Menu Plan Monday...on Tuesday

One of my sweet friends recently pointed out that I've been very bad at blogging lately, so I thought I'd better get back at it! :) Here's our menu for the week.

Monday - Taco salad

Tuesday - Rotel chicken spaghetti for small group (Recipe below)

Wednesday - Chicken quesadillas with black beans

Thursday - Casey has dinner at church. I'll have left-overs or something quick & easy.

Friday - Date Night
***Happy 6th birthday to our sweet nephew, Andrew!

Saturday - Hamburger Vegetable soup

Sunday - Baked Salmon with asparagus

Rotel Chicken Spaghetti
4 chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 box spaghetti
1 stick of butter
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ cup chopped bell pepper
8 oz sour cream
1 lb Velveeta cheese
1 can Rotel tomatoes
Crushed Ritz crackers (topping)

Cover chicken with water and boil with salt and pepper to done. Remove chicken from broth (keep broth) and set aside to cool. Chop when cool. Cook spaghetti in chicken broth per package directions. Meanwhile, sauté bell pepper and onion in 1/2 stick of butter or oil until onions are clear. Cut up Velveeta and melt in microwave with Rotel tomatoes. Add sautéed onion and bell pepper to cheese mixture. Mix chicken, spaghetti, sour cream and cheese mixture in large bowl. Pour into 9x13 casserole dish. Melt 1/2 stick of butter and mix with crushed ritz crackers for topping. Add topping to casserole. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
*We use whole wheat spaghetti, reduced-fat sour cream, and 2 % Velveeta to make it a little healthier. It's still very yummy! :)

Menu Plan Monday - 9.21.09

Monday is here again. We had a wonderful rainy weekend at home. Casey has been traveling a lot lately, so it was great having him all to myself on Saturday. We relaxed and watched football all day. Roll Tide! We will be out of town this coming weekend for our close friend's wedding, which happens to be on the same day as my birthday...my 26th on the 26th :). Since we will be gone all weekend, I only have 3 meals to plan this week. Check out all the menus at orgjunkie.

Monday - Sun dried tomato and kalamata olive chicken with zuchinni
Tuesday - Baked ziti, salad, and garlic bread for small group (recipe below)
Wednesday - Basil grilled chicken with grilled veggies and wild rice
Thursday - Casey has dinner at church internship, so I will have left-overs or something easy.
Friday - Friend's rehearsal dinner
Saturday - Wedding & dinner out
Sunday - Dinner on the way home

Baked Ziti

-1 package whole wheat ziti noodles cooked according to directions on package

-1 lb. ground beef

-1 jar pasta sauce (maybe 2 jars depending on how saucy you want it)

-1 onion, diced

-1 16 oz. container ricotta cheese

-shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown ground beef with onion. Spread thin layer of sauce on bottom of baking dish. Then layer the ingredients in this order: cooked ziti noodles, sauce w/ meat, ricotta, and mozzarella.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Menu Plan Monday - 9/14/09

Here's our menu for the week.

Monday - Potato soup...Mom is in town and she cooked this while I was at work :). I made 3 casseroles for small group tomorrow night. Looks like we're going to have a really big group this semester!
Tuesday - Chicken casserole, green beans, rolls, and banana pudding for small group (recipes below).
Wednesday - Honey chicken stir fry
Thursday - Casey has dinner at church every Thursday this fall. I will either get something out or maybe have cereal for dinner...I actually miss that sometimes. :)
Friday - Date Night
Saturday - Salmon, asparagus
Sunday - Greek chicken, Greek salad

Chicken & Rice casserole
-4 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
-1 can cream of chicken soup
-1/4 cup mayo
-1/2 cup sour cream
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1/4 tsp. pepper
-1 Tbsp. lemon juice (I usually add more).
-2 cups rice (We prefer brown/wild rice).

Mix ingredients together. Top with cornflakes. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 40 minutes.

Banana Pudding
-1 package Jello vanilla pudding
-3 bananas, sliced
-1 box Nilla wafers
-1 can condensed milk
-1 cup milk
-1 tub cool whip
-1 tsp. vanilla flavoring

Combine pudding mix & milk. Blend on high and slowly pour in condensed milk. While beating on high, scoop in cool whip. Layer trifle bowl with Nilla wafers, banana slices, and pudding mix. Top with Nilla wafers. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Enjoy!

Menu Plan Monday, 8/31/09

I'm falling asleep as I type this, so I'll keep it short and sweet. We had a wonderful weekend full of fun with a wedding, birthday party, and baby shower. It was great seeing lots of friends and family...I'll post pics soon. Here's our menu for the week:

*Monday - Tacos
*Tuesday - Vegetable soup with beef
*Wednesday - Dinner out with a friend
*Thursday - Chicken casserole (will post recipes later this week)
*Friday - Chicken pot pie
*Saturday - Southern fried chicken, green bean casserole, mac & cheese
Dessert: gooey butter cake (Recipe below, also by Paula Deen)
I'm making this yummy southern meal for hubby and I to enjoy during the first Alabama game of the season. Roll Tide!
*Sunday - Leftovers or out

Gooey Butter Cake
Cake: 1 (18.25oz) box yellow cake mix
1 egg
1 stick butter, melted
Filling: 1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (16oz) box confectioner sugar
1 stick butter, melted

•Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 13 by 9 by 2 inch glass baking dish.
•In a bowl, using an electric mixer combine cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well. Pat into the bottom of prepared dish and set aside.
•Still using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese til smooth; add eggs and vanilla. Dump in confectioners sugar and beat well. Reduce speed of mixer and slowly pour in butter. Mix well. Pour filling onto cake mixture and spread evenly. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Center should be gooey. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Menu Plan Monday...Back to School

My mom is in town for a couple of nights this week. It's great spending time with her. Lately, with my grandmother being sick, Mom has been staying with her around the clock. We needed some good girl time together. This will be a pretty busy week at our house, but menu planning always helps with the busy-ness. I feel much better when I know I don't have to worry about what's for dinner when I walk in the door. Here's our menu for the week. Be sure to check out lots of other menus at orgjunkie.

Monday - Out for Mexican with Mom

Tuesday - Chicken tortilla soup

Wednesday - Meatloaf

Thursday - Chicken, squash casserole

Friday - Going to a wedding, maybe leftovers or out

Saturday - Nephew's 1st birthday party!!

Sunday - Hubby's favorite casserole

Menu Plan Monday

This is the first full week of school. So far it's going great. I've only frozen a few meals for those days when I don't feel like cooking, so this week I'm going to make several more freezer-friendly meals (one to serve and one to freeze). Here's what's cooking at our house this week.

Monday - Ruthie's Chicken Pie
Tuesday - Baked Spaghetti
Wednesday - Whole wheat blueberry pancakes (Recipe below)
Thursday - Beef Stroganoff
Friday - Date Night
Saturday - Chicken Divan
Sunday - Small Group

Don't forget to visit orgjunkie for lots more menu plans.

Whole Wheat Pancakes
2 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. milk
2 eggs
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. of vanilla extract
Mix all together. Place batter on griddle and top with blueberries or chocolate chips if desired.

Menu Plan Monday...Back to School

It's the most wonderful time of the year (at least for nerds like me)! Crayola crayons, shiny yellow pencils, brightly colored construction paper, Elmer's glue, back packs, new books...Back to School!! I officially start back to school (work) this Thursday. As all teachers know, we actually go back way before this to set up our classrooms and plan. This week, I will be making a double portion of most meals and freeze the extra dish. A fellow teaching friend shared this idea with me to save time at the beginning of the school year. She already has about a month's worth of pre-cooked dinners. I was somewhat familiar with the concept of Once a Month Cooking (OAMC), but I thought that was something I'd try down the road, maybe when I become a mom. When my friend showed me her stockpile of ready made dishes (gotta love stockpiles), I quickly decided this was something I wanted to do. I found easy recipes that call for ingredients I already have on hand. I will be substituting some to make everything a little healthier (i.e. whole grain pasta and rice, low fat soups, etc.) I thought this week would be the best time to start since we won't have students yet. I'll let you know how it turns out. Go here to see lots of other menu plans.

Monday - Tuna casserole

Tuesday - Sleepover with my nephew...maybe baked spaghetti

Wednesday - Taco soup

Thursday - Beef stroganoff

Friday - Date night

Saturday - Chicken tetrazzini

Sunday - Dinner with small group