Weekly Meal Plan

Breakfast

• Cereal
• Oatmeal
• Pancakes
• English Muffins
• Fruit
• Yogurt

Lunch

• Pizza
• Peanut Butter Sandwiches
• Salad
• Turkey
• Leftovers

Dinner - each served with veggies and fresh fruit

• Creamy White Bean Stew (new recipe from Pinterest)
• Chick-fil-a
• Gnocchi Mac & Cheese (also new Pinterest Recipe)
• Spaghetti
• Breakfast: waffles, eggs, & bacon
• Taco Egg Rolls (new Pinterest recipe), beans, and rice
• BBQ Pork Sandwiches and baked beans

Snacks

• Raisins
• Crackers & Cheese
• Fruit Smoothies
• Yogurt
• Trail mix
• Fresh Fruit

Sweet Treat - not sure. Maybe we will just take a trip to Sweet Cece's. =)

Teriyaki Marinated Chicken

I've been looking for some freezable recipes. I buy the Publix Greenwise chicken when it goes on sale. I trim all the fat and put them in their own bags and write the weight on each one so when I go to the freezer to grab frozen chicken I'm not guessing on the amount I am using.

I wanted to have some of my chicken breast all ready marinated and ready to cook once it thawed out. I found this one on all recipes and gave it a try. It's a keeper for me!

6 oz can of pineapple juice

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 Tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

In a bowl, mix all ingredients except chicken.

Put chicken in a zip top bag and pour marinade over top of chicken. Marinade in refrigerator at least 2 hours.

Grill or broil chicken until golden and no longer pink in the middle.

 

Freezer Option:

After adding the marinade to the bag of chicken, freeze. Thaw out in fridge 24 hours before cooking.

 

We served our up with some brown rice (made in my new rice cooker - should have bought one of those a long time ago!) and steamed veggies.

 

 

This would also make great chicken to put on a salad or to make a grilled chicken sandwich with.

 



 

Mini Pizzas

These were so fun to make with Colin. Since we had the giant pepperoni, he helped me slice them down to fit on our little pizzas. I only wish the kid would eat the whole pizza and not just pick off and devour the pepperonis. It happens on almost every pizza no matter where it comes from. Sometimes I just get cheese so he can't pick them off.

 

Anyway, here is the easy and fun recipe.

Frozen dinner rolls (we had best results with the 100% Whole Wheat Dinner Roll recipe)
Pizza Sauce
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Favorite Toppings

Thaw the dinner rolls.

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Flatten the rolls by hand or with a rolling pin. Add pizza sauce and top with cheese and toppings.

Bake for about 10 minutes.

Three of these are pepperoni but I experimented with one: olive oil and basil base topped with diced tomato and onion with mozzarella cheese. Delicious!

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Beer Bread

I'm sure you've had the Beer Bread from Tastefully Simple. It's delicious and easy. But expensive. At $5.99 a box (and only one loaf of bread) it isn't purchased in this house often.

So I was super excited to find a recipe on Pinterest for Beer Bread. And and easy one at that - 4 ingredients. I wish there was a whole wheat self-rising flour. We'd be making this way more often. I even mixed up a couple recipes and stored them in individual quart sized bags in the pantry so all I have to do to make some bread quickly is open a beer and melt some butter.

3 cups self-rising flour

1/3 cup sugar

12 oz can or bottle of beer

1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°.

Stir together flour, sugar, and beer. Pour into loaf pan. Bake for 25 minutes.

Remove from oven, slit the top and pour butter over the bread. Bake another 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

 

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Weekly Meal Plan

Maybe I can get back into this habit. I have tired quite a few new recipes off Pinterest lately and want to post the good ones!

Breakfast

• Oatmeal
• Mini-Wheat's (surprisingly, Colin LOVES these)
• English Muffins
• Eggs
• Yogurt
• Fruit
• Whole Grain Pancakes

Lunch

• Quinoa, Spinach, and Pinto Burritos
• Salad
• Peanut Butter Sandwiches
• Pepperoni (one of Colin's favorite for school - the big Applegate Farms pepperoni)
• Mini-pizzas
• Leftovers

Dinner - each served with veggies and fresh fruit

• Frito Chili Pie (with blue corn chips instead of Frito's)
• Crock pot Chicken Parm, spaghetti, and bread
• Teriyaki Marinated Chicken, steamed veggies, and rice
• Baked Salmon, Gnocchi Soup, and whole wheat rolls
• Black Bean Burgers, homemade guacamole and blue corn chips
• Ravioli Bake (1/2 recipe) and whole wheat rolls
• Teriyaki Turkey Burgers and potatoes

Snacks

• Yogurt
• Fresh Fruit
• Fruit Smoothies
• Crackers & Cheese
• Popcorn
• Raisins
• Trail mix
• Nuts

And in an effort to curb my sweet tooth, I'm only making a dessert or treat once a week. This week it will be a whole wheat cookie cake. Yum. =)

Chicken Lasagna Alfredo

10 uncooked lasagna noodles

1 jar (16 oz) white Alfredo pasta sauce

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves

3 cups coarsely chopped cooked chicken

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 garlic clove, pressed

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 cups packed fresh baby spinach leaves (about 4 oz)

Preheat oven to 375°. Cook noodles according to package directions, using shortest cook time; drain. In a small bowl, combine Alfredo sauce, milk, and oregano. Whisk until blended; set aside.

Place bell pepper, mushrooms, onion, and chicken in a large bowl. Press garlic over bowl and add mozzarella cheese; mix well.

To assemble lasagna, spread 2/3 cup of the Alfredo sauce mixture over bottom of 9 x 13 baking dish. Top with half of the noodles, overlapping to fit. Layer half of the spinach leaves over noodles; top with half of the chicken mixture. Repeat layers, starting with half of the remaining sauce. After layering, pour remaining sauce over top of lasagna.

Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 45 minutes. Carefully remove foil. Continue baking for 10-15 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven; let stand 15 minutes fro easier serving. Cut into squares.

 

Prepare lasagna as recipe directs up to 1 day in advance. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate. When ready to bake, remove from refrigerator while preheating oven. Increase covered baking time to 55 minutes. Continue as recipe directs.

Pasta Sauce with Meat

1 lb ground turkey

2 Tbsp olive oil

6 oz tomato paste

6 oz water

24 oz tomato puree

5-6 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp sugar

Pinch of dried oregano

Pinch of garlic powder

Pinch of onion powder

Handful of fresh basil, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large pot saute garlic until soft and fragrant in 2 Tbsp olive oil, about 2 minutes.

Throw your meat in with the garlic and brown until meat has been thoroughly cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour in the tomato paste, tomato puree, water, water, and seasoning, including the fresh basil.

Let the mixture simmer uncovered for a minimum 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

 

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100% Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls

2 Tbsp dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup honey

3 eggs

1 cup buttermilk or milk

4 1/2 - 5 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

Dissolve yeast in the 1/2 cup warm water in a glass measure. Set aside.

Cream the butter and honey in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the eggs and mix, scraping the sides. Add the milk and yeast mixture.

Add 4 1/2 cups of flour and the salt, mixing until combined. Change to dough hook and knead for 2-3 minutes only, just until no longer tack, adding a tablespoon or two of flour, if needed.

Let sit in bowl, covered, to rise for one hour. Turn out onto floured surface and knead a couple of times, then let rest 3 minutes.

Divide into 24 equal pieces, shaping each into a ball and placing in a buttered 9x13 baking dish with the pieces touching.

Let rise, covered for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

 

You can freeze the unbaked dough after the first rise and shaping the dough into balls.

 

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Chicken Parm Meatballs

The only thing I changed from the original recipe was the amount of meat. It called for 1.25 pounds, but I can only find ground chicken packaged in 1 pound increments. I almost skipped the lemon zest because it sounded odd but I am glad I didn't!

 

1 lb ground chicken

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

2 Tbsp chopped onion

1 Tbsp chopped parsley

1/2 cup Parmesan

salt to taste

pepper to taste

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 egg, whisked

zest of half a lemon

marinara sauce

mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded

Preheat oven to 400°, setting rack to upper third part of oven. In a large bowl, using your hands, gently mix together the first 11 ingredients. Shape into large golf ball sized balls and place a few inches from each other on a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush a little marinara on each meatball. Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove meatballs from oven, spoon some sauce on top of each meatball, and cover each with sliced or shredded cheese. Broil another 3-5 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden.

Serve meatballs with spaghetti and additional sauce or on a roll.

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Teriyaki Turkey Burgers with Grilled Sesame Pineapple

A fun take on a turkey burger I found on Pinterest. I made up the patties and then froze them. I keep some pineapple rings in the pantry and we usually have buns on hand. So I can pull a couple out and have a quick dinner when needed.

 

1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 medium onion, diced

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

salt and pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp teriyaki sauce

1 tsp grated fresh ginger root

1 Tbsp sesame oil, divided

2 Tbsp Montreal steak seasoning

2 lbs ground turkey

8 pineapple rings

teriyaki basting and glazing sauce

Whole grain hamburger buns

Lettuce leaves

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add bell pepper and onion and season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Saute for 5-7 minutes or until onions become translucent. Add garlic and saute for another minute or two. Remove skillet from heat and add the teriyaki sauce, ginger root, and 1 tsp of the sesame oil. Stir to combine.

In a large bowl, crumble ground turkey. Season with Montreal steak seasoning. Add in the sauteed vegetables and combine thoroughly but do not over mix to avoid tough burgers. Divide meat into eight patties ad either grill on greased grill or pan fry in a little olive oil. Brush burgers with the basting and glazing sauce during the last minute of grilling.

Meanwhile, brush the pineapple rings with remaining sesame oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Grill for a few minutes on each side until nicely caramelized and grill marks appear.

Assemble with the lettuce on bottom topped with the turkey burger, teriyaki sauce if desired, and then the pineapple ring.

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