlic in drippings a few minutes. Whisk in flour, until smooth. Gradually add chicken broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and stir until smooth and thickened. Add cheese, stirring to melt. Place chicken tenders back into skillet with cheese sauce. Heat through.

Place pasta onto plates. Top with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, Parmesan cheese or paprika.


Tuesday - Pizza Puffs and frozen mozzarella sticks


Pizza Puffs

1 pound ground beef, browned and drained (can add chopped onion and green peppers, if you like.)

1 cup pizza sauce (or 1- 8 oz. can tomato sauce with 1 T. Italian seasonings and 1 t. sugar)

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

2 cans flaky-style refrigerated biscuits

2 tablespoons melted butter

Additional pizza sauce, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 20 cups of muffin pans with cooking spray.

Combine meat, sauce and cheese.

Pull one can of biscuits in half, placing each half into a prepared muffin cup. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of meat mixture on top of each biscuit. Separate the other can of biscuits, place each piece on top of meat mixture in muffin cups. Brush with melted butter.

Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes or so. Serve with additional pizza sauce, if you like.


Wednesday - Fish Po’ Boys and frozen crispy French fries


Fish Po’ Boys

Enough fish fillets to feed your family
Olive oil to coat fish
Lowry’s Season Salt, to taste

Tartar sauce
Lettuce
Tomato
Buns

Coat fillets with oil. Sprinkle fish with season salt. Grill or bake fish.
(Preheat grill to high and oven to 400 degrees. Place fish on grill or in a shallow baking pan. Grill or bake until fish flakes easily, depending on the thickness of your fish, 10 minutes or less.)

Spread tartar sauce on bottom of bun. Top with cooked fillet. Add lettuce and tomato.

Quick and Easy Tartar Sauce

1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Combine all ingredients. Chill.



Thursday - Salisbury Steak, Parmesan Mashed Potatoes, Butter Bean and Corn Salad

(Since the potatoes have a bread crumb topping, I probably won’t add a bread.)

Salisbury Steak

1 lb uncooked, ground beef
1 (1 1/4 ounce) envelope Lipton beefy onion soup mix
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
3/4 cup beef broth
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons olive oil

Combine beef, 2 tablespoons of the soup mix, and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce; mix gently. Shape in 4 patties, about 1/2 inch thick.

Cook patties in skillet in hot oil over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until browned; turning once. Remove; set aside. In hot skillet cook garlic in butter 30 seconds. Add mushrooms. Cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender. Add broth, remaining Worcestershire sauce and soup mix. Stir, scraping up browned bites. Return patties to skillet; spoon sauce over. Cover; cook over medium-low heat for 8 minutes or until patties are done.


Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

Double if you have a larger-sized family.

4 Russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
3 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup, more-or-less, milk or half-and-half
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fine bread crumbs

Combine cheese and bread crumbs. Set aside.

Cook the potatoes in boiling, salted water until tender. Drain. Return to pan. Replace on stove; heat just until dry. Watch carefully.
Mash with potato masher. Add the butter, salt and pepper; blend well. Gradually blend in the milk until you reach the desired consistency. Spoon potatoes into a shallow baking dish that’s been sprayed with cooking spray.
Sprinkle with cheese and bread crumb mixture. Broil until top is golden brown.


Lima Bean and Corn Salad

4 - 5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (can use pre-cooked)
1 (10 oz.) package frozen baby lima beans, cooked according to package directions
1 (11 oz.) can Mexi-corn, drained
½ cup chopped red or green onions
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt & pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients, except bacon. Toss to coat. Chill, allowing flavors to blend. Just before serving, stir in bacon.


Friday - Eat Out!!!


Saturday - Ham and Noodle Casserole, Sunshine Salad, and Cheesy Chive Muffins

I had planned and posted this meal plan a couple of weeks back. I think we had a fresh vegetable supper instead.

Ham and Noodle Casserole and Sunshine Salad inspired by Come to the Table - Food, Fellowship, and the Celebration of the Lord’s Bounty by Benita Long. This book is available locally at:

Reed’s Bookstore

It is available on-line from:

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Come-Table-Fellowship-Celebration-Bounty/dp/1401603858

Barnes and Noble:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=come+to+the+table+food+fellowship+and+a+celebration&box=Come%20to%20the%20Tabl&pos=0


Ham and Noodle Casserole

2 lbs. asparagus
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half
1 ½ cups milk
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon of grated onion, or a bit of onion powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, or dried flakes
1 ½ teaspoons salt
Pepper to taste
4 cups chopped cubed ham (I will probably use 3 -4 of those tuna-sized cans of Hormel ham.)
8 ounces linguini, fettuccini, or egg noodles, cooked according to package directions
Paprika for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the asparagus into a boiler, cover with water, and add about a teaspoon of salt; bring to a boil. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes or so. Pour into a colander and drain. Then, plunge into a bowl of ice water. This stops the cooking and helps retain the pretty green coloring of the asparagus.

In a sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir. Add grated onion. Cook for a couple of minutes, or so. Slowly add the half-and-half and chicken broth. Stir to blend well. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened. Add half of the cheddar and half of the Parmesan cheeses. Stir to blend and until cheeses are melted. Add lemon juice, mustard, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir well.

In a large bowl, combine cooked noodles, ham and sauce.

Spray a 9x13 with cooking spray. Place half the noodle mixture in bottom of baking dish. Top with cooked asparagus. Place remaining noodles on top of asparagus. Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes, or until bubbly. Remove from oven and top with remaining cheeses. Return to oven long enough to melt cheese.

Sunshine Salad

Dressing Ingredients:

1 cup corn oil
½ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon sea salt
Pepper to taste

Salad Ingredients:

2 lb. bag of mixed salad greens which includes spinach
2 kiwis, peeled and sliced
1 cucumber, sliced
1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half
8 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms
1 (14oz.) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 bunch green onion, chopped

For dressing, whisk together all ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For salad, gently toss all ingredients in a large salad bowl. Just before serving, drizzle with dressing, and toss.

Cheesy Chive Muffins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2 cups self-rising flour
1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons fresh, or dried, chives
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk (or regular milk)
6 tablespoons melted butter, slightly cooled

Blend flour, cheese, and chives in a large mixing bowl.

Blend together eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter.

Make a well in the flour mixture. Add egg mixture. Blend just until everything is moist. Don’t over mix.

Spoon into muffin pans sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake until golden brown, 10 - 15 minutes.