Meal Plan for Week 21 (Group 1)

• 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.

• Bake puff pastry according to package instructions.
• While puff pastry is baking, combine gravy, lemon juice, chicken, broccoli, ½ cup of the cheese, and seasoning in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until heated through.
• Serve in pastry shells with remaining cheese sprinkled on top.

• Cook carrots by steaming to your tenderness preference.
• Place remaining ingredients in a serving bowl and mix well.
• Add steamed carrots to the bowl while still hot. Toss gently until coated with glaze.
• Garnish with thyme if desired.

• Slice leftover roast beef thinly and heat. Place roast beef slices on top of bread and cover with hot gravy before serving.

• 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.

• Place pie crusts in two pie pans. Line crusts with aluminum foil. Bake both pie crusts at 400°F for 5 minutes; remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes. Add chili powder, cumin, and cheeses to bottom of baked crusts.
• Mix together eggs, milk, chilies, onions, olives, and cilantro in a large mixing bowl. Pour half in each pie crust.
• Place one pie on baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 30 minutes. Add foil to edge of crust as crust starts to brown. Continue to bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to set up for about 5 -10 minutes before serving.
• Cover and freeze second quiche for future use. (Label quiche for freezer “South of the Border Quiche. Remove quiche from freezer 30 minutes before baking. Bake at 400°F for 40 minutes. Line edges of crust with foil as crust starts to brown. Continue baking about 30 minutes until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let set for 10 minutes before serving.”)

• Mix all marinade ingredients together thoroughly in a small bowl. Pour half of marinade over raw chicken in a container with a lid. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Reserve other half of marinade for basting later in the cooking process.
• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Carefully add chicken to heated oil. Use a slotted spoon to avoid adding the marinade to the hot oil. Add the garlic and ginger from the marinade, then dispose of the leftover marinade from the chicken.
• Stir fry until chicken is cooked through; remove chicken from skillet and keep warm. Add the red bell pepper slices to the skillet and stir fry for 2 minutes. Next, add cornstarch to the reserved marinade. Add cornstarch/marinade mixture and the chicken to the peppers in the skillet; stir fry for 2 more minutes.
• Remove skillet from heat. Season with salt and pepper; garnish with scallions and cashews. Serve over rice.

• Wash spinach thoroughly. Mix spinach and prepared strawberries together in a medium salad bowl. Mix with poppy seed dressing and sprinkle with nuts if desired.