Menu Plan Sundays

Since we typically plan our week on Sundays, including our meals and do our weekly grocery shopping, I am going to try to post our menu for the week. Since Husby & I both work full-time lunch is almost always leftovers and breakfast is either cereal, fruit and/or oatmeal for all three of us, I am only doing our dinner plans.

Sunday:
Italian Sausage & Cheese Tortellini with Rad Sauce and Texas Toast*


We use pre-packaged tortellini boil until the "pouches" float (10-15 minutes) and then stir in a jar of Prego Roasted Garlic Parmesan sauce and then either make Texas Toast with 2 piece of french loaf bread, spread lightly with butter and sprinkled with garlic powder. Right before placing in the oven, Husby covers the top with Italian mix cheese for cheesy garlic toast. Otherwise, I cheat and use frozen Texas Toast again coated with a thin layer of chese.

Monday:
Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Baby Back Ribs & Corn Risotto with French Cut Green Beans 
 *Dessert*
Chocolate Pretzel Parfaits

Ribs Ingredients
1/2 cup apple cider
1 1/4 cups Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce, divided
3 lbs pork baby back ribs
2 sheets of aluminum foil (# varies on how many 'pouches' you make)
1 Tbsp Cajun blackened seasoning

1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. In small bowl, mix together apple cider and 3/4 cup of BBQ sauce.
3. Place ribs on foil in single layer. Season ribs by rubbing the seasoning into them on both sides. (Make sure to wash hands afterwards).
4. Cover ribs with sauce mixture.
5. Make a pouch with the foil and double-fold seal the pouch.
6. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. (If you like tender, fall of the bone ribs, cook them an extra 15 minutes....it smells sooo good and the meat melts in your mouth).

Risotto Ingredients
1 bag of Steamfresh corn
32 oz. of reduced-sodium/reduced fat vegetable broth
1 cup of risotto rice
1 cup fresh diced onion
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp dried basil
2 Tbsp fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1. Microwave corn as directed on bag.
2. Place corn and remaining ingredients (except the Parmesan cheese) into large microwave safe bowl and Microwave on High for 10 minutes.
3. Stir once and then microwave 10-15 more minutes until rice is softened.
4. Stir in cheese and let stand for 10 minutes to allow rice to thicken before serving.

Dessert Ingredients
6 coconut macaroon cookies
1/2 cup thin pretzel sticks
1 (3.4 oz.) box of instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups cold milk
1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread

1. Chop cookies and pretzel into bite-size pieces.
2. Whisk pudding mix and milk together in medium bowl for 2 minutes. Whisk in chocolate spread; and chill 5 minutes to thicken.
3. Layer in dessert dishes, one-half of each of the pudding, cookie pieces and pretzels pieces then repeat layers to finish the layers. Serve.

Tuesday:
Apple Cider Stew & Grands Biscuits


Ingredients
1 lb beef stew meat
8 carrots sliced
6 potatoes sliced
2 apples diced
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp thyme
2 Tbsp onion minced
3 cups apple cider
1 cup celery
2 Tbsp cider vinegar

1. Place all ingredients in slow cooker and set Crock pot to High for 5-6 hours.
2. Stir occasionally.
3. Ten minutes before serving, preheat oven and follow Grands Biscuit package directions for baking.

Wednesday:


Chicken & Veggie Stir-fry

Ingredients
1lb. Chicken breasts (Diced)
1 cup fresh diced onion
1 package of stir-fry veggie mix (in produce area)
1 cup cut celery
1 cup of rice
1/2 cup Kikkoman Stir-fry sauce

1. Add ingredients to Asian wok pan and heat until chicken is browned and fully cooked and veggies are tender.
2. Using a rice cooker (if you own one), make rice to desired texture.
3. Serve chicken and veggies over rice.

Thursday:


Tuna Casserole*


Ingredients
1 can of Tuna in water (Low-fat/ Low-Sodium)
1 box of Tuna helper
1 cup of Steamfresh peas

1. Follow directions for Tune Helper, adding in the can of Tuna and peas right before serving.

Friday:
Tomato, Pesto, and Fresh Mozzarella Sandwiches


4 slices of thin-sliced French bread
4 slices of fresh mozzarella
1/2 Tbsp Classico basil pesto spread
1 cherry tomato, thinly sliced

1. Spread bread with basil pesto spread.
2. Layer Mozzarella and Tomato onto bread and set in sandwich press.
3. Remove when cheese is melted and bread is lightly brown.
4. Serve with a side Cesear salad.

Saturday:


Family Day/Night Out


*Quick Dinner


This week I also have a batch of brownies and possibly muffins to make, on either Monday or Tuesday depending on weather and outside temperatures.