Menu Plan Monday #35

Trying to plan this week's dinner menu around my first ever pantry challenge with myself. I'd like to eat from the pantry and freezer as much as possible (with the exception of Wed.). Breakfasts and lunches are whatever we have on hand.


Monday: Sweet & Sticky Sesame Chicken from Hungry Girl and egg drop soup from the pantry. New to me recipe. Haven't tried before but her's usually work out pretty well and I just happen to have everything except the scallions on hand.

Tuesday: Slow Cooker Flank Steak taco salad with black bean & corn salad (recipes to follow whenever I remember!) :) I ♥ the slow cooker for those days when I'm not going to be home to make dinner. Again, everything on hand except a jar of salsa for the black bean salad.

Wednesday: Lasagna for a crowd based on Easy Lasagna II from Allrecipes, rosemary parm bread knots, green salad, and angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream - it's my mom's birthday and we're having her over along with my niece and her 1 mo. old baby & bf, my nephew and his wife & 3 kids, my other niece and her bf, and the 2 of us. Yep a crowd.

Thursday: Salmon Thursday! Found a recipe I want to try (review to come) Potato Crusted Salmon!

Friday: we almost always eat out on Friday

Saturday: I like to use Saturday to pull something quick from the freezer that we've had leftover from another dinner.

Sunday:  Veggie Pizza from the freezer

This menu is linked to hundreds of other great menu plans at Org Junkie.

01/23/2012 Recap of last week:
Dave really liked the sesame chicken. I thought it was okay. I'll probably make it again.

The flank steak in the crockpot was really good. I put down a base of sliced onions, the flank steak, and then topped it with part of a can diced tomatoes. When I got home I pulled it all out with a slotted spoon and shredded the meat. We had it as shredded beef taco salad. I totally forgot to make the black bean & corn salad.

The lasagna turned out great. Those bread knots . . . mmmm. . . drool.

Didn't use the salmon recipe I had in mind. Modified another recipe that's been awaiting my review/post. Fingers crossed that happens soon.

Friday we did eat out. Saturday we had frozen pizza. Sunday. . . oh yeah, we had my niece and her b/f over for dinner. Made halibut breaded in the parm crusted chicken recipe, and those blueberry bars that everyone loves.

Menu Plan Monday #34

Short and sweet. I never used to plan meals, even when I worked out of the house, but now if I don't it throws everything off. I just need reminders to thaw the meat for the next day.


Monday: Porcupine Meatballs - it's a classic. Meatballs simmered in tomatoey sauce. Serve over extra rice.

Tuesday: Gina's Chicken & Mushrooms in Garlic Wine Sauce - recipe review later in the week

Wednesday: Pork Tenderloin with balsamic reduction

Thursday: Salmon Thursday!

Friday: out

Saturday: leftovers or something from the freezer.

Sunday: TBD -Sunday is the Golden Globes. It's the only awards show I really enjoy watching. We may be eating leftovers that evening too. Depends on how crazy the weekend is otherwise.

My menu plan is linked to hundreds of others at Menu Plan Monday or OrgJunkie.

Recipe Review: Meatloaf Muffins

I'm not big on meatloaf. The only one I ever really "liked" was the one my husbands grandmother would make when we would go to her place for dinner. Somehow she made it not only bearable but managed to make it yummy to me too, so all this time I've had hope that I would someday find a good meatloaf recipe.

You know how meatloaf can get dry and still somehow a little slimey? This recipe definitely doesn't do that. It's now on the list of recipes I'll make again (there aren't many on this list but it has been slowly growing lately). I'm not big on mustard either and there is mustard in this recipe. When I was mixing it all together the mustard really stood out as a strong smell to me and I didn't think I would like it because of that. Against my better judgment I went ahead and followed the recipe as written (a rarity for me for sure!) and was pleasantly surprised. It was easy to put together, nothing crazy in the ingredient list, and baked up delish! These are very point-friendly too.

Hard to get a good photo in a hurry, at night, with poor kitchen lighting. I really need to plan ahead and get a better lit photo one of these days.

Meatloaf Muffins
original recipe Shrinking on a Budget

Serves 6

Ingredients
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 teaspoon jarred garlic)
3/4 cup ketchup, divided
1 1/2 lbs extra lean ground beef
1 cup finely crushed saltine crackers (about 20)
3 tablespoons prepared mustard, divided
1 teaspoons brown sugar or Equal
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten
(2) sticks 2% String cheese
cooking spray

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.  Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, chopped carrot, dried italian seasoning, and minced garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Take off heat and cool for 5 minutes.

Thoroughly combine onion mixture, 1/2 cup of the ketchup, 2 tablespoons of the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and eggs in a large bowl. After combining wet ingredients, add ground beef and cracker. Incorporate all well, but don't over mix.

Cut each string cheese stick into six equal pieces (total of 12). Combine 1/4 cup ketchup, 1 tablespoons mustard, and brown sugar. Spoon the meat mixture evenly into 12 (medium) muffin tin cups coated with cooking spray (or 6 of the very large muffin cups). "Squish" 1 string cheese piece in each meatloaf muffin so it is at least somewhat covered with meat. Top each evenly with ketchup mixture. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand for 5 minutes.

wwp: 6