Meal Plan Monday!

Yes, I've been slacking from my food blog. I was playing around with another website to use as a recipe database. I'm thinking I will stick with my blog instead. Me? Stick with something? Yes, it's novel, but I think I just might. :)

Meal plan for this week:

• Monday: Zarda ribs (on sale at HyVee yesterday for $10!), baked potatoes, green beans (yum dinner)
• Tuesday: Red Beans (from freezer) and Rice, fruit
• Wednesday: Leftovers
• Thursday: Mahi mahi, rice, veggies
• Friday: Boys fend for themselves while I enjoy delicioso Mexican food and margaritas at La Fonda El Taquito with the girls!
• Saturday: Date night (Ben is staying with Nana and Opa...the planning is up to Alex this month...we may end up at Old Country Buffet...I'm scared!)
• Sunday: Roast, potatoes, veggies, German chocolate heart-shaped cake for Valentine's Day with my boys. :)

On a related note, I have been doing great slashing our grocery bill lately! Matching coupons with sales is basically an addictive game for me now. I traveled every aisle in HyVee the other day with my coupon organizer trolling for deals. I look a little nuts, but I don't really care. I snagged some fabulous deals including the ribs ($10...normally 15), a healthy pasta (.84 with coupon/sale), apples (.77/lb), cake mix and frosting (2.68), pork shoulder (5.58 with sale/coupon), and the best one of all...16 Dannon yogurts for .09 each with coupon/sale (1.44 total!). I bought quite a bit of stuff for $57. My budget is $75 weekly for all groceries.

Meal Plan Monday Plus Freezer Cooking

It's a holiday for Alex and I and we are in the middle of a giant closet reorganization project. We're going to take Ben to school soon where he will have more fun than here at home in piles of junk! Alex is going to plug away. I'm going to do a weights class at the gym and then I'm heading back to do some freezer cooking. Here's the plan for today:

Beef Burgandy (I'll post the recipe later) (divided into 2)
Lasagne (divided into 3)
Meatballs (divided into 3)
Chicken fajita meat in marinade

It's not much, but it will fortify our freezer. The plan is to avoid the grocery store next week, if possible to save some dough.

Now for our meal plan:

Monday: Hot Wing Soup
Tuesday: Chicken Masala
Wednesday: Baked Ziti
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Chili or soup from the freezer (boys are on their own again...it's my monthly girls' dinner...we're going to the Melting Pot's happy hour!)
Saturday: Breakfast for dinner (eggs, pancakes, bacon, fruit)
Sunday: Roasted chicken with garlic, mashed potatoes, veggies

Baked Ziti with Sausage

Baked Ziti with Sausage from Allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour
Servings: 8

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package dry ziti pasta
1 pound mild Italian sausage
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 large yellow onion, minced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce,
divided
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Italian cheese
blend
1 teaspoon dried basil (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the ziti, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink.
3. While pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, and cook and stir until brown, about 10 minutes. Drain sausage and set aside.
4. Stir together the ricotta, egg, onion, garlic, and oregano in a large bowl until well combined. Stir in the drained pasta, the drained sausage, salt, pepper, and 1/2 jar of the spaghetti sauce; mix well.
5. In the prepared baking dish, cover the bottom with 1/3 jar of spaghetti sauce. Layer 1/2 of the pasta mixture, 1/3 jar of spaghetti sauce, and 1/2 of the shredded cheese. Then layer the remaining 1/2 of the pasta, 1/3 of the sauce, and 1/2 of the cheese. Sprinkle with basil. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.
6. Bake in the preheated oven until heated through, about 20 minutes. Uncover; return to the oven and bake until cheese is melted, 5 to 10 more minutes.

Meal Plan Saturday

Here's the plan for next week!

Monday: Chicken Masala (I have yet to try this one, but I'm sure I'll love it...it's my favorite Indian dish!)

Tuesday: Baked Ziti with Sausage (thaw from freezer)

Wednesday: Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup (an old favorite...so easy, I can't believe I had to look it up)

Thursday: Mahi Mahi (broiled with some simple seasoning and lemon juice) and wild rice

Friday: Leftovers or chicken nuggets (Mommy has a happy hour so boys are on their own!)

Saturday: Beef Hot Pot (This is a new one...hope it's good!)

Sunday: Buffalo Wing Soup (This is another new one from Make It Fast, Cook It Slow...Alex is asking for real buffalo wings instead and I've denied him. Wha ha ha ha ha!!! It's good to be queen. :)

Beef Hot Pot

Beef and Bok Choy Hot Pot from Cooking Light

You'll need a fork and a spoon to enjoy this meal. You can use most any greens in place of the bok choy, including spinach or Napa cabbage.

2 1/4 cups water

3/4 cup low-salt beef broth

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 pound beef stew meat, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 1/4 cups chopped green onions

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger

2 cups thinly sliced bok choy

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced carrot

2 cups hot cooked wide rice noodles or fettuccine

Combine first 6 ingredients, stirring with a whisk; set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add beef, browning on all sides. Add broth mixture, green onions, garlic, and ginger; bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until beef is tender. Stir in bok choy and carrot, and cook 5 minutes or until tender. Serve beef mixture over noodles.

Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Combine 2 can undrained diced tomatoes and 3 cups chicken broth. Boil, add 1 1/2 lb diced, cooked chicken (seasoned with 2 tsp. chili powder). Reduce heat, cook 7 minutes.

Add in prepared Mahatma brand red beans and rice; heat through. Spoon into bowls and top with tortilla strips and cheese.

*We used to make this a lot. It's so simple and tasty. You can also saute up some veggies, like onion and peppers, to add to it.

Chicken Masala

From Make It Fast, Cook it Slow

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup diced onion

1 15-oz can diced tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 cup plain yogurt

Directions:

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Put the chicken and onion in the stoneware. In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes with the garlic and all the spices, reserving 1/2 tsp of garam masala for use later. Pour the tomato mixture over the top of the chicken. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Shred the chicken with two forks, and stir in yogurt. Add the remaining 1/2 tsp garam masala, or more to taste. Add salt to taste. Serve with basmati or jasmine rice!