If you don't like these simple menus then feel free to substitute your own favorite meals.
Dinner 1 - Tuna Macoroni Casserole and Broccoli
Dinner 2 - Pizza with Salad
Dinner 3 - Roast Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, fresh cooked Carrots.
Dinner 4 - Hamburger Stroganoff, Noodles, and Peas.
Dinner 5 - Sloppy Joes, Chips, pickles.
Dinner 6 - Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, Jello or pudding and Fruit.
Dinner 7 - Baked Beans and Franks, Cole Slaw, and Garlic Toast
Breakfast 1 - Cheerios, milk, and a piece of fruit.
Breakfast 2 - Apple Cinnamon Muffins, and yogurt.
Breakfast 3 - Scrambled eggs and toast.
Breakfast 4 - Pancake, fruit and syrup.
Lunches will be sandwiches, soups or salads or any combination thereof.
Recipes will follow for the above main dishes. As you can see 2 meals are made from ground beef and 2 are made from chicken. There is a method to my madness. When you cook your first meal with ground beef you cook enough for the second meal and the same for the chicken. After roasting your chicken you will slice some off for a couple of sandwiches for lunch and shred the rest of the chicken after pulling it off the bone for soup. You also cook enough noodles for your two meals that include noodles all at one time and then separate a cup full for the soup and the rest will be for the Noodles for the Stroganoff.
This way you will save on electricity and time. I will be posting a different set of menus and recipes later for a second week of meals later. Let's work with one week at a time. These are super simple recipes to cook and take very little time and effort. They are inexpensive and delicious as well as healthy.
Pay attention to the abbreviations........
tsp = teaspoon
tbsp = tablespoons
oz. = ounce
to = is taste before adding and then add a small amount and taste again until you get it right.
Recipes:
Tuna Macaroni Casserole
One package of macaroni (your choice of style such as elbow, penne, ziti, rotini, etc.)
One can of cream of mushroom or celery soup
Two cans of Tuna chunk light.
8 ounces of cheddar cheese shredded
1 tsp. Salt for macaroni water
pepper for casserole
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Boil water and then pour in dried macaroni and salt, boil for exactly 7 minutes.
Drain Macaroni into colander and place into 2 quart casserole dish. Stir in drained Tuna, soup and shredded cheese. You may add some cheese to the top or sprinkle with crushed potato chips or breadcrumbs if desired. Cover your casserole with lid or foil and bake for 25 minutes.
Cook your Broccoli to the package directions for frozen.
For fresh Broccoli rinse well and cut heads of of the stalk and then peel the stalk and dice and add to boiling salted water for 5 to 7 minutes serve with salt, pepper and lemon wedges or liquid.
Pizza
Dough
3 cups of all purpose flour
1 package of active dry yeast
2 tablespoons of oil
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 cup of warm water - comfortably warm when touching with your wrist-not hot.
around 110 degrees
Directions
- Combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Mix in oil and warm water. Spread out on a large pizza pan. Top as desired. Cheese, hamburger, chicken, ham, vegetables, etc. Make it your own way.
- Bake at 375 degrees C (190 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes.
Pizza Sauce
1 sm. can of tomato paste
1/2 tsp. of garlic powder, 1/2 tsp. of Italian Seasoning, 1/4 tsp. of black pepper, dash of red pepper flakes, and 1/2 can of water
2 tbsp. of olive oil
Mix together and let sit while making dough. Spread on dough and top with mozzarella, provolone or parmesan cheese then add toppings.
Salad
Buy romaine or iceberg and tear up and add your choice of vegetables such as; shredded carrots, cucumber, tomato wedges, sliced celery, etc. Dress with oil and vinegar or your favorite bottled dressing. I will give you some recipes for homemade dressings later.
Roast Chicken
Buy precooked rotiserie chicken if it is on sale or buy whole chicken or cut up whole chicken and season with salt, pepper, garlic and paprika. Roast or bake in oven for 1 hour at 350 degrees.
Cover with foil for first 30 minutes and then remove foil for last half hour.
Mashed Potatoes
Use nice red skinned potatoes and you won't have to peel them. If they are to expensive then peel
2 lbs. of potatoes and cut into chunks and place in cold salted water to cook. Bring to a boil and then test potatoes for tenderness after 15 minutes, if they don't fall apart cook an extra 5 minutes.
When tender, drain in collander and place back in pot. Add salt and pepper and 1/2 cup of milk and mash. Do not add butter before mashing the potatoes it will make them gluey. You may add sour cream and stir in if you desire. ( I have used cream cheese, and even mayonnaise as well as butter at the end and just stirred them in after mashing.) You may buy a gravy packet to make but I will give you a recipe for making homemade gravy later.
Fresh Carrots
Wash and peel a half pound of carrots, cut ends off as well. If they are small in diameter you can just slice them into coins if larger then cut into 3 inche sections then cut in half lengthwise and then cut into half coins. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar or honey to salted cooking water and simmer until tender. Drain and then you may serve.
Hamburger Stroganoff
1 lb. of ground beef or 1/2 lb each of ground beef and ground turkey
1 medium onion diced
1 8 oz. container of sour cream
1 4 oz. can of mushrooms drained
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
salt and pepper to taste (approx. 1/2 teaspoon each)
Directions
Brown ground meat and onions then drain fat (Cook 2 lbs and reserve half for sloppy joes later in the week)
Add the drained mushrooms, soup, and salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes, then stir in sour cream and let heat for 2 minutes. Serve over noodles.
Noodles
1 package of egg noodles
1 tsp of salt
Boil water and then add noodles and cook till tender 8 to 9 minutes.
Drain and separate 1 cup of noodles for the Chicken Noodle soup later in the week. Store extra noodles in zip lock bag in refrigerator.
Serve Stroganoff over noodles while hot.
Sloppy Joes
1/2 lb of ground beef and 1/2 lb. of ground turkey
Diced onion
1 can of tomato paste
1/2 cup of water
1 tsp. of garlic powder
1 tsp. of salt and 1/2 tsp. of pepper
1 tablespoon of worceshire sauce
Directions
If making fresh ground beef then brown with onion and drain fat.
If using saved cooked ground meat then break up into the pan and mix together all other ingredients. Bring up to a simmer and stir occasionally taste for seasoning and to see if it needs more water.
Serve with bread or rolls and Chips.
Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
1 lb of cooked chicken or 4 pieces of roasted or baked chicken
2 liters or quarts of chicken broth
3 carrots diced
2 stalks of celery diced
1 medium onion diced
1/2 tsp each of Pepper and garlic powder
Directions
Take leftover chicken and place in a pot of Swanson chicken broth (or whatever brand is cheapest without MSG) with onion, celery and carrots all diced. Boil until vegetables are tender. Remove chicken pieces from the pot to cook for a few minutes.Remove skin and bones and cartilage. Tear meat into piece and return to pot. Taste and add Add salt as needed then add 1 cup of cooked noodles and heat thoroughly. Serve with bread and butter or rolls.
Baked Beans and Franks
Ingredients
1 32 oz. can of Pork and Beans
2 tbsp. of brown sugar
1 small onion diced
1 pkg of hot dogs sliced in 1 inch pieces
1 tbsp of worcheshire sauce
1 tbsp of mustard
2 tbsp of ketchup
3 strips of bacon
Directions
Place 1 32 oz. can of pork and beans in a loaf pan mix in all ingredients except bacon. Place the 3 strips of bacon on top of mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.
Cole Slaw
Shred 1/2 small head of cabbage and 2 med. carrots mix with cole slaw dressing.
Dressing
1/2 cup of mayonnaise or Miracle Whip style salad dressing
1 tbsp. of white vinegar
1 tbsp. of white sugar
2 tbsp. of milk
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp. of celery seed
Mix with a fork or whisk and let sit for 30 minutes and mix with shredded cabbage and carrots.
Sprinkle with celery seed and serve.
Garlic Toast
French or Italian bread or hamburger or hot dog rolls
Butter
Garlic salt
Cut bread into slices or open buns. Spread butter on bread and sprinkle with garlic salt. You may also sprinkle with parmesan which is very good with Italian pastas. Toast under broiler until golden and bubbly. Watch the bread as it will burn very quickly. Serve.
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