Menu for Mar 26-30

Monday--Tequila marinated chicken served with black beans and rice and mole (mol ay) sauce

Tuesday-- Pork loin with potatoes and steamed veg.

Wednesday --Chicken Curry in the crock pot.

Thursday--Chili (I guess I am in a spicy mood this week!)

Friday--Breakfast for Supper

Monday--1/4 cup tequila, the juice and some zest of 1 lime--minced garlic salt pepper and about 1 or 2 tbsp brown sugar. Marinate the chicken for 1/2 hour at least or longer. (I will probably prepare this part in the morning. I am planning to make 1 cup of rice and use 1 can of black beans. I will flavor the rice up with some chili powder. I have prepared mole sauce which I am planning to warm up and serve over the chicken and and rice.

Wednesday --- Chicken Curry. I will use 1 pkg chicken thighs I will put these in the slow cooker completely frozen (I have used bone in for this recipe in the past and it falls of the bone. In this case I have boneless thighs). For the sauce I will use part of a jar of prepared coconut curry sauce (Archer Farms brand). I will also add 1 cup v8, 1 can coconut milk 1 tbsp curry powder, 1 small diced onion, 2 minced cloves garlic. 1/2 cup raw brown rice, 1/2 cup coconut salt and pepper to taste.

Recipes and Shopping list

Produce-

2 leeks

1 rutabaga

carrots and celery for soup (I always have these on hand)

1 small onion (Friday's soup)

3 bell peppers (for Friday's soup I bet one could substitute a bag of frozen pepper stir-fry)

baby lettuce salad

1 bag already prepared cole slaw

Potatoes

Green onions

Meat- center cut pork chops

Ground beef or turkey ( I am using turkey---- it is a 20 oz package)

Chicken breasts

General Groc-

1 quart of Chicken broth

1 quart of Beef broth

Rice (we always have this on hand)

condensed tomato soup

can crushed tomatoes ( I am planning to get the kind seasoned for chili)

Tortillas

Dairy case--Fresh Take chicken breading

Frozen --steam in the bag veg of your choice

fish sticks or breaded shrimp

Left Over Vegetable Soup

Okay so I had 2 leeks I bought awhile back to make leek soup and needed to get them used. I also had some rutabaga left from making pasties awhile back and needed to use IT up too. Since it is not a meal, according to the Hubs, unless it contains meat....I had some frozen left over ham which I chunked up into 1/2 inch squares and threw in

I saute the leeks(sliced in half the long way rinsed and then diced, rutabaga diced, 1 clove of minced garlic, two each diced carrot and celery (basically I steamed this on 3 on my electric burner for about 1/2 hour with the lid on. I then added one quart of chicken broth and threw in the ham chunks and simmered for another 1/2 hour so the veggies still have a bit of al dente to them and aren't squishy. I added salt and pepper to taste (I do this at the sauteing point)

TUESDAY-

Pretty self explanatory--follow the Fresh Take Recipe for the chicken, steam in the bag veg as for the potatoes. I dice mine and boiled them. This time I chose Yukon Gold b/c they are yummy and on sale

WEDNESDAY- Grill up some pork chops--yum. We season ours with salt and pepper.

Baby green salad also strawberries are starting to come back cheap and we most likely will add them to the meal as a side

THURSDAY--Fish Tacos (go ahead and look back at an earlier post "1-9-12" for my recipe)

FRIDAY--Unstuffed Pepper Soup

Start rice right away if you have the long cook kind, if not get of minute rice ready you will need to yield one cup cooked

Brown the Turkey or Ground Beef and pull from pan. In the drippings saute up the diced bell pepper and onion (or throw in a bag of pepper stir-fry and let the groc store do the work for you)

After the veg is sweated throw the browned meat back in and add in the beef broth, can of condensed tomato soup, can of crushed tomatoes and if the rice is ready throw it in and simmer together about 20 minutes

Recipes 3-19

You all most likely noticed that there was no post last week. I was on spring break and took the time to do some room rearranging and painting in my home and was very fly by the seat of my pants when it came to meal planning. We had also been out of town a few days in there as well so I was hard to have shopped and come up with a plan, since we weren't on any real schedule..

So this week I am a bit late getting out this week's menu and I apologize!

Monday--Vegetable soup (this is actually more like--left over soup)

Tuesday--I came across these chicken breadings called "Fresh Take" by Kraft and I am using the Chili Lime Monterrey Jack coating---good but a bit salty. We ate this with yukon gold potatoes and steam in the bag corn

Wednesday---Pork Chops on the grill with baby lettuce salad

Thursday---Fish/breaded shrimp tacos

Friday---unstuffed pepper soup

Recipes 3-5-12

COCONUT GINGER LIME CHICKEN

(You'll also need an egg for this recipe)

First of all assemble your "line" (I use pie tins) one pan with raw scrambled egg. One pan with the bottom covered with coconut (maybe 1/3 of the bag) and about 2 tbsp of flour (I mix these two with my fingers)

While doing this heat up a pan coated in EVOO

Take 2-3 thawed breasts and cut them into chicken nugget sized pieces. (Remember the other chicken breasts I told you to thaw? Cook them in the oven while you prepare tonight's dish You are preparing them for tomorrow night's chicken salad)

Coat them with the egg and then roll them in the coconut/flour mixture.

Place them in the preheated pan and just let them cook. DO NOT turn them until the EASILY release themselves from the bottom of the pan.

Meanwhile--mince up the shallot and about a tsp or two of the fresh ginger (this is potent so use as much as you think you can handle) Cut your Lime in half

Boil the water for your cellophane noodles remember these puppies cook fast so keep an eye on 'em!

Pull the chicken out of the pan when it is done. De-glaze the pan with by squeezing the lime juice into the pan. (If you have a zester zest some of the peel too and throw in some zest)

add in the minced ginger and shallot cook til translucent. (I have been known to use a splash of white wine as well, if I have it on hand) Scrape up all the yummy chicken and toasted coconut bits off the bottom of the pan!

Serve over the cellophane noodles. We usually mix the chicken right in!

Don't Forget about you other Chicken breasts you are cooking up!!!!!! Place them in fridge for tomorrow's Supper which is..........................

BOWTIE PASTA CHICKEN SALAD

Bow Tie pasta (as much or as little as you need) Put on to cook following the package directions. If you don't have bowties on hand use penne, or shells or whatever)

Meanwhile......

At least one chicken breast cut into bit sized chunks

1 Granny Smith apple cut into bite sized pieces

1 diced stalk of celery

1/2 small red onion diced

1/2 bag Craisins (or golden raisins work too)

dressing--1/2 cup - 3/4 cup mayo or Miracle Whip, a splash of vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper and garlic to taste.

Once the pasta is drained run it under cold water. When it is sufficiently cooled-off assemble the salad mix together until everything is sufficiently coated with the dressing. If you have time to make it up before hand place it in the fridge until it is time for service!!!!!

SLOPPY JOES (the recipe I use is straight from the Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book)

I double the recipe. I use 1 lb ground turkey and 1 lb ground beef

1 lb lean ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup sweet pepper

1/2 of a 6 oz can of tomato paste (it calls for sauce but I think the paste works better)

1/4 c water (you may need more)

1-1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp Worcestershire

1/2 tsp garlic salt

Dash or two bottled hot sauce

Salt pepper to taste

(I taste it and if I think it needs it I add on time around the pan of Agave Nectar or molasses)

Brown the meat with the onion and pepper, drain the fat. Stir in the tomato paste, water, chili powder, Worcestershire, garlic, and hot sauce. Cook til bubbly Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes

Menu and shopping list for March 5-9

Monday- Coconut Ginger Lime Chicken

Tuesday-Chicken Pasta Salad

Wednesday-Sloppy Joes

Thursday- Lasagna

Friday-Brats and Hot Dogs on the Grill!!!! (Yum!)

1 hunk ginger
1 shallot

1 red onion

1 lime

1 bell pepper

1 granny smith apple

celery

cellophane noodles

Bowtie pasta

craisins

Coconut

hamburger or ground turkey (2 lbs of one kind or 1 lb of each)

1 bag frozen chicken breasts (Monday Morning take 5 breasts to thaw)

1 can tomato paste (for Sloppy Joes)

frozen lasagna (this time the Schwans man sweet-talked me into buying theirs, it was $11 and half the size of the $10 party sized Lasagna)

brats (this week brats are on sale at Coborns) and hot dogs, buns and what ever you like with them

(Items you probably have on hand--vinegar, mayo, salt, pepper, garlic powder, Worcesterhire, hot sauce, egg)