Wednesday, August 31, 2011

September Meal Plam


This is my second month of preparing meals ahead of time and then cooking them throughout the week. This type of cooking is great..because the product is still fresh not frozen (hubby hates frozen meals).

Week1:

Monday: Chicken Marinade with Chicken Ranch Pasta

Tuesday: Chicken Parmensan meatloaf


Wednesday: Grilled Itilian Chicken Sandwiches

Thursday:Tequila Lime chicken

Friday: Sweet and tangy meatballs

Saturday: Chicken Breast Florentine

Week 2

Sunday: Sticky chicken

Monday: Crispy Pork Chops

Tuesday:Crockpot Ranch Pork Chops


Wednesday: Italian Beef Sammie's

Thursday: Turkey Joe's


Friday: Poppy Seed Chicken

Saturday: Bifans

Week 3:

Sunday: Bourbon Chicken

Monday:Orange Teriyaki Chicken

Tuesday:Parm and Garlic chicken

Wednesday: Chicken with White wine and mushrooms

Thursday: Lemon Herb Steak

Friday: Won Ton Lasanga

Saturday: Swiss Mushroom chicken


Week 4:

Sunday:Italian inspired chicken

Monday: Cola Pork Chops

Tuesday: Lemon Pepper Salmon

Wednesday: Itilian Beef Sandwiches

Thursday:Chesse stuffed Meatloaf

Friday: Honey soy salmon
Saturday: Pizza Night






Tuesday, August 30, 2011

5 Meals in one hour


Margarita Chicken adapted from allrecipes

Ingredients
1 teaspoon lime zest
1/2 cup lime juice
3 tablespoons gold tequila
4 tablespoons honey
2tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
4 (10 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
1 tomato, cut into 8 wedges
1 avocado - pitted, peeled, and cubed
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
Directions
1.Preheat outdoor grill .
2.Combine the lime zest, lime juice, tequila, honey, oil, garlic salt and pepper in a medium bowl add chicken .
3.Bake for 6 to 10 minutes per side, or until cooked through (no longer pink inside). Baste with prepared sauce for last 5 minutes of cooking time.
4.To serve, arrange a folded tortilla on each of 4 plates; add a chicken breast, 2 tomato wedges and some avocado chunks. Drizzle chicken with remaining sauce and garnish with 2 lime wedges.

Lime Chicken Marinade






Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 lime (juiced)
2 teaspoon white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
3 green onions (chopped)
4 garlic cloves (minced)
Zest from ½ lime

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a sealable plastic bag or bowl combine red wine vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper, green onions, garlic and lime zest. Add chicken. Seal and refrigerate for 6 hours to overnight.
Step 2: Once chicken is done marinating, heat and grease an outdoor grill (or indoor grill pan) and grill chicken until it is fully cooked and has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Meatball Sandwiches




I doubled the recipe for petite meat loafs to make the meatballs for the sandwich.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cooked through.

Meanwhile, cut the baguette in half lengthwise, and remove some of the bread from the inside to make a well for the meatballs. Brush with olive oil, and season with garlic powder and salt. Slip the baguette into the oven during the last 5 minutes of the meatball's time, or until lightly toasted.

While the bread toasts, warm the spaghetti sauce in a saucepan over medium heat. When the meatballs are done, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the sauce. Spoon onto the baguette and top with slices of provolone cheese. Return to the oven for 2 to 3 minutes to melt the cheese. Cool slightly, cut into servings, and enjoy!

Petite Meatloaf
I doubled this recipe and stored half for meatball sandwiches!



1 lb lean ground beef

2 eggs, beaten

3 Tablespoons milk

1 Tablespoon mustard

3 cloves fresh garlic

1 small onion, diced

½ Cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ Cup fresh bread crumbs (I used stove top)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

¼ Cup ketchup

Sauce
1/4 cup of ketchup

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon mustard




1. Gently combine all ingredients with hands into a large bowl until just combined. Form into 6 mini loaves and place onto a lined baking sheet.
2. Combine the ingredients for the sauce. Lightly brush tops with ketchup mixture . Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.

Tri tip marindade


Ingredients
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons mustard powder
2 tablespoons ground ginger
Directions
1.In a small, nonporous bowl, combine the soy sauce, olive oil, garlic, mustard powder and ginger. Mix well, cover and refrigerate until ready to use on your favorite meat

Monday, August 29, 2011

Swiss Steak

Swiss Steak


Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 (1/2 pound) beef sirloin tip steaks
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup (1 small) chopped onion
1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 bay leaf

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350
2.Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place steaks into the pot one at a time, quickly browning on each side. Remove steaks, and set aside. Add the onion to the pot, and cook over medium-low heat until wilted, about 3 minutes. Return the steaks to the pot, and add the tomatoes, mushrooms, celery and green pepper. Season with oregano and add the bay leaf. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

3.Transfer to a oven safe dish, bake in a preheated oven for 30-60 minutesor until meat is fork tender.

Review: This tasted GREAT! It was easy to prepare and I loved the addition of all the veggies.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

5 dinners one hour

I love my new to me Meal plan idea! One day of prep in less then an hour and your done. Remember to check out Organization Junkie

Teriyaki Chicken





1/2 cupGREY POUPON Savory Honey Mustard
3 Tbsp. teriyaki sauce
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)

Directions:

1. Mix mustard and teriyaki sauce in shallow dish until well blended. Remove 1/3 cup of the mustard mixture; set aside for later use.

2.Add chicken to remaining mustard mixture; turn over to evenly coat both sides. Cover. Rrefrigerate 1 to 2 hours, turning occasionally. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade.

3. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Grill chicken 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through, brushing frequently with the reserved mustard mixture. This reicpie may also be broiled for 4-6 minutes per side.


Mini Honey Mustard Meat loaves



Ingredietns:
3. Tbl. of honey mustard
3. Tbl. of ketchup

1 ½ lb lean ground beef
2 eggs
½ C. Panko crumbs
Salt & pepper to taste

½ C. shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Mix first two ingredients in small bowl. (this is your sauce)
2. Mix next 4 ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Scoop meat into 12 ct. muffin tin with ice cream scoop for equal portions.
4. Top each with sauce mixture and cheddar cheese.
5. Cover with plastic wrap

To Cook:
1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Uncover meatloaves and bake in 450 degree oven for 20 minutes or until no
longer pink inside.

Crispy Pork Chops




Ingredients:
1 ½ C. Panko bread crumbs
3 T Dijon mustard
5 boneless pork loin chops
( ½ inch thick)

Directions:
1.Pour Panko crumbs onto a paper plate.
2. Brush pork chops with mustard and coat with Panko crumbs.
3. Place in large storage container with lid. Use wax paper between layers.

To cook:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2.Place pork chops on foil lined baking sheet.
3.Bake 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until pork is cooked through.

Lemon Pepper Fish

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons white wine

2 teaspoons McCormick® Perfect Pinch® Lemon & Pepper Seasoning

1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Garlic Powder

1 pound tilapia fillets


Directions:
1. Melt butter in small saucepan. Add wine and seasonings; mix well.
2. Place fish in ziploc bag. Pour butter mixture over fish and refrigirate.

To cook:
1. Place fish on broiler pan. Brush butter mixture over fish.

2. Broil 8 to 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork. Or, bake in preheated 375°F oven 10 to 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork.

The Best Crockpot French Dip

The Best Crockpot French Dip Modified from this recipe

Ingredients
4 pounds rump roast
1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup
1 (10.5 ounce) can of beef consume
1 (10.5 ounce2 gloves of garlic crushed
1/4 tsp of black pepper
1/2 tsp of worshesire sauce
1/2 tsp of minced onion
1/2 tsp of garlic powder

6 French rolls
2 tablespoons butter
sshredded Provolone cheese

Directions:
1. Trim excess fat from the rump roast.

Season roast with garlic powder, minced onion and garlic powder. Place in ziploc bag

Add the beef broth, onion soup and beef consume and minced garlic.

To cook:

1. Emmpty contenets of ziploc bag into the slow cooker.

2. Cook on Low setting for 6/12-7 hours.

3. Shred beef once cooked with two forks.

4. Place shreded beef in hogie rolls top with cheese and broil in oven for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

4 Meals one hour



As I am returning to work this week. I need to have plenty of time to prepare for the school year ahead. I saw this great idea of preparing 5 meals in one hour and had to try it. I used the following websites for inspiration for this weeks meal plan:

Make 5 Dinners in One Hour

and

Living, Laughing and Loving

The first meal I prepared was from here:

Honey Soy Marinated Tilapia


Honey Soy Marinate Tilapia
Ingredients
2 Tilapia Filets (works well with mahi mahi also)
3 T Honey
3 T Soy Sauce
3T Balsamic Vinegar
1 Clove Garlic minced

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

Mix last four ingredients in a shallow dish. Add fish fillets, and let marinade in fridge for at least 20 min. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until fish flakes.

Review: This was a simple marinade.. .I marinaded my fish for 6 hours and the flavor was fantastic. If you plan to make this ahead and not use it the same day I would make the marinade in a shallow dish with lid. I also doubled all ingredients in order to feed my entire family.

Unbelievable Chicken from here



1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 Tbsp prepared coarse-ground mustard
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lime, juiced
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
ground black pepper to taste
6 Tbsp olive oil
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

In a large glass bowl, mix all ingredients except olive oil and chicken. Whisk in olive oil. Place chicken in the mixture. Cover and marinate 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.

Lightly oil the grill grate. Place chicken on the prepared grill, and cook 6-8 minutes per side until juices run clear. Discard marinade.

Review: This marinaded fo nearly 30 hours and the flavor was great.

Slow Cooked Beef Rolls from here:

2 lbs round steak
1/4 C. dijon mustard
5 slices of bacon sliced in 3rds
1 C. frozen chopped onion


Spread each steak with dijon mustard and lay a slice of bacon on top. Roll up and place in large zipper bag.


For sauce:
1 can beef or chicken broth
1/3 C. flour
1/2 C. water
1 T parsley flakes
2 T worcestershire sauce
1 C. frozen chopped onion


Mix in a medium bowl with lid.

To Cook:
Pour sauce over and cook on low for 6 hours. The longer it cooks, the better it gets. The sauce can be used for a gravy. It is not super thick but has good flavor.

Review: This is cooking now but the sauce smells great!

Crockpot Shredded Beef for Tacos:
2 lb beef roast
1 C. of Onion (recipe called for frozen I used fresh)
1 T chili powder
1 T dried Oregano
1 tsp. crushed garlic
4 oz can of diced green chilies
10 oz can of diced tomatoes

To prepare: Place all ingredients in a large ziploc bag.

To cook: Pour contents of bag into slow cooker and cook on low 8-10 hours. When cooked shred meat with two forks.

Serve with tortillas, cheese, sour cream and avocado.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Open Faced Crab Sandwich

Open Faced Crab Sandwich from food.com


Ingredients
1/2 lb crabmeat, flaked
3 green onions, chopped
4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
2 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded ( for sprinkling on top) (optional)
1/3 cup mayonnaise ( reduced calorie is fine)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or (to taste) or 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce ( or (to taste)
2 tomatoes
4 sourdough English muffins, split Directions

Preheat broiler.

In a bowl, combine crabmeat, green onions, cheese, mayonnaise and cayenne (or hot pepper sauce).


Slice tomatoes into eight slices.


On a baking sheet or broiler pan place English muffin halves and broil 3-4 inches from heat until golden (3-5 minutes); remove from oven.

Place a tomato slice on each muffin half and top with crab mixture (about 1/2 cup per muffin half)and then sprinkle with extra shredded cheese, if desired.

Return to oven and broil until cheese browns. (3-5 minutes).


Review: This was simple to prepare and delicious to! We used fresh crab meat not imitation. Overall a good meal!

Friday, August 5, 2011

Grilled Garlic Parmesan Zucchini


Grilled Garlic and Parmesan Zuchinni from here
3 Zuchinni
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:


Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil the grate. Cut the zucchini in half crosswise, then slice each half into 3 slices lengthwise, making 6 slices per zucchini. Mix the butter, garlic, and parsley in a bowl, and spread the mixture on both sides of each zucchini slice. Sprinkle one side of each slice with Parmesan cheese, and place the slices, cheese sides up, crosswise on the preheated grill to keep them from falling through. Grill the zucchini until the cheese has melted and the slices are cooked through and show grill marks, about 8 minutes.


** I used an aluminum foil and sprayed with Pam to put the zuchinni on.

Roasted Lemon Garlic Herb Shrimp


Roasted Lemon Garlic Herb Shrimp from here
(adapted from Fine Cooking)


1/3 cup olive oil
1 lemon, zested then half cut into thin slices and other half into wedges
3-4 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves removed
sea or kosher salt and fresh black pepper
spaghetti/pasta, couscous or rice for serving
1 pound fresh shrimp, medium-sized, deveined with tails off
5 cloves garlic, minced


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a 9x13 baking pan combine olive oil, lemon zest and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Bake in oven for 12 minutes. Meanwhile cook pasta, couscous or rice.

2. Remove pan from oven, add shrimp, garlic and the thin sliced lemons (don't squeeze them), toss to coat with oil mixture. Bake for 8-10 more minutes or until shrimp turn pink and start to curl. Serve over pasta, couscous or rice tossed with extra-virgin olive oil and fresh-squeezed lemon with additional lemon wedges for serving

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Crispy Lemon Pepper Tilapia

Crispy Lemon Pepper Tilapia

1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 egg beatens, plus 2 Tablespoons water
2 cup Progresso lemon pepper panko crispy bread crumbs
6 tilapia fillets
3 Tbls of olive oil


1.Dry the tilapia fillets with a paper towel.



2. Dust both sides with flour.



3. Dip the fillets into the beaten egg mixture.



4. Press into the Progresso lemon pepper panko crispy bread crumbs.



5. Fry in 3 tablespoons of olive oil in medium heat for 5 minutes per side. Serve.

REVIEW: These were really crunchy and crispy. This recipe has plenty of flavor that is absorbed from the Panko Lemon pepper.

Friday Favorites



I am joining in on Finding Joy's Friday Favorites. Here are just a few recipes that I found.

Smoked Crockpot Chicken

Grilled Garlic and Parm Zucchin

Panko Crusted Tilapia

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

August Meal Plan


So the month of August is CRAZY busy for me..therefore I plan to use the 5 dinners in an hour method for this month.I am hoping that by taking some time to prep my meals on Sunday, I can save the time during the week.

Week1:

Monday: Skillet Lasagna

Tuesday: BBQ Hamburgers and Hot dogs

Wednesday:Mandarin Chicken

Thursday: Panko Talipa

Friday: Roasted Lemon Garlic Shrimp

Saturday: Chicken Breast Florentine

Week 2

Sunday: Sticky chicken

Monday: Crispy Pork Chops

Tuesday:Petite Meatloaf

Wednesday: Foil Baked Salmon

Thursday:Crockpot French dip sandwiches

Friday: Poppy Seed Chicken

Saturday: Bifans

Week 3:

Sunday: Bourbon Chicken

Monday:Honey Mustard-Teriyaki Chicken

Tuesday: Slow Cooked Beef Rolls

Wednesday: balsamic barbecue chicken

Thursday: Margarita Chicken

Friday:lime chicken marinade recipe

Saturday: Swiss Mushroom chicken


Week 4:

Sunday:Italian inspired chicken

Monday: Cola Pork Chops

Tuesday: Meatball Sandwiches

Wednesday: Slow Cooker Shredded Beef for Tacos (recipe from 5 dinners one Hour)

Thursday:Mini Honey Mustard Meat Loaves(recipe from 5 dinners one Hour)

Friday: Turkey Joe's

Saturday: Pizza Night


Week 5:

Sunday: Pork Marsala

Monday: Crockpot Ranch Pork Chops

Tuesday: Cilantro Lime Chicken

Wednesday: Italian Beef Sammie's

Skillet Lasagna

Skillet Lasgna from Betty Crocker
Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)
1 small green bell pepper, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 1/2 cups uncooked mafalda (mini-lasagna noodle) pasta (3 ounces)
1 1/4 cups water
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 jar (14 ounces) tomato pasta sauce (any variety) or Marinara sauce
1 jar (4.5 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, if desired

Directions:

1 Cook beef, onion and bell pepper in Dutch oven over medium-high heat about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain.

2 Stir in remaining ingredients except cheese. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered 10 to 12 minutes or until pasta is tender. Sprinkle with cheese.


Review: This was simple and i loved the addition of all the veggies! Yum!I did not have malfada pasta so I used lasgna and cut it up after it been cooked according to package directions.