Meal Planning Part 2

Week 1-2 of Meal Planning

 

Last time I started talking about how I've started planning our meals for the whole month. Now I'm going to share two week's worth of meals, recipes, and a shopping list! I have a good collection of about 12 recipes that are my "go-to's". They are easy, inexpensive, and our family loves them. For February, I planned lots of meals like this because I'm still getting used to mommy-hood. Also, as mentioned in my last post, I cook enough at once so that we can eat that for supper two nights! If you're family doesn't do leftovers, you'll have to add in some extra meals.

 

 

Week 1

Day 1/2: Baked Spaghetti

Day 3/4: Taco Night

Day 5/6: BBQ Chicken and vegetables

 

Week 2

Day 1/2: Chili with cornbread

Day 3/4: Stir Fry

Day 5/6: Taco Night

 

For the 7th day of each week, we either did a special date night at home with steak that we already had in the freezer or ate a freezer meal that I had made before our son arrived! Those have been so nice to have.

 

Shopping list for this round

Cost: Approximately $45 (I shopped at Aldi for the majority of the list)

• 2 lbs. ground turkey (use whatever ground meat you like/that's on sale)
• 1 bag of frozen chicken breasts or chicken breasts in bulk (you wont need it all this time, but will use it for the next half of the month)
• 1 package of smoked sausage
• Spaghetti Noodles
• Jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
• 4 cup package of shredded cheddar cheese or block of cheddar to shred yourself
• Frozen vegetables of your choice (broccoli and green beans are our favorite)
•  2 cans of chili beans
• 1 package of chili seasoning
• Ingredients for cornbread (I have these on hand) or a package of box cornbread mix
• 3 cans of diced tomatoes
• 1 bell pepper
• 2 onions
• 2 packages of taco seasoning
• 1 large jar of your favorite salsa
• Tortillas
• 1 can of black beans
• 1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

Recipes



I apologize for not having pictures. Meal time isn't what it used to be with a newborn! I will try by best to have some next time! :)

 

Baked Spaghetti: Cook noodles and brown 1 lb. ground turkey. Once turkey is completely cooked, stir in jar of spaghetti sauce and a can of diced tomatoes. Make alternating layers of  noodles and meat in a 9 x 13 dish. Top with 1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes! Steam broccoli or have a salad on the side. This meal is also HUGE. So we sometimes eat it for 3 nights and/or have lunches.

 

Taco Night: This is possibly our favorite meal to have! It's so easy! Cook chicken breasts (I usually do 2-3 depending on size) in the slow cooker with 1/2 the jar of salsa, taco seasoning, and black beans for 2 hours or until chicken is done. Take the chicken out and shred with two forks. Put back in the slow cooker and stir together add 1 cup of shredded cheese before serving. Serve on tortillas with your favorite toppings. We sometimes put the mixture inside of a tortilla and grill/cook in a pan for a quesadilla instead!

 

BBQ Chicken: Another family favorite... cook chicken breasts in slow cooker with 1 bottle of BBQ Sauce. Take chicken out and shred. Serve with vegetables and rice or on a bun.

 

Chili: Dice and saute 1/2bell pepper and 1 onion. Brown 1 lb. ground turkey in a soup pot. Add 2 can of diced tomatoes, 2 cans of chili beans (don't drain!), and package of chili seasoning. Let simmer for 30 minutes. This can also be cooked in a slow cooker. Top with cheese and serve with cornbread!

 

Stir Fry: Cut smoked sausage into bit sized pieces. Slice 1/2 bell pepper and 1 onion. Saute sausage, pepper, and onion until the sausage browns. I serve this with brown rice. Sometimes I also add some kidney beans and Cajun seasoning.

 

The shopping list is the BASICS for the suppers. I always have a few things on hand that I can throw together like brown rice and whole wheat pasta, frozen vegetables of all kinds, flour and cornmeal for breads, seasonings and spices. These things help me make meals more flavorful and filling.



Early Thanksgiving Tradition Part II

Today's post is all about gravy. Since I've been cooking Thanksgiving meals, my husband, Daniel, has learned to make some pretty amazing gravy. Everyone always raves over it and it has really become his specialty.   Gravy is one of those things that is kind of hard to cook. If you don't get it just right, it can turn out to be quite a mess. The method below allows you to add the flavorings that you want and helps you ensure that you'll have lump-free, amazing gravy every time. This is obviously NOT healthy. Everything in moderation, right?

This recipe makes 4-5 servings and should be doubled to serve a large family gathering.

What you'll need:

1 1/2 cups of drippings from chicken or turkey

1 c of water

1/2 c of all purpose flour

Seasoning and lemons that you used to flavor bird

Chicken Broth (as needed)

1. Place your drippings in a sauce pan and heat on medium heat. Use a slotted spoon to get out any large pieces. Add in about 1/2 c. of chicken broth to thin out. Bring to a low boil.

2. In the meantime, you can start working on your flour mixture. Add flour and water in a plastic container that has a lid. Now for Daniel's favorite part, put the lid on and shake vigorously for 2 minutes. 

3. Your flour/water mixture, known as a slurry in the food world, should be fairly thin and have no lumps. If there are lumps, continue to shake! 

4. Now, some people like their gravy thick and some like it thinner. You may not use all of the slurry and that's okay. This is all about making the gravy how you and your family enjoy it. Start by adding about 2 tbsp. of the flour/water mixture into your boiling meat drippings. Turn the heat down to medium low. Whisk around in the pan for about 1-2 minutes to allow it to thicken. Continue to add 2 tbsp. of the slurry mixture to make it thicker. If you get it too thick, add some chicken broth to thin it out.

I love being in the kitchen with him.

5. Continue to whisk and add the slurry as needed. Once you get it to the thickness you want, add 1 tsp. lemon juice, 1 tsp. pepper and salt, and about 1 tsp. total of seasonings that you used on the turkey/chicken, in this case, rosemary and a bay leaf. Continue to cook the mixture for about 5 minutes after you get it to your desired consistency.

Now, this gravy is really my favorite. The lemon and rosemary from the chicken really put it over the top. This gravy is topping my dressing. You'll have to come back in a couple of days to learn how to make it. :)

Early Thanksgiving Tradition Part I

Dan and I love Thanksgiving. We love the time with family and all the food that we get to enjoy. Every year, we normally cook a small Thanksgiving dinner for ourselves to test out new recipes and practice our specialities to get ready for the real thing. I've cooked our Thanksgiving meal for Dan's family for the past 3 years, so this has become quite a tradition for us. It's a sweet time to cook together, without the hurry or other people, and just enjoy each other's company. We also usually try to make it as healthy as possible. Over the next few posts, I'll share with you some of our recipes for the holidays.

In this post, I'll share how to cook a delicious Thanksgiving bird. When we cook our little early Thanksgiving dinner, we don't cook turkey. We normally cook a chicken instead, mainly because you can buy them much smaller- since its just the two of us. This recipe could (and will at our Thanksgiving) be used on a turkey. The recipe will just need to be doubled (or tripled, depending on the size of your turkey).

What you need:

1. Chicken or Turkey

2. Balsamic Vinegar

3. 3 Bay Leaves

4. 3 Lemons

5. 2 tbsp. Rosemary

6. 1 tbsp. each of salt and pepper

7. An extra set of hands for seasoning the bird :)

 

 1. Remove any giblets or neck from the inside of the bird. Drain out any excess liquid and pat dry.
2. Sprinkly half of the salt and pepper inside the chicken/turkey. Pour in about 2 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar. Cut the lemon into quarters and place inside of bird along with bay leaves. Make sure the inside is completely full.

Note: You can not taste the vinegar. It acts as a great tenderizer, without the added calories or chemicals.

3. On the outside, use your fingers to separate the skin from the meat, being careful not to tear it. Inside of the skin, pour in about 2 tsp. of balsamic vinegar,  1 tsp. of salt and pepper, and about 2 tsp. of rosemary.
4. Use vinegar, remaining rosemary, and remaining salt and pepper to coat the outside, both top and bottom.

5. Place in a roasting pan (allows the drippings to fall away; makes for a healthier version). Tightly wrap the pan with foil.

To cook poultry, the rule is to cook it for 20 minutes per pound on 350 degrees. For example, this chicken weighed 4.81 pounds, so 20 x 4.81 is  96.2 minutes. Because I cook it for 15 minutes on 425 degrees, I can take off a few minutes (no more than 15). Cook your bird for the majority of the time at 350 degrees. For the last 15 minutes, remove the foil and cook at 425 degrees. I cooked this chicken for 1 hour, 15 minutes on 350 with foil, and then 15 minutes without foil on 425. Whatever your cooking time ends up being, make sure that when you're done, the juices from between the leg and the breast run clear.

 6. Remove from oven and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the bird and assures that you will have a really moist chicken or turkey all the way through.

Make sure you save the drippings in the roasting pan for gravy! In the next post, I'll show you how to make amazing, fool-proof gravy.

Super Easy (and Delicious) Chili!

Recently I was watching Master Chef and one of the contestants was called "stupid" for trying to make chili in an hour. But really, not many people have 5 hours to let chili simmer. And, who doesn't love a big pot of chili? The way the aroma fills the house is intoxicating. Chili is one of my husband's favorite foods. He could eat it everyday. Now, don't get me wrong. I love chili, but I find it really hard to eat when it's 100 degree outside. However, the past few nights its been cooling off a little more than normal. So this Monday night, after coming home late because of Open House at work, the cool air hit me and I knew what I had to make! My hubby has been craving my chili and I knew that this was the perfect night to do it before it gets too hot again! 

This chili is very tasty, but most important very, very easy. As I mentioned, I made this after Open House at school and after working 14 hours!

Here's what you'll need:

1 medium bell pepper

1 medium red onion

1 clove garlic

1 1/2 lb. ground beef (or turkey)

1 package of chili seasoning

1 large can of crushed tomatoes

1 regular can of diced tomatoes

1 regular can of chili beans

Salt and pepper

 Chop your onion and bell pepper and begin cooking in the pot in about 1 tbsp. of olive oil. You can use whatever color bell pepper that you like. We had red and yellow from our garden that were delicious, but green would be just as good. Add dash of salt and pepper. At the very end, about 1 minute before the next step- add chopped garlic.

 The rest of the ingredients you need. When I went to the store last, the garlic didn't look too hot, so I got the jarred kind. One tsp. = one garlic clove. Super easy!

 After the vegetables are tender, add the ground meat. Cook until mostly brown and then add the package of seasoning. Mix well and continue to cook for about 2 minutes.

 Add crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and chili beans. Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Of course, the longer you simmer, the better it gets!

Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, cornbread, etc.

Did I mention- if you use lean beef or turkey- this meal is also a VERY healthy meal?! 

Once the weather cools down more, there will be lots of chili simmering away at our house. I hope that you find this recipe as easy as I do!

Sloppy Joes - Makeover!

Sloppy joes have been one of my favorite foods since I was a child. My mom made them really often. When I started cooking, I tried out a few new recipes and fell in love with one. It was made with lots of ketchup, which is full of sugar, so... a couple of years ago, I decided to make it over so that it would be healthier. My original recipe came from Tyler Florence's Ultimate Sloppy Joe. I tweaked a few things and this is my recipe for healthy sloppy joes!

Here's what you'll need:

2 lbs ground turkey (this is 98% fat free)

Bell Pepper

1/2 medium red onion

1 clove of garlic

1 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. red wine vinegar

3/4 c. ketchup

1/6 c. mustard

3 tbsp. tomato paste

Salt and Pepper

Chop your onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Heat a skillet with about 1 tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat. 

 Cook your onions, pepper, and garlic until tender.

 Add ground turkey and begin to cook. While it's cooking, use your spatula to break the meat up into small pieces. Cook until turkey is cooked all the way through.

 Add ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, and tomato paste. Make sure all ingredients are stirred together well. Cook for 5 minutes. After 5  minutes, add red wine vinegar and cook for 2-3 more minutes.

 Serve on a bun and enjoy! Almost any meal can be made-over to be healthy- even sloppy joes!

Is there any meal that you have made-over to be healthier?