Week Menu 4/1-7

Meal One: Cobb Salads


Meal Two: Grilled Sausages with onions and peppers

Meal Three: Pasta with escarole/kale

Meal Four: Shoyu Chicken with rice and corn


Recipes:


Cobb Salads:

On top of a bed of lettuce place in chunk style diced tomatoes, diced avocado, chopped hard boiled egg, shredded cheese, chunked ham and turkey and crumbled bacon or proscuitto. Then top with your favorite dressing.

I like to use chunks of cooked turkey or chicken breasts and then just generic ham from the deli, thickly sliced. Also I use proscuitto (left over from the pasta dish this week), either bake it in the oven to crisp up, or chop it and throw it in a saute pan for about 5-10 minutes over med-high heat to crisp up.

Sausages with peppers and onions:

Slice one pepper and 1/2 onion and place in foil packet and toss with salt, pepper, 1-2 t olive oil and 1T balsamic vinegar. Seal foil packet and place on BBQ grill about 5-10 minutes before sausages. Then remove both sausages and foil packet from BBQ at same time. I prefer to use chicken sausages, any variety. Then serve sausage on bun topped with spicy mustard and grilled peppers and onions.

Pasta with escarole/kale:
I use the recipe off the food network.....

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/pasta-with-escarole-recipe/index.html
I substitute kale for escarole and I also substitute pancetta or bacon for the pancetta, just whatever you have on hand. I like to use whole wheat pasta in this recipe.

Shoyu Chicken

1/2c shoyu (soy sauce)

1/3 c sugar

1T sesame oil

1 clv garlic

sesame seeds

pepper flakes

green onion

chicken tenders or chicken wings

2 eggs, beaten

flour, with salt and pepper

panko bread crumbs

Coat chicken in small amount of flour, then eggs and then panko bread crumbs (lay flour, eggs and panko in small dishes lined up to make this process easier) then pan fry in a small amount of oil over med-high heat until cooked through, turning only once, takes about 2-4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of chicken. Place chicken on paper towel to drain excess oil. Heat remaining ingredients in a small bowl in the microwave. Dip cooked chicken in warmed sauce before placing on a bed of rice. This tastes really good with a side of corn, or your favorite veggie.

Shopping List


lettuce
escarole/kale
tomatoes
onions
avocados
peppers
green onion
corn
olives
Thick sliced ham and turkey
chicken
proscuitto
chicken sausages
cheddar cheese
pine nuts
hot dog buns

Week Menu 7/25-31

Meal One: Chinese Chicken Salads

Meal Two: Chicken Kebabs, veggie kebabs and rice

Meal Three: Blue Cheese Balsamic steak and mushroom salads

Meal Four: Mushroom Burgers

Recipes:

Chinese Chicken Salads:

Top a mix of shredded 2 parts shredded romaine and one part shredded cabbage with shredded carrot, scallions, edemame, mandarin orange slices, toasted almonds, chow mein noodles and shredded chicken. Toss all ingredients with your favorite sesame dressing.

Chicken Kebabs, veggie kebabs and rice.

1/2 c plain yogurt

1/2 c extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 t dried thyme

2t dried oregano

1t table salt

1t black pepper

1/4 t cayenne pepper

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, but into one inch cubes

2 T chopped fresh basil

3 T lemon juice

Whisk yogurt, 1/4c oil, 1T garlic, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper and cayenne in a large bowl. Stir in chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 3-6 hours. Whisk remaining oil, garlic, basil and lemon in small bowl, cover and also refrigerate.

Remove chicken from marinade (discard marinade), and thread each skewer with chicken.

Cook rice according to packaging. Skewer a combination of large chunks of bell pepper, onion, zucchini and mushroom.

Place kebabs, both veggie and chicken on hot grill and cook until chicken is charred on all sides, about 3 minutes per side, the veggie will take a little less time. Transfer cooked kebabs to serving platter and brush with lemon dressing. Serve.

Note: I like to make the veggie and the meat kebabs separate, due to the cooking times. However if you prefer to do all on one, I would go with 2 pieces of pepper, 1 onion, 1 chicken, 1 onion, repeat twice more then end with two pepper pieces, omitting the zucchini and mushroom.

Blue Cheese Balsamic Steak and Mushroom Salad:

In separate bags marinate steak and cremini or portabello mushrooms in a mixture of equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar and about 1-2 tsp of montreal steak seasoning. Let them set for at least 15-30 minutes. On a hot grill sear steaks about 4 minutes per side for medium rare, and sear mushrooms about 2-3 minutes per side, less time if using cremini mushrooms instead of large portabello. Once meat/mushrooms are finished set them aside to rest.

To assemble salad start with a bed of your favorite salad greens, I like wild greens, but my husband likes iceberg or romaine, so I compromise and make a nice mix of field greens with romaine and we both are happy. Then top with thinly sliced red onion and grape tomatoes.

Slice both the steak and the mushrooms and place atop salads then sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles. If you feel like you would like additional dressing I would choose either blue cheese or a nice balsamic vinegrette. Then serve with crusty bread. Sometimes I omit the steak altogether, the mushrooms are plenty hearty for this dish.

Mushroom burgers:

You can either use premade burgers (which makes this super easy), or mix together one lb burger meat of your choice with salt/pepper, 1t dried thyme anda dash or two of worchestershire sauce. Form into four patties and grill on outdoor grill or george foreman. Top with either blue cheese or your favorite burger cheese. In the meantime slice 8 ox mushrooms, either button or cremini, and toss in skillet over medium heat with 1 T butter and 1T olive oil. Sauce about 5 minutes with a litte salt, pepper and thyme (fresh if you have it), do not add seasoning until mushrooms are almost cooked. Top cooked burgers with some of mushroom mixture and serve on toasted bun. Yummy

Shopping List:

chicken

steak

burger

blue cheese

lettuce

cabbage

scallion

carrots

tomato

edemame

mushrooms

zucchini

onion

bell pepper

basil

thyme

lemon

mandarin oranges

almonds

chow mein noodles

burger buns

crusty bread

Menu Week 7/18-24

Meal One: Rosemary turkey burgers with pasta salad

Meal Two: Taco Salads

Meal Three: Grilled Chicken Breast with BBQ (baked) potatoes

Meal Four: Spaghetti with meat sauce, salad and steamed green beans

Recipes:

Rosemary Turkey Burgers:

Mix together 1 c mayo, one sprig of fresh chopped rosemary and one minced clove of garlic. In a separate bowl combine half of mayo mixture with one pound ground turkey, season with salt and pepper. Form into four patties and grill 7 minutes per side. Then place a spoonful of mayo mixture on a toasted bun, top with patty, sliced tomato and fresh arugala.

Pasta Salad:

Cook 3/4 lb rotini pasta. Meanwhile combine your favorite combo of antipasto items: this time I chose kalamata olives, marinated mushrooms, feta/olive mix and sun dried tomatoes. I also added about 1/2 c minced mozzerella cheese, and 1 c sliced fresh basil leaves. In a small food processor or blender combine, 2 T red wine vinegar, 2-3T of reserved oil from sun dried tomatoes, 5 sun dried tomatoes, 1 t capers, 1 t garlic and 1 t each of salt and pepper. Pulse mixture and use as dressing for salad. Place all items in large bowl and combine, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and let cool in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Taco Salad:

Cook taco meat in skillet and season with your favorite taco seasoning. Heat one can of refried or black beans, if you are using black beans you can just mix them into the meat. If you have a taco shell maker, bake your flour tortilla in oven at 300 for about 20 minutes. If you don't have a special pan you can use an oven safe bowl or just crunch chips on top of salad. Layer chopped romaine, diced tomatoes, diced red onion, chopped avocado, then meat, cheese and beans. Then top with sour cream and salsa.

Grilled Chicken and baked potatoes on the Grill:

Marinate chicken breasts in your favorite marinade, I just use bbq sauce and montreal steak seasoning. Wrap potatoes in foil. Heat grill and put potatoes on grill first and turn every 15 minutes. They need to cook for about 45-60 minutes. Place chicken on grill during last 20 minutes of cooking, grill about 10 minutes per side, depending on size of chicken breasts, int. temp of 165. I would also serve this with a small salad.

Spaghetti with meat sauce:

This is pretty basic. I like to saute some diced onion with a pound of burger in a large skillet, then drain any fat that may accumulate. Add your favorite jarred tomato sauce, I like Muir Glen, but whatever you like. In the meantime cook pasta in salted pasta water, remember to add the salt after the water has come to a boil, that way you won't increase the boiling time. Make a nice green salad on the side and steam fresh/frozen green beans and toss with a small amount of olive oil, pepper and spike.

Shopping List:

chicken breasts

ground turkey burger

2 lb ground burger

cheddar cheese

black or refried beans

lettuce

arugala

tomatos

onions

avocado

green beans

potatoes

antipasto combo

basil

rosemary

flour tortillas

burger buns

pasta, rotini and spaghetti

sour cream

salsa

Week Menu 7/12-17

Wow, coming home from vacation makes it really hard to get back into the swing of things, but it also makes me really want to eat some veggies.

Meal One: Chinese Chicken Salads, with a side of stir fried veggies over rice.

Meal Two: Teriyaki beef with edemame and peas over brown rice

Meal Three: BBQ chicken salads

Recipes:

Chinese Chicken Salad:

Top a mix of shredded 2 parts shredded romaine and one part shredded cabbage with shredded carrot, scallions, edemame, mandarin orange slices, toasted almonds and shredded chicken. Toss all ingredients with your favorite sesame dressing. Meanwhile stir fry a couple handfuls of your favorite veggies, like snap peas, carrots and broccoli in a little sesame oil, adding a little garlic and ginger during the last couple of minutes.

Teriyaki Beef with edemame and peas over brown rice

2lb flank, round or blade steak, sliced thin against the grain

black pepper

2 T veg oil

1/2 c soy sauce

1/2 c sugar

2 T mirin, sherry or white wine

2 t cornstarch

2 t fresh grated ginger

1 garlic clove, minced

1/8-1/4 t red pepper flakes

2 scallions, sliced thin

large handful each of frozen peas and edemame

Prep the sauce ingredients and assemble sauce while beef browns (soy, sugar, mirin, cornstarch, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes). Pat steak dry with paper towels and season with pepper. Heat 1 T of oil in large skillet over med-hi heat until just smoking. Brown half the steak on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer steak to clean bowl, and repeat with remaining oil and steak. Add sauce to skillet and return to med-hi heat, simmer, scraping up any brown bits until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add steak, veggies and any accumulated juices to skillet and continue to simmer until steak and veggies are heated through. Sprinkle with scallions and serve over brown rice. I found some super yummy and easy to make brown rice in a microwave bag at trader joes, you should try it.

BBQ Chicken Salads:

2 chicken breasts, in a large bag with 2-4 T bbq sauce

shredded lettuce

shredded cheddar cheese

diced tomato

diced red onion

diced/sliced avocado

black beans

corn

pico de gallo

Either grill, bake (425 for 25 minutes) or "george" the two chicken breasts. Let cool slightly once cooked through and then slice at an angle. Assemble salads, base of lettuce then in sections of each of your favorite toppings, mine are the ones above. Then top with sliced chicken breasts. This salad is good with a little ranch dressing on the side, but I usually don't even need that.

Shopping List

Chicken breasts (enough for both salads)

round or flank steak

cheddar cheese

lettuce

cabbage

tomato

onion

avocado

scallions

carrots

edemame

snap peas

broccoli

frozen peas

mandarin oranges

black beans

corn

pico de gallo

brown rice