Week 21 Summary |
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Notes for this week |
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Day 1 |
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Crockpot Roast Beef and Gravy | Rice | Peas and Carrots |
Day 2 |
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Slow Cooker Sticky Chicken | Apple Raisin Salad | Grilled Asparagus |
Day 3 |
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Open-Faced Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches | Mashed Potatoes | Steamed Broccoli |
Day 4 |
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Asparagus Chicken Salad with Pecans | Apple Slices and Cheddar | |
Day 5 |
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Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya | Green Salad |
🗓️ Day 1
- Crockpot Roast Beef and Gravy
- Rice
- Peas and Carrots
Easy Crockpot Roast Beef & Gravy
The easiest roast beef also happens to be the tastiest! Just season, place in the crockpot, and cook on low all day. This simple roast yields the most heavenly gravy, so be sure to serve it with rice or mashed potatoes.
Ingredients
For the roast:
- 3 lb. beef rump roast
- Salt, as needed
- Coarsely ground black pepper, as needed
For the gravy:
- 1 cup beef broth, or more as needed
- 1-½ Tbsp. flour
Instructions
- Cut excess fat from roast if necessary.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper all over roast and press into sides.
- Place roast in crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours or until done to your preference.
- Remove roast from crockpot, reserving drippings, and let rest while preparing gravy.
For gravy:
- Strain the drippings from the roast into a pan and add ½ cup of the beef broth. Heat over medium heat.
- In a jar with a lid, mix flour with about ½ cup beef broth, shaking well to combine.
- Slowly add about half of the flour mixture to the drippings over medium heat, whisking constantly.
- Continue to heat and whisk as the gravy thickens. If necessary, add more of the flour mixture to thicken or more beef broth to thin.
- The roast beef gravy is ready when it is heated through and you are happy with the consistency.
To serve:
- Slice the roast against the grain and serve with gravy.
Notes
If you are going to be home, you can also prepare this roast beef in a slow oven (about 300°F) for several hours in a covered cast iron dutch oven. With this method, the gravy can be made in the same pan as the roast.
The gravy will thicken more as it cools, and when refrigerated it will gel due to the beef drippings. This is perfectly normal.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 163 calCarbohydrates: 1 gProtein: 26 gFat: 6 gSodium: 429 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 1 g
Easy Crockpot Roast Beef & Gravy Permalink
🗓️ Day 2
- Slow Cooker Sticky Chicken
- Apple Raisin Salad
- Grilled Asparagus
Slow Cooker Sticky Chicken
Tender and delicious, Slow Cooker Sticky Chicken is easy to prepare and makes a delicious dinner while providing leftovers for use in a later meal.
Ingredients
- 1 large roasting chicken, about 5 lbs.
- 1 large onion, chopped
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 4 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl, thoroughly combine everything except the chicken and chopped onion. Remove giblets from chicken, clean the cavity well and pat dry with paper towels.
- Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, both inside and out, making sure it is evenly distributed and down deep into the skin.
- Place in a sealed marinating container and refrigerate overnight.
- When ready to roast chicken, stuff cavity with onions, and place in slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 5 hours or until cooked through. The pan juices will start to caramelize on the bottom of pan and the chicken will turn golden brown when it is ready.
- Use a meat thermometer to ensure that the meat is thoroughly cooked (165°F internal temperature).
- Let chicken rest about 10 minutes before carving.
Notes
Be sure to allow 10-24 hours for the chicken to marinate.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 303 calCarbohydrates: 2 gProtein: 26 gFat: 21 gSodium: 1259 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 1 g
Slow Cooker Sticky Chicken Permalink
🗓️ Day 3
- Open-Faced Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches
- Mashed Potatoes
- Steamed Broccoli
Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches
Open-faced hot roast beef sandwiches with gravy are a wonderful way to use leftovers in a familiar comfort food.
Ingredients
- 1 lb leftover roast beef
- 4 slices bread
- 1 cup brown gravy
Instructions
- Slice leftover roast beef thinly and heat. Place roast beef slices on top of bread and cover with hot gravy before serving.
Notes
If you have leftover gravy from making your roast beef, use that. If not, a jar of gravy can be substituted.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 304 calCarbohydrates: 17 gProtein: 24 gFat: 14 gSodium: 566 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 3 g
Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches Permalink
Homemade Mashed Potatoes
Whether you prefer creamy potatoes or potatoes with some body to them, homemade mashed potatoes are worth the effort.
Ingredients
- 5 lbs. potatoes, cleaned and peeled (see note below)
- 6 tablespoon butter, divided
- ¼ cup skim milk, or more as needed
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- paprika, for garnish
Instructions
- Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Boil until potatoes are fork tender; drain and return to pot.
- Add 4 Tbsp. butter, salt, and pepper to pot and mix; adding enough milk while mixing to reach desired consistency.
- Transfer mashed potatoes to a serving bowl, top with 2 Tbsp. butter, and garnish with paprika.
Notes
Russet potatoes are a good choice for mashed potatoes, but if you prefer to not peel your potatoes, Yukon Gold is perfect for mashing with the skin on.
If you need to speed up the cooking process, try chopping your potatoes before boiling.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 193 calCarbohydrates: 28.52 gProtein: 6.11 gFat: 7.04 gSodium: 434.05 mgFiber: 5.67 gSugar: 0.32 g
🗓️ Day 4
- Asparagus Chicken Salad with Pecans
- Apple Slices with Cheddar Cheese
Asparagus Chicken Salad with Pecans
This fresh pasta salad with asparagus, chicken, and pecans is a delicious way to use fresh asparagus. It can be served hot or cold and only takes about 35 minutes on the stovetop.
Ingredients
- 16 oz. penne pasta
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. garlic, minced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- salt, to taste
- ½ tsp. pepper
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 lb. chicken breast, cooked & cubed (from freezer)
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- ½ cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
- While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large pot over medium heat and sauté the garlic, red pepper, and asparagus.
- Add the broth and bring to a boil; simmer until vegetables begin to soften.
- Add the basil, salt, pepper, butter, and cooked chicken. Cook until chicken is heated through.
- Add cooked, drained pasta, Parmesan cheese, and pecans. Mix thoroughly and serve immediately.
Notes
- Before chopping the asparagus, prepare it by rinsing it under running water, then holding it with both hands and snapping off the tough end. Hold the stalk so that the hand on the tip end is closer to the center of the stalk and the hand on the cut end is close to the end of the stalk. Bring your hands down and toward each other, and the stalk will snap just where it starts to get tough at the end.
- To easily chop fresh basil, roll the leaves up together and slice starting at one end of the roll and working your way across. For smaller pieces, continue by chopping crosswise.
- Vegetarian option Substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. You can either simply omit the chicken altogether, increasing the amount of asparagus and red pepper, or substitute a can of rinsed cannellini beans for the chicken.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 453 calCarbohydrates: 47 gProtein: 26 gFat: 17 gSodium: 668 mgFiber: 3 gSugar: 3 g
Asparagus Chicken Salad with Pecans Permalink
🗓️ Day 5
- Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
- Green Salad
Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
Using chopped cooked chicken, onions, and peppers from the freezer along with a box mix puts Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya on the table in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 10 oz Rotel tomatoes and green chilies
- 15.5 oz black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
- 1 chopped and sautéed onion
- 8 oz box jambalaya rice mix
- 13 oz turkey kielbasa, cooked and cut in half lengthwise then cut into ½" slices
- 1 chopped and sautéed green bell pepper
Instructions
- Chop and sauté the onion and pepper.
- Bring water and Rotel tomatoes and green chilies to a boil in a large pot.
- Add black beans, cooked chicken, sautéed onions and peppers, and rice mix. Cover and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes.
- In a skillet, sauté the sliced kielbasa until browned. Drain off grease and add kielbasa slices to the rice mixture, stirring gently. Continue cooking until the 20 minutes is up and the rice is tender. Serve immediately.
Notes
Notes: To reduce the amount of fat, drain the kielbasa in a colander and rinse with hot water before adding to the rice.
If you have chopped and sautéed onion and pepper stocked in your freezer, use those to save time.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 438 calCarbohydrates: 52 gProtein: 25 gFat: 13 gSodium: 1129 mgFiber: 8 gSugar: 4 g
Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya Permalink
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