Menu Planning Monday: My Menu for the week of 7/5

This week is a short week for me because we’re going on vacation for a few days (I can’t wait!) As always, I love finding new recipes, so if you have a weekly meal plan (or just a favorite recipe or two that you’ve posted on your blog), feel free to link up below!

SUNDAY –

Breakfast – Eggos Bake Shop Strawberry Twists (these are .50 at Target with coupons and my kids love them!)

Lunch – peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

Dinner – Chicken enchiladas

Ingredients:
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use the 98% FF kind)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I use the 98% FF kind)
2 cans green enchilada sauce
1 8 oz-16 oz. tub of sour cream (depends how spicy you want the enchiladas)
2-3 chicken breasts, shredded (if I’m in a hurry, I use canned chicken)
1 lb. cheese, shredded
1 dozen flour tortillas (you could use corn also)

Add cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, and enchilada sauce to a pan. Cook on medium low heat, stirring occasionally. When sauce is will mixed and starts to thin, add sour cream. Continue stirring occasionally until the sauce is well mixed and thinned out. Place a layer of the sauce along the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish. Fill each tortilla with the shredded chicken, sauce, and cheese. Roll and place in the baking dish. When you have filled all of the tortillas (this should make 1 dozen), pour the remain sauce over the top of the enchiladas and then cover with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is well melted.

MONDAY –

Breakfast – Cold cereal or Pop Tarts (I’m going to go out shopping early and so my husband will feed the kids!)

Lunch – Tuna sandwiches

Dinner – Honey Lime pork chops – I got this recipe on the Babycenter Cooking for Your Family board years ago.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp honey
2 minced garlic cloves
6 boneless pork chops

Combine in a ziploc bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate at least 2-3 hours (I usually put them in in the morning and leave them all day).
You can either grill or broil them, 6-7 minutes per side.

Sauce: (I don’t always make this but it is good.)
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 minced garlic clove
1/2 tsp lime juice
dash pepper
1 1/2 tsp honey
1/8 tsp browning sauce

Combine in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Combine 2 tsp cornstarch and 2 Tbsp water till smooth. Stir into broth. Return to a boil; cook & stir 1-2 minutes.

My “kid friendly” recipe for the week – my kids have enjoyed helping out in the kitchen since I’ve been home this summer and I’ve been having fun looking for recipes for us to make together. Here is my fun and kid friendly recipe for the week:

KOOL-AID PLAYDOUGH (If you look online, there are a number of variations of this recipe. This one comes from DTLK) – we had LOTS of Kool Aid packets from recent deals and I hate the smell of regular Play-doh, so I thought this would be fun!

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
1 pkg unsweetened Kool-aid (just the dry koolaid, don’t mix it into juice)
1 cup boiling water
1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:
1. In a bowl, mix flour, salt and kool-aid.
2. Stir in water and oil
3. Knead with hands for about 5 minutes.
4. Store in ziploc bag for up to 2 months.
5. Use like playdough.
6. Smells wonderful and takes on the color of the koolaid.

WARNING – expect colored hands!

TUESDAY –

Breakfast – Puffed Pancakes – I got this recipe from Marci’s blog

Ingredients:
1/2 cube butter (not margarine)
6 eggs
1 cup Milk
1 Cup Pancake Mix (or Bisquick)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 Degrees. Place butter in a 9 X 13 inch pan. Put in preheating oven until butter is melted. In a blender, combine eggs, milk and pancake mix. Pour batter into baking dish. Bake for a bout 15 – 18 Minutes until pancakes are puffy and lightly browned. Do not open oven while pancakes are cooking. Top with sifted powder sugar.

Serve with warm maple syrup or fruit toppings.

Lunch – Grilled cheese sandwiches

Dinner – Beef tips (slow cooker) – I found this recipe in Taste of Home Magazine. We have eaten it a few times now and my whole family (even my picky eater kids) loves it! This recipe was on our menu last week and got “bumped” because I forgot to pull meat out of the freezer!

Ingredients:
1 beef top sirloin steak (1 pound), cut into 1-inch cubes
2 to 3 medium carrots, chopped
1 to 1-1/2 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed golden mushroom soup, undiluted
1/2 to 1 cup white wine or beef broth
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
Hot cooked egg noodles

Directions:
In a 3-qt. slow cooker, combine the beef, carrots, celery, onion, soup and wine or broth. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until meat is tender.

Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into cooking juices. Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes or until thickened. Serve with noodles. Yield: 4 servings.

WEDNESDAY –

Breakfast – Scrambled eggs

Lunch – Crisp bean burritos (this recipe comes from favorite Family Recipes) – this was on our menu last week and got bumped because I ended up using the tortillas for something else!

Ingredients:
1/2 c. oil
5 soft flour tortilla shells
1 c. refried beans
1/4 c. cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in a medium-sized skillet. Spread about 2-3 Tbsp. of refried beans on each tortilla, sprinkle with cheese, then roll up. Fry in oil for about 15 seconds on each side. Then place on baking sheet and put in the preheated oven for about 5-7 minutes. Remove from oven and serve. Dip in enchilada sauce, guacamole, sour cream, or salsa.

Dinner – Parsley parmesan chicken (freezer meal) – I got this recipe from Marci’s blog

Ingredients:
2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 6-8 chicken breasts)
1/3 bottle of Italian salad dressing
1/2 c shredded Parmesan cheese
1/3 c dry bread crumbs (used Seasoned Italian bread crumbs)
1 1/2 T parsley flakes
1/2 T paprika
Salt & Pepper

Assembly Directions:
Marinate chicken in dressing overnight.
Mix the remaining ingredients and bread each breast with coating.
To Freeze:
Lay chicken breasts side by side on baking sheets and place in freezer for 1 to 2 hours to firm up. Place chicken in labeled gallon size Freezer Bag and freeze.
Cooking Directions:
Thaw & bake at 350 uncovered for 30 minutes or until done.

THURSDAY –

Breakfast – Kashi waffles from the Target deal!

Lunch – Leftovers!

Dinner – On the road 🙂

FRIDAY/SATURDAY – Vacation! No cooking!