Week 18

Monday:  Sauerkraut and Pork with mashed potatoes

Tuesday: Thai Honey Peanut Chicken with jasmine or brown rice

Wednesday: Mushroom Veggie Burger on wheat bun with green salad and roasted red potatoes or sweet potato fries.

Thursday: Anniversary Chicken - sounds a little crazy, but the reviews were awesome! Serve with roasted cauliflower.

Friday: Leftovers or homemade pizza!

Week 17

Monday: Meat Pies with mashed potatoes (boil a bag of red potatoes until tender, drain, then mash with a packet of ranch dressing mix, sour cream, and 1/2 stick butter)

Tuesday: Sweet and Spicy Grilled Shrimp with Coconut Rice

Wednesday: Pasta with Pumpkin Alfredo

Thursday: Thai Coconut Veggies and Noodles

Friday: Homemade Pizza/Leftovers

Week 16

Monday: Chicken, Apple, Pecan Salad (Top romaine hearts with grilled, marinated chicken, blue cheese, candied pecans, thinly sliced red onion, dried cranberries, and your favorite fruity vinaigrette.)

Tuesday: Turkey Chili with cornbread casserole

Wednesday: Christmas Breakfast Casserole

Thursday: Garlic Alfredo Tilapia

Friday: Homemade Pizza/Leftovers

Week 15

Monday: Pumpkin, Barley and Sage Soup from Better Homes and Gardens, October 2010

Tuesday: Slow Cooker Pork Cacciatore

Wednesday: BLTA (bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado) sandwiches with Roasted Red Potato Salad

Thursday:  Vietnamese Rice Noodle Bowl with Pan-Fried Tofu or Chicken

Friday: Leftovers!

Week 14

Monday: Garlic Alfredo Tilapia

Tuesday: Taco Soup with Cornbread Casserole

Wednesday: Roasted Winter Vegetable Soup

Thursday: Rotisserie Chicken

Friday: Homemade Pizza

Week 13

Monday: Chicken Stroganoff

Tuesday: Spicy Fisherman's Pie

Wednesday: PW's Corn Chowder

Thursday: Breakfast for Dinner

Friday: Homemade Pizza

Week 12

Monday: Apple Pork Chop Bake

Tuesday: Broiled Tilapia

Wednesday: White Chili

Thursday: Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Bread

Friday: Homemade Pizza

Week 11

Monday: PW's Lasagna

Tuesday: leftovers

Wednesday: PW's Meatloaf - from her cookbook

Thursday: Butter Chicken

Friday: Homemade pizza

Week 10

Monday: Spaghetti with Fresh Pesto (from Better Homes and Gardens magazine)

Directions: Cook 1 12-14 oz pack of spaghetti according to package directions. When the pasta has 5 minutes left to cook, add 4 ounces of green beans cut into 2-inch lengths. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water. For the pesto, cook one medium chopped onion and 2 choves minced garlic in 1 Tbsp olive oil until softened. Add 8 ounces of green beans, and cook, covered for 5-7 minutes or until tender. In a food processor add bean mixture, 1 cup packed fresh spinach, 3/4 cup packed fresh basil, 1/2 cup toasted almonds, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and 1 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning. Cover and pulse to coarsely chop. While running, add 1/2 cup olive oil in a thin stream until nearly smooth. Season with salt and pepper, and toss with spaghetti mixture adding the reserved pasta water to thin as needed. Optional: sprinkle the top with chopped hard-boiled eggs, sliced green onions, and fresh lemon juice.

Tuesday: Catfish and Slaw Tacos

Wednesday: Swiss Chicken Casserole

Thursday: Skillet Ham, Cabbage, and Potatoes

Friday: Homemade Pizza

Week 9

Monday: Spaghetti with Roasted Butternut Squash

Tuesday: Pepper Jack Chicken

Salt and pepper 4 chicken breasts, and place them in a 9 x 9 greased baking dish. In a seperate bowl, mix 3/4 cup sour cream, 3/4 cup grated pepper jack cheese, and 1 can of Rotel, drained. Pour mixture over the chicken, and bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until the juices run clear.

Wednesday: Coconut Tilapia with Apricot Dipping Sauce

Thursday: Pasta Carbonara

Friday: Homemade Pizza

Week 8

Monday: Crockpot Cacciatore - Sear beef in a hot skillet, then add to the crockpot. Cover with spaghetti sauce and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Serve over pasta.



Tuesday: Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup



Wednesday: Crockpot Low Country Boil



Thursday: Broiled Tilapia



Friday: Homemade Pizza

Week 7

Monday: White Cheddar Mac & Cheese

Tuesday: Lasagna Toasts

Wednesday: Asian Chicken Salad

Thursday: Spaghetti Squash Puttanesca

Friday: Homemade Pizza

Week 6

Monday: Tuna Panzanella Salad

Tuesday: Chicken & Artichoke Risotto

Wednesday: Mediterranean Bulgur with Chickpeas (from Family Circle magazine)
Directions: In a colander, rinse 1 cup bulgur with cold water, and drain well. Combine 2 chopped plum tomatoes, 1 small chopped zucchini, 3 tablespoons chopped parsley with bulgur. Pour 1 1/2 cups boiling water over the mixture, cover, and let sit 12-15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and bulgur is tender. Stir in 1 can of chickpeas, 3/4 cup of feta cheese, 3/4 teaspoon of lemon zest, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons EVOO, and serve immediately.

Thursday: Spinach-Feta Chicken Burgers

Friday: Homemade pizza

Week 5

Monday - Vegetable Pad Thai (Read the reviews and adjust accordingly. I'll definitely add peanut butter to the sauce, omit the butter and use oil instead, and will probably use tofu.)

Tuesday - Shrimp Tacos with Warm Corn Salsa

Wednesday - Steak Sandwiches - Grill the steak of your choice (one steak makes two sandwiches) with a sliced onion. Serve on a buttered, grilled deli roll topped with a slice of cheese.

Thursday - Spaghetti Squash with Chunky Spaghetti Sauce

Friday - homemade pizza

Week 4

Monday: Chicken, mushroom, and spinach empanadas with marinara sauce for dipping

Cook 1 chicken breast (grill, saute, or bake) and shred. In a pan over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add one pack of sliced mushrooms, 1 clove of minced garlic, salt, pepper, and 4 cups of baby spinach. Stir until spinach is wilted. Spoon into a bowl with a slotted spoon leaving the moisture in the pan. Stir in shredded chicken and 1/2 cup mozarella cheese. Using the same technique as in Week 1, make and bake empanadas using storebought pie crusts. Serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping.



Tuesday: Turkey Couscous Meatloaves



Wednesday: Garlic Shrimp and Swiss Chard on Polenta



Thursday: Perciatelli all/Amatriciana (a pasta with pancetta and white wine tomato sauce)



Friday: Homemade Pizza

Week 3

Monday: Penne a la Betsy (Shrimp Penne) with garlic bread and salad



Tuesday: Ham, Swiss cheese, and asparagus frittata with leftover garlic bread and salad



Wednesday: Black Bean Soup with sour cream, limes, cilantro, avocado, and cilantro lime rice



Thursday: Cheesy chicken enchiladas with leftovers from Wednesday night



Friday: homemade pizza night

Week 2

Monday: Grilled Tandoori Fish with Sweet Potato Fries

Tuesday: Pasta with White Beans and Arugula

Wednesday: Bean and Sausage Cornbread Casserole

Thursday: Artichoke Chicken (when we made this it took quite a bit longer than 30 minutes)

Friday: Homemade pizza (a perfect way to use up the artichoke chicken leftovers!)

Week 1

Monday: Sweet Potato and Edamame Hash (Southern Living)

Tuesday: Tacos!  Ground beef tacos with all the trimmings!  Cook an extra pound of taco meat to be used in Empanadas on Thursday!

Wednesday: Scallops with White Beans and Bacon (Men's Health)

Thursday: Beef and Cheese Empanadas (using leftover taco meat, shredded cheese and frozen pie crusts)

• Thaw pie crusts.  Preheat oven to 375.  Reheat taco meat.  Unroll pie crust and cut 3 inch circles.  Place a small spoonful of taco meat in the center of each circle and top with shredded cheese.  Dip your finger in water and run it around the edge of the dough circle.  Fold the dough over to enclose the filling and crimp the edge with a fork.  Brush the top with a little egg wash, olive oil, or butter.  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown!  Enjoy with guacamole, salsa, and/or sour cream...

Friday: Homemade Pizzas - dough from Safeway bakery used for crust, topped with whatever we have in the house!

So here's the plan...

We'll all put together weekly meal plans consisting of 4 or 5 recipes for main dishes.  Side dish and dessert recipes are optional, but always appreciated!  We will work on getting into a regular rotation, but for now we can just post meal plans or recipes as we create/gather them.  Eventually we would like to also include the shopping list for the week along with the meal plan.

Also, we'd like to put together a list on the side bar of what we should always keep stocked in our kitchens - this will help us all be on the same page as we are putting together shopping lists.

I've started a link list in the side bar that should help with finding new recipes to try!  Please feel free to add your links - if you need help with that, just let me know.  

I'm excited to get started...Love you!

Amy