January 27, 2012
So are you ready for the challenge of planning your menus for one year? As promised I will try and post my weekly menus for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks along with some recipes.
Because there are so many recipes that will be involved each week and my time and space are limited I won’t be posting all the recipes for each week. Once a recipe is posted when I use that recipe again later in the year I’ll post the link where it was previously listed. I’ll also go back and add a comment to a previous post if I should add the recipe at a later date.
At all times you can use the search feature at the left (hidden between the photos) and search my blog to see if I forgot to add a link. Hey, I’m human you know.
If you should ever see a meal/snack item mentioned you’d like the recipe for, that isn’t already on the blog, please feel free to contact me.
So on to week one. You will notice that breakfast, lunch and snacks are opportunities, not a set meal. This is because of our varied schedules and tastes in the household. Only dinner is at a set time, 5:30 pm, in this house and has a set menu for certain days (with some flexibility added in)
WEEK 1: BREAKFAST OPPORTUNITIES
French Toast, made from leftover Texas Toast bread from the week before. Used up the remainder of the loaf and cooked it all at once, then refrigerated/froze for a quick grab up meal.
Serve with butter, syrup, jelly, molasses, fruit or other favorite toppings
Hot Cereals available:
Oatmeal, various flavors from homemade packets
Farina
Multi-grain, from homemade packets
Cold Cereals available:
Raisin Bran
Store brand Grape-nuts
Fruit available:
Dried cherries, bulk pack from Sam’s
Grapefruit, fresh bulk purchase
Strawberries, frozen after Wednesday
Beverages:
Grape juice from frozen concentrate
Milk
Water
Hot Tea
Cocoa, master mix
WEEK 1- LUNCH OPPORTUNITIES
SANDWICH MATERIALS AVAILABLE:
PB&J
Toasted cheese
Bologna
SALAD MATERIALS AVAILABLE:
Jarred Spring Mix—vacuumed sealed to keep it fresher
Pickled eggs—homemade
Cheddar cheese—bulk purchase from Sam’s Club
Carrots
Onion
Celery, dried –reconstituted
Frankfurters
SALAD DRESSINGS AVAILABLE:
Ranch, homemade
Italian, homemade
SOUPS AVAILABE:
Tomato—bulk purchase
Beef—homemade and canned
Pinto bean and ham soup after Sunday
FRUIT:
Fruit cups, bulk purchase from Sam’s
Grapefruit
Strawberries—after Wednesday
DINNER MENUS 1/7-1/15/2012
Saturday 1/7/2012
Master Mix meatballs, recipe below
Mashed potatoes, make a double batch to use leftovers later in the week.
Bread machine bread, make a large loaf to use leftover later in the week
Black eyed peas, home canned from dried
Carrot cake, from a mix purchased on sale with a coupon
Tea
Sunday 1/8/2012
Pinto beans and ham, from dried beans and canned Christmas ham
Jalapeno cornbread, uses 1 of the few packages of frozen ground beef
Carrot cake, leftover
Milk
Monday 1/9/2012
Ghengis Grill for Jan’s birthday—a special meal for me! Although my birthday was the 6th ds couldn’t join us until Monday due to his work schedule.
Tuesday 1/10/2012
Smoked roast, leftover from the week before
Corn on the cob, frozen
French Fries, frozen
Black eyed peas, leftover
Garlic bread, made with Sunday’s leftover bread
Carrot Cake, leftover
tea
Wednesday 1/11/2012
Sweet and Sour meatballs, recipe below
Egg rolls, frozen purchased on sale
Fried rice, ham, made with leftover rice from the previous week and Christmas ham that has been canned.
Steamed rice, make a big batch for use in future meals
Tea
Almond cookies with strawberries, homemade cookies and frozen or freeze dried strawberries
Thursday 1/12/2012
BBQ smoked sausage, made with homemade bbq sauce (from last summer) and smoked sausage purchased in bulk and frozen 2 weeks ago. Recipe: http://cjpattersonontheranch.blogspot.com/2009/08/home-again-home-again-jiggity-jig.html
Cole slaw, make double batch for later in the week
Macaroni and cheese, purchased on sale
Pepsi
Lemon Bars, from Master Mixes
Friday, 1/13/2012
Bean burritos, refried beans made from pinto beans earlier in the week.
Mexican rice, use leftover rice from earlier in the week
Guacamole, homemade
Sopapillas, master mix
Tea
Saturday 1/14/2012
BBQ beef sandwiches , use leftover smoked roast and homemade bbq sauce recipe link listed above
Cole slaw, leftover from earlier in the week
Potato salad, made with leftover mashed potatoes
Chocolate chip cookies, from homemade slice and bake cookies
Pepsi
Sunday 1/15/2012
Biscuits, master mix
Gravy, master mix
Fruit cups-bulk purchase
Milk
Juice
SNACKS AVAILABLE FOR WEEK 1
Please limit your snacking
SALTY:
Chips, limited-bulk purchase
Cheezits-bulk purchase
Southern Trail Mix-bulk purchase, leftover from holidays
SWEET:
Carrot Cake
Almond Shortbread cookies after Wednesday
Lemon Bars after Thursday
Chocolate chip cookies after Saturday
FRUIT:
Grapefruit—bulk purchase
Fruit Cups—bulk purchase
Strawberries, frozen after Wednesday
VEGETABLES:
Carrots
So now that you can see what our family basically ate on week #1 of the year of menu planning now how about a recipe or two? The main dinner menu item is the Many Way Meatballs. This is one of our favorite meat Master Mixes. The meatballs can be used so many ways for a variety of meals. They freeze and can wonderfully. Making them a handy “convenience food” for those nights you simply can’t stick to a menu or you need something FAST!
Many Way Meatballs
Servings: 80
4 pounds ground beef
2 whole eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup bread crumbs, dried
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 cups milk
1/4 cup parsley flakes
1. Mix all together well. Form into 1 1/2 inch meatballs. I use a small ice cream/cookie scoop for this. I recommend spraying the scoop with cooking spray before scooping.
2. Place on foil lined and sprayed cookie sheet with sides.
3. Bake at 375 F for 25-30 minutes or until done.
4. Cool and package in one quart containers for freezing or canning. Don’t forget to label and date.
On the night I make these my family likes the meatballs just plain, hot from the oven. In fact I have to watch the guys close or they just might eat far more than they should.
They make their second appearance later in the week as Sweet ‘n Sour Meatballs
Sweet ‘n Sour Meatballs
Servings: 6
Notes: You can vary the veggies to your family's likes. Consider things like snow peas, water chestnuts and other vegetables.
Serving Ideas: Serve over steamed rice and with all the usual sides for an Asian meal.
Categories: Ground Beef
1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
10 ounces Pineapple chunks, drained and juice reserved
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons vinegar
6 tablespoons water
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 container Many Way Meatball Mix, about 20 meatballs
1 large green bell pepper
1 whole carrot, sliced
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1. In a large skillet, combine oil and reserved pineapple juice that has had water added to it to equal 1 cup liquid.
2. In a small bowl combine cornstarch and brown sugar. Then stir in soy sauce, vinegar and water. Stir this into the pineapple juice mixture in the skillet. Cook over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly, Approximately 5-7 minutesl
2. Add pineapple chunks and remaining ingredients. Mix well. Simmer 20 minutes or until heated through. Stir frequently and add a small amount of water or pineapple juice if needed.
Leftovers from this weeks worth of meal that would then go to food storage would be the remaining meatballs either frozen or canned (add water to the canning jar and then process pints at 15# pressure for 75 minutes or quarts for 90 minutes—please follow all USDA guidelines while canning).
The leftover steamed rice can be dried to make your own “minute rice.” Or refrigerated or frozen to be used in the future for a variety stir fried rice dishes, Mexican Rice, or to be reheated for breakfast and eaten with sugar, milk and butter.
So there you have it week #1 for 2012, and for 2013 because as I have mentioned previously. I am keeping the files I have created for these menus to use in the future. Complete with the full grocery list, so this time next year it will be a matter of point and click.
Jan who hopes this is helpful to someone in OK
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