Weekly Menu

On the weekends, I try to put together a menu for the week.  It doesn't always work out, but it helps to have an idea of what I am making.  Here is what I made last week:

Monday: Chicken breast tenders baked like so...spray a casserole with olive oil, douse chicken in Italian Salad Dressing and lay it out on the bottom of the casserole, top with rinsed garbanzo beans, artichoke hearts, and diced tomatoes.  Top with dabs of Feta cheese all over.  Pour more Italian Salad Dressing over.  Bake about 20 minutes at 350, until chicken is cooked through.--I didn't serve this with any sides, because it was one of those days, but I could have served it with Orzo and wilted spinach.

Tuesday: Chicken Kiev with Bacon and Asparagus!!!  Follow the link to the recipe courtesy of Food Network.  Dear Husband prepared this dish.  I made mashed potatoes, to which I added Kraft Spinach and Artichoke Cream Cheese and 1/2 & 1/2 (YUM).  Nutritionally, this is not how we normally cook...But, there is a vegetable present.  DH prepared this meal exactly according to the recipe using our cast iron skillet, and it could not have been better.  Perfection!

Wednesday: Cajun Stroganoff...an on the fly creation.  I marinaded about 2 pounds of London Broil using Emeril's marinade, then braised it until tender in the marinade plus 1 can of diced tomatoes.  Cook penne pasta, or any shape, according to package directions and transfer to a large bowl.  Whisk about 1 cup of plain fat-free yogurt with about 1 cup of the cooking liquid.  Add to the pasta.  Add steamed green beans, and diced pot roast and toss to combine completely.  This dish comes out spicy, creamy and delightful.

Thrusday: Version of Shepard's Pie.  Chop 3 stalks celery, 2 carrots, and 1 potato into large chunks.  Boil the vegetables for about 5 minutes to soften.  Drain veggies.  Meanwhile, saute about 1/2 of a large onion in a dutch oven.  Add 2 T flour and cook for approximately 2 minutes, add 1 1/4 cup water and 1 packet of Au Jus Gravy Mix, add veggies, 1 can of peas that you rinsed, and the diced pot roast.  Stir thoroughly.  Crack open a tube of biscuits and place each biscuit on top of the meat and vegetable mix to form a top crust.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until biscuits are done.

Friday: Skillet Casserole with Rice, Sausage and Mushrooms.  Saute about 3oz of Turkey Italian Sausage until browned.  Add diced onions and saute until the onions are translucent.  Add about 4 cups of chopped mushrooms, stir and saute until mushrooms are tender.  Add 1 cup of short grain brown rice, stir and saute for 2 more minutes to toast rice.  Add 2 cups of liquid (I used 1/2 cup white wine + 1 1/2 cup water), broth, worchestershire, etc.  Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low.  Simmer until rice is tender, about 30 minutes.  Add 1/2 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese and stir to combine.  Optional additions can include fresh sage, parsley, parmesian, pepper to taste, bell peppers, or spinach. 

Enjoy!