Recipes for the Week of January 11

Grocery List

Meat & Fish

• 2 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
  
• 4 boneless pork loin chops (3/4 inch thick)
  
• 4 fresh or frozen orange roughy fillets
  
• 3 lbs. beef short ribs
  
• 2 lbs. chicken thighs
  
• 4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts
  

Produce

• 1 small sweet red pepper
  
• 2 medium zucchini
  
• 12 ounces small new potatoes
  
• 2 medium sweet potatoes
  
• 1 small onion
  
• Fresh Green Salad
  
• 16 0unces Broccoli florets
  
• 4 ears Corn on the cob
  
• 1 cup pea pods
  
• Golden raisins (optional)
  

Dairy

• Shredded mozzarella cheese
  
• Shredded cheddar cheese
  
• 3/4 cup sour cream
  
• Grated parmesan cheese
  
• Egg
  

Helpers

• 1 package taco seasoning
  
• 1 package Kraft Deluxe Mac and Cheese Dinner
  
• 2 packets beef broccoli stir fry mix
  
• Salsa
  
• Tortilla chips
  
• Ritz crackers
  
• Hamburger buns
  

Spices & Baking

• Olive oil
  
• Toasted Sesame oil
  
• Seasoning salt
  
• Honey
  
• Cayenne pepper
  
• Teriyaki sauce
  
• Dried Italian seasoning
  
• Salt and pepper
  

Cans

• 2 cans chicken broth
  
• 1 jar pasta sauce
  
• BBQ sauce
  
• Veggie of choice
  

Frozen

• 1 package frozen honey glazed carrots (10 ounces)
  
• 1 pound frozen cheese tortellini
  
• 1 package (13.5 oz.) frozen cooked breaded chicken breast chunk
  

Pastas

• Brown rice
  
• Whole wheat rotini pasta
  

Misc

• Cooking spray
  
• Foil
  

Recipes

*** Sunday ***


Asian Short Ribs with Broccoli and rice


Prep. Time 10 minutes Cook time 8-10 hours.

Ingredients

3 lbs. beef short ribs

2 packets (1 ounce each) beef broccoli stir fry seasoning mix

2 cans (14 ounces each) chicken broth

1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice

1 cup water

16 ounces fresh broccoli florets

Directions

1. Spray crock pot with cooking spray for easy clean up.
   
2. Sprinkle ribs with one packet of stir-fry mix, evenly on both sides.
   
3. Combine rice, chicken broth, water and remaining packet of seasoning in slow cooker.
   
4. Place ribs in slow cooker bone side down.
   
5. Place broccoli on top and cover.
   
6. Cook on low 8-10 hours.
   

*** Monday ***


Honey Thighs and carrots


Prep. Time 20 minutes Cook time 4-6 hours.

Ingredients

2 lbs. chicken thighs (trimmed)

1 (10 ounce) package honey glazed carrots

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup honey

2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat Broiler.
   
2. Arrange chicken on an aluminum lined baking sheet skin side up.
   
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
   
4. Broil 6 inches from heat for 10 minutes or until skin is golden and crisp.
   
5. Combine carrots, onion and raisins in slow cooker.
   
6. Add chicken on top and pour honey over chicken.
   
7. Sprinkle chicken with dried Italian seasoning and cover.
   
8. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
   

Special note:


If you are short on time, you can skip broiling the chicken before you slow cook it. However, broiling it first gives it better flavor and texture.

*** Tuesday ***


Stuffed Burgers


Prep time 10 minutes Cook time 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef

Seasoning salt

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

4 tablespoons BBQ sauce

4 Hamburger Buns

2 medium sweet potatoes (sliced)

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 ears corn on the cob

Aluminum foil

Directions

1. Divide meat into 8 equal portions and shape into thin patties.
   
2. Sprinkle cheese in center of half the patties.
   
3. Press remaining patties on top at press together to seal.
   
4. Place on grill and cook to 160 degrees F. turning once (about 15-20 min.)
   
5. Brush with BBQ sauce during final minute of cooking.
   
6. Place on buns and top with condiments of choice.
   
7. Meanwhile, Place sweet potato slices on aluminum foil and top with olive oil.
   
8. Fold foil into packet and grill along with corn for about 15 minutes.
   
9. Serve burgers with corn and sweet potatoes.
   

*** Wednesday ***


Chicken Parmesan with whole wheat Rotini


Prep time 10 minutes Cook time 20 minutes

Ingredients

4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts

3 cups whole wheat rotini pasta

10 Ritz crackers (crushed)

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1 egg white

2 cups spaghetti sauce, divided

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Fresh green salad

Directions

1. Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed.
   
2. Meanwhile, combine cracker crumbs, parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning in a mixing bowl.
   
3. Lightly beat egg white in separate bowl.
   
4. Dip chicken breasts in egg white and then coat with cracker mixture.
   
5. Set aside.
   
6. Spray large non stick skillet with cooking spray.
   
7. Heat on medium heat and add chicken and cook for 5 min. on each side or until cooked through.
   
8. Spoon one cup of spaghetti sauce over chicken breasts and top with mozzarella cheese.
   
9. Cover and reduce heat, simmering on low for three minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted.
   
10. Meanwhile, drain pasta and return to pan.
    
11. Add remaining 1 cup spaghetti sauce and toss to coat.
    
12. Cook on medium heat stirring occasionally until heated.
    
13. Spoon onto serving plates and top with chicken breast.
    
14. Serve with fresh green salad.
    

*** Thursday ***


Taco Bake


Prep time 15 minutes Cook time 35 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef

1 package Kraft Deluxe Mac & Cheese dinner

1 package Taco seasoning

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup sour cream

1 cup salsa

1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (divided)

Veggie of choice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
   
2. Prepare Mac and cheese as directed on package.
   
3. While Mac is cooking, brown meat over medium heat and drain.
   
4. Add taco seasoning and water to meat and simmer 5 minutes.
   
5. Stir sour cream into prepared Mac and Cheese.
   
6. Spoon half the Macaroni mixture into 8 inch baking dish.
   
7. Top with a layer of meat mixture, a layer of one cup cheese and a layer of remaining macaroni.
   
8. Cover and bake 15 minutes.
   
9. Top with tortilla chips, salsa and remaining cheese.
   
10. Bake uncovered an addition 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
    
11. Serve with veggie of choice.
    

*** Friday ***


Easy orange roughy


Prep time 5 minutes Cook time 10 minutes

Ingredients

4 fresh or frozen orange roughy fillets

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices

1 small sweet red pepper, sliced into strips

Aluminum foil

Directions

1. Thaw fish if frozen.
   
2. Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towel and place each fillet on a piece of foil (about 12 inch square) Sprinkle with cayenne pepper and parmesan cheese.
   
3. Top with zucchini, red peppers and salt.
   
4. Fold foil over top and seal tightly.
   
5. Grill covered over indirect heat for 8-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
   

*** Saturday ***


Glazed Teriyaki pork chops


Prep. Time 20 minutes Cook time 9 minutes

Ingredients

4 boneless pork loin chops, cut 3/4 inch thick

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

12 ounces small new potatoes, quartered

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup steamed pea pods

Directions

1. Preheat Broiler.
   
2. Brush both sides of pork chops with teriyaki sauce.
   
3. Arrange chops on one half of unheated broiler pan; set aside.
   
4. In large bowl, toss potatoes with olive oil, sesame oil, salt and pepper until well coated.
   
5. Place potatoes on other half of boiler rack next to chops.
   
6. Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat for 9 to 11 minutes or until pork reaches a temperature of 160 degrees F. and potatoes are tender, turning pork and potatoes once during cooking.
   
7. Serve chops and potatoes with steamed pea pods.
   

Recipes for week of January 4th

Sun. Crock Pot chicken

Prep. Time: 10 min. Cook time: 7-8 hours

Ingredients:

Whole chicken 3-4 pounds

½ cup chicken broth

1/3-cup soy sauce

1/3-cup olive oil1/4 cup honey

1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar

2 tbs. minced garlic

Juice of 1 lemon

Baby carrots

Mashed potatoes

Directions:

Spray slow cooker for easy clean up. Remove skin from chicken. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Place chicken in crock-pot. In a bowl combine all ingredients. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours. Serve with mashed potatoes and honey glazed carrots (see chefmama archives for recipe).

Monday Baked Tortellini gratin

Prep. Time 10 min Cook time 20 min

Ingredients:

1 package refrigerated cheese tortellini

1cup heavy cream

¼ cup Parmesan cheese (grated)

Leftover chicken (optional)

Fresh fruit

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook tortellini according to package. Drain and spread in baking dish. Add cream and left over chicken (if using). Stir pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake for 20 min. Serve with fresh fruit.

Tuesday Asian Baby Back Ribs

Prep time 10 min. cook time 45 min.

Ingredients:

2 racks baby back ribs

4 medium garlic cloves (finely chopped)

4 scallions (minced)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 table spoons brown sugar

Salt and pepper

Corn on the cob

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Set ribs on large rimmed baking sheet skin side up. In a small bowl stir together garlic, scallions, soy sauce, olive oil, and brown sugar. Season ribs with salt and pepper and then brush a little sauce on skin side of ribs and turn them over. Brush remaining sauce on topside of ribs. Roast ribs in upper third of oven for 45 minutes, until brown and tender. Let sit for 10 minutes and serve with corn on the cob and Parmesan new potatoes.

Parmesan New Potatoes Recipe

Ingredients:

6 new potatoes (quartered)

1/3 small onion sliced

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

Directions: Place onions on aluminum foil. Add potatoes on top and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Fold foil around potatoes to make a packet and roast along side ribs.

Wed. Honey Coated Crunchy Chicken Fingers

Prep time 10 min. cook time 10 min.

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts

¼ cup honey (slightly warmed)

¼ cup water

1 cup crushed corn flakes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Cut chicken breasts crosswise into ¾ inch wide strips. In a small bowl, combine honey and water. Put cornflakes on a plate. Dip chicken strips in honey mixture that coat with cornflakes and place on baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until cooked at center, turning once halfway through cooking time. Serve with sweet potatoes fries (made according to package) and fresh fruit.

Thurs. Crock pot Pork Chops and potatoes

Prep time 15 min. cook time 8 hours

Ingredients:

4 pork chops

1 sliced onion

3 potatoes peeled and sliced

1 can cream of mushroom soup

Salt and pepper

Stemmed broccoli

Directions:

Spay slow cooker for easy clean up. Place onion and potatoes in bottom of crock-pot. Place pork chops on top. Season with salt and pepper. Pour soup on top and cover and cook on low 8 hours. Serve with steamed broccoli

Fri. Lemon Shrimp Salad

Prep time 10 min. cook time30 min.

Ingredients:

1-pound medium shrimp (shelled and deveined)

2 hearts of Romaine (cut into 1 inch wide ribbons)

1 cup grape tomatoes (halved)

1 avocado (diced)

½ lemon plus two tablespoons fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon black peppercorns

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons grape seed oil or vegetable oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Salt

1 pinch of sugar

Directions:

Fill medium saucepan with water. Squeeze the lemon half into the water and add lemon rind along with peppercorns and a generous pinch of salt. Bring water to a boil. Add shrimp and simmer until they are curled and just pink, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon transfer shrimp onto a paper towel lined plate. Place shrimp into freezer for about 5 min. or until just chilled. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the lemon juice with olive oil, grapeseed oil, sugar and a generous pinch of each salt and ground pepper. Add romaine ribbons, grape tomatoes, and diced avocado and chilled shrimp. Toss well and serve immediately.

Special Note: If your kids will not eat, serve them leftover pork from Thursday with a side salad or fresh fruit.

Sat. Grilled Chicken, Mozzarella, and Tomatoes Sandwiches

Prep time 30 minutes cook time 10 minutes

Ingredients:

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon dried Thyme

2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped

Salt and pepper

1 tomatoes thinly sliced

4 ½ inch thick chicken Breast cutlets

4 ciabatta rolls, split

4 1/3 inch thick slices of fresh mozzarella

4 large basil leaves (optional)

Directions: In large bowl whisk ¼ cup of the olive oil with the lemon zest, lemon juice, thyme, garlic, and a pinch of each salt and pepper. Spoon 1-½ tablespoons of mixture into a small bowl and add tomatoes slices turning to coat. Add chicken to large bowl and turn to coat. Let chicken and tomatoes stand at room temperature for 30 min. Light grill. Brush cut sides of rolls with remaining olive oil and grill over high heat until golden. Set aside. Add chicken to grill, season with salt and pepper and grill over high heat turning once until cooked through and lightly charred, about 6 minutes. Place chicken on rolls and top with mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil leaves. Spoon any tomatoes juices onto top half of roll, close sandwiches and serve.

Special note: For a kid friendly version, I place the chicken on a roll and top with a slice of Kraft singles American cheese. I also like to serve these open faced sometimes to cut down on the carbs.

Weekly Grocery list:

Meat and Fish

1 whole chicken

1-2 slabs baby back ribs

4 pork chops

4 1-inch thick chicken breast cutlets

1-pound boneless skinless chicken breasts

1-pound medium shrimp (shelled, and deveined)

Produce

2 Small onions

4 scallions

1 package grape tomatoes

2 lemons

1 avocado

8-10 medium baking potatoes

6 new potatoes

4 ears corn on the cob

Garlic bulb

Baby carrots

2 hearts of Romaine

Broccoli

Fresh fruits of choice

4 fresh basil leaves (optional)

Dairy

Grated Parmesan cheese

4 1/3 inch thick slices of fresh mozzarella

Heavy whipping cream

Helpers

4 ciabatta rolls

1 cup crushed corn flakes

Spices and Baking

Vegetable oil

Honey

Olive oil

Soy sauce

Seasoning Salt

Brown sugar

Sugar

Balsamic vinegar

Worcestershire sauce

Black peppercorns

Salt and pepper

Thyme

Grape seed oil or vegetable oil

Cans

1can cream of mushroom soup

1 can chicken broth

Frozen

Frozen sweet potato French fries

Pasta

1 package refrigerated cheese tortellini

Misc.

Aluminum foil