Weekly Meal Plan

So I thought I would really get into this blog thing..I love reading other people's blogs-looking at pictures, trying out new ideas, and sadly and ashamedly coveting other's craft rooms/craft items. It just isn't for me. I have little free time during the day to myself and to try to upload pictures and titles and ideas isn't working for now...maybe someday when the kids are older. For now I am using our blog as a weekly meal planner for myself. Each week I plan meals for the week, making a grocery list off of that, and try to only shop for what we need....sometimes it gets hard at Wal-mart. I am going to try to use it as a reference for meals that work for our family. I thought it may be awesome if someone else could find it beneficial too. So I am going to give it a try...I can't promise that the meals are going to be the greatest or the most nutritious(we are striving for that one), but they will be meals that work for two young children and a pretty picky husband (who I love dearly=).

January 3-9

Monday: Chicken Cacciatore
1 lb. boneless,skinless chicken breasts
26 oz. jar chunky garden vegetable spaghetti sauce
1 zucchini, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
cooked wide egg noodles or spaghetti
Garnish: black olives and shredded Parmesan cheese

Place chicken in a slow cooker; pour sauce over top. Add vegetables. Cover and cook on low setting for 6-8 hours. Spoon over wide egg noodles or spaghetti pasta. Garnish. Serves 4.

Tuesday: Lasagna
1 12 oz. package oven ready lasagna noodles
1-2 large tubs of cottage cheese
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 eggs slightly beaten
1 tsp. dried basil
26 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
1 lb. lean ground beef, cooked and drained

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In medium bowl, combine, cottage cheese, 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, eggs and basil. Mix well.
In another medium bowl, combine the pasta sauce, water, and ground beef. Mix well
In 9''x13'' pan, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce. Place 1/3 of lasagna over sauce. Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture over lasagna; top with 1/3 of meat sauce. Repeat layering once. Top with remaining lasagna then sauce.
Sprinkle with remaining Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Wrap the lasagna tightly with a double layer of foil. Bake for 60 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Makes 9-12 servings.

Wednesday: Sweet and Sour Meatloaf
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 egg
1 tsp. instant minced onions
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce (divided)
1 Tbsp. Worcester sauce
Sneak this in:
green onion, carrot, and sometimes a little onion...place all these in a small food processor and chop/grind it into little pieces. Add as much or as little as you like...you really can't taste it and it makes it more moist. I usually add about 3/4 cup of the mixture. Whatever is left, I put in the freezer to use for another time.
TOPPING:
Reserved tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
3Tbsp. vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. prepared mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together all ingredients except for the topping. Form into a loaf in a 9x5x3 pan. Bake for 60 minutes. Bring topping to a boil-pour over meatloaf and bake an additional 15 minutes more. Cool 15 minutes before slicing.

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Out to dinner

Saturday: Stir Fry- I like this meal because it is simple and fast. I usually always have the ingredients for this one.
1 bag frozen stir fry vegetables (I prefer the great value brand delux broccoli)
a few tablespoons Kinkomann stir fry sauce
half of a bag of frozen, cooked chicken breast strips ( I like the Tyson brand)
Rice
Frozen egg rolls

In a hot skillet, pour in stir fry sauce and frozen vegetables. Cook until slightly tender. (I like to cover mine to almost steam them a bit to make it more tender). Add chicken and cook about 2-3 minutes. Stir frequently. Cook rice as package states. Warm up egg rolls.

Sunday: Frozen Pizza- by the time we get home from Awana it is late and we need something simple and quick...Jon warmed the oven up one week and put the pizza in...ever since then Audrey is convinced that Daddy is the best pizza maker.