Monday Meal Planner

Hey Everyone! Hope you had a wonderful weekend. If you're wondering what to make for dinner tonight, I have a few recipes for you. I hope you enjoy!

Triple-Corn Squares with Bean Sauce

Calling all corn lovers, here’s a new tasty recipe that’s made easy with a mix!

Prep Time

10

Minutes

Total Time

40

Minutes

Makes

6

servings

1

can (14.75 oz) Green Giant® cream-style corn

1

can (11 oz) Green Giant® Niblets® vacuum-packed whole kernel corn, drained

1

pouch (6.5 oz) Betty Crocker® cornbread & muffin mix

1/3

cup butter or margarine, melted

2

eggs

1

can (15 oz) Progresso® black beans, drained, rinsed

1/3

cup Old El Paso® salsa (any variety)

Chopped fresh cilantro, if desired

1. Heat oven to 400°. Grease rectangular baking dish, 11x7x1 1/2 inches.
2. Mix cream-style corn, whole kernel corn, muffin mix (dry), butter and eggs. Pour into baking dish.
3. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until casserole springs back when touched lightly in center.
4. During last 5 minutes of baking, cook beans and salsa in 1-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until hot. Cut casserole into squares. Top with bean sauce; sprinkle with cilantro. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings

Slow Cooker Jambalaya

Make this Cajun/Creole dish as spicy as you like.

Prep Time

15

Minutes

Total Time

8:15

Hrs:Mins

Makes

8

servings

1

large onion, chopped (1 cup)

1

medium green bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)

2

medium celery stalks, chopped (1 cup)

3

garlic cloves, finely chopped

1

can (28 oz) Muir Glen® organic diced tomatoes, undrained

2

cups chopped fully cooked smoked sausage

1

tablespoon parsley flakes

1/2

teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1/2

teaspoon salt

1/4

teaspoon pepper

1/4

teaspoon red pepper sauce

3/4

pound uncooked peeled deveined medium shrimp, thawed if frozen

4

cups hot cooked rice

1. In 3 1/2- to 6-quart slow cooker, mix all ingredients except shrimp and rice.
2. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 7 to 8 hours (or High heat setting 3 to 4 hours).
3. Stir in shrimp. If needed, reduce heat setting to Low; cover and cook on Low heat setting about 1 hour longer or until shrimp are pink and firm. Serve jambalaya with rice.
   
   Note: This recipe was tested in slow cookers with heating elements in the side and bottom of the cooker, not in cookers that stand only on a heated base. For slow cookers with just a heated base, follow the manufacturer’s directions for layering ingredients and choosing a temperature.

Makes 8 servings

Asian Chicken Salad

Crispy cellophane noodles add a wonderful crunch to this easy main-dish salad.

Prep Time

20

Minutes

Total Time

20

Minutes

Makes

6

servings

Ginger-Soy Dressing

1/3

cup vegetable oil

1/4

cup white wine vinegar

2

teaspoons soy sauce

1

tablespoon sugar

1/2

teaspoon pepper

1/2

teaspoon ground ginger

1/4

teaspoon salt

Salad

Vegetable oil

1

package (5.3 oz) cellophane noodles (bean threads)

1/2

head lettuce, shredded

3

cups cut-up cooked chicken or turkey

4

medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)

1

medium carrot, shredded

1

tablespoon sesame seed, toasted

1. In tightly covered container, shake all dressing ingredients until well blended.
2. Heat oil (1 inch) in 4-quart Dutch oven to 425ºF. Fry one-fourth of the noodles at a time in oil about 5 seconds, turning once, until puffed; drain.
3. In large bowl, mix lettuce, chicken, onions and carrot. Pour dressing over salad. Add half of noodles; toss. On serving plates, spoon salad over remaining noodles. Sprinkle with sesame seed.

Makes 6 servings

Grilled Sweet-and-Sour Chicken Packs

Opening up a grill packet is a sweet surprise! Chicken breasts go sweet and sour in a hurry.

Prep Time

30

Minutes

Total Time

30

Minutes

Makes

4

servings

4

boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lb)

1/2

cup sweet-and-sour sauce

1

can (8 oz) pineapple chunks, drained

1

medium bell pepper, cut into strips

1/4

small onion, cut into small wedges

1/2

cup chow mein noodles, if desired

1. Heat gas or charcoal grill. Cut four 18x12-inch pieces of heavy-duty foil; spray with cooking spray.
2. On one side of each foil piece, place 1 chicken breast. Top each with 1 tablespoon sweet-and-sour sauce and one-fourth of the pineapple, bell pepper and onion. Top with remaining sauce.
3. Fold foil over chicken and vegetables so edges meet. Seal edges, making tight 1/2-inch fold; fold again. Allow space on sides for heat expansion.
4. When grill is heated, place packets on gas grill over medium heat or on charcoal grill over medium coals; cover grill. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, rotating packets 1/2 turn after 10 minutes, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170°F). Place packets on plates. Cut large X across top of each packet; fold back foil. Top with chow mein noodles.

Makes 4 servings

Skillet Lasagna

Lasagna in a skillet? Why not? You can go from cupboard to table in 30 minutes with this quick-fix version of an all-time favorite.

Prep Time

10

Minutes

Total Time

30

Minutes

Makes

4

servings

1

pound lean ground beef

1

small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)

1

small green bell pepper, chopped (1/2 cup)

1 1/2

cups uncooked mafalda (mini-lasagna noodle) pasta (3 ounces)

1 1/4

cups water

1/4

teaspoon Italian seasoning

1

jar (14 ounces) tomato pasta sauce (any variety) or Marinara sauce

1

jar (4.5 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained

1/3

cup shredded mozzarella cheese, if desired

1. Cook beef, onion and bell pepper in Dutch oven over medium-high heat about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients except cheese. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered 10 to 12 minutes or until pasta is tender. Sprinkle with cheese.

Makes 4 servings

Pan-Fried Ravioli in Vodka Sauce

Add zing to your family dinner with pasta drenched in vodka sauce. This distinctive surprise gets ready in 30 minutes!

Prep Time

30

Minutes

Total Time

30

Minutes

Makes

6

servings

1

bag (25 oz) frozen beef-filled ravioli

3

tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1

tablespoon butter or margarine

2

cloves garlic, finely chopped

3

plum (Roma) tomatoes, seeded, chopped

1

jar (25 to 26 oz) vodka pasta sauce

3/4

cup shredded Parmesan or Asiago cheese (3 oz)

1. In 6-quart Dutch oven, heat 4 quarts water to boiling. Add ravioli. Cook 3 minutes; drain.
2. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and half of the butter over medium heat. Add half of the drained ravioli. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring once or twice, until golden brown. Remove to large serving platter; cover to keep warm. Repeat with 1 tablespoon oil, the remaining butter and ravioli. Remove to platter.
3. To same skillet, add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the garlic. Cook over medium heat 30 to 60 seconds, stirring occasionally, until garlic is tender. Stir in tomatoes. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until hot. Stir in pasta sauce. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring once, until thoroughly heated.
4. Pour sauce over ravioli. Sprinkle with cheese.

Makes 6 servings

For a Grand Total of: $59.89


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Baby Food

Owen (my youngest) is getting really big, not that this is unusual for a baby, but seriously this kid is big. Chrissy (my sister/person I boss around the most) said he reminds her of that cute little Indonesian baby who smokes cigarettes...

okay a bit of an exaggeration.

That kid's like two and Owen doesn't smoke two packs a day. Not to mention, smoking babies are NOT funny! Can you imagine a two year old having a nic-fit? I have a two year old and I can't even wrap my brain around that kind of insanity!

Owen is a big boy. He's at least 20 pounds (9.072 kg, for my metric friends) and he's only five months. He outweighs some of his year old counterparts!

I'm discussing how big this boy is because the bigger he gets, the more milk he demands! Guess where that milk comes from...yeah me! I'm a tall and lean person normally, but when breast feeding, I look like Olive Oyl and Dolly Parton's love child!

Wow how scary is that? I'm not that bad, but lately I feel I might look pretty darn close! Feeding the baby has only made matter worse...eh hem, if you know what I mean. ANYWAY, even though little (ha ha) Owen is five months I've made the decision to start him on solids.

I started him on a little rice cereal. You would have thought that I was feeding him brussel sprouts. He HATED it. Really? Who hates rice cereal? Oh well. Next I tried a little fruit with the cereal, hoping that a little more flavor would make him see the light. Nope, didn't like that either. Great! I have a little boob addict!

In my desperation I grabbed some carrots from the garden hoping that a nice carrot puree would tempt him!

I pulled these carrots from my garden! Using the book, Top 100 Baby Purees (awesome book!) I created a delicious carrot puree for Owen to enjoy!

 Did he enjoy it? I think the pictures speak for themselves:

(Heavy Sigh.....) It's going to be a long summer!