Meal Plan - Feb 15-21

Items in bold have recipes below. All other menu items are frozen, canned or boxed (as noted)

Monday, Feb 15 - Mexi-Tater Tot Casserole, bag salad, Jello with fruit of choice

Tuesday, Feb 16 - Deep-dish Cornbread Pizza, leftover salad, pears(canned)

Wednesday, Feb 17 - French Dip Sandwiches(in crockpot), Sweet Potato Fries(frozen), mandarin oranges(canned)

Thursday, Feb 18 - Elegant Chicken, steamed broccoli, french bread, Pleased as Pudding

Friday, Feb 19 - Slow cooker baked ham, scalloped potatoes(box), peas and carrots(frozen), leftover french bread

Saturday, Feb 20 - Poppyseed Chicken Casserole, green beans(canned), Rhodes hot rolls(frozen)

Sunday, Feb 21 - Apple Pork Roast, leftover Rhodes hot rolls(frozen), frozen yogurt

Recipe List

Mexi-Tater Tot Casserole
2 lbs ground beef
¼ cup chopped onion
1 envelope taco seasoning
2/3 cup water
1 can (11 oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (11 oz) condensed fiesta nacho cheese soup, undiluted
1 package (32 oz) frozen tater tots

Cook beef and onion over medium heat in a skillet until no longer pink; drain.
Stir in taco seasoning and water. Simmer, uncovered for 5 min. Add corn and soup; mix well.

Transfer to a greased 9x13 dish. Arrange tater tots in single layer over the top. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30-35 min.

Chef’s Note: I usually add shredded cheese to the top too!

Deep-dish Cornbread Pizza
Crust:
2 (8.5 oz) box Jiffy brand corn-muffin mix
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup grated parmesan
Topping:
1 T. vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 (26 oz) jar of your favorite pasta sauce
½ tsp. dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb sausage (cooked and drained) and/or sliced pepperoni (optional)
½ lb Monterey Jack, shredded
Other veggie toppings as desired

Heat the oven to 375. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Prepare the muffin mix using the egg and milk. (Note: this amount is different than what is called for on the Jiffy package). Add parmesan cheese and then spread the batter evening across the bottom of the pan.
Heat the oil in a large skillet, then sauté the onion and garlic until translucent, about 2 min. Add the pasta sauce, oregano, and salt/pepper. Cook the sauce until it thickens, about 5 min, stirring frequently.
Arrange half of the cooked, room-temp sauce on the cornmeal batter. Pour the sauce over the batter, spreading it evenly, then layer on meat and veggies. Bake for 15 minutes then top the mixture with Monterey Jack and bake until the cheese is bubbling, about 10 min. Cut into slices and serve. Makes 6 servings.

Crockpot French Dip Sandwiches
4 lbs beef roast, I actually buy Beef Round Sandwich Steak, (meaning it is already sliced)
1 (10.5 oz) can of beef broth
2 (10.5 oz) cans of Condensed French Onion Soup
1 (12 oz) bottle of dark beer (I only use 1/2 the bottle)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp garlic powder
6 French Rolls (I like Sara Lee)
Butter

Put the butter into the bottom of the crockpot and turn on. Add the meat, garlic, and onions, and swirl around in the butter.

Pour in the broth, beer, and cooking sherry. Add pepper and Worcestershire sauce.

Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours.

If your meat is still in large chunks, remove it carefully, and slice. Return the meat back to the broth.

Serve on rolls. I made rolls from the Whole Foods 365 bread mix, and added some cheddar cheese to the sandwiches. Traditionally, gruyere is used.

Dip the sandwich into the broth before each bite for a nice juicy flavor and consistency.

Elegant Chicken
8 boneless chicken breasts
8 slices Swiss cheese
1 can chicken soup or mushroom soup
1 cup Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix
1 stick butter
½ cup white wine

Place chicken in a 9x13 inch greased pan. Cover each piece with folded piece of cheese. Combine soup and wine and pour over chicken. Sprinkle stuffing mix over the chicken. Sprinkle with melted butter. Bake at 350 for 40-45 min.

Pleased as Pudding
8 Oreo cookies
2 cups cold milk
1 pkg jello vanilla instant pudding
¾ cup thawed cool whip, divided

Break 1 of the cookies into 4 pieces for garnish. Crush remaining cookies and set aside. Pour milk into medium bowl. Add dry pudding mix and beat with wire whisk for 2 min or until well blended. Stir in crushed cookies. Gently stir in ½ cup of the whipped topping.

Spoon evenly into 4 dessert bowls. Top with remaining ¼ cup whipped topping and the reserved cookie piece. Store leftover in fridge.

Slow Cooker Baked Ham
3-5 lb precooked ham – drained
10 whole cloves
½ cup brown sugar
1 T. prepared mustard
4 T. pineapple juice
1/4 cup cola (Coca Cola, Dr. Pepper, etc.)
2 T. cornstarch

Score ham in diamond pattern and stud with cloves. Place in crockpot. Combine brown sugar, mustard, cola and 2 T pineapple juice and spoon over ham. Cover and cook on high 1 hr, then on low 6 hrs or until ham is hot.

Remove ham. Turn crockpot to high. Combine 2 T pineapple juice and cornstarch to form a paste. Stir into drippings in crockpot. Cook until thickened for gravy.

Poppyseed Chicken Casserole
4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
2 T. poppy seeds
1 tube or Ritz crackers
1 stick butter – melted

Mix soup, sour cream and poppy seed together, then add shredded chicken. Put in casserole dish. Melt butter and add crushed crackers. Cover casserole with cracker/butter mixture. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Apple Pork Roast
1-2 lbs pork tenderloin
1 apple (peeled and sliced)
1-2 cups apple juice
1-2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
baby carrots (as many as you like)
red potatoes (peeled or unpeeled)

Put all ingredients together in the crockpot. Set the crockpot to low. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 5-6 hours.