Monday, December 19, 2011

Monday Meal Planner

Good afternoon my friends. How many of you are scrambling to finalize your Christmas Preparations? (Ooh Me ME!) Who doesn't feel like cooking until after Jesus's birthday? (Me ME ME!) Who wants easily thrown together meals for the family? (ME ME ME!)

Do you get that I don't feel like cooking like I normally do this week? Yeah, I'm still crafting and wrapping my gifts. I'm not ashamed to say it either! I'm not finished and Christmas is six days away. Will I get it done? Yes, of course. I always finish a project even if it takes me two years and gallons and gallons of coffee! So in an effort to save time, I'm sharing with you six easy meals that require just a little dumping and stirring...okay that didn't sound right! I mean you just have to pour ingredients together and cook! Yeah, you know I love you!

Here's your Monday Meal Planner:


Ingredients

1 pound tilapia fillets
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder (see Tip)
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions

Sprinkle both sides of tilapia fillets with five-spice powder. Combine soy sauce and brown sugar in a small bowl.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tilapia and cook until the outer edges are opaque, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, turn the fish over, stir the soy mixture and pour into the pan. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook until the fish is cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes more. Add scallions and remove from the heat. Serve the fish drizzled with the pan sauce.

Total Cost of Meal: $7.19
Ingredients

2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
1 1/4 cups water
5 1/2 lbs pot roast

Directions

In a slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix and water.

Place pot roast in slow cooker and coat with soup mixture.

Cook on High setting for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low setting for 8 to 9 hours.

Total Cost of Meal: $21.94

Ingredients

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 1/4 ounce) can corn
1 (15 ounce) can minestrone soup (ready to serve)
1 (15 ounce) can mixed vegetables
1 (15 ounce) can black beans , rinsed

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a pot and warm.

Total Cost of Meal: $5.19

Ingredients

2 tablespoons orange-juice concentrate, thawed
1 tablespoon finely chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, (see Note)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons molasses
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
Salt to taste



Directions

Preheat grill or broiler.

Whisk together orange-juice concentrate, chipotle pepper, vinegar, molasses and mustard in a small bowl.

Lightly oil the grill or broiler rack (see Tip). Season chicken with salt and grill or broil for 2 minutes. Turn, brush with the glaze and cook for 4 minutes, brushing occasionally with glaze. Turn again, brush with the glaze, and cook until the center is no longer pink, 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Total Cost of Meal: $4.45

Ingredients

4 -5 lbs country-style pork ribs
1 (18 ounce) bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce (I used brown sugar flavor)
onion , chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Place all ingredients in crock pot.
Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours (Mine took about 6 hours).
Meat starts to fall off the bones-- be careful of the small ones in the juices!

Total Cost of Meal: $16.03


Ingredients

12 ounces pasta ,like rotelle
1 (12 ounce) jar roasted red peppers (drained)
1 container garlic & herb spreadable cheese

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile puree red peppers in blender or food processor.

Add peppers and cheese spread to drained pasta and over low heat stir until cheese is melted.





Total Cost of Meal: $6.89

Shopping List

Produce
onion
3 scallions

Packaged
12 ounces pasta, like rotelle

1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix









Canned
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 (15 1/4 ounce) can corn
1 (15 ounce) can minestrone soup (ready to serve)
1 (15 ounce) can mixed vegetables
1 (15 ounce) can black beans 

2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 tablespoon chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 (12 ounce) jar roasted red peppers 
1 (18 ounce) bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce 

Diary
1 container garlic & herb spreadable cheese



Baking
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder 
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon canola oil

2 teaspoons molasses

Frozen
2 tablespoons orange-juice concentrate

Meat
5 1/2 lbs pot roast








1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 -5 lbs country-style pork ribs
1 pound tilapia fillets

Total Cost of Meals: $61.69












5 comments:

  1. Hi there. I have been looking through your recipes for a couple of weeks now and just have to ask a question. I am reading through your recipes and then the "total cost of meal." Do you really only eat the pot roast without anything else? Is that really the entire meal? No potatoes? No bread? No salad? I see a carrot in the picture. I really do! I think that these things would hike up the cost of the entire meal and then, of course, the entire week's bill.

    ReplyDelete
  2. @Anonymous Thank you for your great question! I'm actually just calculating the cost to make the main dish. When I calculate what the cost per dish will be, I find the cost per ounce (or whatever unit of measure the recipe calls for) of each ingredient. I would assume however that if a recipe calls for flour, that you most likely have flour in your pantry already, which would drive the cost for you, down.

    As for the side dishes, I typically leave this out of the equation as most people have very different ideas of what they like accompanying their main dish. For instance, my mother always served chili over mashed potatoes, whereas my husband grew up eating it over rice. It's amazing we're still married!!

    I should do a side dish Saturday or something. Perhaps when the little ones get bigger!!

    Thank you again for your question. I'm putting some serious thought into having some sort of disclaimer posted under meal planners!

    ReplyDelete
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