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Week 14
We aren’t doing any major bulk cooking this week, but we’ll use planned leftovers a couple of days to reduce prep time later in the week. On Day 1, we’ll use the slow cooker to make Thai Chicken, and you make a double recipe of rice and save the extra to use as the basis of Chicken Fried Rice on Day 2.
On Day 4 we are making roasted red potatoes as a side, and using the leftovers in Roasted Red Potato Salad for Day 5. This is a great way to cook more on one day and have less prep the next—and it gives much better flavor than using boiled potatoes in potato salad.
Dinner Meal Plan Archive
Day 1
- Slow Cooker Thai Chicken over Rice (save leftover rice for Day 2)
- Spinach and Garlic Sautéed in Butter
Day 2
- Chicken Fried Rice (use leftover rice from Day 1)
- Asian Salad
Day 3
- Creamy Balsamic Meatballs
- Egg Noodles
- Pan Sautéed Zucchini Slices
Day 4
- Apple Cheddar Melts
- Roasted Red Potatoes (save leftovers for Day 5)
Day 5
- Cowboy Hot Dogs
- Roasted Red Potato Salad (use leftovers from Day 4)
Day 1 Dinner Menu
Make an extra 3 cups of rice tonight and save for the fried rice on Day 2. Do not pack the rice into the leftover container; store it in something large enough so that you don’t have to pack it down.
- Slow Cooker Thai Chicken over Rice
- Spinach and Garlic Sautéed in Butter
Easy Slow Cooker Thai Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup salsa
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 2 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 1-2 tsp fresh grated ginger root
- ¼ cup chopped peanuts, for garnish
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
- 3 cups prepared white rice
Instructions
- Place chicken in slow cooker. Mix together all other ingredients except peanuts and cilantro and pour over chicken.
- Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours depending on your slow cooker, stirring occasionally. Serve over white rice and garnish with peanuts and cilantro.
Notes
- Preparation option: Peanut sauce is delicious on vegetables, so you could add slices of colorful bell peppers and onions to the slow cooker at the beginning of cooking. Throw in 2-3 cups of spinach in the last half hour or so and this is a complete meal with no sides needed.
- To freeze: Prepare the sauce in whatever quantity needed for the number of dishes you want to freeze. Freeze the sauce in a separate container and put it together with the chicken in the freezer, then place the instructions and 1/4 cup chopped peanuts with them. Label with:
Easy Slow Cooker Thai Chicken in Peanut Sauce: Thaw. Place chicken in slow cooker. Cover with sauce and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 3-4 hours depending on your slow cooker. Stir occasionally. Serve over white rice and garnish with 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro and 1/4 cup chopped peanuts.
Nutrition
Calories: 447kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 121mg | Sodium: 763mg | Potassium: 975mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 274IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 3mg
Go to Easy Slow Cooker Thai Chicken post
Day 2 Dinner Menu
Use the leftover rice from Day 1 to make the fried rice.
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Asian Salad
Chicken Fried Rice
This Chicken Fried Rice is an authentic recipe that I learned to make when we lived in Japan. It can be made with most any meat, or you can make it vegetarian.
Ingredients
- 3 cups cold leftover cooked rice (preferably Calrose), broken apart
- 1 egg
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed
- 1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
- 1-2 Tbsp. soy sauce to taste
- 3-4 Tbsp. oil for frying, divided
Instructions
- Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in wok or on a large flat griddle surface and quickly scramble 1 egg in it.
- Remove egg and set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan and heat.
- Add onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Add thawed peas and carrots and cooked chopped chicken and mix gently.
- When the onions are tender, add the rice and stir. Add soy sauce to taste and continue to stir and mix rice so all grains are exposed to the heated pan surface.
- Add the cooked egg, chopping to break it up, near the end of cooking time and stir well.
- When the rice is heated through and a bit crispy, it is ready to serve.
Notes
- You can use just about any meat in this recipe or add more vegetables and make it vegetarian.
- If you want to add flavor (and calories), add a splash of Yum Yum sauce about halfway through cooking.
- The secret to good fried rice is to rinse your rice before cooking it, and to separate or crumble the clumps of day old/leftover rice before putting it into the hot pan with oil.
- Make it vegetarian:
Simply omit the chicken and substitute more vegetables. - Make it gluten-free:
Omit the soy sauce or use a certified gluten-free soy sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 542kcal | Carbohydrates: 81g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 282mg | Potassium: 310mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3398IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 2mg
Go to Chicken Fried Rice postDay 3 Dinner Menu
- Creamy Balsamic Meatballs
- Egg Noodles
- Pan Sautéed Zucchini Slices
Creamy Balsamic Meatballs
Balsamic vinegar and heavy cream combine into a surprisingly delicious sauce for meatballs.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. cooked meatballs, homemade or purchased
- 2 Tbsp butter
- ¼ cup onion, chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Brown meatballs over medium heat or in the oven; set aside.
- Heat butter in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add onion to pan; cook over medium heat until onions are golden.
- Add cream and vinegar and cook on low 2 minutes.
- Add cooked meatballs to pan and cook until heated through.
- Serve over cooked egg noodles or rice.
Notes
Noodles are not included in calorie calculation.
Nutrition
Calories: 377kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 119mg | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 262mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 700IU | Vitamin C: 1.2mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 0.7mg
Go to Creamy Balsamic Meatballs postDay 4 Dinner Menu
The recipe for roasted potatoes makes enough to have 2 lbs. of potatoes with dinner tonight and 2 lbs. to use for potato salad tomorrow, so save the extra or go ahead and make the potato salad tonight and refrigerate.
- Apple Cheddar Melts
- Roasted Red Potatoes
Apple Cheddar Melt
Enjoy the taste of fall with open-faced apple cheddar melts made with crisp apples, crunchy sunflower seeds, and gooey cheddar—a perfect fall lunch.
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp. mayonnaise
- 4 slices whole wheat bread
- 1 apple
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Toast the bread. While the bread is toasting, cut the apple into thin slices and mix the apple slices with lemon juice to keep them from browning.
- When the toast is ready, spread it with the mayonnaise and layer the apple slices on each piece.
- Sprinkle the sunflower seeds on top of the apple slices and top with a slice of cheddar.
- Toast until cheese is melted. Cut into triangles and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Calories: 406kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 382mg | Potassium: 254mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 305IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 248mg | Iron: 2mg
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Roasted Red Potatoes
These roasted red potatoes are always a hit and they make amazing potato salad.
Ingredients
- 4 lbs. small red potatoes
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 3 Tbsp. Italian seasoning such as Rosa Maria, affiliate link
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Wash potatoes and half or quarter so that pieces are uniform in size. Dry with a paper towel as much as possible. Add olive oil and toss to coast. Sprinkle with seasoning and mix well.
- Bake, stirring periodically, for 25-30 minutes or until tender inside and somewhat crisp outside.
Notes
- This recipe makes enough potatoes to serve for a meal and use 2 lbs. in Roasted Red Potato Salad.
Nutrition
Calories: 165kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 34mg | Potassium: 881mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 88IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 3mg
Go to Roasted Red Potatoes postDay 5 Dinner Menu
Use the leftover roasted potatoes from Day 4 for the potato salad tonight.
- Cowboy Hot Dogs
- Roasted Red Potato Salad
Cowboy Hot Dogs
Grilled onions and cheddar cheese dress up hot dogs in this easy weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 6 beef franks
- 6 hot dog buns
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 Tbsp. oil
- Mayonnaise
- Deli style mustard
- BBQ Sauce
- Shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Grill or fry hot dogs. While hot dogs are cooking, sauté onion in oil over medium heat until browned.
- If desired, heat buns. Serve hot dogs with desired toppings.
Notes
Calories are based on one hot dog in a bun topped with 1 tsp. mayonnaise, 1/6 of the sautéed onion, and 1 Tbsp. shredded cheddar cheese.
Nutrition
Calories: 356kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 753mg | Potassium: 148mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 85IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 144mg | Iron: 2mg
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Roasted Red Potato Salad
Roasted red potatoes give this potato salad its unique flavor and texture. It is delicious served warm or chilled for a few hours.
Ingredients
- 1/2 recipe roasted red potatoes
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp. celery seeds
- 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
- 7 green onions, chopped
- 3 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Mix the mayonnaise and spices together and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Gently stir mixture into roasted red potatoes and add green onions and parsley.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate.
Notes
The time estimates for this recipe do not include roasting the potatoes. The salad can be served warm (immediately after roasting the potatoes) or cold, so if you plan to serve it cold you will need to chill either the potatoes before or the whole salad after mixing. You do not have to use red potatoes in the recipe, but whichever type of potatoes you use should be roasted rather than boiled for the best result.
Nutrition
Calories: 330kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 650mg | Potassium: 976mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1017IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 122mg | Iron: 4mg
Go to Roasted Red Potato Salad postPin This Dinner Menu Plan:
Elsi
Thanks for YET AGAIN another menu plan. I have to congratulate you on your instructions which optimize cooking time by cooking extra one day so you can use the leftovers — or “planned overs” as I prefer to call them — another day. I prefer to space them out a little bit, though. So the rice from Monday would be used in Wednesday’s dinner and potatoes from Tuesday would reappear on Thursday.
I just now noticed your recipe multipliers. However, since we’re empty nesters, I’d love to have fractional multipliers (1/2 or 1/3) for a recipe. Yes, I can do the math myself, but sometimes I’m just lazy and since you have the 2x and 3x, perhaps your routine could accommodate fractions as well.
Mary Ann
Hi Elsi,
Thanks for the kind comments! The multipliers are a feature of a plugin we are using, and they were just added as a new feature last week. I have good news and bad news about the multipliers…
The bad news is that unfortunately that plugin doesn’t offer the option of fractional multipliers. The good news is that we are working towards a change in plugins (I am hoping to implement the changes over the next few weeks), and that will have the option to adjust serving size down. 🙂
Mary Ann