Week 18
Notes for this week:
- You can use a jar of prepared Alfredo sauce for the Broccoli & Fettuccine Alfredo on Day 1 or our homemade Alfredo sauce (I’ve included the recipe below so you can add the ingredients to your grocery list if you plan to make it).
- Leftover Barbecue Roasted Chicken (Day 2) is the topping for Barbecue Chicken Pizza (Day 4). If you have big eaters or want to freeze some shredded chicken, double up on the roast chicken so you have enough.
- Easy Beef Empanadas on Day 3 are a freezer recipe, so you can double up on stocking the freezer by cooking extra ground beef for the freezer and freezing half of the empanadas (or make extra to freeze even more). If you want to use the bulk pie crust recipe (included below) for the empanadas, you might plan ahead and prepare that earlier in the week.
- The steak for the Carne Asada Tortas on Day 5 needs to marinate and the Tex-Mex Cole Slaw needs to chill, so plan to start on these recipes the night before.
- The ingredients for the Homemade Alfredo Sauce are included in the grocery list, so you can either remove that recipe from the collection for your list if you plan to buy a jar, or you can check off the line item for “homemade Alfredo sauce” that is automatically added from the ingredient list.
Day 1
- Broccoli Fettuccine Alfredo
- Green Salad
Day 2
- Barbecue Roasted Chicken
- Corn Muffins
- Peas and Carrots
Day 3
- Easy Beef Empanadas
- MexiCorn
- Spanish Rice
Day 4
- Barbecue Chicken Pizza
- Veggie Sticks with Dip
Day 5
- Carne Asada Tortas
- Tex-Mex Cole Slaw
Day 1 Dinner Menu
- Broccoli Fettuccine Alfredo
- Green Salad
Broccoli & Fettuccine Alfredo
Prepared sauces can be a lifesaver, but preparing fresh homemade Alfredo sauce is worth the little bit of extra effort. Add a quick salad to Broccoli & Fettuccine Alfredo, and the complete meal can be on the table in about the time it takes to cook and drain the fettuccine.
Ingredients
- 8 oz fettuccine, cooked according to pkg. directions
- ½ recipe homemade alfredo sauce, or a jar of prepared sauce
- 1 head broccoli, chopped into florets
Instructions
- Steam broccoli in covered microwave safe dish for about 5 minutes or add broccoli to fettuccine during the last five minutes of the fettuccine boiling time.
- Drain pasta and broccoli. Serve Alfredo sauce over pasta and broccoli.
Notes
Nutrition facts are for homemade Alfredo sauce.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 580 calCarbohydrates: 52 gProtein: 18 gFat: 34 gSodium: 617 mgFiber: 5 gSugar: 3 gNet Carbs: 47 g
Broccoli & Fettuccine Alfredo Permalink
Homemade Alfredo Sauce
The combination of cream, butter, and Parmesan cheese creates a fantastic homemade Alfredo sauce, and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg adds the perfect complement to the creamy richness.
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ¼ cup butter, cut into pieces
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
- ⅛ tsp. freshly ground nutmeg, affiliate link
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, combine cream and butter. Heat over medium heat until butter has melted and cream is warmed, but do not boil.
- Add Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mix well and cook over medium-low heat until cheese is melted. Serve with pasta.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 311 calCarbohydrates: 2 gProtein: 6 gFat: 31 gSodium: 409 mgNet Carbs: 2 g
Homemade Alfredo Sauce Permalink
Day 2 Dinner Menu
- Barbecue Roasted Chicken
- Corn Muffins
- Peas and Carrots
Barbecue Roasted Chicken
This delicious roasted barbecue chicken makes a wonderful meal and is perfect for planned leftovers. Shred leftover chicken and use on Barbecue Chicken Pizza or in barbecue sandwiches (double up and cook two roasters for more leftovers).
Ingredients
- 5 lb. whole chicken
- 1 ½ cups barbecue sauce
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- oil as needed
Instructions
- Loosen skin from the chicken on all sides. Coat chicken between the skin and meat with half of the barbecue sauce and all the garlic, distributing as evenly as possible.
- Tie legs together and place breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Drizzle a small amount of oil over the top.
- Bake at 375°F for about 1 hour to 1 ½ hours or until chicken is cooked through. During the last 15 minutes brush remaining barbecue sauce over the chicken.
Notes
Shredded or chopped cooked chicken makes a great shortcut for future meals, so whenever I roast a chicken I freeze the leftover chicken for use in things like pizza topping, barbecue sandwiches, or to use in soups and casseroles.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 575 calCarbohydrates: 17 gProtein: 42 gFat: 35 gSodium: 599 mgSugar: 14 gNet Carbs: 17 g
Barbecue Roasted Chicken Permalink
Day 3 Dinner Menu
- Easy Beef Empanadas
- MexiCorn
- Spanish Rice
Easy Baked Beef Empanadas
Easy Beef Empanadas make it look like you spent all day in the kitchen but are easy and delicious. They make a great freezer meal, too—make extra to freeze!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked ground beef, from the freezer, thawed
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
- ⅓ cup water
- 15.25 oz. canned corn, drained
- ½ onion, chopped and sautéed
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup salsa
- 4 pie crust dough portions, unbaked
Instructions
- If your cooked ground beef is not already taco-seasoned, simmer it with the taco seasoning and water for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. If it is already seasoned, skip this step.
- In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the pie crust dough.
- Roll the pie crust dough out to about 1/16" thick. It's best to cut one 8" circle and make a test empanada before cutting out all of the circles to be sure that your thickness works well for folding and sealing. It's easy to make the dough too thin, resulting in a frustrating experience when filling and sealing.
- When you are satisfied with the thickness of the dough, cut 18 individual circles approximately 8" in diameter.
- Fill each crust with ⅓ cup of the filling. Fold crust over and seal, cutting off any extra dough if necessary. Bake at 375°F for approximately 25 minutes, or until crust is light brown and crispy. Serve with queso dip or salsa.
- To freeze, place unbaked empanadas in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze. When frozen, place in freezer containers and label with the following information: “Thaw. Bake at 375°F approximately 25 minutes, or until crust is light brown and crispy. Serve with queso dip or salsa.”
Notes
- Nutrition data is per empanada.
- You can substitute pie crusts from the refrigerated section of the grocery store for the bulk pie crusts if you prefer.
- Making empanadas, dumplings, and turnovers is much easier with a turnover press. This turnover press set from Amazon (affiliate link) comes with 5 presses of varying sizes ranging from 2-½” to 7″:
- If you use the 7" press (which is the largest size press I can find), you'll need to use slightly less than ⅓ cup of filling in each empanada but will be able to get 2-3 more empanadas out of the recipe.
- To use the press, use the side without the fluting to press into the dough to cut out your circles. Once your circles are cut out, place them on the fluted side of the press, add the filling, then close the press to seal the edges. Make sure that your dough is not too thin (thin dough will sink in the center when filled, pulling away from the edges and causing a poor seal).
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 303 calCarbohydrates: 25 gProtein: 8 gFat: 18 gSodium: 616 mgFiber: 1 gNet Carbs: 24 g
Easy Baked Beef Empanadas Permalink
Bulk Pie Crust
Our flaky, buttery pie crust is a delicious basis for pies, quiches, and pot pies. With only 3 ingredients plus water, this bulk pie crust recipe is all natural and contains none of the lard and preservatives found in most commercially prepared crusts.
Ingredients
- 6 cups flour
- 1 lb. butter, softened (4 sticks)
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups cold water
Instructions
- Mix flour and salt.
- If mixing by hand, use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in butter a little at a time until mixture is crumbly. If using a stand mixer, use the pulse function to mix. The flour and butter mixture does not have to be completely uniform; it's actually good to leave a few larger bits of butter mixed in.
- Add water a little at a time and mix until mixture forms a ball.
- If your dough starts to get greasy because the butter is melting, place it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before working with it further.
- Add water as necessary to get correct texture, but try to add as little water as possible. You only need enough water so that the dough holds together; the final product will not look like a smooth ball.
- Divide dough in half, then divide each half into 3 equal parts.
- At this point roll each section out to be ready for a pie plate before freezing, or you can freeze it in discs to be rolled before use. If you want to do the extra step of rolling it out, place each section of crust on lightly floured parchment paper and roll it out to your preferred size, then starting at one end of the parchment paper, gently roll it up with the pie crust inside.
- If you are freezing without rolling, form each section into a slightly flattened disc and place parchment paper between each disc of dough. Freeze in a freezer container.
- If you rolled the pie crusts out and rolled them up in parchment paper, place them on a cookie sheet or other flat surface and freeze for a couple of hours. Once the crusts are individually frozen, you can combine them and place them together in a freezer container or wrap them with freezer paper and freeze.
Notes
- The dough can be mixed by hand or with a sturdy stand mixer.
- Nutrition data is per pie crust.
- Freshly ground whole wheat flour may be used in this recipe instead of white flour at a one to one ratio.
- To bake an unfilled crust, cook at 475ºF for about 8 minutes. For filled crusts, bake according to recipe instructions.
Nutrition per serving
Serving: 1 pie crustCalories: 997 calCarbohydrates: 95 gProtein: 13 gFat: 62 gSodium: 1179 mgFiber: 3 gNet Carbs: 92 g
Bulk Pie Crust Permalink
Day 4 Dinner Menu
- Barbecue Chicken Pizza
- Veggie Sticks with Dip
Barbecue Chicken Pizza
Barbecue Chicken Pizza is a delicious way to use leftover barbecue chicken and only takes a few minutes to prepare.
Ingredients
- 1 prepared pizza crust
- 2 cups barbecue sauce
- 1 cup cooked chicken, shredded
- 1 cup red onion, sliced
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Roll pizza dough out on a pizza stone or pan and spread with barbecue sauce. Sprinkle with cheese, then layer chicken and red onion slices.
- Cook at 400°F until brown and bubbly, about 20-30 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition data is per slice.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 274 calCarbohydrates: 31 gProtein: 12 gFat: 10 gSodium: 923 mgSugar: 24 gNet Carbs: 31 g
Barbecue Chicken Pizza Permalink
Day 5 Dinner Menu
- Carne Asada Tortas
- Tex-Mex Cole Slaw
Carne Asada Tortas
Carne asada is a delicious sliced grilled beef made with spices to marinate the meat before grilling. A torta is a Mexican sandwich usually served on a bolillo roll, a savory white roll that is crusty on the outside (we used a softer sandwich bun when we made our tortas).
Ingredients
- 2 lbs flap meat
Marinade:
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 ½ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup lime juice
- 3 Tbsp oil
For the sandwiches:
- 6 sandwich rolls, bolillo or French are most authentic
- ½ head shredded iceberg lettuce
- 4 oz. guacamole
- 1 large tomato, sliced
- 8 oz. cotija cheese, crumbled (or shredded colby jack)
- ½ cup jalapeno slices
- hot sauce, to taste
Instructions
- Combine marinade ingredients and pour over the meat. Toss to coat and let marinate overnight. Grill meat until cooked to your preference.
- To assemble: Spread guacamole on the tops and bottoms of the rolls. Top bottom buns with meat followed by tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, jalapenos, and hot sauce. Gently press the top buns over the sandwich. Serve.
Notes
Flap meat is another name for a sirloin tip steak, and may also be referred to as “faux hanger.” It is an inexpensive cut of meat that is perfect for grilling, but if you can’t find flap meat you can substitute flank steak.
We used sandwich rolls for our tortas, but if you can find French rolls or bolillo, they are a more authentic style torta.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 580 calCarbohydrates: 40 gProtein: 46 gFat: 25 gSodium: 1025 mgFiber: 4 gSugar: 5 gNet Carbs: 36 g
Carne Asada Tortas Permalink
Tex-Mex Coleslaw
A southwestern twist on traditional coleslaw, this Tex-Mex coleslaw is flavored with lime and cilantro.
Ingredients
- 1 bag coleslaw mix
- 3 green onions, sliced
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoon lime juice
Instructions
- Combine everything in a large bowl and let chill for a few hours before serving.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 149 calCarbohydrates: 5 gProtein: 1 gFat: 14 gSodium: 133 mgFiber: 2 gSugar: 3 gNet Carbs: 3 g
Tex-Mex Coleslaw Permalink
Create a Shopping List
Note that any adjustments to servings from above do not carry over to the starting point for the grocery list, so you will need to make those same serving adjustments below after you click the Shopping List button. “Print Collection” prints the list of meals, not the recipes, which should be printed from the recipe card. Remember that side dishes are not included on the grocery list unless we have included a recipe for them.
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