Monday Meal Planner

Good Monday to you all. Hope that your weekend was restful. Now that it's Monday, it's time to get Dinner planned for the week.

It's been rather cool here in the North East and all of this cool weather is making me want to blow the dust off of my crockpot and pull the casserole dish out from the back of the pots and pan cabinet.

So, that being said, here are six cool weather appropriate recipes.

Meal 1

Ingredients (copy and paste ingredients here to find the best deals!)

1 pound broccoli, cut into pieces

1 (10.75 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup mayonnaise

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar

1 stick (1/4 lb.) salted butter, cut into pieces

Pepper

1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed (1/3 of a 12 oz. box)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mist a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Steam broccoli until crisp-tender, 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of ice water.

Mix soup, eggs, mayonnaise, cheese, butter and pepper in a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until melted and combined.

Drain broccoli; spread evenly in baking dish. Pour cheese mixture on top. Sprinkle with crackers. Bake for 30 minutes.

Meal 2

Ingredients (copy and paste ingredients here to find the best deals!)

1/2 (12 oz.) chicken breast, chopped

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 (10 oz.) package frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

4 cups cooked white rice

3 eggs

Kosher salt

Black pepper

Directions

In a medium bowl, toss chicken with soy sauce and sesame oil. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and marinade and stir-fry until chicken is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate; set aside. Add vegetable oil to skillet and heat over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in vegetables and cook for 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high, stir in rice until incorporated and cooked through, 3 minutes.

Using a wooden spoon, form a well in mixture. Add eggs and scramble within well just until soft. Then break apart and mix into rice; season with salt and pepper. Let cook undisturbed until a golden crust forms, about 1 minute. Turn rice with a spatula and cook other side. Repeat 2 or 3 times until rice is uniformly golden. Add chicken and stir to combine. Serve warm.

Meal 3

Ingredients (copy and paste ingredients here to find the best deals!)

1 pound ground pork

1/3 cup panko bread crumbs

3 scallions, white and light-green parts, chopped

1 large egg

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1/4 cup jarred Chinese plum sauce or duck sauce

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

Directions

Combine pork, panko, scallions, egg, soy sauce, ginger and garlic in a large bowl; mix gently but thoroughly with your fingers. Roll into 1-inch balls. Mist slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Add meatballs. In a small bowl, whisk together barbecue sauce, plum sauce and hoisin sauce; pour over meatballs. Gently stir to coat. Cover and cook on low until meatballs are cooked through, 3 to 5 hours.

Meal 4

Ingredients (copy and paste ingredients here to find the best deals!)

1 pound ground beef

2 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 3/4 cup Swanson® Beef Broth (Regular, Lower Sodium or Certified Organic)

1 cup Pace® Picante Sauce

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomato es, undrained

1 cup uncooked corkscrew-shaped pasta

sour cream

Directions

Cook the beef, chili powder and cumin in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until the beef is well browned, stirring often to break up the meat. Pour off any fat.

Add the broth, picante sauce and tomatoes. Heat to a boil. Stir in the pasta. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes or until done, stirring occasionally. Garnish with sour cream.

Meal 5

Ingredients (copy and paste ingredients here to find the best deals!)

2 pounds lean ground beef

Salt

1 6-oz. can tomato paste

2 onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 15-oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Directions

In a large skillet, cook ground beef and 1 tsp. salt over medium-high heat, breaking up beef with a spoon, until meat loses its pink color, about 8 minutes. Drain excess fat from pan. Add meat to slow cooker along with 2 cups water, tomato paste, onions, garlic, chili powder, oregano, cocoa, cinnamon, allspice and cayenne pepper. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours. Add beans and cook 1 hour more, stirring in additional 1/2 cup water if chili looks dry. Season with salt.

Meal 6

Ingredients (copy and paste ingredients here to find the best deals!)

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 (3-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups coarsely chopped onion

1 cup dry red wine

4 thyme sprigs

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium beef broth

1 bay leaf

4 large carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces

2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces

Fresh thyme leaves (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350º.

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chuck roast with salt and pepper. Add roast to pan; cook 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove roast from pan. Add onion to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender.

Return browned roast to pan. Add the red wine, thyme sprigs, chopped garlic, beef broth, and bay leaf to pan; bring to a simmer. Cover pan and bake at 350° for 1 1/2 hours or until the roast is almost tender.

Add carrots and potatoes to pan. Cover and bake an additional 1 hour or until vegetables are tender. Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf from pan; discard. Shred meat with 2 forks. Serve roast with vegetable mixture and cooking liquid. Garnish with thyme leaves, if desired.