Menu Planning Monday: My menu for the week of 7/27

Lately I’ve REALLY been struggling with menu planning, but I also know that my week is so much easier and smoother when I have a “plan” in mind. Here is my menu plan for this week. If you have blogged a menu plan for the week (or even just a favorite recipe), please feel free to share. If you need inspiration, check out the weekly meal plans from hundreds of other bloggers here at Organizing Junkie.

SUNDAY:

Breakfast ~ Scrambled eggs and toast

Lunch ~ Quesadillas

Dinner ~ California Combo – I found this recipe on Marci’s blog awhile ago. It’s pretty quick and easy to make and my family loves it. We’ve got some zucchini to use up, and I saw this great recipe for Guiltless Baked Zucchini on Favorite Family Recipes this week, so I thought we’d try it out.

California Combo
Ingredients:
– about 8 oz. noodles, cooked (I used my GlutenFree Penne)
– 1 lb. hamburger
– 1/2 c. onion, diced
– 1 c. sour cream (I use FF)
– 8 oz. cream cheese (I use reduced fat)
– 1 jar (1 lb. 10oz) spaghetti sauce
– 4 green onions, diced
– cheddar cheese to top dish

Directions:
– Cook beef and onion in sauce pan, drain. Stir jar of sauce into pan and heat through.
– Sautee green onions in a little butter.
– Cream together sour cream and cream cheese. Stir green onions into mixture.
– In lightly greased casserole dish layer noodles, cream cheese mixture and meat mixture. Repeat layers again and top with enough shredded cheese to cover top.
– Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
I actually cooked 16 oz. noodles tonight but only used about half of them. I like to go heavy on the sauces, otherwise you may be able to do a 9×13 dish. I had enough for an 8×8 and then a little extra as shown. The cream cheese mixture is what makes this sooo good!

Guiltless Baked Zucchini
1-2 large zucchini, cut into spears or circles (the zucchini we had was HUGE so we just used one)
2 eggs
1-2 Tbsp. milk
1 c. Italian-style bread crumbs or croutons blended up finely in a blender (we ran out of bread crumbs so we did the crouton thing)
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
Butter or cooking spray

First, line a baking sheet with foil and spray evenly with cooking spray. Next, combine eggs and milk in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and salt & pepper. Dip each zucchini piece into the egg mixture, then dip into bread crumbs until evenly coated in crumbs. Place zucchini on baking sheet, spray each with cooking/butter spray and then bake in the oven at 425-degrees for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. For an added crisp, turn the oven to broil and cook for about 30-45 seconds longer (don’t let em’ burn though, watch them closely). Remove from oven and serve hot with ranch dressing or marinara/pizza sauce.

MONDAY:

Breakfast ~ Cold cereal

Lunch ~ Baked chicken nuggets

Dinner ~ Foil baked Asian Chicken – This comes from the April 2009 issue of All You Magazine – it’s quick and easy to make and everyone in my family (kids included) loves it!

Ingredients:
8 tsp olive oil
4 cups baby spinach
4 4 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
4 tsp teriyaki sauce
salt

Preheat over to 450 degrees. Tear off four 10-inch square sof aluminum foil (great sure for all that foil I stocked up on at Walgreens last week!). Brush each square with 2 tsp olive oil. Place 1 cup spinach on each square, slightly off center. Top with a chicken breast half and some mushrooms. Drizzle 1 tsp teriyaki sauce over each portion. Sprinkle with salt.

Fold each piece of foil over to cover chicken and vegetables. Crimp edges together tightly to seal. Place packets on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot.

TUESDAY:

Breakfast ~ Eggos Bake Shop Apple Twists and Muffin Tops (I have to work this morning and I’m doing a coupon class this evening, so it’s gotta be quick and easy!)

Lunch ~ Peanut butter/banana/honey sandwiches

Dinner ~ Old Fashioned Meat Loaf (freezer swap meal)

Courtesy of Paula Deen with changes by Sara Brown
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef, turkey, or both
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped bell pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
8 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix
salt
pepper

Topping:
1/3 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon mustard

Prep Directions:
Salt and pepper meat, mix all meatloaf ingredients well and shape into a loaf. Wrap loaf in Plastic Wrap and place in Freezer for 1-2 hours to firm up (this is so loaf will hold it’s shape while being stored).
Mix ingredients for topping and place in Quart-size Freezer Bag.
Once loaf is firm, place plastic wrapped loaf into a Gallon-size freezer bag, along with smaller bag of Topping. Remove air and seal.

Serving Directions:
Thaw completely. Place loaf in baking dish, cover with Topping. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour.

Serve with mashed potatoes

WEDNESDAY:

Breakfast ~ Puffed Pancakes – I got this recipe from Marci’s blog

Ingredients:
1/2 cube butter (not margarine)
6 eggs
1 cup Milk
1 Cup Pancake Mix (or Bisquick)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 Degrees. Place butter in a 9 X 13 inch pan. Put in preheating oven until butter is melted. In a blender, combine eggs, milk and pancake mix. Pour batter into baking dish. Bake for a bout 15 – 18 Minutes until pancakes are puffy and lightly browned. Do not open oven while pancakes are cooking. Top with sifted powder sugar.

Serve with warm maple syrup or fruit toppings.

Lunch ~ Mini pizzas (we use English muffins and the kids get to make their own pizzas)

Dinner ~ Sweet and sour pork (I got this recipe from my mother in law)

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.

THURSDAY:

Breakfast ~ Blueberry-Cheese Rolls – I got this recipe from the Babycenter Cooking for Your Family board – the original poster of the recipe was Rachel (keenerrk) – we made these once before and they were a hit!

1 pkg. (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup blueberries, divided

PREHEAT oven to 375ºF. Unroll dough into four rectangles; firmly press perforations together to seal.

COMBINE Neufchatel cheese and sugar; spread onto dough rectangles to within 1/2 inch of edges. Top evenly with blueberries. Bring opposite corners of rectangles together; press together to seal. Place on ungreased baking sheet.
BAKE 11 to 13 min. or until golden brown.

Lunch ~ Egg salad sandwiches

Dinner ~ Beef and Bean Chimichangas – I got this from a buddy on a Babycenter.com board (thanks Jane!) and am looking forward to trying it. As a variation, I’m going to try covering it with red enchilada sauce and cheese at the end.

1 pound lean ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup whole kernel corn
2 cups salsa
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
8 (12 inch) flour tortillas
1 (16 ounce) package shredded cheese
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350
Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drain excess grease, and add the onion and corn. Cook for about 5 more minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Stir in the sala and season with cumin, stirring until blended. Cook until heated through, then remove from heat, and set aside.
Open the can of beans, and spread a thin layer of beans onto each of the tortillas. Spoon the beef mixture down the center, and then top with shredded cheese. Roll up the tortillas, and place them seam-side down onto a baking sheet. Brush the tortillas with melted butter.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.
Cover with the remaining cheese and bake an additional 3-5 minutes, until melted.
Serve with lettuce, tomato, sour cream, salsa and guacamole (as desired)

FRIDAY:

Breakfast ~ Waffles/Pop Tarts/cold cereal (Kid’s choice)

Lunch ~ Turkey cheese roll-ups

Dinner ~ Pizza rigatoni (slow cooker) – This is a Taste of Home recipe

Ingredients:
1-1/2 pounds bulk Italian sausage
3 cups uncooked rigatoni or large tube pasta
4 cups (16 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 small onion, chopped
2 cans (one 15 ounces, one 8 ounces) pizza sauce
1 package (3-1/2 ounces) sliced pepperoni
1 can (6 ounces) pitted ripe olives, drained and halved

Directions:
In a skillet, cook sausage until no longer pink; drain. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

In a 5-qt. slow cooker, layer half of the sausage, pasta, cheese, soup, onion, pizza sauce, pepperoni and olives. Repeat layers. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Yield: 6-8 servings.

SATURDAY:

Breakfast ~ Monkey bread

Lunch ~ I will be at my sister-in-law’s baby shower, and my kid’s have a birthday party that afternoon, so they will probably have something “on the go”

For the baby shower, I’ll be making this recipe that I have come to LOVE:

Chicken Spinach Bow Tie Pasta Salad – I got this recipe from Marci’s blog. It was served at her baby shower and it was SO good.

Ingredients:
baby spinach
grilled chicken
bow tie pasta
pesto
feta cheese
toffee glazed almond accents
diced tomatoes

-make the dressing by mixing equal parts Italian dressing and Caesar dressing

Dinner ~ Quick Beef Skillet – This recipe was on the Babycenter Cooking for your Family board (posted by Amy – amylz) and came from Campbell’s originally. I think I’m going to try using “real” potatoes and carrots instead of canned and throwing everything in the crockpot.

1 lb. ground beef
1 can Campbell’s(R) Beefy Mushroom Soup
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 can (about 15 oz.) sliced potatoes, drained
1 can (about 8 oz.) sliced carrots, drained

COOK beef in skillet until browned. Pour off fat.
ADD soup, water, Worcestershire, pepper,
potatoes and carrots and heat through.

Serves 4