Menu Planning

One of the blogs that I follow does a weekly menu. They also post recipes and link them to the menu if it is an item that not everyone would know. I really like looking at it to get ideas when I am menu planning. They are not too extreme because these two sisters have families and have to cater to that as well. But they do a good variety and also give suggestions on their sides they put with it. They also have a lot of other fun stuff to look at too! Enjoy :)

sistersstuff.blogspot.com

Easy Chicken Bake

**Courtesy of the cookbook 101 Things To Do With A Slow Cooker by Stephanie Ashcroft. Love this cookbook! I came home at lunch yesterday to put dinner in the crockpot and didn't have what I needed. So I skimmed my cookbook and found this. I had never tried it, but it turned out very yummy and easy.

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I did three large)

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) cream of mushroom soup, condensed

3/4 cup evaporated milk

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/8 teaspoon paprika

1/4 cup parsley, fresh copped, optional

Place chicken in greased 4 to 6 quart slow cooker. Mix together soup, milk, and seasoning. Pour mixture over chicken. Cover and cook on high heat 4 hours or on low heat 8-10 hours. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, if desired. Makes 6 servings.

Served with chicken flavored rice, peas, and stawberries.

Mexican Stuffed Shells

18 large shells (cooked & drained)
1 lb. hamburger
18 oz. picante sauce
2 cans tomato sauce
cheese

Brown your hamburger with onion and drain. In separate bowl mix picante sauce and tomato sauce. Add 3/4 cup of the sauce to your hamburger and also 3/4 cup cheese. Pour half of remaining mixture into 9x13 pan. Stuff the shells with hamburger mixture and place in pan. Once all shells are in pan, pour remaining sauce on top. Cook covered for 30 minutes on 350. Cover with cheese and bake for 5 more minutes uncovered.

Chicken & Rice Soup

This is my aunt's recipe, but super yummy!

6 T butter
1 T onion
1/2 C flour
2 1/2 C chicken broth (1 can + 1/2 C water works fine)
1 pkg Rice-A-Roni long grain & wild rice, cooked according to pkg
2 C chicken, cubed & cooked
1/2 C grated carrot
12 oz. evaporated milk

Melt butter & saute onion. Add flour & whisk, then gradually add broth. Boil about 1 min. You will see it change quickly. Stir in carrot, cooked rice & cooked chicken. Simmer 5 min or until carrot is tender. Add evaporated milk & heat. Serve with grated Chedder cheese.

Sour Cream Chicken

I got this recipe from my friend Hayley's blog. She has a lot of great ideas. Click here.

8 chicken breasts
1 lg. sour cream
2 pkg. Italian dressing mix
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley
1 box Ritz crackers
1 stick of butter
Garlic salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)

Clean chicken and trim fat. Make sure they are dry. If they are super thick, tenderize them. Mix together sour cream and Italian dressing mix. Dip each breast into sour cream mix and roll into crushed crackers. Cut your butter into small pats and sit one on each breast. Bake in buttered dish at 350 degrees covered for the first half hour. Then, uncover and continue to bake for another half hour.

Chicken Burritos

4 chicken breasts
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 can chicken broth
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup sour cream
1-2 cup cheese

Place chicken breasts (can be frozen), taco season, chicken broth, beans, corn and salsa in crock pot. Cook on low for about 6-8 hours. Shred chicken and add cheese and sour cream in last 30 minutes of cooking. Serve on tortillas.

Chicken Burritos Grenada Style

2-4 chicken breasts cooked and shredded (I use one 8 oz. and it is plenty)
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1/2 cup rice, cooked
tortillas, cheese and other garnishings

Place the shredded chicken into a sauce pan with taco seasoning and 3/4 cup water. Bring to a boil and then turn heat to low. Add beans and corn. Simmer on low for 10-15 minutes. Mix in rice. Serve on tortillas with cheese and other garnishings.

Easy Italian Pasta Bake

1 lb. ground beef
3 cups penne pasta or rotini pasta, cooked, drained
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce
1/3 cup parmesan and romano cheese, divided
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown meat; drain. Add pasta, sauce and half of the parmesan and romano cheese; mix well. Put into 13x9 baking dish and top with mozzarella cheese and remaining parmesan and romano cheese. Bake 20 minutes at 375 F or until heated through.

Fried Bread/Navajo Tacos

2 c flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 c milk

Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in milk and mix until dough comes together. Knead until smooth, at least 5 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes. Fry in oil until lightly golden.

Top with chili, olives, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, sour cream.

Taco Soup

I think this might be Sara J's recipe, but I love it.

1 lb. ground beef
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1/2 c chopped onions
1 8 oz can tomato soup
3 c water
1 env taco season
2 cans stewed tomato
2 cans kidney beans
sour cream
chips
shredded cheese

Brown hamburger and onion. Drain. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Top with sour cream, cheese, and chips.

Cake Mix Cookies

Snickerdoodles

1 pkg yellow or white cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 c oil
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together and roll into balls. Dough is pretty sticky and may need to refrigerate for a bit. Roll into cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Sugar Cookies

1 pkg white cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 c oil

Mix together and roll into balls or flatten and cut into shapes. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Chocolate Cookies

1 pkg chocolate cake mix
1/2 c butter softened
2 eggs
1 c white choc chips

Mix together and roll into balls. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Chicken Veggie Casserole

I got this from another recipe blog and tried it tonight. Both me and Justin really liked it. Another bonus was that it was super easy to make and you can get all these ingredients here.

I can 98% Fat Free Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 cup Fat Free (skim) milk
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 large boneless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 can (16oz.) whole kernal corn, drained (she used a can of creamed corn-undrained and really liked it)
2 cups frozen cut green beens
2 cups sliced cooked potatoes
small amount of cheese

I boil my chicken so it's cooked though and easy to shred.In a large bowl combine the soup, milk, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir in chicken, corn, beans, and potatoes. Pour mixture into a greased 1-1/2 qt. baking dish. I topped it with a very small amount of cheese, just enough to barely cover the top (but you can leave this out if you want to make it more healthy). Bake, uncovered at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until heated through. Makes 6 servings.
Recipe from: Taste of Home's/Budget Suppers