Hi Everyone!!!! And welcome to the new members of my Weekly Menu!
I hope you all enjoyed last week’s menu! I love stir-fry!!! It was so yummy that I have another variation this week – Pepper Steak! It is going to be a great way to take advantage of a special at Giant Eagle on boneless, round steak and to use up our fresh green peppers and tomatoes! A GREAT special this week at GE is on the whole, boneless pork loin. Normally a good price to pay is $1.99/lb. – you should never pay more than that. However, GE has it on special for $1.79!!!! When you buy the whole loin you can have GE butcher it for free or take it home and butcher it yourself. Try to have ½” chops cut and a 2-3 lb. roast – the dark meat end of the loin. The loins are usually around 10 lbs. and we are able to use it as a main course in at least 8 meals!!! That is AMAZING savings and a great way to stretch your dollar!
We are going to take the roast and slow cook it all day and then shred it to pieces and douse it all with your favorite BBQ sauce. Better get your napkins ready – this may get messy! OH – and we will reinvent the leftovers on Friday night and give the BBQ a little Mexican spin and turn it into quesadillas! Get your blenders ready for a fun and easy-going way to start your weekend!
We will also have two delicious recipes with chicken. GE has lowered their prices on chicken across the board. You can also find great deals at Costco. But the best deal I have found is with a local butcher. Check one out in your area and stock up if you have the space!
Remember - save your receipts each week and at the end of the month tally your savings by using GE specials and coupons and pay yourself!!! Before long, you will have created a nice little slush fund for you and your family.
Don’t forget to check out all of the old coupon fliers that you should be saving -:) - and also the internet. Here are the sites again for those of you that are new: coupons.com and mygrocerydeals.com. When you sign up at coupons.com a nifty toolbar will appear and you will be able to pull down the tab and see which coupons you would like to print. So easy!!!!!
Here is this week’s menu:
MONDAY
Pepper Steak
Steamed Rice
Pepper Steak
1 ½ lbs. of boneless round steak or flank steak, cut into strips for stir-fry
¼ cup of corn starch
1 T. of Canola oil
1-2 green peppers sliced
1-2 tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch of green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
¼ cup of soy sauce
¼ cup of water
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 t. of sesame oil
1 T. of hoisin sauce
¼ t. of crushed red pepper
Dredge steak in corn starch and heat Canola oil in wok or large skillet. Add steak to hot oil and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Stir together soy sauce, water, garlic, oil, hoisin and red pepper. Add the soy mixture to the skillet and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the vegetables and stir-fry for an additional 5 minutes. Serve over steamed rice.
TUESDAY
BBQ Pork Sandwiches
Cole Slaw
Corn on the Cob – make a couple extra to use in Wednesday’s dinner
BBQ Pork
2-3 lbs. of pork – I have used pork roast (the dark meat side of the loin), pork shoulder, or pork tenderloins. Use whatever is on hand or on special.
Salt, pepper and garlic powder – enough to season the entire roast
Water
Kaiser rolls
Butter
Place pork in your crock-pot. Rub the seasonings into the pork. Add enough water to cover all of the pork. Cook on low for 8-10 hours (you can do this overnight too – beware of late-night cravings as the aroma fills your house) until the pork falls apart and can be pulled with two forks. Remove the pork from the crock-pot and shred it. Drain the crock-pot. Add your favorite BBQ sauce to the crock-pot and turn it to high and heat the sauce for a few minutes. Add the shredded pork to the BBQ sauce.
Take the Kaiser rolls and butter the insides. Place under the broiler until toasted. To assemble, place pork on toasted bun and top with cole slaw or serve the slaw on the side.
Tangy Cole Slaw (adapted from Cooking Light – yes I know, again – it is our favorite!)
1 pkg. of slaw mix
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
Combine vinegar, sugar, mustard, mayonnaise, salt, black pepper, and red pepper in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add the mustard mixture to cabbage mixture, and toss well to coat. Cover and chill for 20 minutes. Stir before serving.
I love that this ONLY has 2 T. of mayo!!!! Use reduced fat for an even healthier version!
WEDNESDAY
Chicken and Veggie Tostadas
Salad
Chicken and Veggie Tostadas (adapted from Cooking Light)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons canola oil
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup chopped red onion (about 1)
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
1 cup chopped zucchini, usually one small one
1/2 cup green salsa
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
4 taco size flour tortillas
Cooking spray
1 cup shredded Mexican Blend cheese
Preheat broiler.
Combine first 3 ingredients, stirring well. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over chicken. Add chicken to pan; sauté for 3 minutes. Add onion, corn, and zucchini to pan; sauté for 2 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in salsa and 2 tablespoons cilantro. Cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.
Working with 2 tortillas at a time, arrange tortillas in a single layer on a baking sheet; lightly coat tortillas with cooking spray. Broil 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Spoon about 3/4 cup chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla; sprinkle each serving with 1/4 cup cheese. Broil an additional 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, chicken mixture, and cheese. Sprinkle each serving with about 3/4 teaspoon of remaining cilantro. Serve immediately.
*** If you don’t have time to broil the tortillas and make tostadas just use the mixture as a soft taco filling. They are fabulous either way!!!
THURSDAY
Bow-ties with Pesto, Tomatoes and Grilled Chicken
Tossed Salad
Bow-ties with Pesto, Tomatoes and Grilled Chicken
1 lb. of bow-tie pasta
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ - ¾ cup of pesto – homemade or purchased
1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
Parmesan cheese
Prepare pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and place on a hot grill for about 4 minutes per side or until done. Remove chicken from the grill and let rest until the pasta is finished.
When the pasta is finished, toss the pasta with the pesto and tomatoes until coated. Slice the grilled chicken into strips. To serve, place pasta on a plate and top with sliced grilled chicken and parmesan cheese.
Pesto
3 cups of fresh basil leaves
¼ cup pines nuts
4 cloves of garlic
¾ cup of parmesan cheese
½ cup of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Place basil, pine nuts, garlic and parmesan cheese in a blender or food processor and pulse or blend. Continue to process the mixture and slowly add the olive oil. Once combined, season with salt and pepper to taste.
*** Freezer tip *** if you have extras, freeze the leftovers. You can either freeze it in 1 cup servings or freeze in an ice-cube tray – easy to pop out a cube and combine with mayo for a tasty spread on sandwiches. Either way you freeze it be sure to top the pesto with a little olive oil so when the pesto is thawing, the basil will not turn brown!
FRIDAY
BBQ Quesadillas
Veggies Sticks with Ranch Dressing
BBQ Quesadillas
Leftover BBQ pork
8 taco-size tortillas
Butter
Sliced jalapenos
Red onion, diced
Shredded Mexican blend cheese (Cheddar and Monterey Jack)
Re-heat the leftover pork in the microwave. This will help speed up the cooking process.
Butter one side of each tortilla. Place buttered side down in a large skillet. (I use my electric skillet because I can cook a few at a time.) Cover the tortilla with cheese and then top with the BBQ pork, sliced jalapenos and red onion. Add cheese and another tortilla – buttered side up. After a few minutes – careful not to burn – flip the quesadilla. The easiest way to do this, because it can be messy, is to put a plate on top of the quesadilla and turn the skillet over so that the quesadilla is now on the plate. Then slide the quesadilla back into the skillet for a few more minutes until the cheese is melted and it is heated through.
To serve, cut into triangles and feel free to dip into the ranch dressing – that is for you Ranch lovers out there and you know who you are!
And now for the shopping list. As always, double check your pantry, fridge and freezer to see if you already have any of the items listed below. This will reduce your spending and create less waste!
Shopping/Checklist
Produce
1-2 green peppers
1-2 tomatoes
Bunch of green onions
Salad stuff
Red onion
Zucchini
Veggies to dip in ranch dressing – carrots, celery, broccoli – whatever you want!
Corn on the cob
Pint of cherry or grape tomatoes
Pkg. of slaw mix
Garlic – 1 or 2 heads
Fresh basil – at least 3 cups (only if you are making homemade pesto)
Cilantro
Deli
Kaiser Rolls
Parmesan cheese
Spices/Oils/Vinegars/Condiments
Corn Starch
Canola oil
Olive oil
Crushed red pepper
Ground red pepper
Cumin
Salt and pepper
Garlic powder
Sugar
Whole-grain mustard – I use Grey Poupon Country Dijon
Mayo
Ranch dressing
Canned Goods/Ethinic Foods/Dry Goods
Soy Sauce
Rice wine vinegar
Sesame oil
Hoisin sauce
Rice – brown or white
Green salsa
Sliced jalapenos
Bow-tie pasta
Pine nuts – only if you are making homemade pesto
Seafood/Meat Case/Butcher
Boneless, Round Steak – GE special
2-3 lbs of pork – GE special on the entire pork loin $1.79!!!! Great deal!!!
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Frozen Foods
Dairy
Butter
Taco-size flour tortillas – will need at least 12
Shredded Mexican Blend cheese (cheddar/Monterey jack blend)
Bread
Misc.
Thanks again to everyone who has passed on my menu! I really appreciate it and am grateful that you are enjoying the recipes and the savings!
Follow the plan so you can save time, money, and a few calories! Remember – cooking our own food is healthier than ordering in and eating out any day!!! Your family, wallet and waistline will thank you! :)
I hope you all enjoy your week, the recipes and the savings!
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