Weekly Menu 2/23+

Saturday		italian meatball subs salad
Sunday		asian stir-fry rice egg rolls
Monday		southwestern corn chowder bread
Tuesday		bacon mini-meatloaves baked potatoes green beans
Wednesday		egg quesadillas oranges
Thursday		chicken parmesan buttered noodles asparagus
Friday		pesto tilapia rice broccoli cookies

Friday last week I had the opportunity to speak at a local MOPS group about menu planning.  They were so kind to listen to me talk about menu planning for almost an hour.  I stopped talking before the coordinator had to get out her hook and get me off the stage.  When I returned to my table the ladies began sharing their one ‘go to’ meal so that we could each have some inspiration.  It was wonderful and we’ve had some great new dishes here this week, plus they have been super easy!  So I’ve filled in with that same theme on a few days. 

 

Saturday

Italian Meatball Subs

Sweet Italian turkey sausage

½  jar spaghetti sauce

Mozarella cheese

Hoagie rolls, plus at least one extra because someone will want just a little bit more

Drizzle olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet, remove sausage from casing (or buy bulk), and shape into small balls.  Be sure to roll around in the oil on the pan, presumably so it will brown.  Mine did not brown, but they were delicious.  Bake at 375 for 15 min or until juices run clear.  Meanwhile warm sauce and prepare bread with butter and mozzarella cheese. Broil bread for a few minutes until bubbly or you can’t stand it for fear it will burst into flames.  I lasted about 4 minutes.  Top with warm sauce and serve. 

Salad

Sunday

 I’ve been on a bit of an Asian food ban for the last few years, but this was quite good

Asian Stir-Fry

¼ c Asian sesame salad dressing (or Italian)

Boneless chicken cut into small pieces

Frozen stir fry veggies

Extra broccoli

Brown chicken in 2T olive oil and 2T dressing; add veggies and remaining dressing cook covered 3-4 minutes or until veggies are warm. 

Rice (cook extra for Friday)

Frozen Egg Rolls

Marla Monday

Southwestern Corn Chowder

1 T Butter

1 Shallot (or half an onion), finely minced

1 medium carrot, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp dried oregano

¼-½ tsp red pepper flakes (depending on your desired level of spice)

1 baking potato, peeled & cut into ½-inch pieces

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen corn kernels

1 can (14.5 oz.) chicken broth

2 T flour

1 cup milk

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

In a dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add diced shallot, carrot, chili powder, oregano and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally until shallot is soft, about 2 minutes. Add potato, corn, broth, salt & pepper.  In a small bowl, combine flour & ¼ cup milk. Stir until lumps dissolve. Add the remaining ¾ cup milk. Add to dutch oven.  Bring to boil over medium-high heat, and reduce to simmer. Cook until potato is soft, about 15-20 minutes. Season with additional salt & pepper as desired. 

Cook’s Notes:

-       If you desire, you can easily add shredded chicken too. I used canned chicken breast for a very quick addition.

-       I typically make more flour/milk mixture so that the soup is much thicker. If made exactly like the recipe, it is more like soup instead of chowder.

Crusty bread

Tuesday

My mom swears by these:

Make-Ahead Cheesy Bacon Mini-Meatloaves (Kraft Food & Family)

2 eggs

¾ cup  milk

1-1/2 lb.  lean ground beef

1pkg.  (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken

¾ cup  KRAFT Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese

1/3 cup  KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce

3  green onions, sliced

6 slices  OSCAR MAYER Bacon

Whisk eggs and milk in large bowl until blended. Add all remaining ingredients except bacon; mix lightly. Shape into 6 (1-inch-thick) patties; wrap bacon slice around edge of each patty.  Wrap individually in plastic wrap; place in freezer-weight re-sealable plastic bag. Seal bag. Freeze up to 3 months. Heat oven to 375ºF. Unwrap frozen patties; place on rimmed baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 40 to 45 min. or until done (160ºF).  Or cooked thawed patties for 35 min. 

Baked Potatoes

Green beans

Wednesday

Egg Quesadillas (or tacos)

Orange wedges

Thursday

Super Easy Chicken Parmesan

Boneless chicken pieces

1/2 c parmesan cheese

1 c Greek yogurt

1 tsp garlic powder

1 ½ tsp seasoning salt

½ tsp pepper

Spread mix over chicken breasts, bake at 375 45 min.  Top with leftover sauce from Sunday

Buttered Pasta

Asparagus

Friday

Costco Pesto Tilapia (or another fish)

Rice

Broccoli

Girl Scout Cookies