Monday, February 22, 2010

menu planning monday: pantry challenge 2

WOW. last week was so insane i never had time to sit down and write here. i was sick, my kids had tons of activities, hubby worked late hours and then was out of town, we went to the store for prescriptions and forgotten groceries 3 times, and... WHEW.

to save my sanity this week, i'm determined to spend less than $50 and less than 1 hour on my grocery trip. my pantry has most of the staples already. i'm pretty sure i can do this without breaking a sweat. here is my menu plan with recipes.

monday: cheese tortellini with steamed veggies
tuesday: Max's Famous Meatloaf with baked potatoes
wednesday: Maple Dijon Chicken crockpot 
thursday: family night, dining out and i want SushiYaa 
friday: pizza
Max's Famous Meatloaf
1 egg
1 lg onion
1 lg bell pepper chopped (i don't use)
1/2 c. milk
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic chopped fine
2 slices brown bread cut in small pieces
cayenne pepper to taste (i don't use)
1 lb ground beef or turkey *don't forget the meat!*

mix all ingredients and then prepare sauce. pour half the sauce into the meat loaf and mix well. put meat mixture into loaf pan and pour remaining sauce on top. bake 1 hour at 350degsF.
sauce
1 4oz can tomato sauce
2 T brown sugar
1 T vinegar
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
stir well and simmer 5 minutes.

Maple Dijon Chicken Crockpot (from Crockpot365.com)
-1 lb chicken pieces

-1 cup chicken broth
-2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
-1 onion, chopped
-2 T dijon mustard
-3 T maple syrup
-3 cloves garlic, chopped
-2 bay leaves
-1 tsp thyme

Put the chicken into the bottom of your crockpot and toss it with the thyme, maple syrup, and dijon mustard.
Peel and slice the sweet potato, and add to the pot. Add the onion and garlic. If you don't want your onion to have a crunch, put it at the bottom of the crockpot; otherwise on top of the chicken is fine.
Pour in the chicken broth. Add the bay leaves. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-5. This is done when the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables reach desired tenderness.


i love linking up at OrgJunkie.com's Menu Planning Monday! have a great week everyone.