Week 1 Menu Plan

My husband's work schedule changes weekly for four weeks, then it repeats. My goal is to get an 8-week rotating menu for spring/summer and another one for fall/winter. This will give us 8 weeks of different recipes for both sets of seasons, and make good use of in-season produce.

Here is my Week 1 Menu Plan, with links to the recipes that I have on this blog already. I'll get the others posted soon, and I'll also post a weekly grocery shopping list, when I get it typed.

Monday:

Breakfast -- Oatmeal or Cereal
Lunch -- Grilled Chicken Sausages
Dinner -- White Chicken Chili with corn muffins

Tuesday:

Breakfast -- Oatmeal or Cereal
Lunch -- Leftover White Chicken Chili
Dinner -- Grilled Sirloin stead & Roasted Veggies

Wednesday:

Breakfast -- Muffins or Cereal
Lunch -- Leftover Roasted Veggies with rotini pasta
Dinner -- Tuna Cakes, steamed baby peas, mac & cheese

Thursday:

Breakfast -- Popovers & eggs or Cereal
Lunch -- Leftover tuna cakes
Dinner -- Crock Pot Balsamic Chicken & broccoli with rice

Friday:

Breakfast -- Oatmeal or Cereal
Lunch -- Leftover Balsamic chicken
Dinner -- Beef Enchiladas, refried beans and rice

Saturday:

Breakfast -- Oatmeal or Cereal
Lunch -- Pepperoni rolls
Dinner -- Parmesan chicken, mashed potatoes, corn & broccoli

Sunday:

Breakfast -- French toast & bacon
Lunch -- Crock Pot spaghetti & meatballs (prep in early morning)
Dinner -- Spaghetti leftovers, or meatball hoagies


Today is Saturday, and it isn't my favorite day to shop at Walmart, mostly because they are so busy and are usually low on produce. But, I have to go when I can, and it is easier to think when I can leave my kids at home with Dad. :)

I'll get recipes and links up for those that aren't linked yet, as soon as I can.

Easy Greek Pasta

This dish is a snap to make, and it can be vegetarian by just omitting the chicken completely and stirring in some baby spinach leaves, or substituting it with extra-firm tofu cubes*. It tastes great, and the flavor is even better the next day.

Ingredients

• 1 box of penne pasta
• 3-4 chicken breasts (I use 4 if I buy the thin ones, or tenderloins, which cook faster)
• 2 medium garden-fresh tomatoes, diced (or large, if you like tomatoes) or 1 can petite diced tomatoes with juice
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder (or more, to taste)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon of oregano
  
• Container of feta cheese, to taste
• Olive oil
• Cooking spray
• salt & pepper to taste
• kalamata olives, optional
  

Directions

Cook the pasta in salted water (I use a heaping teaspoon of salt) and add the garlic and onion powders a couple minutes before the pasta is done. Drain but don't rinse (leave hot).

While pasta cooks, cook your chicken. You can either cut it up and cook the pieces in a little olive oil, salt and pepper in a skillet, or lightly oil it and salt & pepper it to taste and grill the breasts whole. Your choice. Either way, don't over cook or chicken will be dry.

Put pasta in a large bowl and add oregano and feta cheese. Stir to combine. Add cooked chicken and tomatoes, and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, as desired.

You can also add some sliced kalamata olives to this, but watch how much salt you add if you do that.

This is so yummy, served with a romaine salad simply dressed with oil and vinegar. Carb load with some crusty bread, and then go take a nap. :)


*Cube your drained tofu and marinate it in a little olive oil and minced garlic for an hour. Then cook it in olive oil until it gets a nice browned edge. Carefully incorporate into the dish lastly, to avoid it breaking up.