Trying something new this week!

Wow is been 2 months since my last post and so much has been happening with work and the holidays I completely fell of the menu planning band wagon….because of this we ended up eating out more, spending too much money AND feeling horrible….

Back to it this week…..

Saturday evening was spent looking through local grocery adds and menu planning for the week, Sunday morning was spent grocery shopping (yes my only day to sleep in is spent at the grocery store at 6 am….so peaceful when you are the only one there) and Sunday afternoon (during naptime) was spent prepping meals for the week.

Breakfast for the week….. Pre Made Bacon and Eggs

I started off with spraying a muffin tin with Olive Oil Spray, place one piece of bacon in each muffin whole folded in half, mix 12 eggs with salt and pepper and 1 cup cheddar cheese in a bowl and scoop egg mix into muffin tin filling 3/4 full.  I had 2 spots left so I just cracked an egg in each one.  Cooking at 350 degrees it took about 25 min!  SO EASY TO HAVE A YUMMY WARM BREAKFAST EVERY MORNING!

Ok mine did not look nearly as nice, I folded the bacon in half and laid it across the bottom and folded it over the top.

They were DELICIOUS, and will microwave 1 each morning for about 200 calories.

Meal #1 (with new years eve our meal #1 will probably be on Tuesday)

Chili Con Queso Pork Tenderloin…in the crock pot…lets be real who wants to cook on New Years Day!

Since I “premade” this I sauteed 1/2 onion, 1 container of mushroom, and 3 cloves garlic over medium heat until tender.  Put his in a ziploc bag.  Mix in 16 oz Velveeta cheese cut in cubes, dices green chili’s, 1/2 red and green pepper chopped, “Rotel” (tomato and green chili), and 2.5 oz pork tenderloin…..I will dump the whole mixture into the crock pot Tuesday morning and cook on medium for 4-6 hours.  As a side warm black beans and a side salad.

Meal #2

Cheeseburger Quiche

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1/3 cup onion, chopped, 1 3/4 ounces

1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced, 1 1/4 ounces

2 eggs

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup cream

8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Brown the hamburger, onion and mushrooms; drain the fat and season with a little salt and pepper. Beat the eggs and mix with the mayonnaise, cream, salt and pepper. Put the meat mixture in the bottom of a greased pie plate. Mix about 1/3 of the cheese into the hamburger. Top with the remaining cheese, then pour the custard mixture evenly over top.

I put this in a class dish covered with tin foil ready to go for Wednesday evening.

Bake at 350º for 30-35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Makes 6 equal servings

Per Serving: 465 Calories; 40g Fat; 24g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 1.5g Net Carbs

I did not use a “crust”, but you could use a steamed and pureed broccoli/cauliflower crust.

Meal #3

Creamy White Chicken & Artichoke, Veggie Lasagna

Ingredients
2 cups boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, chopped
1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese with a Touch of PHILADELPHIA, divided
1/2 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup basil, chopped

2 thinly sliced Zucchini

2 cups broccoli

Directions

Combine chicken, artichokes, tomatoes, 1 cup mozzarella and Parmesan.

Beat cream cheese, milk, and garlic powder with mixer until well

blended; stir in 2 Tbsp. basil. Mix half with the chicken mixture.
Spread half of the remaining cream cheese sauce onto bottom of
13×9-inch baking dish; cover with 1 layer of zucchini and 1/3 of the chicken
mixture. Repeat layers of noodles and chicken mixture twice. Place broccoli on top and sprinkle
with remaining cheese sauce and mozzarella; cover.

I wrapped with foil and put in fridge until Wednesday. On Wed eve, pre heat oven at 350 degrees and bake 25 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining basil.

Meal #4

Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli

Ingredients

1 pound boneless beef chuck roast, sliced into thin strips

1 cup beef consumme

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons cooled sauce from the crock pot after being cooked

Fresh broccoli florets (as many as desired), snap peas, carrots, mushrooms

Directions

1. Place beef in a crock pot.

2. In a small bowl, combine consomme, soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, and garlic. Pour over beef. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

3. In a cup, stir cornstarch and sauce form the crock pot until smooth. Add to crock pot. Stir well to combine. (If your sauce is not thickening, try bringing your sauce to a boil on the stovetop with the corn starch mixture. Boil until your desired consistency is reached).

4. Add veggies to the crock pot. Stir to combine.

5. Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes on high (the sauce has to boil for it to thicken).

Meal #5

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 medium onions, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 quart chicken stock

1 tablespoon chicken soup base

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste

1 (8 oz). can tomato sauce

1 (19 oz.) can enchilada sauce (or two 10 oz. cans)

6 small corn tortillas*, minced

16 oz. Velveeta, cubed

1 cup co-jack cheese, shredded

1 22 oz. bag Tyson roasted and diced chicken, thawed

1 can whole kernel corn**, drained (optional)

Garnishes: pico de gallo, sour cream, shredded cheese, crunchy tortilla strips

In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat, and saute’ the onions until they are tender. Add the minced garlic and cook another minute or two, then scrape the onions and garlic into your crock pot. Add all the other ingredients, except the chicken and corn. Cook over high heat for two hours or low for four. Whisk until smooth (you may wish to use a stick blender). Add the chicken pieces and corn and heat through, maybe another 30 minutes to one hour. Check seasonings, and garnish as you like before serving.

To pre-make this I cooked this chicken in a pan with salt and pepper, sauteed the onions and garlic, and put all ingredients into a ziploc bag and put in the refrigerator until ready to cook.  This would be a great recipe for any left over chicken, turkey, steak, or ground beef!

SO EASY!

Meal #6

Orange Chicken Vegetable Stir Fry

Yield: 4-6 Servings

Ingredients

Sauce:
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 large cloves garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
optional sweetener like sugar, honey, agave, etc.

Stir-fry:
1 pound chicken tender cut into cubes
salt and pepper
4 cups chopped vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, celery, mushroom, snap peas, etc.
olive oil
1/2 cup medium yellow onion, chopped

Directions

1. Blend all the ingredients for the sauce in a blender or food processor for 10 seconds
2. Taste the sauce and add your choice of sweetener to your liking.

3. Blend again for a few more seconds.

4. Heat the sauce in a large skillet on medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Carefully transfer the sauce to a heat proof bowl.

5. Rinse the skillet clean.

6. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

7. If using fresh broccoli or green beans, boil the broccoli for 3-5 minutes until soft enough to pierce with a fork yet firm.

8. Transfer the vegetables to a plate lined with a paper towel.

9. Wipe down the skillet until dry.

10. Heat approximately 1 tablespoon of oil in the skillet on medium-high heat.

11. Cook the onion and chicken until the chicken is cooked through, approximately 3-4 minutes.

12. Add the remaining vegetables and stir-fry them together for 2 minutes.

13. Slowly add a few tablespoons of sauce while stirring the vegetables and chicken.

14. Continue to add the sauce a few tablespoons at a time, allowing about 15 seconds between each addition to allow sauce to slightly cook down.

15. Spoon the stir-fry over a bowl of hot rice if desired. Serve immediately.

Because I am trying to simplify my cooking for the week, I precooked the chicken and have it marinating in the sauce in a ziploc back in the refrigerator.  I have my fresh veggies all clean chopped and ready to go, I will through it all in a wok and cook until veggies are soft and chicken is warm!

All of these recipes will cook double of what we need.  This week at the store I bought freezer  glad tupperware. 10 of them for a little over $3.  My plan is after we dish up our servings (me and my husband) we will transfer the remaining leftovers to a freezer container and safe for a meal or lunch in the future…..if we keep this up we will always have go to meals in the freezer for those days we get home late or don’t have time to plan.  Good Luck!

I would love to hear your money/time saving recipes.