Week 3

Inside Out Burgers (adapted from a Hungry Girl Recipe)

4 Baby Bella White Cheddar Cheeses

1 lb grd beef

1 T. Worchestshire

2-3 T. dry ranch dressing

Salt and pepper, paprika (who doesn’t love this Blues Clues combo?)

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Mix grd beef and desired ingredients above to make burgers. Make patties, mush a hole in the center and put the cheese (take the red stuff off too!) in the middle, forming the patty around them.

Best if grilled but other methods such as “The George” work too!

Top with you favorite burger toppings, serve with sweet potato fries

Lasagna Casserole Tried and true, my mom has been making this one since I was in high school. Its now my go-to casserole when anyone has a new baby! Comfort Food at its best!

Crock Pot Pork Chops, serve with green beans and mashed potatoes. Leslie made this for supper swap on my anniversary, so it had to be good! And lets face it, if the word "crock pot" is in it, I'm down!

Greek Chicken – courtesy of Lorraine who always brings the best looking (and smelling) leftovers to lunch!

Boneless/skinless Chicken breast

Red potatoes

Oregano

Garlic

Olive oil

Lemon juice

Preheat oven 350

Mix olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and oregano.

Coat potatoes and chicken with olive oil mixture (add enough seasonings to where it looks like Zorba’s Greek chicken) place in 9x13 pan.

Cover with foil.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour

---easy way---I used the spray olive oil and lemon juice, sprayed the chicken and potatoes and then doused both with garlic and oregano until it “looked right”.

Very good and very easy

Mexican Casserole- courtesy of Leslie whom I am surprised hasn’t learned Spanish by the sheer quantity of Mexican food she enjoys!

1 box of Velvetta Shells and Cheese DELUXE (just cause its easier)

1 cup sour cream

1 lb grd beef

1 package taco seasoning

1 jar salsa

2 c. Mexican blend Cheese

Cook Velvetta according to package directions, add sour cream.

 Brown beef, add taco seasoning and the 2/3 c. water called for to make tacos.

Layer in a 9x13 dish shells and cheese, ground beef, salsa cheese. Repeat once, cover and bake @350 for 30 minutes.

Grilled Fish with rice and salad

We prefer a not-so-fishy-fish such as Tilapia

Seafood Marinade:  ½ c. Teriyaki (I've also used Worchestire sauce ½ c. Italian dressing.

Week 3 Shopping List

Shopping List (Week 3)

Fresh Produce

Green beans

Red potatoes

Bag O’ salad

Meat

3 lbs grd beef

Pork chops

Chicken Breasts

Tilapia filets

Freezer

Dairy  

Baby Bella cheese

Cream cheese

Mozzarella cheese

Sour cream

Mexican cheese

Bread

Hamburger buns

Canned Goods

Spaghetti sauce

Cream of celery soup

Cream of mushroom

Velvetta Shells and Cheese Deluxe

Dry Stuff

Egg noodles

Fancy rice of some sort

1 dry onion soup mix packet

Fake mashed potatoes

Staples-

Salsa

Taco seasoning

Dry ranch dressing

parsley

Worcheshire Sauce

Italian dressing

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Week 2 List

Shopping List (Week 2)

Fresh Produce

1 small onion

Grn and red bell pepper

8 oz. baby portabellas

Meat

3.5 lbs grd beef

6-8 thin sliced pork chops

1 lb Italian Sausage in casings

1 lb bulk Italian Sausage

chicken

Freezer

1 bag hash brown potatoes

Seasoning blend (frozen vegs-onion, celery, pepper)

10 oz bag frozen peas and carrots

Dairy  

Shredded cheddar cheese

Shredded moz cheese

Mexican Cheese blend

Bread

Sub rolls (I use Pepperidge Farms)

Tortillas

Canned Goods

1 can kidney beans

1can pinto beans

1 can corn

1 can rotel tomatoes

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can enchilada sauce

1 can black beans

2 jars spaghetti sauce

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 c. chicken broth

Dry Stuff

1 pkg dry ranch dressing mix

2 pkg taco seasoning

1 can French fried onions

Fennel Seed (found in spice section)

Bisquick

Staples-

Sour cream

Tortilla chips

Seasoned salt

Veg oil

milk

garlic

pepper flakes

sugar

pepper

Worchestshire sauce

Red wine

margarine

Week 2

Week 2

Day 1: Taco Soup

1 lb of grd beef cooked with chopped onion

1 can kidney beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can of corn

1 can Rotel

1 can diced tomatoes

1 pkg ranch seasoning

1 pkg taco seasoning

3 c. water

Brown beef, add other ingredients and simmer.

Serve with cheese, tortilla chips and sour cream

Day 2: Pork Chop Casserole – a family favorite discovered through Supper Swap

8 pork chops (1/2” thick)

1 t. seasoned salt

1 T veg oil

1 can cream of celery soup

2/3 c. milk

½ c. sour cream

½ t salt

¼ t pepper

1 bag frozen shredded hash brown potatoes

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 can French-fried onions

1.       Sprinkle pork chops with seasoned salt, brown on both sides in oil

2.       Combine soup, milk, sour cream, salt and pepper; stir in hash browns, ¾ c. cheese and half of onions. Spread into greased 13x 9 dish, arrange pork chops on top

3.       Cover and bake @ 350 for 40 mins

4.       Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and remaining onions and bake 5-10 mins longer

Serve with side salad

Day 3: Italian Sausage Sandwiches- these are actually better than the ones at the fair!

1 lb Italian Sausage

1 red bell pepper, sliced in strips

1 grn bell pepper, sliced in strips

2 onions sliced in strips

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp fennel seeds

2 T water

4 sub rolls

1 c. shredded moz. Cheese

Cook sausage med high 15 mins, add peppers, onion, garlic, fennel seeds, water, cook until veggies are tender. Put in rolls and top with cheese

Day 4: Enchilada Casserole-another SS discovery

1 can enchilada sauce

1 can diced tomatoes

1.5 lbs grd beef

1 can black beans, drained

1 pack corn tortillas

Taco seasoning

2 c. shredded Mexican cheese blend

Preheat oven to 375

Mix enchilada sauce and tomatoes. Brown beef, add taco seasoning and 2/3 c. water. All black beans and simmer 5-10 mins. Mix a few spoonfuls of enchilada mix into beef.

Spray 9x13 dish, dip torillas in enchilada mix and cover the bottom. Layer with meat, cheese, tortillas, repeat, finishing with torillas and cheese.

Cover and bake 20-25 mins, uncover and bake 5 mins.

Day 5: Spaghetti

1 lb Italian Sausage

1 lb grd beef

½ bag of seasoning blend (celery, grn pepper and onion)

8 oz. baby portabellos

2 jars spag sauce

1 t. Italian Seasoning

¼ t. red pepper flakes

Pinch of sugar

Black pepper

2 T. Worchestshire Sauce

¼ c. Red Wine

Cook meats, sauté seasoning, mushrooms, add all and simmer.

Serve with salad and Texas Toast! YUM!

Day 6: Chicken Pot, Chicken Pot, Chicken Pot Piiiiieeeee….MKB’s favorite!

3 c. cooked chicken

1 can cream of chicken soup

¼ t pepper

10 oz frozen peas and carrots

1 c. chicken broth

1 1/3 . Bisquick

1 ¼ c. milk

5 T melted margarine

Grease 2 qt baking dish, spread veggie and chicken evenly on bottom of pan. Stir soup, broth, pepper and pour over mixture. Combine mix, milk and margarine, pour over mixture. Bake @ 400 45-50 minutes.

Week 1

Week 1

Day 1: Baked Potato Soup with bacon and cheese on top

Day 2: Bomb-dizzle Meatloaf with green beans and mashed potatoes

The first time I tasted this it was from my now-neighbor when my grandmother died. Good ole-fashioned funeral food. He had made it and taken it to my uncle, who hasn’t eaten red meat since the 1970’s. My family was more than obliged to eat it, and beg for the recipe!

1 lb hamburger meat

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 T. Ketchup

½ stick melted margarine

1 T. Mustard

2T Brown sugar

1 T Red Wine Vinegar

Salt and pepper

1 egg

½ c. Stovetop Cornbread stuffing

2 T Heinz 57 Steak sauce

2 cloves garlic, crushed

3 slices of bacon

Mix ingredients, put in ungreased loaf pan, roll bacon and place on top, bake @ 375 for 1 hour. Drain fat.

Serve with fresh green beans (cook in the microwave with a bit of water for 6-7 minutes, the douse with olive oil and garlic powder OR dry ranch dressing mix) and boxed mashed potatoes (Betty Crockers Roasted Garlic are my fav-not even my mother could tell they were from a box!)

Day 3: Burritos

As a new mom I adapted this from a recipe I found in Parenting under the guise of “30 Minutes to Dinner”

1 c. white rice- cook it

¼ c. taco seasoning

1 c. salsa

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

Chopped onion, sauté in EVOO

Sun dried tomato basil wraps

Mont Jack shredded cheese

Saute onion in OO, add rice, salsa, beans, taco seasoning . Spread mixture evenly in wraps, top with cheese and roll them up like the experts at Moe’s do, cover with foil and bake @ 425 for 15 minutes.

Serve with sour cream. They even fill my husband up and there are leftovers!

Day 4: Easy Stroganoff

2 TBS flour

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp pepper

¼ tsp paprika

1 boneless beef round steak (about 1 ¾ lbs)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

½ c water

1 pkg dried onion mushroom soup mix

1 jar of mushrooms, drained (optional)

½ c. sour cream

1. In a slow cooker combine flour garlic powder, pepper, and paprika.
2. Cut meat into 1 ½ x ½ inch strips. Toss meat in flour mixture. Add mushroom soup, water, and soup mix
3. cover and cook on high 3 to 3 ½ hours or low for 6 to 7 hours or until meat is tender
4. Stir in mushrooms, sour cream, and parsley. Cover and cook on high for 10 to 15 minutes.

Serving suggestions: egg noodles  and a spinach salad. 

Day 5: California Turkey Burgers with sweet potato fries (from your freezer section)

Day 6: Chili

1 lb grd beef or turkey

1 pkg Macormick Chili Seasoning (recipe on package)

1 can kidney beans

1 can diced tomatoes

Shopping List

Fresh Produce

3 small onion

Green beans

Sliced baby bellas

Bagged salad

Avocado and dry gauc mix

Meat

1 lb ground beef

Bacon

1 package stew beef

2 lbs ground turkey

Freezer

1 30 oz. bag frozen shredded hash browns

Sweet potato fries

Dairy  

1 block cream cheese (Not reduced fat or fat free)

Shredded cheddar cheese

Sour cream

Monterrey Jack Cheese (shredded if you can find it)

Bread

Sun dried tomato basil wraps

Hamburger buns

Canned Goods

3 cans chicken broth (or 1 and ¼ boxes of broth)

1 can cream of Chicken Soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can Black beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can diced tomatoes

Dry Stuff

Stovetop cornbread stuffing

Betty Crocker mashed potatoes (Roasted garlic)

Dry Onion soup mix (2 in package, you’ll use both this week)

McCormick chili seasoning packet

Egg noodles

Staples- the stuff every kitchen should have but sometimes you just don’t!

Pepper

Ketchup

Fresh Garlic

Margarine

Steak sauce

Mustard

Brown sugar

Rice

Taco seasoning

Red wine vinegar

Egg

Flour

Garlic powder

Paprika

Soy sauce

Salsa

Dinner Revamp

The other day my mother and grandmother-in-law were laughing together that I use recipes to cook. WTH? Who doesn’t use recipes to cook? Oh, wait a minute, they don’t.

My mother and gma-in-law are the old fashioned Southern ladies who don’t need recipes to cook. They use the “that looks right” method.

When my grandmother died when I was 13 I didn’t think about all the knowledge she had taken with her. Like my gma-in-law today, she didn’t want anyone in the kitchen getting in the way. Therefore no one had stood over her and seen exactly what she put into her recipes. The first Thanksgiving without my grandmother I was terrified that we’d never have sweet potato casserole again. My grandmother had been the only one to make it, and like my mom and gma-in-law, she didn’t have it written down anywhere. But alas, my mom and aunt knew the ingredients well enough for a makeshift substitute.

Personally, I’m pretty impressed with myself for even cooking. Plenty of women my age working full time with young kids turn to the frozen food section or take-out. I hate frozen food, save for Tyson Chicken Nuggets for T of course, and I’m too cheap for take-out.

If not planned properly and in advance meal time is chaotic at best. For the past several months I’ve been stealing meal plans from my (who-knew-she-could-cook?) friend’s blog and adapting them for my own family. Now I’m tackling a bigger plan that will help day to day in both shopping and spending.

Here’s the idea: I will get together 24 recipes <gasp>and rotate them in a four week period. I will put together a grocery list according to what is on the meal plan and shop sales accordingly. Will this work? I don’t know. But what I’m doing now is NOT working so I’m going to give it a shot.

I will be seeking the assistance of my blogger friend to actually post the recipes and shopping list, I hope to find it useful, and that someone else does too.