Our breakfasts are “on the go” – things like cereal, Pop Tarts, and waffles mainly with scrambled eggs thrown in there every now and then. I do try to cook “real” breakfasts on the weekends, but I am not always good about planning ahead for that. Our lunches are also “on the go” – sandwiches for my daughter and salads, leftovers, or frozen meals for me (my son eats at daycare and my husband fends for himself!)

If you have blogged a menu plan for the week (or even just a favorite recipe), please feel free to comment and share your link. I’m always looking for new ideas and inspiration and will be happy to share a link to your blog if we try your recipe!

If you need inspiration, check out the weekly meal plans from hundreds of other bloggers here at Organizing Junkie.

SUNDAY: Green enchiladas – this is a modified version of a recipe my dad makes

Ingredients:
1 can green enchilada sauce
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can Rotel
3-4 chicken breasts
corn tortillas
monterrey jack cheese

I place the chicken breasts, enchilada sauce, cream of chicken soup, and Rotel in the crockpot on low all day. When I get home, I shred the chicken and add it back to the mixture. Then, you can either do stacked enchiladas (pour some of the mixture on a corn tortilla/add cheese and repeat for as many layers as you would like) or do rolled enchiladas (place some of the mixture in the corn tortilla, roll, and place in a pan….repeat 9 times…then, pour the remaining sauce mixture over the top and top with cheese and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes).

MONDAY: Lasagne – I make this recipe in the morning before I leave for work using this recipe from Barilla – their oven ready noodles make live VERY easy!

TUESDAY: Eat out (we are supporting my daughter’s school by visiting a local restaurant that is donating some of the proceeds to the school)

WEDNESDAY: French dip sandwiches (slow cooker)

Ingredients:
beef roast
2 cans beef broth
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
4-6 hoagie buns

(we also add some swiss or provolone cheese)

Place roast in a greased slow cooker. Pour broth over the top of the roast. Add spices. Cover and cook on low heat 8-10 hours (or high heat 5-7 hours). Remove roast and save extra juice. With a fork, break the meat apart and serve on hoagies. Use excess juice for dipping sandwiches.

THURSDAY: Creamy bacon chicken (slow cooker)

Ingredients:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 3 oz package precooked bacon bits (not artificial)
1 can roasted garlic cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c. sour cream

Place chicken in slow cooker. Mix all remaining ingredients together and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over egg noodles or rice.

FRIDAY: Shepherd’s pie (slow cooker)

This recipe came from the 101 Things to do with a Slow Cooker cookbook.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1 can (10 ¾ ounces) tomato soup, condensed
1 can (15 oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (15 oz) French cut green beans, drained
2 cups instant mashed potatoes, prepared
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
½ tsp. basil

In a separate bowl, combine beef, tomato soup, corn, beans, and basil. Pour mixture in the bottom of a greased 3 ½ to 5 quart slow cooker. Spread mashed potatoes on top. Cover and cook on low heat 5-6 hours. The last hour of cooking, sprinkle cheese on top of potatoes.

SATURDAY: Tortilla soup (I usually make this in the slow cooker…this batch is coming out of our freezer)

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla soup
3 cans chicken broth (100% FF)
3 cans cream of chicken soup (98% FF)
3-4 chicken breasts
1 can Rotel
Mrs. Dash original seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Place chicken breasts in the bottom of the crock pot. Add Mrs. Dash’s seasoning to taste. Add broth and cream of chicken soup, and Rotel. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Shred chicken in crock pot.

To serve: (if frozen)

Defrost in refrigerator. Reheat on stove. Serve and top individual bowls with desired toppings (tomatoes, green onions, avocadoes/guacamole, cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream, etc.).

This week, I hadn’t done the bulk of my grocery shopping when my purse was stolen. We do the Dave Ramsey plan which is based on all cash, so our cash for the week was in my purse. So, all of my recipes this week are centered around things that we already had on hand and our goal is to get through the week without spending any money.

Our breakfasts are “on the go” – things like cereal, Pop Tarts, and waffles mainly with scrambled eggs thrown in there every now and then. I do try to cook “real” breakfasts on the weekends, but I am not always good about planning ahead for that. Our lunches are also “on the go” – sandwiches for my daughter and salads, leftovers, or frozen meals for me (my son eats at daycare and my husband fends for himself!)

If you have blogged a menu plan for the week (or even just a favorite recipe), please feel free to comment and share your link. I’m always looking for new ideas and inspiration and will be happy to share a link to your blog if we try your recipe!

If you need inspiration, check out the weekly meal plans from hundreds of other bloggers here at Organizing Junkie.

SUNDAY: Beef tenderloin with mushroom gravy – This was originally posted by Amy (amyls) on the BBC Cooking for Your Family board and comes from Cooking Light magazine

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
4 (4-ounce) beef tenderloin steaks, trimmed (1/2 inch thick)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup presliced mushrooms
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1/2 cup low-salt beef broth
1/3 cup fat-free sour cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Sprinkle steaks with pepper and salt. Add steaks to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from pan.

Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes. Place sour cream in a medium bowl. Gradually add mushroom mixture to sour cream, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in minced parsley. Serve gravy with steak.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 steak and 1/4 cup gravy)

CALORIES 210 (33% from fat); FAT 7.8g (sat 2.9g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 26.2g; CHOLESTEROL 75mg; CALCIUM 45mg; SODIUM 237mg; FIBER 0.7g; IRON 3.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 6.7g

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2002

MONDAY: Creamy Ranch Mushroom Pork Chops – This was originally posted by Astrid on the BBC Cooking for your Family board. The recipe sounds similar to the cream cheese chicken recipe I make and that is a family favorite, so I figured it was worth checking out. This will be my first time making this recipe.

Ingredients:
4 boneless pork chops
1 packet ranch seasoning
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can chicken broth
1 block cream cheese

Spray a crockpot with cooking spray, and put all ingredients but cream cheese in. Cover, and cook on low “all day” (I did 10 hours, but you could do less). Before serving, stir in cream cheese until melted. The sauce is also delicious with veggies!
Astrid

TUESDAY: Taco soup – it’s been awhile since I’ve made taco soup….so long, in fact, that I couldn’t find my favorite recipe. So, I checked out various taco soup recipes online, and took “the best” of different ones to come up with this:

Ingredients:
1 1/2-2 lb. ground meat
1 packet Ranch dressing seasoning mix
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can corn
1 can pinto beans
1 can Ranch style beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can Rotel
1 can water

My plan is to make this in a slow cooker. I am going to brown the meat and then add combine the meat and other ingredients in a crock pot and to cook it on low all day. When we’re ready to eat, I will serve it with tortilla chips, sour cream, and cheese.

WEDNESDAY: Cheesy rigatoni bake – this recipe came from this cookbook: Girlfriends on the Go: A Busy Mom’s Guide to Make-Ahead Meals (it can be frozen although I have never tried it that way)

Ingredients:
1 16 oz pkg rigatoni noodles
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 c. milk
1/4 c. water
4 eggs, beaten
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
2 cups sherdded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour and salt until smooth. Gradually add milk and water. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Drain pasta and place in a large bowl. Add beaten eggs. Spoon into a greased 9X13 pan. Top with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. Spoon white sauce over top and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
(I prepare this in the morning and refrigerate. I just pop it in the oven when I get home).

THURSDAY: Swedish meatballs (slow cooker)

Ingredients:
2lbs meatballs (I just buy the frozen ones)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can golden mushroom soup
1 can beef broth
1 envelope brown gravy mix

*Place all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally.

We serve this over rice with a vegetable side dish.

FRIDAY: Chicken pot pie – This recipe comes straight from the Bettycrocker.com recipe box.

1 cup cut-up cooked chicken
1 bag (12 oz) Green Giant® Valley Fresh Steamers™ frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup fat-free (skim) milk
1 cup Bisquick Heart Smart® mix
1/2 cup fat-free (skim) milk
1 egg
(*I also dice one potato and add it to the mixture)

1. Heat oven to 400°F. In ungreased 2-quart casserole, mix chicken, vegetables, soup and 1/2 cup milk. Microwave on High 4 minutes; stir.
2. In small bowl, stir Bisquick® mix, 1/2 cup milk and the egg with fork until blended. Pour over vegetable mixture.
3. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): In step 1, increase milk to 2/3 cup. Bake about 35 minutes.

SATURDAY: Italian Chicken Fingers – Steph at One Day, One Dollar at a Time posted this recipe as the “recipe of the week” on her blog today. It looked yummy and kid friendly, so I decided we would try it out this week!

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
Spaghetti or pizza sauce for dipping

Pound the chicken breasts to flatten. Cut into 1″ wide strips. Mix oil and garlic and dip the strips in this mixture. Mix bread crumbs and cheese; coat chicken. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until tender. Warm sauce and use for dipping. Serves 6.

This week, my menu is full of slow cooker recipes. I think we have something pretty much every night this week, so I need things that will basically be ready when we get home. We actually have started to get some rain and cooler temperatures, too, so it’s finally starting to feel like fall, so I have some “fall comfort foods” in here as well!

Our breakfasts are “on the go” – things like cereal, Pop Tarts, and waffles mainly with scrambled eggs thrown in there every now and then. I do try to cook breakfasts on the weekends, but I haven’t thought ahead enough to come up with a plan for that yet. Our lunches are also “on the go” – sandwiches for my daughter and salads, leftovers, or frozen meals for me (my son eats at daycare and my husband fends for himself!)

If you have blogged a menu plan for the week (or even just a favorite recipe), please feel free to comment and share your link. I’m always looking for new ideas and inspiration and will be happy to share a link to your blog if we try your recipe!

If you need inspiration, check out the weekly meal plans from hundreds of other bloggers here at Organizing Junkie.

SUNDAY: Tacos (nothing exciting – just ground beef with taco seasoning, beans, cheese, tomatoes, sour cream and salsa)

MONDAY: Chili (slow cooker) – This recipe is super easy and very yummy!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef (brown in skillet and then place in crockpot)
1 can dark kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can Ranch style beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 packet chili spices

Mix all ingredients in crockpot and cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8 hours. Sprinkle cheese on top before serving.

I serve it with garlic cheese biscuits (this recipe comes straight from the Betty Crocker website):
Ingredients:
1 cup Bisquick Heart Smart® mix
1/3 cup fat-free (skim) milk
1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (1 oz)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Butter-flavor cooking spray, if desired

1. Heat oven to 450°F.
2. In small bowl, stir Bisquick® mix, milk, cheese and garlic powder to make a soft dough. Drop dough by 5 spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake about 8 minutes or until golden brown. Spray warm biscuits with cooking spray before removing from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

TUESDAY ~ Chicken & stuffing (slow cooker meal)

Ingredients:
4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I put them in frozen)
1 can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup milk (I use skim)
1 pkg (6 oz.) chicken-flavored stuffing mix
1 2/3 cups water

Directions: Place chicken in greased slow cooker. In a separate bowl, combine soup and milk, then pour over chicken. Combine stuffing mix and water. Spoon over chicken and soup mixture. Cover and cook on low heat 6-8 hours. Makes 4-6 servings.

WEDNESDAY ~ We are supposed to meet up with friends for dinner, but if that doesn’t work out, Alfredo Ravioli Bake is our standby. This recipe is one that I have not tried before. This recipe was originally posted by Grace (TigMode) on the BBC Cooking for Your Family board.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 (8-ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms
1 (16-ounce) jar Alfredo sauce
1 (25 to 27 1/2-ounce) package frozen spinach and cheese filled ravioli
1 large (1 cup) red bell pepper, chopped
8 ounces (2 cups) mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 350°F. Melt butter in 12-inch skillet until sizzling; add chicken pieces. Cook over medium-high heat until chicken is lightly browned (4 to 6 minutes). Add mushrooms; continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink and mushrooms are tender (4 to 6 minutes). Do not drain.

Spread 1/2 cup sauce into greased 13×9-inch baking dish. Arrange single layer of frozen ravioli over sauce; drizzle 3/4 cup sauce evenly over ravioli. Spread with 1 1/2 cups chicken and mushroom mixture, 1/2 cup red bell pepper and 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Repeat with remaining ingredients, except remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes.

Remove foil; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes or until cheeses are melted. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

THURSDAY: Country Fair Chicken – I found this recipe On the Chubbie Chica blog while I was browsing the Menu Plan Monday posts at orgjunkie.com and it sounded good!

Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs boneless/skinless chicken breasts, diced
6 med red potatoes, peeled & diced
1 lb carrots, peeled & sliced
2 T olive oil
½ t garlic powder
½ t pepper
1 env onion soup mix (I don’t like onions, so I will substitute a different Lipton seasoning packet)
½ c chicken broth

Prep:
Toss chicken, potatoes and carrots with olive oil. Add soup mix, seasonings and toss well. Place mixture in a large sprayed baking dish. Slowly pour in broth and seal with foil. Bake 1 hour @ 350. Remove foil last 15 min of baking.

FRIDAY: Country style pork loin (slow cooker) – this recipe comes from Taste of Home Magazine, is super easy to make, and has become a family favorite!

1 boneless whole pork loin roast (3 pounds)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground mustard
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
Hot mashed potatoes, optional

Cut pork roast in half. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, onion powder and mustard. Add pork, one portion at a time, and shake to coat. In a large skillet, brown pork in oil over medium-high heat on all sides. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Pour broth over pork. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until tender. Remove pork and keep warm. For gravy, strain cooking juices and skim fat; pour 2-1/2 cups cooking juices into a large saucepan. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Slice pork; serve with gravy and mashed potatoes if desired. Yield: 8 servings.

SATURDAY: Black bean and chicken burritos (slow cooker) – This is another family favorite that is SUPER easy to make!

Ingredients:
1 taco/fajita seasoning packet
2 cans black beans, drained
2-3 chicken breasts
1 can green enchilada sauce

Place chicken breasts in bottom of the crockpot and then add remaining ingredients. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Shred chicken before serving and serve in tortillas. We add cheese, sour cream, etc. to the tortillas. We sometimes add rice (cooked rice to the mixture once we’re ready to serve, not in the crockpot!). This is also really good if you use beef instead of the chicken!

In March, I joined a freezer swap group. I had wanted to do freezer cooking for awhile before that and that was the push I needed to get me going. The group was kind of put on hold during the summer months and hasn’t picked back up, but I’ve had fun continuing to freeze meals for my family.

I choose mainly meals that are easy to put together and it’s so nice to be able to pull something on the freezer to help ease my load during the week.

Here are the freezer meals that I made this month (all of them are super easy if you’re a beginner!):

Beef, broccoli, and onions: This originally came from 30 Day Gourmet. It was the first recipe I ever made for a freezer swap (it’s easy to make if you’re just making a few servings, but I was making it for 8 people the first time I made it which was pretty time consuming!). (This recipe makes 6 servings)

Ingredients:
– 1 1/2 lbs. round or sirloin steak, trimmed
– 1 1/4 c. water
– 2 T. dried onion flakes
– 1 1/2 t. onion powder
– 1 T. beef bouillon granules
– 1 1/2 t. dried parsley
– 1 T. packed brown sugar
– 2 T. soy sauce
– 16 oz. frozen broccoli

On Hand:
– 1/4 c. water
– 2 T. cornstarch
– 12 oz. linguine (we had ours over brown rice)

Assembly Directions:
-Slice beef into thin strips. Spray pan with cooking spray. Brown the steak in batches until all steak has been cooked. Remove from pan and cool. Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl.

Freezing Directions:
-Place steak in a freezer bag or rigid freezer container. Pour sauce over steak. Seal, label and freeze. (we put the broccoli in the bag too…it was originally an on hand item)

Serving Directions: (write on bag)
-Thaw in refrigerator. Make pasta (or rice) according to package directions. Drain sauce off steak into a frying pan. Heat on med-high until boiling. Mix water and cornstarch in a separate bowl or cup. Pour mixture into sauce. Return to boiling and reduce heat. Mixture will thicken. Add the meat and broccoli to the sauce and mix to coat. Heat until warm. Serve over pasta (or rice).

Country ham and macaroni casserole: – This recipe was originally posted by Sandy (Bettyinthekitchen) on the BBC Cooking for Your Family board. It has since become a favorite for my family and it’s super easy to make!

1 lb country ham slices or regular smoked ham in one piece
1 large onion, diced (we omit this)
1 lb elbow macaroni
2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese (8 oz)
1 cup sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) margarine, melted
1 cup dry plain bread crumbs

1. Heat oven to 400º.
2. Bring 4 quarts water and ham to boiling in large pot. Once water begins to boil,
remove ham to a plate. Add onion and macaroni to pot. Return water to boiling; cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Coarsely chop ham, discarding any fat and bones.
4. Drain macaroni and onion and return to pot. Add ham, cheese, sour cream and soup. Scrape into a 13x9x2 baking dish. Pour melted margarine over top. Sprinkle with bread crumbs.
5. Bake in heated 400º oven 30 minutes or until heated through and top is golden brown.
Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Note: Prepare in two 8×8 casserole dishes, bake one and freeze one (unbaked) for another day. If freezing, top with crumbs and margarine right before baking.

Parsley parmesan chicken: This has become one of our favorite recipes. I made it for my parents and my sister in law this month, and they agreed that it was delicious. It will probably end up in our freezer rotation every month because we all love it so much. I believe it originally came from Freezer Chicks.

Ingredients:
2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 6-8 chicken breasts)
1/3 bottle of Italian salad dressing
1/2 c shredded Parmesan cheese
1/3 c dry bread crumbs (used Seasoned Italian bread crumbs)
1 1/2 T parsley flakes
1/2 T paprika
Salt & Pepper

Assembly Directions:
Marinate chicken in dressing overnight.
Mix the remaining ingredients and bread each breast with coating.

To Freeze: Lay chicken breasts side by side on baking sheets and place in freezer for 1 to 2 hours to firm up. Place chicken in labeled gallon size Freezer Bag and freeze.

Steak stroganoff: I took several stroganoff recipes a few years ago and adapted them to come up with this one. It has since become a family favorite. This was my first time making it as a freezer meal. A lot of freezer recipe sites recommending leaving sour cream out of freezer recipes because it has a tendency to not freeze well. I made sure mine was well mixed into the mixture before freezing and we ate it within a week or two of making it and it reconstituted fine, but you may want to leave the sour cream out and just add it after you thaw and reheat it.

Ingredients:
2T flour
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 3/4 lb. boneless round steak
2 cans 10 3/4 oz cream of mushroom soup (I use 98% FF)
2 c. water (or 1 can 100% FF beef broth for more flavor)
1 envelope beef stew mix
4 oz can mushrooms, sliced and drained
1/2 c. sour cream
1 T minced parsley

Combine flour, garlic powder, pepper, and paprika in slow cooker. Cut meat into 1 1/2 inch strips. Place in flour mixture and toss until meat is well coated. Add soup, water, and stew mix. Stir until well blended. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours. Stir in mushrooms, sour cream, and parsley and then cook on high 10-15 minutes until heated through. Serve over egg noodles. (Depending on the consistency of the sauce, you may need to add cornstarch to thicken or add more water/broth to thin)

To freeze: Pour into gallon freezer bags (I used Ziploc containers for this one). Allow to cool before freezing.

To reheat: Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Warm on stove and serve over rice or egg noodles. (Add sour cream when warming if you left it out of the initial recipe)

Taco rice: This has become another family favorite and is SOOOO yummy! I am posting the original recipe first and then my variations below.
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
3 cups Chicken broth
8 oz. Tomato sauce
1 pkg. Taco seasoning mix
1-1/2 Brown rice, uncooked
1/2 cup Red or Green Pepper
1 can of corn

On Hand:
Shredded cheddar cheese

Optional Ingredients:
Tortilla chips, flour tortillas, tomatoes, lettuce, salsa, etc.

Assembly Directions:
Mix everything in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until rice is done (about 40-50 minutes). Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Freezing Directions:
Allow rice mixture to cool. Place in appropriate sized containers. Seal, label and freeze.

Serving Directions:
Thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat in microwave until warm. You can also reheat it in a saucepan if you add a little bit of water before heating. Sprinkle cheese on top and serve with tortilla chips.

Comments:
This is a great after school snack. Use it to make quick nachos or a filling for tacos.

My variations: When I make this, I put the chicken breasts and a can of red enchilada sauce in the crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Then, I shred the chicken breasts and put it in a saucepan with the broth, taco seasoning, corn, tomato sauce, peppers, and rice.

Three cheese baked spaghetti:

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
Pasta Ingredients:

8 ounces spaghetti
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese*
2 ounces crumbled feta cheese, optional

Sauce Ingredients:

8 ounces ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups spaghetti sauce
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 ounces (1/2 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese, optional

Instructions:
1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions (al dente). Drain and return to pan (remove from heat though!). Add butter and stir until butter is melted. Add remaining pasta ingredients, stirring to combine. Spread pasta-cheese mixture in the bottom of a greased 8-inch square baking dish.

2. Brown ground beef with the garlic and onion. Drain grease and return to pan. Add pepper, spaghetti sauce, sugar, and Italian seasoning. Stir well and then pour over the pasta, spreading evenly. Sprinkle cheese on top if desired.

3. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until top cheese is browned and spaghetti is bubbly.

Additional Notes:

*If desired, substitute part of the mozzarella cheese with shredded cheddar cheese.

Preparation Time:
30-40 minutes

Cooking Time:
35 minutes

If you are freezing, freeze it uncooked. When you are ready to serve, defrost in refrigerator overnight and then follow the directions baking.

Teriyaki chicken: If you are wanting to get started with freezer cooking, this is seriously the EASIEST freezer meal to put together and a great one to start with!

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup pineapple juice
4 chicken breasts

Directions:
Mix marinade ingredients together and throw in a freezer bag with the chicken breasts. If you use it as a freezer meal, just defrost and cook as you please when ready to eat!

If you’re looking for more menu inspiration, check out hundreds of weekly menu plans here at orgjunkie.com.

This week, I’m just posting our dinner plans. Breakfast will be “fast” food on weekdays (things like cold cereal, oatmeal, waffles, and Pop Tarts). I actually cook on Saturday and Sunday. Weekday lunches will consist of leftovers and sandwiches.

If you need more recipe inspirations, download a free chicken casserole cookbook here and a free pork chops cookbook here.

If you have blogged a menu plan for the week (or even just a favorite recipe), please feel free to comment and share. I’m always looking for new ideas and inspiration and will be happy to share a link to your blog if we try your recipe!

If you need inspiration, check out the weekly meal plans from hundreds of other bloggers here at Organizing Junkie.

SUNDAY: Creamy chicken enchiladas

Ingredients:
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use the 98% FF kind)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I use the 98% FF kind)
2 cans green enchilada sauce
1 8 oz-16 oz. tub of sour cream (depends how spicy you want the enchiladas)
2-3 chicken breasts, shredded (if I’m in a hurry, I use canned chicken)
1 lb. cheese, shredded
1 dozen flour tortillas (you could use corn also)

Add cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, and enchilada sauce to a pan. Cook on medium low heat, stirring occasionally. When sauce is well mixed and starts to thin, add sour cream. Continue stirring occasionally until the sauce is well mixed and thinned out. Place a layer of the sauce along the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish. Fill each tortilla with the shredded chicken, sauce, and cheese. Roll and place in the baking dish. When you have filled all of the tortillas (this should make 1 dozen), pour the remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas and then cover with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is well melted.

MONDAY: Beef & broccoli (freezer meal)

Ingredients:
– 1 1/2 lbs. round or sirloin steak, trimmed
– 1 1/4 c. water
– 2 T. dried onion flakes
– 1 1/2 t. onion powder
– 1 T. beef bouillon granules
– 1 1/2 t. dried parsley
– 1 T. packed brown sugar
– 2 T. soy sauce
– 16 oz. frozen broccoli

On Hand:
– 1/4 c. water
– 2 T. cornstarch
– 12 oz. linguine (we had ours over brown rice)

Assembly Directions:
-Slice beef into thin strips. Spray pan with cooking spray. Brown the steak in batches until all steak has been cooked. Remove from pan and cool. Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl.

Freezing Directions:
-Place steak in a freezer bag or rigid freezer container. Pour sauce over steak. Seal, label and freeze. (we put the broccoli in the bag too…it was originally an on hand item)

Serving Directions: (write on bag)
-Thaw in refrigerator. Make pasta (or rice) according to package directions. Drain sauce off steak into a frying pan. Heat on med-high until boiling. Mix water and cornstarch in a separate bowl or cup. Pour mixture into sauce. Return to boiling and reduce heat. Mixture will thicken. Add the meat and broccoli to the sauce and mix to coat. Heat until warm. Serve over pasta (or rice).

TUESDAY: Cream cheese chicken (slow cooker)

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper (to taste)
2 pkg. dry Ranch or Italian dressing mix (we usually only use one)
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz. cream cheese – cut into cubes (I use the 1/3 less fat kind)
½ c. chicken broth

Directions: Brush chicken with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in crock pot and sprinkle 1 pkg. dry mix over all. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours. About 45 minutes before serving, add soup, second packet of dry dressing mix, cream cheese, and chicken broth. Cook until smooth.
Serve over rice or pasta.

WEDNESDAY: Bubble pizza – When Carrie posted this on her blog a few weeks ago, it looked yummy and I’ve been wanting to try it ever since! I think the kids will love it (and it’s something they can help make, too, so it will be even more fun)

Ingredients:
Ground Chuck
Grands Bisquits
1 jar pizza sauce (I used Ragu’s pizza sauce)
8oz shredded pizza cheese(mozz or mozz/cheddar blend)
Toppings

Brown 1 lb. ground beef.

Cut Grands up into about 60 pieces(cut each biscuit into about 6-8 chunks) and put them in the bottom of a 9X13″ baking dish.

Drain beef and spread it out across the biscuits.

Pour in 1-2 cans/jars of pizza sauce.

Add any pizza toppings you enjoy such as black olives, onions, green pepper, pineapple, etc. Stir all of this together in the pan until everything is coated in the the sauce.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-18 minutes(biscuits will bubble up and be slightly brown on top).

Remove from oven and add 8oz shredded pizza cheese(mozz or mozz/cheddar blend). Put back in oven until cheese is melted(about 3-5 minutes), removed from oven and cut into squares.

THURSDAY: Sweet & sour pork

Ingredients:
1 t. soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 T cornstarch
dash of salt
1/2 c. pineapple juice or water
3 T cider vinegar
2 T ketchup
Pineapple, onions, green peppers
Chopped ham

Mix ingredients in a pan. Stir constantly over low heat until thickened and translucent. Add pineapple, onion, green peppers, and ham. Serve over rice.

FRIDAY: Chicken parmigiana (slow cooker) (this is from the Year of Slow Cooking Blog)

Ingredients:
–2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
–1/2 cup bread crumbs
–1/4 cup parmesan cheese
–1/2 t Italian Seasoning
–1/4 t black pepper
–1/4 t kosher salt
–1 T olive oil
–1 beaten egg
–sliced mozzarella cheese
–favorite jarred marinara sauce

The Directions:
–spread the 1 T of olive oil into the bottom of your crockpot stoneware insert
–whip the egg with a fork in a separate bowl
–mix the bread crumbs with the seasonings and the parmesan cheese in another separate dish
–dip the chicken into the egg, then into the bread crumb mixture, coating both sides with crumbs, cheese and seasonings
–place the chicken breast pieces in the bottom of the crock
–layer 2-3 slices of mozzarella cheese on top
–cover with entire jar of marinara sauce
–close lid and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4. If your chicken is still frozen, it will take longer.
Serve with your favorite pasta.

SATURDAY: Beef and noodle bake – I am not sure where this recipe came from – thanks if it’s yours!

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked pasta
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can tomato sauce
1 pkg. cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
2 green onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Brown beef, garlic and onion. Drain. Add tomato sauce and seasoning. Simmer 15 minutes. Mix sour cream, cream cheese and green onion. Layer cooked pasta, tomato sauce. Spread cheese mixture over top. Sprinkle with cheddar. Bake uncovered about 35 minutes or until top starts to brown.