Welcome to my Weekly Menu!!!
I hope you enjoyed last week’s menu! This week we have another great menu based on specials found at Giant Eagle. However, if you do not have a Giant Eagle in your neck of the woods, please check you local supermarket’s specials because many grocery chains run similar specials. Oh – and just by following a plan you will save tons of money!!!
At GE this week, it is the Buy One Get One Free event!!! Please take advantage of these amazing savings if you have the storage space. One notable special worth mentioning is GE B1G1 Butterball bacon, smoked or Polska sausage. Why is this so great – because there is also a coupon in Sunday’s paper to use with this great deal!!! I did not include this as a meal option but pair the sausage with the Mrs. T’s peirogies that are also on special and your kids will thank you! Save it for a great meal on a cold frigid winter night! ENJOY!!!
Here is this week’s menu:
MONDAY
Roasted Chicken (double duty)
Wild Rice
Balsamic Glazed Carrots
Roasted Chicken
2 whole chickens – roasting or fryers – depending on the size of your family
2 T. olive oil
Poultry seasoning
4 sprigs of fresh sage and thyme (or 2 t. of dried sage and thyme)
2 onions, quartered
salt
pepper
Remove and discard giblets from chicken; rinse under cold water and pat dry. Rub chickens with olive oil. Place onion and fresh herbs inside the cavity of each chicken. (If you are using dried herbs, sprinkle on the outside of the chicken.) Sprinkle with poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.
If desired, tie ends of legs together with heavy string. Lift wing tips up and under chicken. Place chickens, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. (Some people like to cook theirs breast side down. Just be sure to turn it breast side up for the last ½ hour of cooking so they can get nice and browned.) Bake according to the package. Usually, a 4-5lb chicken will cook at 375˚ for 1 hour and 50 minutes or until juices run clear or a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 180˚. Please adjust the cooking time to the weight of your chicken. When in doubt – just wait for the built in timer to pop! This can be found in the breast of the chicken.
Serve one roasted chicken and cover and refrigerate the other for later use.
Prepare the carrots while your chicken is resting – be sure to keep your chicken covered with foil while the carrots are in the oven so it stays warm.
Balsamic Glazed Carrots (This is our favorite way to eat carrots)
1 pkg of baby carrots
Olive or Canola oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and Pepper
Preheat oven to 450˚. Place carrots on jelly-roll pan. Drizzle with oil and vinegar, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast in the oven for approximately 20 minutes. The carrots will be slightly glazed and firm, not mushy.
TUESDAY
Panko-Crusted Pork Chops
Steamed Rice
Sugar Snap Peas
Panko-Crusted Pork Chops (Adapted from Cooking Light – this is one of our favorites and can be used with fish)
2/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
4 boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
1 t. canola oil
Cooking spray
1/8 t. salt
1 T. grated fresh ginger
1/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 T. cooking sherry
2 T. soy sauce
2 t. sugar
1 t. wasabi paste
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
Place panko in a shallow dish. Place egg white in another shallow dish. Dip pork in egg white; dredge in panko.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat; add pork. Cook for 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove pork from pan; sprinkle with salt.
Reduce heat to medium. Add ginger to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Combine broth and the next 4 ingredients (through wasabi) in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add broth mixture to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in green onions. Spoon sauce over pork.
WEDNESDAY
Roasted Tomato Pasta with Basil
Tossed Salad
Garlic Toast
Roasted Tomato Pasta with Basil
2 pints of cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
Olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Fresh ground pepper
10 basil leaves, chopped – or 1 T. of dried basil
Salt – kosher or sea preferred
1 lb. of Linguine pasta
Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 400˚.
Spread tomatoes out on a jelly-roll pan. Drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil. Add garlic and pepper (and dried basil if you are using it) and toss until tomatoes are covered. Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft. Remove from the oven and season with salt.
Meanwhile cook pasta according to the directions. Toss the tomatoes (scraping up all of the oil and bits of garlic – this is your sauce) with the cooked pasta and add the fresh basil – if using it. Serve with parmesan cheese.
THURSDAY
Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Ranch Sauce
Carrot and Celery Sticks
Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Ranch Sauce
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup purchased sour cream ranch dip (GE brand was recommended and is located by the deli)
2/3 cup chopped green onions
3 cups chopped cooked chicken (double duty – remove chicken from 2nd roasted chicken)
3/4 cup purchased buffalo wing sauce
12 tortillas (internet coupon – Mission tortillas)
3 cups shredded cheddar (internet Helluva Good Coupon)
Heat oven to 350˚. Spray 13x9 glass baking dish with cooking spray. In medium bowl, mix soup, dip and 1/3 cup green onions. In a large bowl, mix chicken and wing sauce. **** If your kids do not like wing sauce only mix enough chicken with the sauce for the adults. Keep their enchiladas at one of the casserole dish. **** To assemble, spoon 2 T. of soup mixture down the center of each tortilla; set remaining mixture aside. Reserve ½ cup of cheese. Top each tortilla with chicken (Plain or sauced) and cheese. Roll up the tortillas and place in the baking dish, seam side down. Spoon remaining soup mixture over the filled tortillas and cover with foil.
Bake 40-45 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Remove from oven. Uncover; sprinkle with reserved cheese; bake uncovered about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with reserved green onions.
FRIDAY
Pizza Night – Mediterranean Pizza (any leftover chicken- use it up) or Any way you like it!
Salad
This night is all about your favorite pizza! You can either order in or make your own! Our favorite way to make “homemade” pizzas is to use flatbread. We buy our flatbread at Costco. It comes in a double pack – they call it “pocketless pita bread.” We keep it in the freezer and pull out however many we need. They are the perfect size for individual pizzas!
Here are some ways to build your pizza:
Traditional toppings – pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions, peppers, etc. – you get the idea!
Mediterranean Pizza - brush the flatbread with olive oil, minced garlic and sprinkle oregano on top. Cover with mozzarella cheese and bake in a 450˚ oven until the crust is crisp and the cheese has melted – about 8-10 minutes. Top with sliced tomatoes – or halved grape tomatoes leftover from Wednesday’s dinner – leftover shredded chicken (warm in the micro before topping the pizza – this will speed up the cooking time), sliced black olives and sprinkle crumbled feta cheese on top. After you have topped your pizza, place it back in the oven and broil until the toppings are warmed and the cheese begins to melt.
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
2 onions
Green onions
Fresh sage and thyme if not using dried
2 Pkgs. of baby carrots – GE special
Fresh ginger
Garlic
Fresh basil – or dried
2 pints of grape or cherry tomatoes – GE special
1 tomato to slice for pizza
Tossed salad – GE special
Deli
Bread – for garlic toast – GE special on French Bread
Parmesan cheese
Sour cream ranch dip
Flatbread or pizza crust
Traditional toppings for pizza – GE special on Pepperoni
Feta cheese
Spices/Oils/Vinegars/Condiments
Olive oil – GE special on GE brand
Cooking spray
Balsamic vinegar
Poultry seasoning – GE special on McCormick spices
Sage – GE special on McCormick spices
Thyme– GE special on McCormick spices
Can of chicken broth
Cooking sherry
Sugar
Canned Goods/Ethinic Foods/Dry Goods
Wild rice
White or brown rice
Panko breadcrumbs
Soy sauce
Wasabi Paste
Linguine pasta – GE special on San Giorgio
Can of cream of chicken soup – coupon in Sunday’s paper
Buffalo wing sauce
Sliced olives
Seafood/Meat Case/ Butcher
2 chickens – roasting or fryer - GE or Costco $.89 per lb. for fryers
Boneless pork-chops – about ½” thick – GE special B1G1
Frozen Foods
Sugar snap peas
Dairy
Eggs
Tortillas – GE special on Mission
Shredded cheddar
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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