Weekly Meal Plan

Here's my meal plan for this week.  PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE start posting more of your ideas.  Just tell me what you're making!  I don't even need recipes...but it took every ounce of energy and creativity I had to come up with these this week!

Monterey Chicken

Thai Fried Rice

Dad's Ham and Potato Casserole 

Crockpot Lasagna  (Kraft recipe contributed by my cousin Heather)

Breakfast for Dinner (pancakes, eggs, and bacon- yum!) 
Chicken Pesto Foccacia Sandwiches (foccacia bread, sliced chicken, pesto sauce, cheese, and tomato)

Other Recipes: 

The Bateman Family Ham and Potato Casserole

(One of the best dishes my dad makes-- a Christmas Eve staple!)

Ingredients:

4 to 7 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks about the size of a silver dollar and about 1/4" thick

3 to 5 slices cooked ham thick sliced and cut into small squares

2 cans evaporated milk

Dehydrated onion

Salt and Pepper

1 cube butter, cut into pats

About 8 oz mild cheddar cheese 

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Oven Stew

This isn't really a recipe for the health conscious, but it's a good one to prepare early in the day and just let it cook away in the oven. Excellent for those cold, chilly days where you need something to warm you up.

2 lbs. hamburger

2 onions, chopped

2 sticks of celery, chopped

Carrots, peeled and chopped (I use about 3 or 4)

Potatoes, peeled and chopped (I used about 4-5 of these)

2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup

1 can Cheddar Cheese soup

2 cups milk

Brown the hamburger in an oven safe pot or dutch oven. Season with salt and pepper. Add everything else and stir well until the mixture is creamy.

Put in a 350 degree oven. Let bubble for 2-3 hours. Good for camping or cook while away for the afternoon.

With the potatoes and carrots, sometimes, I just guess how many to use depending on how big they are and how many people will be eating.

Weekly Meal Plan

My meal plan last week ended up being awesome, so I wanted to share.  I made:

Stuffed Green Bell Peppers (Mel's recipe w/ a few tweaks)
Amy's Crock Pot Roast and Corn Bread
Mackenzie's Enchiladas (sort of)
Chicken Cordon Bleu (Mackenzie's recipe)
Corn Chowder
Steak Tacos and Nacho Libre Corn
Greek Chicken Souvlaki Pitas

Click on "read more" for the recipes!

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Fiesta Tater Tot Casserole

Okay- so I like posting a great picture as much as the next girl, but let's face it-- there are no appetizing pictures of tater tot casserole so Dave suggested this as a good alternative.  Normally, I'm not a fan of this 1950's June Cleaver-esque dish- ground beef, cream of mushroom soup and tater tots?  Blech!  But I ended up with a bunch of leftover taco meat this week and in google searching I came across someone's idea to use it for tater tot casserole.  I realized I had some Ragu cheddar sauce I could use instead of soup, and since that meant I already had everything but the tots, I decided to try it for my budget's sake.  I served it to David wearing a frilly apron while proclaiming "Yum! Tater puffs and cheese whip!  I found it in Suburban Homes Magazine.  Enjoy!"  But all joking and artery clogging ingredients aside, it actually turned out so good, I think I will make it every time I have leftover taco meat.  So here's what I did:

Leftover seasoned taco meat (i use ground turkey instead of beef)

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One of my go to dishes. This is from 30 Minute Meals and I use a few extra shortcuts to get it on the table in about 20 minutes. I LOVE this dish.

Frozen onions
Frozen peppers (in NYC you can either get these at Trader Joes or Pathmark, but unfortunately not at Fairway)
I buy one VERY large can of tomato paste then portion it out into two ice cube trays. Once frozen I pop the cubes into a gallon bag and keep in the freezer. 1 cube = 1 tablespoon.
Lastly, I think the Montreal Seasoning really makes a difference.

Super Sloppy Joes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
• 1 1/4 pounds ground beef sirloin
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon steak seasoning blend, such as McCormick brand Montreal Seasoning
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 crusty rolls, split, toasted, and lightly buttered
• Garnish: sliced ripe tomatoes, pickles, Deviled Potato Salad, recipe follows

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Easy Slow-Cooker Lasagna

I got this super easy lasagna recipe from my favorite website www.kraftfoods.com This is a great one to use on Sunday. We have church until 5pm which means we get home tired and hungry. It's so nice to have dinner ready and waiting. My family loves this recipe but suggests adding another layer of noodles. Hope you like it too!

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/slow-cooker-lasagna-114123.aspx