What's on your menu for this week? New Week 11/8

[Briarmom]

Recipes of bolded, too, please!

I am a vegetarian, and need all the new veggie recipes I can get

Thanks!

Here you go:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/penne-wise-pumpkin-pasta-recipe2/index.html

It's definitely fall food.

ETA: That should not say 12 cup cream. Just 1/2 cup.

 

[TimeforMe]

I am really impressed that so many of you have your whole week's worth of menus planned. I "sort of" know what we're cooking this week:

Tonight = homemade pasta with sausage & meatballs and a tossed salad
Tuesday = cube steak and green beans and probably corn
Also sometime during the week: hot dogs and baked beans, sloppy joes and probably a take-out night. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I'm out with the girls on Thursday and then with another bunch on Friday so I guess my menu is planned for the week.

 

[AshleyW]

I just keep a list of possible meals on the fridge and cross off the ones we've already used. I don't plan what day. I have Sticky Chicken in the crock pot for tonight. We're having it with cornbread and a salad.

I do the same thing. I don't like planning day by day, because I usually change my mind a hundred times before I actually cook anything. We just did our grocery shopping for two weeks and have stuff for:

Stir fry w/homemade egg rolls
Ranch fried chicken
Steamed fish 2x - catfish and tilapia
Chicken & cheese spaghetti
Meatballs
Breakfast for dinner (french toast & sausage)
Cornish hens in the crock pot
Tator tot casserole
Homemade mac and cheese
Marinated chicken breasts
BBQ beef sandwiches
Lasagna
Sub sandwiches

 

[PatsGirl]

I must say how surprised I am that so many of you plan your meals ahead of time. I have been doing this for many years but not one other person I know, family or friend, does the same and many get quite a laugh when they see my list on the fridge

I generally make a list of what I already have for meat/protein, list my fresh veggies and take a look at the sale papers ~ I then make my menu for the week or 10 days with what I have and what is on sale.

So, this morning I get up, make my list and check my stock and then call my computer guy to take a look at my desktop that shut down after a power outage last night....$300 later and my list has changed and we will make do with what I already have. Cat food is the only thing I'll be purchasing this week

Tonight ~ Scallop caesar salad

Tuesday ~ Steak tips with red/green peppers, onions, grape tomatoes and whatever side DD's wants with hers (probably rice)

Wednesday ~ Scrambled eggs, frozen sausages, bagel with cc or pb

Thursday ~ Shrimp stir fry with broccoli, served w/salad for me, pasta for DD

Friday ~ Grilled cheese for DD with potatoe puffs, salmon and salad for me

Saturday ~ most likely will break down and go out to dinner

Sunday ~ There will still be swedish meatballs, hamburger patties, and two chicken breasts left in the freezer so I'll decide as the weekend progresses...

 

[Heather1101]

I don't really have it broken down into certain days for certain meals..I just have everything on hand and decide that day what to make based on everyone's input and how much time we have to cook dinner.

Blackened chicken alfredo, broccoli
Oven beef stew, yeast rolls
Tacos, spanish rice, refried beans
Ribs, rice, corn on the cob
Chicken and Pastry
Salmon, Rice, Broccoli

 

[clutter]

Still struggling with later in the week:

Sun - (last night) Chicken Madeira
Mon - Grandmom's chicken & rice
Tue- Steak in bourbon marinade (from Let's Dish)
Wed - a chicken casserole, using the last of the cooked chicken and soup made sunday. My dd's fave is the one with cr of mush, mayo, curry, lemon, but I'm trying to do it without the canned or mayo.
Thu - kabobs from our favorite take out (or chinese)
Fri - hopefully a fundraiser for Special Olympics at Joe's Crab
Sat - who knows!

Can someone post the paprika pork recipe?

 

[disykat]

Here's the Paprika pork recipe:

Saute briefly to brown 1 1/2 lbs. pork cut in small pieces, 2 T oil, 2 T butter. Remove from pan.
Saute one small onion.
Add 1 T paprika and 2 1/2 T flour and continue to brown for several minutes.
Add 1 1/4 c chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
Add in 4 T dry sherry and 1/2 pound sliced mushrooms. (oops! and put pork back in!)
Cook for 20 minutes, covered.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, add 2/3 c. sour cream, and serve with noodles.

 

[clutter]

Here's the Paprika pork recipe:

Saute briefly to brown 1 1/2 lbs. pork cut in small pieces, 2 T oil, 2 T butter. Remove from pan.
Saute one small onion.
Add 1 T paprika and 2 1/2 T flour and continue to brown for several minutes.
Add 1 1/4 c chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
Add in 4 T dry sherry and 1/2 pound sliced mushrooms.
Cook for 20 minutes, covered.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, add 2/3 c. sour cream, and serve with noodles.

Do you cut up a pork tenderloin or chops? And a really dumb question: You do put the pork back in, right?

It looks SO yummy. I do a chicken that you dredge in flour and paprika then cook with onions in broth. I like paprika dishes, thanks!

 

[Swimnoid]

I'm so glad you started this thread. I am in a rut too. I dont get home until 7:30-8:00 so I'm not usually in the mood to think. If I dont have it planned I have cocoa krispies like tonight!

Tues--pot roast in the crock pot, mashed potatoes, carrots
Wed--maybe beef stroganoff over noodles
Thurs--something with chicken
Friday--out of town for work, Steak and Shake on the way home
Sat--Wedding for lunch so probably something easy like pizza
Sun--out of town again dare I repeat Steak and Shake?

 

[disykat]

Do you cut up a pork tenderloin or chops? And a really dumb question: You do put the pork back in, right?

Oops - yes, you put the pork back in before cooking it 20 minutes! I don't know what they're called - I just buy the big pork cutlets (white meat) at Costco and use some of those.

 

[charming23]

I started doing this a few months ago when I felt in a rut and have found that not only does it save time but money as well. I have seen our grocery budget shrink by planning out meals in advance, buying in bulk, and freezing.

This week is...
Tonight was left over night
Tuesday is Homemade pizza with salad
Wednesday is Lemon Chicken over rice with some sort of vegetable side
Thursday is Pork Chops with Apple Cider Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, and glazed carrots
Friday is Homemade Macaroni and cheese
Saturday is French Dip with Baked sweet potato fries
Sunday is Pot Roast with either noodle or mashed taters

 

[luvsJack]

This is actually the first week in a long time I have made a full menu. Trying really hard to get the grocery bill down even further.

Monday: BBQ chicken sandwiches (using chicken leftover from a cookout Sunday) and sweet potato fries

Tuesday: Salmon patties and coleslaw (dd's dance night 7-8, but 30 minutes travel time each way so I either have time to cook or time to clean up after dinner but not both)

Wednesday: Corn and potato chowder with crusty rolls (dd has GA's at church tonight, so I can put the chowder on take her to the church and let it cook.)

Thursday: Lasagna, salad (eating from the pantry, this is a box mix that includes the meat sauce--I keep a few things like this in the pantry during hurricane season "just in case". They come in handy if you have no power and need to cook on the grill)

Friday: Dirty rice, cole slaw (again a mix but I have to add my own meat. Trying to use up anything and everything in the pantry)

Saturday: depends. If dh get home this weekend we will have pork chops, rice and gravy and field peas (his favorite meal). If he doesn't we will make a homemade pizza (ham with very light pizza sauce). Either way, the big meal will be lunch, going to the fair that night.

Sunday: Pork Roast, potatoes and cauliflower with cheese sauce. Planning for ds, gil and baby come to eat with us. Trying to get back into the whole family Sunday dinner thing.

 

[MulanUSAF]

That all sounds soooo good. Care to share your recipe for the sesame noodles and the Chinese sausage Fried Rice? I actually have some Chinese sausage in the freezer and have no idea what to do with it...

It depends on what kind of Chinese sausage... but what I do is steam it until it's softened and thoroughly cooked, then let it cool enough to handle. Chop it into bite sized chunks and set it aside. Depending on how much rice you have, I use 1 egg per serving. So scramble up the eggs along with some chopped scallions, cook it until it barely sets. Set it aside with the sausage. Add rice to the hot pan, add a little oil if it's really dry, then heat it up until it can be easily broken up with chopsticks. Add eggs and sausage to it, mix it up well. At this point, you can also add some defrosted mixed veggies if you like, and just heat it up with the rice mixture until it's nice and hot. My family doesn't like the Americanized version of fried rice (the soy sauce drenched stuff they serve at Chinese buffets), so we leave soy sauce out. If you want to, add it with the veggies. If you want an interesting zing with your fried rice, add a few drops of Worcestershire.

As for sesame noodles, I mix cooked noodles (any kind will do, I even use Ramen without soup packet) with this jar of sesame noodle sauce that I get from Asian markets. You can also mix up your own batch, it's essentially mix smooth peanut butter with water, at a ratio of 2 tablespoons of PB to one tablespoon of water per serving. You want the finished result to be easily poured from the bowl, if not enough water, just add some more. To mix, just vigorously stir water into peanut butter, it takes some elbow grease. Add soy sauce, Asian chili paste, rice vinegar, chopped garlic, sesame oil and hoisin sauce to the peanut butter sauce... amounts vary to taste. I usually mix up a big bowl of just the peanut butter sauce and set out the other stuff out. Everyone will grab a small bowl and mix up their own version of the sauce, depending on their individual tastes. Combine with noodles and sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds on top and you're done!

 

[tink20]

Mon- we had Chicken and Dumplings
Tues- Tacos (DH at work, just me and the kids)
Wed- Hamburgers (home late need something quick)
Thurs- Tuscan soup
Fri- Spaghetti (DS's favorite,also DH at work so just me and the kids)

 

[Minnesota!]

Well DS decided last night he wanted eggs instead. So he had a scrambled egg, toast, and applesauce. I still had the veggie chili.

And I forgot to throw the chicken in the crockpot this morning, so thinking TONIGHT will be spaghetti night. I hate when I do that!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I was gone yesterday, so dinner was in NYC.... but I am back and need to budget and use what I have in the house...

Tuesday: Stuffed chicken, something with the potatoes that are left, and a veggie
Wednesday: Spaghetti, garlic bread, and salad (need to buy the salad mix)
Thursday: Hot Dogs on the grill, corn, and homemade applesauce
Friday: Not sure??
Saturday: Chili (frozen in the freezer, but the last batch) and corn bread.
Sunday: Open

I am going to read through the thread and fill in the blanks hopefully. I have boneless chicken breasts, pork sirlion chops bone-in, hamburger meat, and tons of staples if anyone wants to suggest.

 

[Katy Belle]

Sunday-Sloppy Joes
Monday-Meat loaf and mashed potatoes
Tuesday-Grilled chicken sandwiches
Wed- Chicken lettuce wraps and egg fried rice
Thurs- pizza night
Friday- chilli and cornbread
Sat.- sesame beef or eat out.

 

[dizluvah]

I just have to say I love this thread....I will be adding sweet potato fries to my menu next week and I think my DH will love that Paprika pork - so I want to try that as well....

Thanks for all the input and suggestions

 

[aprilgail2]

I feel like a slacker seeing some of your menu's -

LOL- don't feel bad---We are busy after school and work most days with activities and fun stuff that food really takes a backseat... One or two nights a week I MAY plan a meal but for the most part we come home, I toss open the fridge and cabinets and say "ok, looks like pasta night" or.... I forgot to put the chicken in the freezer so we are having that tonight. Once I run out of things people will eat then I go food shopping! I could also be cooking up to three different meals on any given night but none of those are planned LOL.... If I am cooking something my daughterdoesn't like I make her something else, if grandma doesn't like that either I cook her something else..Sometimes once a week, sometimes once every three weeks depending on how often we ate out in that time period. We pretty much just take it as it comes, I can't stand ridgid scheduling of meals.

 

[luvsJack]

I just have to say I love this thread....I will be adding sweet potato fries to my menu next week and I think my DH will love that Paprika pork - so I want to try that as well....

Thanks for all the input and suggestions

FYI on the sweet potato fries: WalMart now has Great Value brand, frozen sweet potato fries. They are really good and the bag was only $1.98. It will be enough for my family to have twice. I have tried cutting my own but can't seem to get them thin enough to crisp up.

I have fried these and cooked them in the oven (400 degrees on a pizza pan that has holes in the bottom of it) and they were great both ways. We like them either salted or with a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar.