Menu Plan for Week of 1-23-11

I am busy organizing things this week. My trunk is full of things to donate, and I am itching to go through more closets! One thing that I have really come to rely on, being organized with my weekly menu plan. It has saved me money and time just knowing what we will be eating each night. It also helps to plan out where I will have leftovers for my husband to take to work. Here is what we will be eating this week.

Sunday: Breakfast for Dinner
Monday: Spaghetti, salad and garlic toast
Tuesday: Calzones and leftover spaghetti sauce
Wednesday: French Dip
Thursday: Pasta Fagioli with homemade bread sticks- this is a new soup recipe for us
Friday: Poppy Seed Chicken with roasted asparagus
Saturday: Asian Pork Tenderloin with Simple sesame noodles - both of these sounded yummy and different, can't wait to try them out!

What new recipes are you going to try this week?

Menu for Week of January 16, 2011

Better late than never- here is what we are eating this busy birthday filled week! Can't believe that my oldest will be a teenager!

Sunday: Lemon-Pepper Chicken Sandwich (this was bumped from last week)
Monday: Spicy Tuscan Soup with homemade bread sticks (Both of these recipes were new to us, and they were both wonderful!)
Tuesday: Whole Roasted Chicken in Crock pot with mashed potatoes
Wednesday: Mac-n- Cheese with pan roasted ham steak
Thursday: Grilled Steak with Butter Herb Potatoes (Oldest Son's birthday dinner choice)
Friday: Lemon Pepper Shrimp (Son #3 birthday dinner choice)
Saturday: BBQ Chip chicken

I hope you have a great week!

Stuffed Pizza Rolls aka Homemade Pizza Bites

I discovered one of the best websites for recipes- http://www.ourbestbites.com/ . I have been drooling over these ladies' recipes. I tried my first one last night -Stuffed Pizza Rolls. It is the exact same recipe for my Pepperoni Bread, but the preparation is different. We really liked the end result! I can't wait to try more from this web site!

Stuffed Pizza Rolls


Recipe from OurBestBites.com

1 roll refrigerated pizza dough
marinara/pizza sauce Fro dipping the finished product in
2T grated Parmesan cheese
1 T  melted butter
1/2 t garlic powder
1 t dried Italian seasoning
mozzarella cheese, diced or grated
Pizza toppings of your choice

Unroll your pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll the dough so it's about 12" by 8". Cut the dough into 24 squares. Place cheese and desired toppings on each square. When all of your dough squares have cheese and toppings on them, carefully lift up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings. Pinch to make sure each ball is sealed shut and then place them seam side down in a lightly sprayed pie pan or in mini muffin tins.
Brush the tops of the dough balls with  melted butter and then sprinkle with the garlic and Italian seasoning and top with Parmesan cheese.
Cook them in a 400° oven  for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Serve warm with warmed marinara sauce on the side for dipping.

Homemade Hot Chocolate

It has been bitter cold here this winter. I am not used to the humidity plus the cold. It seems to seep into my bones. We have been going through hot chocolate powder mix like wildfire lately, so I decided to whip up some homemade hot chocolate instead. This is the hybrid of many recipes that I saw online- it uses what I had in my pantry! Mix some up for your next super cold day.

Homemade Hot Chocolate

2 1/2 cups milk
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Stir all ingredients until well combined. cook over medium heat until hot. Serve with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.

Bread Machine Sweet Butter Rolls

My boys absolutely love these rolls. We rarely have leftovers, but when we do they are so good smothered in homemade jam!

Bread Machine Sweet Butter Rolls

1 cup warm milk (70°-80°)
1/2 cup better, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
4 cups flour
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
Add ingredients to bread machine in the order your manufacturer suggests. Run dough cycle. When cycle is complete, divide into golf ball sized balls. Place in buttered 13"x9" pan, make sure they do not touch. Cover and let rise for 1 hour. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Brush the tops with melted butter when removed from the oven.

Potato - Cheddar Cheese Soup

I love cooking warm filling comfort food. It really is a satisfying experience for me! Soups are so easy and economical.  I had originally planned to make a Crock pot potato soup, but when I got out my potatoes yesterday, they had gone bad, so after a trip to the store to get new potatoes, and I made this version instead.

Potato- Cheddar Cheese Soup

2 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped celery
4 cups peeled and diced potatoes
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Dash of paprika
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

In a large pot over med-high heat , melt butter; saute the celery and onion until soft. Add broth and potatoes, cover and simmer until potatoes are tender. Puree potato mixture in sauce pan with an immersion blender or if you are very careful with your hand mixer. Please be careful, it will splatter and the mixture is very HOT!! (Don't ask how I know this!) Turn heat down to low. Stir in milk and seasonings. Add cheese, but heat only until cheese is melted. Garnish with croutons, chopped green onions, diced bacon or whatever makes you happy.

Menu for Week of January 9, 2011

Happy Sunday everyone! I had to stay home with a sick boy today, so I was able to put my menu together today rather than tomorrow. We did great last week- we ate everything that I had planned- even the leftovers! Here is what we are eating this week:

Sunday:  Homemade Stroganoff, steamed green beans and bread machine rolls
Monday: Breakfast Night- Pancakes with bacon
Tuesday: Crockpot Potato Soup- I will post the recipe this week
Wednesday: Pepperoni Bread
Thursday: Spicy Pulled Pork
Friday: Homemade Pizza Night
Saturday: Lemon Pepper Chicken Sandwich

Roasted Kielbasa and Potatoes

Roasted Kielbasa and Potatoes

5-7 potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
1 pkg. Kielbasa, cut into bite sized pieces
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
1/4 cup Canola oil

Preheat oven to 425°. Mix all ingredients in large bowl. Pour into 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Cover with foil. Bake for one hour. You can stir after 30 minutes, but if you forget like me, it still turns out tasty!

Chicken Monterrey

Chicken Monterrey
6 chicken breasts
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 jar BBQ sauce of your choice- we LOVE Sweet Baby Ray's
6-8 slices of bacon, cooked and rough chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 green onions trimmed and sliced
1 small tomato, chopped
Heat oven to 350°. Place chicken in a single layer in a baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. pour on the BBQ sauce. Bake for 25 minutes. Top each breast with bacon, and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 5-10 minutes longer until cheese is melted and bubbly. Top each serving with green onions and tomato before serving.

My family loves this dish. It is very kid friendly because they can order their customized version. I have one boy who doesn't like the cheese, one who likes his plain and one who likes it all!

Menu Plan for Week of Jan. 2, 2011

We have finally taken down the tree, caught up with laundry and jumped back into schooling. I am restarting old habits that work for us as a family- menu planning is such a great tool. It really helps us to stay within a budget, avoid eating out and keeps my stress about filling these boys up to a minimum. Why don't you give it a try?

Sunday: Grilled Cheese
Monday: Anniversary night- we ate out
Tuesday- Grilled Cheeseburgers
Wednesday: Fettuccine Alfredo and a large salad for me.
Thursday: Chicken Monterrey
Friday:  Roasted Kielbasa and Potatoes
Saturday: Fish and Chips

I will post the recipes for the Chicken Monterrey and the Roasted Kielbasa and Potatoes separately. Those are excellent recipes that are very well received around this house.

Have a great first week of this new year!