Menu Planning Monday: my menu for the week of 10/4

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!