Meal Plan Monday ~ Week of August 15, 2011

Hello everyone!  Well I just finished my first week of school and boy, was it exhausting!  32 first graders are a lot of work!  This week will be just as hectic and busy, I'm sure!

Here is what we're having for dinner this week.

Sunday- Chicken and Dressing Casserole, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce
Monday- Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole with Ham, green beans, crescent rolls
Tuesday- Parmesan Fettuccine, broccoli, garlic bread
Wednesday- Ultimate Chicken Fingers, macaroni and cheese, corn
Thursday- We'll be at a school function so we'll probably just pick something up

Have a great week!

Pollo Loco Mexican Chicken and Rice

This is another recipe I found on Plain Chicken.  She's got some really great recipes and I love trying them because I've liked them all!  I made this last week and completely forgot to take pictures as I was making it.  First week back at school.  Go figure. 

My thoughts on this recipe is that it was great!  I really loved the rice.  It was perfect Spanish rice and I will definitely be keeping this recipe!

The one change I made was that I did not use the Mexican Queso.  I just melted some cheddar/monterey jack on top instead. 

Pollo Loco Mexican Chicken and Rice

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bottle Lawry's Baja Chipotle marinade

3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked long grain rice (not instant)
1 Tbsp dried minced onion flakes
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp Pampered Chef Southwestern Seasoning or Taco Seasoning
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup tomato sauce

1 container Mexican Queso (I used Gordos Cheese Dip)
chopped tomato

Pour Baja Chipotle Marinade over chicken and let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or overnight. When ready, grill chicken until done (165 degrees).

While the chicken is grilling prepare the rice.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and Southwestern or Taco Seasoning.

Stir in onion flakes, tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Heat cheese dip according to package directions set aside.

To assemble the Pollo Loco - place 1/4 of the rice on a plate, top with grilled chicken. Pour 2-3 Tbsp cheese dip over chicken and rice and top with chopped tomatoes.
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Easy S'mores Bars

I have a little bit of a s'mores obsession so when I saw this recipe from Real Mom Kitchen I knew I had to make them STAT!!  Like literally, go to the store the same day to get the ingredients to make them, stat! 

And they did not disappoint!  Wow.  All I can say is....wow.  These babies have got me speechless!  They are truly magical.  And amazing and wonderful!!

The Stars of the Show:

Sugar cookie mix, graham cracker crumbs, marshmallows, chocolate chips and butter.

 

Now don't be a hater and please don't leave me comments about calorie counts.  I am fully aware that this is not a healthy, low calorie recipe! 

BUT...these bars are really rich.  A little goes a loooong way and you can easily get 24 (or more) servings out of this recipe if you cut them into small squares.

First you need to line your baking pan with foil.  Have you guys seen this trick where you mold your foil to the outside of the pan first?

 Then flip it over and it fits perfectly inside!  I used Reynold's Non-Stick foil but regular foil would be fine too.

Mix up the graham cracker crumbs and the cookie mix.  Melt the butter and add it to the cookie/graham cracker mixture.  Stir to form a dough.

Press the dough into the pan and bake.

Once the cookie base is done baking, take it out and immediately pour chocolate chips on top.

Let the chocolate chips sit for a few minutes and then begin to spread them across the top.  Even though they don't look melted they are!

Sprinkle the marshmallows on top then pop under the broiler until the marshmallows are puffed and golden.

You will definitely want to babysit these because they brown FAST!

Enjoy a little piece of heaven on Earth!

Easy S'mores Bars

Via Real Mom Kitchen

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix 

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 cup butter, melted

3 cups milk chocolate chips (18 oz)

4 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Heat oven to 375°F and line a 13×9 inch pan with foil.

In large bowl, stir the cookie mix and graham cracker crumbs  together. Then stir in melted butter until soft dough forms.  Press the dough evenly into your foil lined 13×9 inch pan.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until set, I made sure it passed the toothpick test. Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Let stand for a few minutes until chocolate begins to melt. Spread the melted chocolate evenly over crust.

Sprinkle marshmallows over melted chocolate. Broil on the center rack of your oven until marshmallows are puffed and toasted to a golden brown. Watch closely because the marshmallows will brown quickly, it can take less than a minute.   Cool a minimum of 10 minutes. Carefully remove from the pan using the foil.  Cut into bars using a knife sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.   They are best served warm but are still excellent at room temp. Store any remaining bars tightly covered.  Makes 12-16 bars.

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Meal Plan Monday ~ Week of August 8

As expected, life is pretty crazy right now, and as expected, I definitely have not been posting at the rate I was before!  Such is life being a busy working woman again!

Here is my meal plan for the week.  Meals in red means a soon to be posted recipe!

Sunday- Sweet and sour meatballs, mashed potatoes
Monday- Hot dogs, beans and corn
Tuesday- Pollo Loco Mexican Chicken and Rice
Wednesday- Garlic Roast Beef Sandwiches, chips
Thursday- Leftovers

Crockpot Lemon Chicken

This is not the most photogenic food, but it definitely makes up for that in taste!!  I found the recipe here and was drawn to it not only because it looked so yummy but also because it looked so easy to make!  And it did not disappoint on either counts!  You only need a few simple ingredients and it literally takes less than five minutes to get it all in the crockpot!  LOVE THAT!! 

Sadly, I forgot the lemons for this so I substituted a little bit of vinegar.  The chicken was so delicious I can only imagine how great it would be with the lemon!

The Stars of the Show: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chicken broth, butter, Italian dressing seasoning, lemon (oops).

Put it all in the crockpot and do a happy dance about the fact that the main part of your dinner is DONE!!

Crockpot Lemon Chicken
via Plain Chicken

1 lb chicken breasts
1 packet Italian dressing mix
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup chicken stock
egg noodles or rice

Place chicken breasts, Italian dressing mix, butter, lemon juice & chicken broth in the crockpot.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours. When finished cooking, shred chicken with 2 forks. Serve chicken over egg noodles or rice and top with juices from crockpot.


Printable Recipe

Garlic Pasta

Holy yumminess this pasta is good! 

This is one of those recipes that I sometimes forget about and then wonder why I don't make it more often because everyone loves it! 

I usually make this as is but it would also be delicious with grilled chicken. 

I looooove garlic and usually end up adding extra whenever a recipe calls for it.  This pasta is pretty garlicy, but you can easily adjust it by using less garlic to suit your tastes.  

The recipe calls for fresh basil, oregano and parsley.  I usually substitute dried basil and oregano because I always have it on hand and it still tastes great.  I would recommend using fresh parsley though.  Trust me, it makes a difference!

Serve it with a salad and some bread and you have a fast, fresh and delicious meal on the table in a short amount of time!

I'm telling you, you must make this pasta.  Soon!

Garlic Pasta

via allrecipes.com

1 16 oz. penne pasta, dry

1 med. head garlic, peeled and chopped

½ cup olive oil

1 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped (I usually use dried)

1 tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped( I use dried)

2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

1 tsp. crushed red pepper (I usually omit this)

1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.

In a skillet, saute garlic in oil on low heat, just hot enough to make the garlic sizzle; about 10 to 15 minutes. Season with basil, oregano, parsley, and crushed red pepper, and remove from heat.

In a large bowl, toss cooked pasta with garlic and herb mixture, and let sit for 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan, and serve.

Enchilada-Style Burritos

Well, I am officially, un-officially back at work.  What does that mean exactly?  Well,  our contract doesn't start until Wednesday but every summer the back to school bug bites me a little early.  I always feel the need to get in there and get some stuff done!  Plus, it's nice to have the time to get things ready without all the meetings that seem to interrupt our day in the first week back (before the kids start). 

I must admit that I'm almost embarrassed to post this because it's so simple!  It's really not even a recipe.  More of an idea.  But alas, when the back to work chaos is in full swing sometimes it's dinners like this that I rely on most!  This dish can be put together before the oven even has time to pre-heat!  You gotta love that!

I love enchiladas but they can be pretty time consuming.  I'm not sure where this originally came from, but I know I've been making these enchilada-style burritos for a long time. 

The Stars of the Show:

Frozen burritos (I like beef and bean but you can use any variety), enchilada sauce (red or green), and shredded cheese.

Pour some of the enchilada sauce to cover the bottom of the pan and add your burritos.  You can just put them in frozen or you can partially thaw them in the microwave.

Cover with cheese and bake.

Enchilada-Style Burritos

6 frozen burritos
1 can enchilada sauce
1 - 1 1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese

Pour about half the sauce in the bottom of a baking dish.  Lay burritos in dish and cover with cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes (if frozen) or 20-25 minutes if partially thawed.  You can cover the pan with foil at the end to keep the cheese from getting too brown before burritos are heated through. 

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