Week 11 Summary |
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Notes for this week |
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Day 1 |
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| Hash Brown Potato Soup | Salad | Baguette |
Day 2 |
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| Poppy Seed Chicken | Acorn Squash | Seasoned Green Beans |
Day 3 |
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| Black Beans and Rice | Southwest-style Green Salad | |
Day 4 |
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| Crustless Broccoli Quiche | Grapes | Buttermilk Biscuits |
Day 5 |
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| Baked Ziti | Salad | |
🗓️ Day 1
- Hash Brown Potato Soup
- Salad
- Baguette
Hash Brown Potato Soup {30 Minute Recipe}
Hearty and full of potatoes and cheese, this potato soup with frozen hash browns made on the stove is a super quick recipe without a lot of fuss or mess.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3 14.5 oz. cans chicken broth
- 32 ounces bag frozen hash browns, diced, not shredded
- 10.5 ounces condensed cream of celery soup
- 10.5 ounces condensed cream of chicken soup
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- 16 ounces shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- green onions, chopped (for garnish)
- salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Sauté onion in oil in soup pot.
- Add broth and bring to boil.
- Add hash browns and bring to boil.
- Add soups and evaporated milk, bring to a simmer.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it is thickened with a few potato chunks remaining (about 2-3 minutes). Remove blender.
- Add 3-½ cups cheddar cheese.
- Heat, stirring frequently, until cheese melts.
- Season with salt & pepper to taste.
- Serve garnished with remaining shredded cheddar and green onions.
Video
Notes
- If you have sautéed onions in the freezer, use the equivalent of 1 onion. If not, consider sautéing a whole bag of onions either while preparing this dish or later when you have more time and freezing them in 1 cup portions. Next time a recipe calls for a sautéed onion, you have it already prepared!
- For a vegetarian version of this soup, use vegetable stock in place of chicken broth, and use two cans of cream of celery soup and omit the cream of chicken soup.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 461 calCarbohydrates: 32 gProtein: 21 gFat: 28 gSodium: 1168 mgFiber: 2 gSugar: 6 gNet Carbohydrates: 30 g
Hash Brown Potato Soup {30 Minute Recipe} Permalink
🗓️ Day 2
- Poppy Seed Chicken
- Acorn Squash
- Seasoned Green Beans
Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
This beloved southern favorite is creamy and delicious, and when you have cooked chicken on hand (which you will if you are following the Secrets of a Busy Cook!) it’s easy to make.
Ingredients
Filling
- 2 cups cooked chicken, from freezer or 1 lb. chicken breasts, chopped and sautéed
- 20 oz condensed cream of chicken soup
- ½ cup light sour cream
- 1 sleeve round buttery crackers, crushed
- 1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
Topping
- 1 sleeve round buttery crackers, crushed
- 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
- poppy seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Combine chicken, soups, sour cream, 1 sleeve crackers, and 1 Tbsp. poppy seeds in a large bowl. Mix well and transfer to a greased casserole dish.
- Mix together remaining crackers and melted butter and sprinkle on top. Garnish with poppy seeds.
- Bake at 325°F for 25 minutes.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 350 calCarbohydrates: 29 gProtein: 14 gFat: 20 gSodium: 870 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 3 g
Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole Permalink
Microwave Acorn Squash
Microwave acorn squash with butter and cinnamon-sugar is a super easy side dish or dessert that your family will love! Even picky eaters love the sweet, buttery topping and tender squash.
Ingredients
- 1 acorn squash
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar or honey
- dash of cinnamon and/or nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons butter
- dash of salt
- 2 tablespoons water, for steaming
Instructions
- Wash acorn squash, cut in half lengthwise; scrape out seeds.1 acorn squash
- Place squash cut side down into a glass baking dish containing 2 tablespoons water.2 tablespoons water
- Cook in microwave until squash is tender, about 6 minutes. (Cooking time depends on your microwave strength and the number of squash you are cooking; this recipe was tested using one squash—two halves—in a 1600 watt microwave.)
- Remove from microwave, turn squash right side up in same dish.
- Into each hollow, place butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cook in microwave until butter mixture is bubbly, about 2-4 minutes. Serve hot.2 teaspoons brown sugar or honey, dash of cinnamon and/or nutmeg, 2 teaspoons butter, dash of salt
- Cook in microwave until butter mixture is bubbly. Serve hot.
Video
Notes
One squash makes enough for two people, so just adjust the number of squash to be half the number of servings you want.
Oven acorn squash instructions:
You can make roasted or baked squash in the oven if you prefer—skip the steaming step and put it face down on a baking sheet with shallow sides, and cook it in a preheated 375ºF oven for about 30-40 minutes (or until the insides are tender when pricked with a fork) Remove and turn skin side down and fill the hollow with the butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Cook until butter is melted and bubbling, about 15 more minutes.
Microwave sliced acorn squash instructions:
To make sliced acorn squash in the microwave, clean the acorn squash as directed, then slice each squash half crosswise into 1" thick slices. Steam the slices in a microwave steamer until tender, then brush with the butter and sprinkle the other toppings on top before heating briefly again as directed.
Nutrition per serving
Serving: 0.5 squashCalories: 140 calCarbohydrates: 27 gProtein: 2 gFat: 4 gSodium: 43 mgFiber: 3 gSugar: 5 g
Microwave Acorn Squash Permalink
Seasoned Green Beans
This quick recipe will bring extra flavor to fresh or frozen green beans.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. fresh or frozen green beans
- 2 tsp. butter
- ¼ package Good Seasons Italian dressing mix, or more to taste
Instructions
- If needed, trim green beans of ends and strings. If using frozen green beans, thaw first.
- Lightly steam green beans, then drain excess liquid.
- Melt butter in large fry pan. Add green beans. Sprinkle with the ¼ package of seasoning mix and stir well while sautéing.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 35 calCarbohydrates: 5 gProtein: 1 gFat: 2 gSodium: 21 mgFiber: 2 gSugar: 2 g
Seasoned Green Beans Permalink
🗓️ Day 3
- Black Beans and Rice
- Southwest-style Green Salad
Quick & Easy Black Beans and Rice
This quick stovetop Black Beans and Rice can be made in the time it takes to cook the rice. Adjust the spices to your taste by using salsa that is hot or mild, or add a chopped jalapeno to the pepper and onion.
Ingredients
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 can black beans (15 ounces), drained and rinsed
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 cup salsa
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 cups white rice, plus water needed to cook according to directions
Instructions
- Cook rice according to package directions.
- While rice is cooking, sauté onion and bell pepper in oil in a large skillet until tender.
- Add cooked beans, garlic, salsa, salt, and pepper to onions and peppers in skillet. Cover and let simmer while preparing rice. Add water if necessary.
- Serve beans over rice.
Notes
For an even faster alternative, you can substitute another cup of salsa for the sautéed pepper and onion.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 546 calCarbohydrates: 108 gProtein: 18 gFat: 5 gSodium: 1048 mgFiber: 13 gSugar: 5 g
Quick & Easy Black Beans and Rice Permalink
🗓️ Day 4
- Crustless Broccoli Quiche
- Grapes
- Buttermilk Biscuits
Crustless Vegetable Quiche
We’ve used broccoli and cheddar in this delicious and easy crustless quiche, but you can substitute different cheeses or vegetables to use what you have. Try it this way or with spinach and mozzarella cheese or mushrooms and Swiss.
Ingredients
- 8 eggs, beaten
- 10 oz pkg frozen chopped broccoli, cooked, drained and chopped
- 1 C. cheddar cheese, shredded
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 C. milk
Instructions
- Combine eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Stir in broccoli/spinach and cheese. Pour into a greased 8 inch pie pan that has 2 inch sides.
- Bake at 350°F about 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Notes
For spinach quiche, use 1 (10 oz) pkg. frozen spinach, defrosted, with the water squeezed out, or use sliced sautéed mushrooms and Swiss cheese for an entirely different flavor.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 283 calCarbohydrates: 6 gProtein: 20 gFat: 20 gSodium: 361 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 3 g
Crustless Vegetable Quiche Permalink
Easy Buttermilk Biscuits
These 3 ingredient buttermilk biscuits from scratch yield consistent, delicious results.
Ingredients
- 4 cups self-rising flour
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1-½ cups buttermilk
Instructions
- Combine flour and butter, cutting with a fork or using a mixer.
- Stir in buttermilk and mix well. Add more flour if too wet, more buttermilk if too dry.
- When dough is rolling consistency, knead a few times and turn out onto a floured surface. Roll out and cut with a biscuit cutter.
- Bake the biscuits on cookie sheet at 475° until brown, about 15 minutes (time will vary based on thickness).
Notes
If you do not have self-rising flour, you can make your own by combining 4 cups all-purpose flour with 2 Tbsp. baking powder and 1 tsp. salt.
Freezing Buttermilk Biscuits
You can freeze the biscuits either cooked or uncooked.
To freeze uncooked, place the biscuits in a single layer on a cookie sheet or other flat pan and put in the freezer for a few hours or until frozen. When frozen, place the biscuits into a dated freezer container for later use.
To freeze cooked biscuits, place biscuits into a dated freezer container for later use.
If assembling breakfast sandwiches for the freezer, slice cooked biscuits and fill as desired. Wrap each biscuit with freezer wrap and place biscuits in a freezer container.
To cook frozen biscuits:
If cooking thawed biscuits, follow normal cooking instructions.
To cook frozen biscuits, extend cooking time to about 25 minutes (cooking time will vary with thickness).
If reheating cooked biscuits, bake at 350ºF for about 20-25 minutes or until hot. If biscuits begin to brown too much, cover with foil for remaining cooking time.
To reheat breakfast sandwiches, wrap breakfast sandwich in a paper towel and heat in microwave for 2 minutes, then flip over and heat for an additional 1-2 minutes until heated through.
Nutrition per serving
Serving: 1 biscuitCalories: 135 calCarbohydrates: 18 gProtein: 3 gFat: 5 gSodium: 47 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 1 g
Easy Buttermilk Biscuits Permalink
🗓️ Day 5
- Baked Ziti
- Salad
Cheesy Baked Ziti
Cheesy Baked Ziti is perfect for those nights when you might be tempted to order pizza or hit the drive thru. Preparation is minimal and in the 30 minutes while it is baking you can prepare a salad.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces box ziti or penne
- 50 ounces pasta sauce
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
- 1 egg
- 16 ounces container ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tablespoon parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Nonstick cooking spray
Instructions
- Spray a 3-quart baking dish. Cook pasta according to package directions but slightly undercooking; drain. In a medium bowl combine pasta sauce and Italian seasoning. Remove 2 cups and set aside. Stir remaining sauce into cooked pasta.
- Place half of the pasta mixture in baking dish. Sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese on top.
- In a medium bowl, beat egg and stir in ricotta, Parmesan, parsley, and salt until blended.
- Place over the mozzarella cheese by dolloping with a spoon and gently spread. Top with remaining pasta, then sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Spread remaining pasta sauce evenly to edges of dish, coating all pasta.
- Bake, uncovered, in a preheated 350°F oven for 30 minutes or until very hot in center and edges are bubbly.
- Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake 3 to 5 minutes longer or until cheese melts.
Notes
Cheesy Baked Ziti freezes well, so if you'd like you can double the recipe and put one in the freezer. Don't put the shredded cheese topping on before freezing—put it in a separate bag or container and place it under the wrapping so that it is handy when you are ready to bake the dish. Label with:
Cheesy Baked Ziti: Thaw. Bake uncovered in a preheated 350°F oven for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake 3 to 5 minutes longer or until cheese melts.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 446 calCarbohydrates: 44 gProtein: 25 gFat: 19 gSodium: 1446 mgFiber: 4 gSugar: 9 g
Cheesy Baked Ziti Permalink
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