Sunday, November 4, 2012

Week of Nov. 4 menu, based on Publix sales

These weeks are getting busy and with the holidays approaching, I can only image that I will have less time for cooking and planning.  But I will not let my grocery budget increase (as mommy needs some new fall clothes) and my family eat unhealthy.  This is my goal for the 4th quarter of 2012!

So with that being said, here is this weeks menu.  Starting on Sunday with a casserole that will leave some left overs for Monday, then some quick mindless meals for the week.

MENU

Night 1- Ground turkey casserole served with steamed broccoli
Night 2 -Left overs with a side salad
Night 3- Crab cakes served with fresh green beans
Night 4- Honey mustard split chicken breasts
Night 5 - Black bean soup with corn bread (hoping for a chilly night)

...and all of these meat are on sale!

RECIPES:

NIGHT 1: For the ground turkey casserole, I found this recipe HERE, but turned it into my own to make it healthy and substituted some ingredients, as I am not going to buy dry milk for one dish and my family loves fresh broccoli so no need to add to the dish (as I did when I first made it).

Ingredients for my version:
3 cups of whole wheat egg noddles
1 lbs. of ground turkey
1 small chopped yellow onion
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 tsp. of Italian seasoning
4 oz. of fat-free cream cheese
1/2 cup of fat free sour cream
1 Tbs. of fresh parsley (or 1/2 Tbs. of dried)
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cup of shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

Directions
1. Cook noodles.
2. In large skillet, cook turkey & onion over medium heat, drain.
3. Mix in spaghetti sauce & Italian seasoning. (you can add your broccoli into the turkey mixture here, if you want it in your casserole, but I think the broccoli got to soggy)
4. In a separate sauce pan, combine sour cream, cream cheese, parley and fresh garlic.
5. Cook and stir over medium heat until cheese is melted.
6. Drain noodles, add to cream cheese mixture.
7. Place into a 9 x 13 in. baking dish, coated with nonstick cooking spray
8. Top with the turkey mixture and cheese.
9. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

FOR the broccoli, steam or roast in the oven with some olive oil and lemon.

NIGHT 2: Left over night (t-ball night for my house lately)

NIGHT 3: Crab cakes-so easy and surprisingly inexpensive.  Tip, mix the crab mixture the night before and instead of making your own bread crumbs, I used panko crumbs.  And when I say inexpensive to make, you can get bumblebee crab cake cans, two for $5. Recipe is HERE. I served with my own sauce, as follows:

Sauce:
1/3 cup of dijon mustard
1/3 cup of mayo
1 Tbs. of lemon juice
1 tsp. of capers with juice
1 tsp. dill
salt to taste

Side Salad, not too fancy.  Just some tomatoes, cucumbers on top of a bag of salad, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic glaze.

NIGHT 4: Honey Mustard Chicken, recipe HERE.

SIMPLE, that is all I have to say.

NIGHT 5: Ok, so I will let you in on a little secret, I buy it pre-made from a can, ssshhh...


HERE is my top choice.  Just add some salt and pepper to taste.











For the corn bread, also, pre-packaged.  Hey I can't be amazing ALL the time.

GROCERY LIST:

  • 1 lbs. of ground turkey meat - on sale $3.49/lbs.
  • 2 split chicken breast - on sale $1.99/lbs.
  • 1/2 carton of eggs
  • 1 bag of shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 cup of sour cream
  • 4 oz. of fat-free cream cheese
  • 2 lemons
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 1 package of salad - Fresh Express salad on sale BOGO
  • 1 tomato & 1 cucumber (if you want for your side salad)
  • 1 small package of fresh broccoli
  • 1 cup of fresh green beans
  • Garlic bulb
  • 3 small cans of bumblebee crab meat, in water (this is enough for approx. 9 medium crab cakes) 
  • 2 cans of black bean soup
  • 1 container of panko bread crumbs
  • 1 bag of whole wheat egg noddles - Ronzoni pasta on sale BOGO
  • 1 box of corn bread mix
  • Honey
  • Salad dressing or balsamic glaze (for the side salad)- lots of dressings on sale
  • 1 small jar of capers (suggested,only for the crab cake sauce)
  • 1 small jar of light mayo
  • Dijon mustard (I like stone ground)
  • 1 small jar of Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 jar of spaghetti sauce- Prego on sale BOGO
  • Olive oil 
  • Seasoning: salt & pepper, Italian seasoning, dried parsley flakes, seafood seasoning (such as Old Bay Seasoning), rosemary, dill