Meal Planner Monday

Good Monday to you. Here are six meals for your stomach's eating pleasure. I don't have a lot to say except please try the football fiesta casserole! It's delicious!

Meal 1

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

Chicken:

2 small skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts

2 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs

2 bay leaves

1 small carrot, coarsely chopped

1 small onion, quartered

1/2 orange, sliced

Salt

BBQ Sauce:

1 cup organic ketchup

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

2 shots of bourbon

2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

Juice of 1/2 orange

Slaw:

1/3 cup vegetable oil or olive oil

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon superfine sugar

About 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 red onion, grated

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 pound cabbage (red, green or a mix), shredded

1 large green apple, peeled and coarsely grated

Brioche rolls( or hamburger rolls) , split

Bread-and-butter pickles, for topping

Directions

For the chicken: Place the chicken breasts and thighs in a pot with the bay leaves, carrot, onion, orange and some salt. Cover with water, then cover the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook at a low rolling boil for 20 minutes. Remove the chicken to a cutting board. Strain the broth, then return to the pot and boil for a few minutes to reduce it slightly. Remove the skin and bones from the chicken and shred the meat.

For the BBQ sauce: Meanwhile, combine the ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, maple syrup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, bourbon, garlic and orange juice in a small pot. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.

For the slaw: Whisk together the oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, lemon juice and onions. Season with salt and some pepper. Add the cabbage and apples and toss to combine.

Add 1 cup poaching liquid to the BBQ sauce, then add the chicken, stirring and shredding it with 2 forks. Pile the chicken on the rolls and top with pickles and slaw.

Meal 2

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

8 whole Chicken Thighs, Bone-in, Skin-on

Salt And Pepper

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 whole Large Onion, Diced

4 cloves Garlic, Minced

2 jars (24 Ounces Each) Marinara Sauce

Fresh Basil - To Taste

Parmesan Cheese, For Sprinkling

16 ounces, weight Penne Or Rigatoni

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Sprinkle chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown chicken thighs quickly on both sides until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Remove to a separate plate.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon grease/oil. Add onions and garlic to pan and stir around to cook, about 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in marinara sauce and stir to heat. Add chicken thighs back into the sauce. Cover and place pan in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. (You may also simmer on the stovetop on the lowest heat possible.)

Cook the pasta according to package instructions Serve 1 chicken thigh with sauce over pasta, adding more marinara if needed. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve. (For smaller children, you can cut the meat off the bone for them. Chicken is very tender!)

 Meal 3

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

 1 pounds lean (90 percent) ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 package taco seasoning

1 (28 oz.) cans tomato sauce

3 (16 oz.) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (6 oz.) can black olives, drained and chopped (1 cup)

1 bag (9.75 oz.) corn chips, such as Fritos

1 pound low-fat Cheddar, grated

Directions

 Preheat oven to 350°F. Mist a skillet with cooking spray. Sauté beef over medium-high heat until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Add onion; sauté for 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook for 1 minute. Add taco seasoning, cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add tomato sauce, lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Mist a deep 9-by-13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Spread half of meat in baking dish, then half of beans, half of olives, half of corn chips and half of cheese. Repeat layering with remaining meat, beans, olives, chips and cheese.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden and crispy on top and bubbling. 

Meal 4

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

1 large onion, chopped

2 pounds extra-lean (90%-93%) ground beef

2 (28 oz.) cans crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon kosher salt

8 ounces uncooked corkscrew pasta

1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Put onion in pot of slow cooker. Crumble ground beef on top and pour tomatoes over beef. Cover and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Break up any large pieces of beef with a wooden spoon. Season with salt. Remove half of sauce and reserve for another recipe; keep remaining sauce warm in slow cooker. (Makes about 2 1/2 quarts meat sauce.)

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, stirring often, until al dente. Drain and transfer to four shallow bowls. Spoon meat sauce over each portion of pasta. Serve with Parmesan cheese, basil and freshly ground pepper.

Meal 5

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

Burger:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs

1/4 cup canned whole-kernel yellow corn, drained

1/4 cup prechopped onion

1 large egg

Ketchup:

1/3 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon lime juice

1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Remaining ingredients:

4 (2-ounce) Kaiser rolls or hamburger buns

4 lettuce leaves (optional)

4 (1/4-inch-thick) slices tomato (optional)

Directions

To prepare burgers, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

Combine kidney beans and black beans in a large bowl; partially mash with a fork. Add breadcrumbs, corn, onion, and egg; stir until well blended. Form bean mixture into 4 (1/2-inch-thick) patties. Add patties to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until crisp and beginning to brown.

To prepare ketchup, combine ketchup, honey, lime juice, chile powder, and cumin, stirring with a whisk.

Spread 1 tablespoon ketchup on bottom half of each bun; top each serving with a patty, 1 lettuce leaf and 1 tomato slice (if desired), and top half of bun.

Meal 6

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

1 1/3 pounds raw Italian sweet sausage, casing removed

A drizzle olive oil

2 cups ricotta

A handful flat leaf parsley, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

A handful grated Parmesan, plus extra, for knots

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated or a couple pinches of ground

A few grinds black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped pimento

2 (10-ounce) tubes prepared pizza dough

2 cups shredded mozzarella

Garlic oil (1 or 2 cloves chopped and heated in 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil)

2 cups tomato, marinara or pizza sauce for dipping or Five Minute Spicy Marinara, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Brown sausage in a small skillet in a drizzle of olive oil. Transfer the cooked crumbled sausage to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

Combine sausage with ricotta, parsley, garlic, Parmesan, nutmeg, pepper, and pimento. Roll out dough and halve cross-wise. Place a dough rectangle on a nonstick cookie sheet. Use 1/2 cup mozzarella on half of each dough rectangle and pile a mound of filling on half of the total area. Fold dough over and pinch edges to seal. The result is a rectangular turnover.

For half-moon shaped calzones, trim excess dough. Roll dough bits into strips, tie in knots and brush with garlic oil and cheese. Garlic knots are fun to dip at the table.

Bake calzones 15 minutes or until golden all over. Serve calzones with warm tomato, marinara, or pizza sauce for dipping.

Cook's Note: For an additional time saver, 2 packages precooked sausage crumbles, 8 ounces each, may be substituted for raw Italian sausage used in the above recipe.

Five Minute Spicy Marinara:

2 tablespoons (two turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic crushed

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 (32 ounce) can chunky style crushed tomatoes

Salt and pepper

1 teaspoon Italian dried seasoning

1 handful Italian parsley leaves, chopped

Add olive oil to medium saucepan over moderate heat. Add garlic and crushed pepper to the heated olive oil; when pepper snaps and garlic sizzles, stir in crushed tomatoes. Season sauce with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cook for five minutes and stir in parsley. Serve.