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Menu Planning Monday: My Menu Plan for the week of 10/7

October 8, 2012 by 1 Comment

I was at a blogging conference in Atlanta for four days last week.  I learned lots of great stuff, but I’m ready to get back to my family and to meal planning!  I’m trying several new recipes this week and most of the recipes can be made in your slow cooker!

If you’re new to menu planning or would like tips for getting started, check out this post here–> Tips for menu planning

You can also view hundreds of meal plans each week at Orgjunkie.com

 

SUNDAY – Slow cooker chili  – It doesn’t get any easier than this dump and go recipe!

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.

MONDAY – Slow Cooker London Broil – I found this recipe on Allrecipes.  I plan on changing it up some by using Golden Mushroom soup instead of Cream of Mushroom soup and adding some additional seasonings.  I will let you know how it goes!

TUESDAY:  Slow Cooker Chile Colorado burritos – I discovered this recipe on Pinterest and it has become a family favorite.  I could make it once a week and no one would complain!

WEDNESDAY:  Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops with Parmesan Mashed potatoes – My kids have really been loving pork chops lately, so I’ve been looking for new recipes to try!  This one comes from Picky Palate.  As an added bonus, you can make it in the crock pot!

THURSDAY:  Hobo Stew (slow cooker) – This is another new recipe for us. I ‘m always on the hunt for new recipes I can make in the slow cooker.  I plan on using frozen meatballs for this one to save time and I have a few other variations in mind that I’ll share when I do my recipe review!

FRIDAY:  BBQ chicken

SATURDAY:  Avocado Cilantro Lime enchiladas – I am a sucker for enchiladas and love trying new recipes.  I can’t wait to try the avocado sauce on this one!  I plan on making my own “filling”

Looking for more quick fix menu ideas? Sign up for Ready, Set, Eat by clicking on the image below! It’s completely free and you’ll get recipe ideas delivered to you by e-mail!

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*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information.

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Menu Plan Monday: my menu plan for the week of 9/30

October 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment

This week I’m headed to a blogging conference in Atlanta, so I’m cooking the first part of the week and I tried to pick easy meals for my husband to prepare for the rest of the week!

If you’re new to menu planning or would like tips for getting started, check out this post here–> Tips for menu planning

You can also view hundreds of meal plans each week at Orgjunkie.com

Chicken noodle soup in a slow cookerSUNDAY:  Creamy Chicken Noodle soup – My kids and I have been sick, so chicken noodle soup sounded perfect and I love this recipe because you can put everything (including the noodles at the end) into the slow cooker, so there’s minimal effort involved!  I’ve even got leftovers to take for lunch today!

MONDAY:  Stacked 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 (I use 98% FF)
1 can Rotel (drained)
3-4 chicken breasts
corn tortillas (one dozen)
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).

TUESDAY:  Steak stroganoff (slow cooker) – My family LOVES this recipe!!

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)

WEDNESDAY:  Eat out – We’ll have to grab something to eat on the way to the airport

THURSDAY:  Hot dogs

FRIDAY:  Macaroni and cheese

SATURDAY:  Pizza – we have gift cards!

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Menu Plan Monday: my menu plan for the week of 9/23

September 24, 2012 by 1 Comment

You’ll be seeing me post a lot in the next couple of weeks about budgeting and how to get your budget on track.  One of the biggest ways we’ve been able to cut expenses and stick to our budget is through menu planning!  I work full time and how two school-aged kids who have after school activities almost every day, so we’re busy.  These are quick and easy recipes that our whole family loves!  Most of them can be thrown into the slow cooker with less than 5 minutes prep time!

If you’re new to menu planning or would like tips for getting started, check out this post here–> Tips for menu planning

You can also view hundreds of meal plans each week at Orgjunkie.com

SUNDAY:  French dip sandwiches – This is a family favorite and I love it because it literally takes minutes to throw it into the slow cooker and it cooks all day!  Prep time, including shredding the meat before you’re ready to eat it, is about 5 minutes!  NO KIDDING!

I also made this, which is another family favorite, to take to a family that just had a baby:

Chicken tortilla soup

MONDAY:  Black Bean and Chicken Burritos – This is my “knock off recipe” from a place called Cafe Rio that we used to love!  It’s super easy to throw together!

TUESDAY:  Melt in Your Mouth Meatloaf  – Yes, it’s meatloaf and yet it’s a hit every time I make it…one of those recipes I can never go wrong with!

WEDNESDAY:  Slow Cooker Chicken Lickin’ Good Pork Chops – Another super easy recipe that my family loves!

THURSDAY:  Balsamic Chicken (slow cooker) – This recipe was posted by Holly on the Simply Clean Living blog.  We’ve tried it a few times now and it is a hit with our family.

Ingredients:
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Halves – approx. 1.5 to 2 lbs.
½ C. Olive Oil
½ – 1 C. Balsamic Vinegar – depending on how tangy you like the recipe
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
3-4 cloves of garlic minced or pressed
2 t. crushed dry oregano

Combine all ingredients in Crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken with a fork and serve chicken and sauce over rice or angel hair pasta. The consistency and taste of the sauce is sweet and tangy like an Italian barbeque sauce.

FRIDAY:  Chuck E Cheese – The school where I work is having “spirit night” so I’m going to show my support plus I’m using it to bribe my kdis this week!

SATURDAY:  Bourbon chicken – Keli shared this recipe awhile back in a Menu Planning Monday post on her blog.  Our family loves it and it’s fairly easy to make!

Ingredients:
1 1/2-2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite size pieces)
1-2 T olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 tsp ginger
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 c. apple juice (in the comments section on Recipezaar, some people substituted pineapple juice or orange juice)
1/3 c. light brown sugar
2 T ketchup
1 T cider vinegar (in the comments section on Recipezaar, some people substituted balsamic vinger or did half and half)
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. soy sauce
Directions:
Heat oil in a large skillet. Add chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned. Remove chicken. Add remaining ingredients, heating over medium heat until well dissolved. Add chicken and bring to a hard boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve over hot rice.
NOTES: On Recipezaar, some people mixed cornstarch and water and added it at the end to thicken the sauce.

 

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Menu Planning Monday: My Menu Plan for the week of 9/16

September 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment


You’ll be seeing me post a lot in the next couple of weeks about budgeting and how to get your budget on track.  One of the biggest ways we’ve been able to cut expenses and stick to our budget is through menu planning!  I work full time and how two school-aged kids who have after school activities almost every day, so we’re busy.  These are quick and easy recipes that our whole family loves!

If you’re new to menu planning or would like tips for getting started, check out this post here–> Tips for menu planning

You can also view hundreds of meal plans each week at Orgjunkie.com

SUNDAY:  Spinach Chicken wraps  – We are taking a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University Class on Sunday nights and we don’t get home until close to 7, so our dinners have to be quick and easy.  This is one of our favorite “quick fixes”  I buy grilled or breaded chicken strips, a Caesar Salad mix, and spinach tortillas.  We add in some tomatoes and cheese and fill the wraps.

MONDAY:  Chicken ranch tacos – I discovered this recipe on Pinterest a few months ago and since then, we have this at least twice a month.  It’s definitely become a family favorite and it’s so easy to make!

TUESDAY:  Cream cheese chicken (slow cooker) – This was actually on our menu last week, but things didn’t quite work out according to plans, so we’re having it this week instead!

WEDNESDAY: Beef tips (slow cooker) – I found this recipe in Taste of Home Magazine a few years ago.  It’s yummy and easy to make!  We usually serve ours over mashed potatoes instead of noodles.

Ingredients:
1 beef top sirloin steak (1 pound), cut into 1-inch cubes
2 to 3 medium carrots, chopped
1 to 1-1/2 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed golden mushroom soup, undiluted
1/2 to 1 cup white wine or beef broth
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
Hot cooked egg noodles

Directions:
In a 3-qt. slow cooker, combine the beef, carrots, celery, onion, soup and wine or broth. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until meat is tender.

Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into cooking juices. Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes or until thickened. Serve with noodles. Yield: 4 servings.

THURSDAY:  Spirit Night – We will be supporting the elementary school that my kids go to by attending their spirit night at a local restaurant.

FRIDAY:  Chicken & dumplings (slow cooker)

Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2-3 carrots, sliced
2-3 celery stalks, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 can chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use 98% fat free)
1 tsp salt, optional
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
paprika
2 pkg refrigerated biscuit dough, torn in pieces (I only use one)Place chicken, vegetables, soups & seasonings in crockpot and fill with enough water to cover.  Cover with lid and cook on low 5-6 hours.  About 30 minutes before serving, place the torn biscuit dough into the crockpot.  Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center. NOTE:  If I don’t have time for the biscuits to cook in the slow cooker, I just cook them in the oven and then tear up the biscuits and add them.


Image Credit: What’s on my menu

SATURDAY:  Sweet potato foil pack tacos ~ I found this recipe on Marci’s blog.  My family was skeptical the first time we tried these, but once they actually tasted them, they were a hit, even with my kids! (and that’s not an easy feat!)  I love this recipe because it’s low maintenance and yummy!


*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information.

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Menu Planning Monday: My Menu Plan for the week of 9/9

September 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve had a hard time getting back into a routine of menu planning and finding time to throw meals together before I leave for work in the morning, but I keep trying!  Here’s my plan for this week!

If you’re new to menu planning or would like tips for getting started, check out this post here–> Tips for menu planning

You can also view hundreds of meal plans each week at Orgjunkie.com

SUNDAY:  Chicken Tortilla soup (slow cooker) – This is one of my family’s favorite recipes. It’s also one of my favorite recipes to throw together when I’m short on time because I usually have everything on hand and it is literally a “dump and go” recipe!

MONDAY:  Spinach Wraps  – This is a quick and easy meal when I don’t have time to prepare anything in the morning!  I buy Spinach Wraps, a Caesar salad mix, and Tyson grilled chicken strips.  I mix the chicken and Caesar salad mix together and fill the wraps.  Everyone loves it!

TUESDAY:  Slow Cooker Chile Colorado burritos – I discovered this recipe on Pinterest and it has become a family favorite.  I could make it once a week and no one would complain!

WEDNESDAY:  Chicken Lickin’ Good Pork Chops (slow cooker) – This is another quick and easy recipe to make that is always a hit with my family!

THURSDAY:  Cream cheese chicken (slow cooker)

FRIDAY:  Melt in Your Mouth Meatloaf (slow cooker)

Image Credit: What’s on my menu

SATURDAY:  Sweet potato foil pack tacos ~ I found this recipe on Marci’s blog.  My family was skeptical the first time we tried these, but once they actually tasted them, they were a hit, even with my kids! (and that’s not an easy feat!)  I love this recipe because it’s low maintenance and yummy!


*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information.

Filed Under: Menu Planning Monday Tagged With: ,