Week 47 |
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Notes for this week |
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Day 1 |
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| Southwestern Hamburger Skillet | Green Salad | |
Day 2 |
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| French Cranberry Chicken | Slow Simmered Green Beans | Wild Rice |
Day 3 |
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| Sweet and Sour Meatballs | Mixed Vegetables | Wild Rice |
Day 4 |
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| Crockpot Marinara Sauce | Thin Spaghetti | Green Salad |
Day 5 |
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| Glazed Meatloaf | Baked Potatoes | Quick Stovetop Vegetables with Heat |
🗓️ Day 1
- Southwestern Hamburger Skillet
- Green Salad
Southwestern Hamburger Skillet
Southwestern Hamburger Skillet is one of those great "use what you have" recipes—it works well in many different variations, making it a great way to save money.
Ingredients
- 2 cups egg noodles
- 10 ounces can condensed tomato soup or enchilada sauce
- 1 lb ground beef
- Salt to taste
- 15 ounces can kidney beans
- Shredded cheddar cheese, for garnish
- Sour cream, for garnish
- 3 green onions, sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare egg noodles according to package directions and drain.
- In a large skillet, brown ground beef and drain off any fat.
- Add tomato soup and beans to ground beef, season to taste.
- Add noodles and stir gently to combine.
- Top with cheese, sour cream and green onions if desired before serving.
Notes
This is a good opportunity to use what you have on hand, so feel free to use leftovers and canned ingredients that you have on hand.
- If your family likes spicier flavors, substitute enchilada sauce for the tomato soup and add a can of green chilies or tomatoes with green chilies. Other additions that work well are corn and black olives.
- Although the recipe calls for kidney beans, black beans or red beans can be substituted.
- Don't limit yourself to egg noodles - elbow macaroni or spirals will work just as well.
- Substitute cooked chicken or leftover beef for the ground beef, or make it vegetarian by omitting the meat and adding more beans and some diced peppers and onions.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 364 calCarbohydrates: 41 gProtein: 34 gFat: 7 gSodium: 620 mgFiber: 7 gSugar: 8 g
Southwestern Hamburger Skillet Permalink
🗓️ Day 2
- French Cranberry Chicken
- Wild Rice (make enough for today & Day 3)
- Slow Simmered Green Beans
French Cranberry Chicken
With only 4 ingredients, this tangy and sweet chicken is an easy meal that can be served over rice. Pair it with a salad, green beans, broccoli, or peas for a simple meal.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breasts
- 1 can cranberry sauce
- 8 oz pale orange French dressing, 1 cup
- 1 package dry onion soup mix
Instructions
- Heat cranberry sauce in a pan on the stove.
- Add French dressing and onion soup mix, stirring to mix well.
- Place chicken in a baking pan or crockpot and pour sauce on top. Cover and cook at 350°F for 1-½ hours (or 5-6 hours on low in a crockpot).
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 345 calCarbohydrates: 6 gProtein: 32 gFat: 20 gSodium: 504 mgSugar: 6 g
French Cranberry Chicken Permalink
Slow Simmered Green Beans
Make the most of canned green beans by slow-simmering them in butter.
Ingredients
- 38 ounces Blue Lake green beans, canned
- 4 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Place undrained green beans into a pot and add the butter.
- Heat to a simmer, then reduce to low and cook for about 4 hours, adding water if necessary.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 123 calCarbohydrates: 13 gProtein: 3 gFat: 8 gSodium: 77 mgFiber: 5 gSugar: 6 g
Slow Simmered Green Beans Permalink
🗓️ Day 3
- Sweet and Sour Meatballs
- Mixed Vegetables
- Wild Rice (use leftovers from Day 2)
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Using frozen meatballs makes Sweet and Sour Meatballs an easy "crisis meal" for nights when you don't have time for cooking. Serve over rice with a salad or sautéed vegetables and you have a quick meal. If you want to make and freeze your own meatballs, here is a bulk meatball recipe and another.
Ingredients
- 1 can of crushed pineapple
- 1 tbsp. corn starch
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup vinegar
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 24 frozen cooked meatballs, thawed and browned
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients except meatballs in a large saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add meatballs. Simmer for 10 minutes and serve over cooked rice.
Notes
If you want to make and freeze your own meatballs, here is a bulk meatball recipe and another.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 345 calCarbohydrates: 31 gProtein: 15 gFat: 18 gSodium: 262 mgSugar: 27 g
Sweet and Sour Meatballs Permalink
Bulk Meatballs
Ingredients
- 5 lbs. ground beef
- 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- ¼ cup steak sauce or Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. basil
- 2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. garlic salt
- 1 tsp. onion powder
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together in large bowl by using your hands. (Yes, it's easiest to just get messy and mix away!) If your mixture is a little too dry add a little more steak sauce or Worcestershire sauce. If your mixture is a little too moist, add a little more bread crumbs.
- Shape into 1 inch balls. Place on foil lined baking sheets with a shallow rim to prevent drips and bake at 350°F for about 20-30 minutes, turning occasionally with tongs.
- Allow to cool. Divide into 5 portions in labeled, freezer safe containers.
Notes
You can also make vegetarian meatballs with this recipe—check out the vegetarian meatball recipe, which I use in any recipe calling for meatballs.
You can grill instead of baking if you use a grate that prevents meatballs from falling through.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 183 calCarbohydrates: 5 gProtein: 25 gFat: 6 gSodium: 476 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 1 g
Bulk Meatballs Permalink
🗓️ Day 4
- Crockpot Marinara
- Thin Spaghetti
- Green Salad
Crockpot Marinara Sauce
Slow cooking marinara in the crockpot yields a rich, intense tomato flavor. For quicker cooking, this can be prepared on the stovetop but will result in a less flavorful sauce.
Ingredients
- 25 oz jar spaghetti sauce
- 14 oz can diced tomatoes
- 14 oz can stewed tomatoes
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 1 tsp. basil
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients and simmer in a slow cooker for 4-5 hours on low or until done.
- Serve over hot pasta.
Notes
This can also be prepared on the stovetop. Although cooking over low heat for a longer period of time intensifies the flavor, sauce can be served at any time after 30 minutes on the stovetop.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 80 calCarbohydrates: 18 gProtein: 4 gFat: 1 gSodium: 1018 mgFiber: 5 gSugar: 12 g
Crockpot Marinara Sauce Permalink
🗓️ Day 5
- Glazed Meatloaf
- Baked Potatoes
- Quick Stovetop Vegetables with Heat
Glazed Meatloaf
Cajun seasoning and dry minced onion are the secret to meatloaf with a little kick to complement the sweet glaze.
Ingredients
- ½ C ketchup
- ⅓ C brown sugar
- ¼ C lemon juice, divided
- 1 tsp. mustard powder
- 2 lbs. ground beef
- 3 slices bread, torn up into small pieces
- 1 Tbsp. dry minced onion, or to taste
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1-½ tsp. Cajun seasoning, or to taste
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°.
- In a small bowl combine ketchup, brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, and mustard powder.
- In a large bowl combine ground beef, bread, remaining lemon juice, onion, egg, seasoning and ⅓ of the ketchup mixture. Mix well and place in a loaf pan.
- Bake for 1 hour, drain any fat off, then spread remaining ketchup mixture evenly over the top. Bake for 5-10 more minutes, then serve.
Notes
To prepare for freezer:
- Prepare as raw meatloaf mixture as directed and form into a loaf.
- Line a loaf pan with foil or freezer paper, then form the loaf to the pan.
- Freeze loaf without cooking, reserving ⅔ of the ketchup mixture. Freeze the ketchup mixture in a small container that can be placed with the frozen meatloaf. When meatloaf is frozen, remove from the loaf pan using the foil or freezer paper as leverage. Wrap for the freezer with the extra glaze and label with:
“Glazed Meatloaf: Thaw and bake for 1 hour at 350ºF. Drain fat and spread glaze over top of meatloaf. Bake 5-10 more minutes.”
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 390 calCarbohydrates: 21 gProtein: 22 gFat: 24 gSodium: 278 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 14 g
Glazed Meatloaf Permalink
Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 large baking potatoes
- 6 tsp. vegetable oil for coating
- kosher salt, as needed
- coarsely ground pepper, as needed
- 6 tsp. butter
Instructions
- Spray potatoes with non stick cooking spray. Coat with coarsely ground salt and pepper and cook using the method of your choice below.
- Oven Method: Prick potatoes with a fork several times, wrap in aluminum foil, and cook at 350°F for approximately 1 hour or until centers are hot and tender.
- Crockpot Method: Prick potatoes with a fork several times, wrap in aluminum foil, and cook in the slow cooker for 3-4 hours on high or 6-7 hours on low.
- Microwave Method: Prick potatoes with a fork several times, and starting with 6 minutes, cook in the microwave on high. Check potatoes regularly to see if they are done, adding time in 1-2 minute increments until they are cooked through.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 246 calCarbohydrates: 38 gProtein: 5 gFat: 9 gSodium: 1209 mgFiber: 3 gSugar: 1 g
Quick Stovetop Vegetables with Heat
Ingredients
- 15 oz. whole kernel corn, drained
- 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 10.5 oz. can diced tomatoes and green chilies, drained
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 10 oz. frozen okra, thawed (or zucchini if preferred)
- adobo or garlic salt to taste
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except cheese in a saucepan and heat, stirring occasionally.
- Serve topped with shredded cheese.
Notes
- You may want to substitute diced tomatoes for the tomatoes and green chilies if your family prefers mild flavors.
- If your family doesn't like the texture or taste of okra, try substituting about 1-½ cups of zucchini chopped into large pieces for the okra. If using zucchini, I recommend sautéing it in the pan in a little oil before adding the other vegetables to give it a little time to cook. When it is starting to soften and shrink, go ahead and add the black beans, tomatoes, and corn.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 231 calCarbohydrates: 33 gProtein: 12 gFat: 7 gSodium: 1302 mgFiber: 9 gSugar: 6 g
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