Monday's Menu

This week’s menu one has 1 lunch and 1 dinner recipe I have never tried. Everything else on the menu is family favorites. Sunday morning I got up early and made all but 1 of our lunches. (That would be the sandwiches) By doing this I am freeing up time every evening after work to spend time with my family.

Saturday:

Lunch: Left overs we still had the meat from the French Dip Sandwiches. I threw the meat into tortillas and added some cheese. It was really good and all the left overs are gone now.

Dinner: Spicy Beef and Spinach Burritos

This meal was really good and quick to make.Plus all the kids got some veggies.

Time: 20 minutes

What you need:

10 Flour tortillas

1 ¼ LB Ground beef

1 Package of spinach

1 Cup Salsa

1 Can black beans

½ Cup Shredded cheese

2 Cloves of garlic

1 Tablespoon chili powder

½ teaspoon cumin

Steps:

1.       Preheat oven to 350

2.       Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil and warm in the oven for 10 minutes

3.       In a skillet, and beef and garlic and cook until no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat.

4.       Add spinach, salsa, black beans, chili powder and cumin. Stir and mix well and cook for 5 minutes.

5.       Remove from heat and stir in cheese.

6.       Place ½ cup of beef mixture in the center of each tortilla. Fold into a burrito and serve. 

Sunday: 

    Lunch: Sandwiches I'm going to be completing a big errand so it will be a quick lunch for us.

    Dinner: I am making a Leftover night for tonight. Leftovers are any TV dinner I have purchased or soups that we have. This is a quick way for me to help clean out my "Over-stock"

Monday:

      Lunch: Bean and Cheese Burritos.

 (These are awesome to make, I make a dozen and freeze them until they are ready to be eaten)

     Dinner: Broccoli Beef Stir-fry with white rice. 

  I am going to make enough rice for tomorrow’s meal as well. I am using the marked down meat I got last weekend.

What you need:

           2 1/2 Tablespoon cornstarch, divided   

           1/4 teaspoon table salt   

       3/4 pound uncooked lean trimmed sirloin beef, thinly sliced against the grain   

       2 teaspoon canola oil   

       1 cup  chicken broth, divided   

       5 cups uncooked broccoli, florets

       1 Tablespoon ginger

       2 teaspoon minced garlic   

       1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

       1/4 cup water   

       1/4 cup sodium soy sauce   

S      Steps:

1. On a plate, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch and salt; add beef and toss to coat.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick wok or large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and stir-fry until lightly browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes; transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon. 
    
   
3. Add 1/2 cup broth to same pan; stir to loosen any bits on food on bottom of pan. Add broccoli; cover and cook, tossing occasionally and sprinkling with a tablespoon water if needed, until broccoli is almost crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Uncover pan and add ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes; stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. In a cup,     stir together water, soy sauce, remaining 1/2 cup broth and remaining 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch until blended
5. In a cup, stir together water, soy sauce, remaining 1/2 cup broth and remaining 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch until blended; stir into pan.Reduce heat to medium-low and bring to a simmer; simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
6. Return beef and accumulated juices to pan; toss to coat and Serve

I add rice to the bottom of the bowl.

Tuesday:

      Lunch: Crock Pot Chicken Caesar Wrap

(This is the new recipe for lunch) WOW! These were awesome!!

Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps

Time: 4 hours

What you need:

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts

2 cups chicken broth

½ - 1 cup Caesar dressing

½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon ground pepper

2 cups shredded romaine lettuce

Tortillas

Steps:

Place the chicken in a 3-4 quart slow cooker with chicken broth, cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.

Remove the chicken from the slow cooker using a slotted spoon and drain the broth from the slow cooker. Place the chicken on a cutting board and shred the chicken, discarding any fat.

Place the chicken back in the slow cooker and pour the dressing, Parmesan cheese, and pepper over the top. Stir until mixed evenly. cook on high heat for 30 minutes or until mixture is hot.

Spoon ⅓ cup of the chicken mixture onto each tortilla. Top with extra shredded Parmesan cheese, lettuce 

      Dinner: Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken with Fried Rice. 

  This is a favorite in this family.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Time : 1 hour 30 minutes

What you need:

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

1 cup cornstarch

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup canola oil

3/4 cup sugar

4 Tablespoons ketchup

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon garlic salt

Steps:

Start by preheating your oven to 325° degrees. Rinse your chicken breasts in water and then cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat, then dip into the eggs.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and pan-fry chicken pieces just until slightly browned but not cooked through. Place chicken in a 9×13-inch greased baking dish.

Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk. Pour evenly over the chicken. Bake chicken for one hour, uncovered. Stir chicken after 30 minutes of cooking

Wednesday:

     Lunch: Pasta Salad with Chicken.

   I had bought a couple of boxes of Suddenly Salad earlier this summer for 1.00 each. It’s a great lunch.

       Dinner: We are going to do not 1 but 2 leftover nights. If I don't have any leftovers this night  then I'll make Eggs and Sausage

 Thursday:

   Lunch: Good Old Fashion Sandwiches and Chips.

 (Remember that free bag of Cheetos I got last week? I got to put it to use)

   Dinner: Crock Pot Baked Potatoes and Lloyd's BBQ meat.

   Friday:

    Lunch: Leftovers

    Dinner: Crock Pot Black Bean Chicken

(this is a new recipe for dinner) No sides there are veggies in the dish.
Ok I had a feeling about this dish when I started to prepare it. It called for:

2 cans black beans
16 ounces jarred salsa
1/2 cup brown rice (uncooked)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
No real liquids. When I got home I had to add chicken broth because even on low the chicken was DRY!!! This was ok at best, I really won't make it again.

I will be updating the menu with the recipes and pictures through the week!