Menu Planning Monday: my menu for the week of 10/11

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.