Archive for the ‘Weekly Menu’ Category
Black Bean & Rice Salad
This recipe can be filed under “Quick & Easy” for your weekly menu rotations … Now that the holidays are over, everyone is trying to get back into the groove of jam-packed schedules. I tore this recipe from Three Many Cooks out of the newspaper last spring and have made it in assorted variations several times since — this version is my favorite. It makes a great meatless main dish, but I make it on a regular basis so I’ll have something substantial to take to work for lunch … other than an occasional lunch out with work buddies, I would much rather save my “going-out” funds for spending time relaxing over good food with friends and family (which is not only good for the budget, but also much better for the “healthy” eating I’m trying to do these days)!! Even with the “splurge” of feta cheese (actually the “splurge” is probably the cherry tomatoes — good grief — just cut up a tomato!), I don’t think it costs more than $5-6 to make a large bowlful to enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup uncooked white rice – cooked per standard directions and cooled (I tried it early in my experimenting with this recipe using brown rice and didn’t like it as well, but I’m going to try it again since I’m still working on that “eating healthier” theme)
- 1 cup fresh corn kernels (or thawed frozen corn)
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (or 2-3 Roma tomatoes, diced)
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 4-6 green onions, chopped
- about ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (more or less, depending on how much you love cilantro!)
- Salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
- Lime wedges for garnish and to add an extra little kick
Dressing:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 4 tsps. Lime juice (you can substitute lemon
juice, but I think lime was better for this recipe)
Directions:
Combine the cooled rice, beans, corn, tomatoes, cheese, onions, and cilantro. Make sure you cool the rice before mixing with other ingredients or the feta cheese will melt. The pictures which follow are actually from a double batch I made a while back. This is also one of those recipes that can easily be “stretched” if you are feeding a crowd. You can double the rice and dressing and you still have a good salad; the other flavors will just not be as intense.
Wisk the olive oil and lime juice and pour over rice mixture. Chill in the refrigerator at least one hour before serving. Serve with lime (or lemon) wedges. Salt and pepper to taste.
Enjoy!
Tags: Debbie, In the Kitchen
Jambalaya, Zatarains’ Style
In honor of Mardi Gras, we had a New Orleans’ style jambalaya for dinner tonight. It really turned out great and was worthy of posting before Fat Tuesday! We will be celebrating tomorrow evening at a pancake dinner, so we had to cook our own southern recipe a day in advance. The recipe, found here at allrecipes.com, is basically Zatarains’ jambalaya rice made with some shrimp, sausage, peppers, diced tomatoes, and onion.
We did not follow the recipe exactly, though it is a good guide. The biggest change was the amount of water called for it. It was not enough. Luckily, my husband caught that in advance and put the right amount in. You just need to add whatever amount the Zatarains’ box called for in their directions.
If you check out their webpage right now, they even have a cute count down timer to Mardi Gras. Just a fun little extra something :).
So enjoy your own reason to celebrate tonight and have a nice dinner with the family!
While looking at another blog I came across this military blog hop. I am very proud of my Navy Pilot Husband and love sharing with other military spouses. The button, however, was not working, so I will simply include the link to it below…
http://marineparents-blog.com/2011/03/military-monday-bloghop-week-sixteen/
Tags: Jambalaya, mardi gras, Marissa
Weekly Menu
This week is going to be a week of using up what is in our fridge and freezer. I plan on heading to the store to pick up a few fresh fruits and veggies and also a few coupon items but we are hoping to keep our grocery budget under 50 dollars this week.
Monday – Lasagna (If I have enough ingredients, I am going to make two so I have one to freeze for later)
Tuesday – Honey Chicken Stir Fry (We love stir fry around here but I am getting tired of the same old recipe. I am looking forward to trying something new!
Wednesday – Parmesan Tilapia
Thursday – Turkey Burgers
Friday – Homemade Pizza Rolls
Saturday -Eat out
Sunday – Breakfast for Dinner (eggs, bacon, pancakes)
Tags: Jennifer
Weekly Menu
I am in a cooking funk.
For the majority of the past 14 weeks, my wonderful, amazing, fabulous, multi-tasking husband has been in charge of dinner. I broke my foot pretty severely (almost had to have surgery) and haven’t been able to put any pressure on it at all for the past 12 weeks or so. To add to that, I had broken my other foot in August (I can’t make this stuff up…really) and it had only recently healed and I was still in a lot of pain when I broke my other foot. The husband was wonderful. After working all day, he came home and cooked most of our meals. But that meant lots of tacos, spaghetti and baked chicken. Nothing wrong with that, but after 14 weeks, we are ready for something new (and the husband is ready to take a break from the daily dinners!).
Because of my cooking funk, I tried hard to find new recipes that I could pair with healthy sides. We need a little perking up in the kitchen department so the first three of the following recipes are meals we have never had before!
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Parmesan Tilapia
Thursday
I won’t be around for dinner this night. I am going to make a lasagna the night before so daddy just has to take it out and bake it!
Friday
Homemade pizza
Saturday
Fetticini Alfredo
What are you having for dinner this week?
Weekly Menu
I have been thinking about posting my weekly menu to the blog for several reasons. I am pretty good about putting together a weekly menu but usually by the end of the week the scrap of paper I have written it on has gone missing or is splattered with food. I have tried menu boards, dry erase boards, a notebook…hopefully this will work! I can post our weekly menus and I will have a great list of weekly menus to refer back to. Plus, no more digging all around the kitchen looking for my scrap of paper that my child took off the fridge!
Weekly Menu
Monday – Chili
Tuesday – Croatian Chicken Moskva
Wednesday – Tacos
Thursday – Parmesan Pork Roast
Friday – Homemade pizza
Tags: In the Kitchen, Jennifer
Weekly Menu – Our Family Favorites
According to Kelly, one of my favorite crafty blogs to read, is conducting a menu exchange. You are supposed to compile your family favorite recipes together and submit them. Then you will have access to so many new recipes! I can’t wait to add some new recipes to my cookbook. Like Kelly, at According to Kelly, we have been eating the same old thing everyday all summer and frankly I am tired of it! A week of our family favorites would go like this:
Day 1 – Chicken Divan Casserole
2 cups of rice, cooked
2-4 chicken breasts (I usually only add two chicken breasts to make the meal stretch more), cooked and chopped
one bag or box of broccoli, steamed
one can of condensed chicken soup
about a cup of mayonaise
one and a half blocks of extra sharp cheddar cheese
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Place mixture in a lightly greased 9×13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.
Day 2 – Garlic Pepper Chicken
One whole chicken
Garlic Pepper seasoning
Olive oil, butter, or something similar like Smart Balance
Clean out cavity of chicken completely. Place chicken in slow cooker. Rub olive oil or butter sparingly on chicken. Cover generously with garlic pepper seasoning. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Day 3 - 4 Ingredient Chili
3-4 large cans of tomato sauce
1-2lb hamburger meat, browned
one chili seasoning packet
2-4 cans of kidney beans, drained
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook for 6-8 hours on low. Serve with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and cornbread!
Day 4 – Hamburger Pizza
pizza crust of your choice (we use Publix pizza dough or Boboli for this recipe)
sauce of your choice
1 T olive oil
1lb hamburger meat, browned and seasoned
1lb cheddar cheese
toppings of your choice: lettuce, tomato, olives, etc
Rub olive oil on pizza crust. Cover with sauce. Add cheddar cheese and humaburger meat. Add tomatos, olives, and all other toppings (except the lettuce). Cook according to pizza crust directions. Add lettuce. Enjoy!
Day 5 – Chicken Enchilada Casserole
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 cups (12 oz.) Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
½ cup onion, chopped
2-3 cans (10 oz.) green chile enchilada sauce (mild)
1 cup sour cream
1 small can chopped green chiles
18 corn tortillas
Salt and pepper chicken breasts to taste. Bake in a greased baking pan about 20-25 minutes @ 350°; cool and cut into bite-size pieces. In a bowl, combine the chicken, 2 cups of the shredded cheese (I usually shred my own; don’t care for the taste/consistency of the preshredded stuff, plus it is cheaper to do it myself), chiles (I drain off a bit of the liquid, but that is a personal taste) and chopped onion. Grease a 9×13 baking dish. Pour a little bit of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan and spread to lightly coat. Pour sauce into a shallow dish. Coat both sides of six (6) of the corn tortillas and place in the bottom of the baking dish, overlapping. Spoon half ( ½ ) of the chicken mixture over the layer of corn tortillas. Dot (by spoonfuls) with half cup of the sour cream. Repeat process with second layer. Coat both sides of remaining six (6) tortillas for the top layer. Pour remaining sauce over the top. This is where the “optional” third can of sauce comes in if needed. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cup of cheese. Bake 20-25 minutes at 350°.
Day 6 – Shephard’s Pie
1 lb hamburger meat, browned
1lb cheddar cheese
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 bag of mixed vegetables, prepared
2 packages of boxed mashed potatoes or one batch of homemade mashed potatoes, prepared
Combine first four ingredients together and put in casserole dish. Top with prepared mashed potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 20m or until hot.
Day 7 – Parmesan Tilapia
Tilapia filets, defrosted
Dill (we use the Pampered Chef All Purpose Dill Mix)
one block of grated parmesan cheese
olive oil
Place Tilapia filets in a 9×13 dish. Sparingly coat with olive oil. Cover with dill to taste. Bake at 350 degrees for 20m or until almost cooked completely. Cover fish with grated parmesan cheese and bake for another five minutes. Serve immediately!
Tags: In the Kitchen, Jennifer, Weekly Menu
