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    Home / Meal Plans

    Meal Plan for Week 8 (Group 1)

    Meal Plan for Week 8 (Group 1): Chicken with Basil Cream Sauce, Vegetable Stromboli, Creamy Tomato Basil Soup, Slow Cooker Beef and Mushrooms, White Chicken Chili

    Week 8 Summary

    Notes for this week

    • For additional information about recipes, please visit the recipe post linked at the bottom of each recipe card.
    • Use cooked chicken from the freezer for the Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili on Day 5.

    Day 1

    Chicken with Basil Cream SauceSteamed Broccoli

    Day 2

    Vegetable StromboliSpinach Salad

    Day 3

    Creamy Tomato Basil SoupGrilled CheeseCarrots and Dip

    Day 4

    Slow Cooker Beef and MushroomsEgg NoodlesLima Beans

    Day 5

    Slow Cooker White Chicken ChiliCornbread
    Jump to:
    • 🗓️ Day 1
    • 🗓️ Day 2
    • 🗓️ Day 3
    • 🗓️ Day 4
    • 🗓️ Day 5
    • 🧾 Create a shopping list
    • 📌 Pin this meal plan


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    🗓️ Day 1

    • Chicken with Basil Cream Sauce
    • Steamed Broccoli
    breaded cooked chicken breast smothered in a cream sauce with basil and red peppers

    Chicken with Basil Cream Sauce

    This rich and creamy chicken dish is one of the recipes first featured in our meal plans. The pimentos and fresh basil are the perfect seasoning in the delicious cream sauce served over breaded and sautéed chicken breasts.
    5 from 1 vote
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    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 35 minutes mins
    Course Main Dish
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4
    Calories 650

    Ingredients
      

    • ¼ cup milk
    • ¼ cup dry bread crumbs
    • 1 lb thin cut boneless skinless chicken breasts
    • 3 Tbsp. butter
    • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
    • ½ cup chicken broth
    • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
    • 4 oz. jar diced pimientos, drained
    • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
    • ¼ cup minced fresh basil, or 1 Tbsp. dried
    • ⅛ Tbsp. pepper
    • 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
    • 8 oz. spaghetti or vermicelli
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    Instructions

    Chicken

    • Set up an assembly line with chicken breasts, a shallow bowl with the milk, and a bowl with the bread crumbs.
    • Dip chicken in milk, then bread crumbs.
    • Brown chicken on both sides in butter and olive oil over medium heat and continue cooking until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Remove and keep warm.

    Sauce

    • While making the sauce, put the pasta on to cook so they will be done at the same time.
    • Add all but 3 Tbsp. of the broth to the drippings in the skillet and bring to a boil.
    • Stir, loosening drippings from the bottom of the pan. Add whipping cream and pimientos.
    • Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly, for about a minute.
    • Reduce heat and add Parmesan cheese, basil and pepper.
    • Mix cornstarch and remaining 3 Tbsp. broth.
    • When the sauce is heated through, add cornstarch mixture, stirring over medium heat to thicken.
    • Place chicken on pasta and cover with basil cream sauce.

    Notes

    Fresh basil works best in this recipe.
    Thin cut chicken breasts are idea for even cooking; if you are using regular breasts, you can pound them to an even thickness between two pieces of wax paper with the side of a meat mallet.

    Nutrition per serving

    Calories: 650 calCarbohydrates: 31 gProtein: 35 gFat: 43 gSodium: 593 mgFiber: 2 gSugar: 2 g
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    🗓️ Day 2

    • Vegetable Stromboli
    • Spinach Salad
    Vegetable Stromboli on a cream colored plate with marinara sauce

    Vegetable Stromboli

    I love recipes like this because they are so easily adapted to what you have on hand. There are so many combinations that would be good—mix it up by using leftover meat or spinach instead of the vegetables listed, or try swapping out different cheeses. Anytime you can reduce waste by using leftovers instead of throwing them away, you save money.
    No ratings yet
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    Prep Time 25 minutes mins
    Cook Time 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 40 minutes mins
    Course Main Dish
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 4 sesrvings
    Calories 387

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cups spaghetti sauce
    • 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
    • ½ cup green pepper, chopped
    • ½ cup onion, chopped
    • 1 recipe of your favorite pizza dough, homemade or purchased

      , prepared
    • 1 egg, beaten
    • 1 tablespoon water
    • 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
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    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350°F.
    • In large skillet, brown mushrooms, onion, and pepper. Add ½ cup pasta sauce and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
    • Meanwhile, roll dough out and cut into 6 rectangles, about 5"x7". In a small bowl, mix egg and water, brush on dough edges. Stir cheese into vegetable mixture. Spoon equal amounts of vegetable mixture onto half of each dough piece. Fold dough over filling and press around sides to seal edges.
    • Place on baking sheet and brush with egg mixture. Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. Heat remaining pasta sauce and serve with cooked stromboli.

    Notes

    1. Speed up your preparation with prepared pizza dough. You can buy refrigerated pizza dough in a cardboard tube near the crescent rolls, and some grocery stores (I'm looking at you, Trader Joe's) carry bags of ready to roll pizza dough in the refrigerated section.
    2. Use what you have for this dish—if you have spinach and mushrooms but not onions and peppers, use that. Meat can be added/substituted.

    Nutrition per serving

    Calories: 387 calCarbohydrates: 57 gProtein: 18 gFat: 11 gSodium: 1543 mgFiber: 4 gSugar: 13 g
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    🗓️ Day 3

    • Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
    • Grilled Cheese
    • Carrots and Dip
    Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

    Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

    Served with grilled cheese sandwiches, this soup makes a filling and flavorful meal anytime of the year.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Add to Collection Go to Collections
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 15 minutes mins
    Course Main Dish
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 4 bowls
    Calories 157

    Ingredients
      

    • 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
    • 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
    • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
    • 3 teaspoon sugar
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • 1 cup half and half
    • shredded Parmesan cheese
    • Croutons
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    Instructions

    • Combine tomatoes and broth in a sauce pan over medium heat. Stir in basil and sugar and continue heating for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    • Reduce heat; stir in half and half. Cook, stirring regularly, until soup is hot.
    • Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve garnished with Parmesan cheese and croutons.

    Notes

    For a less creamy soup (and fewer calories), reduce the half and half to ½ cup (or omit it).

    Nutrition per serving

    Calories: 157 calCarbohydrates: 20 gProtein: 5 gFat: 8 gSodium: 502 mgFiber: 4 gSugar: 12 g
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    🗓️ Day 4

    • Slow Cooker Beef and Mushrooms
    • Egg Noodles
    • Lima Beans
    White plate with egg noodles topped with beef and mushrooms, garnished with a sprig of parsley.

    Slow Cooker Beef and Mushrooms

    Slow cooker recipes like Slow Cooker Beef and Mushrooms are a great way to make a low stress dinner at home.
    5 from 1 vote
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    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 8 hours hrs
    Total Time 8 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
    Course Main Dish
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8
    Calories 309

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 lbs. beef stew meat cut into 1 inch pieces
    • 1 envelope onion soup mix
    • 10.5 oz can cream golden mushroom soup
    • 2 cups whole mushrooms
    • ½ cup red wine
    • 6 cups egg noodles, prepared according to directions
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    Instructions

    • Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Stir until well blended. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours (or on high for 5-6 hours). Serve over cooked egg noodles.

    Notes

    This recipe freezes well so you may want to double the ingredients on your grocery list and freeze half. (Freeze only the meat mixture; cook the egg noodles just before serving.)

    Nutrition per serving

    Calories: 309 calCarbohydrates: 24 gProtein: 32 gFat: 8 gSodium: 345 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 1 g
    Slow Cooker Beef and Mushrooms Permalink
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    🗓️ Day 5

    • Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
    • Cornbread

    white chicken chili with cilantro

    Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

    Using leftover marinated, grilled chicken is the secret to this flavorful and comforting white chicken chili. Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili will tempt you with its fantastic aroma as the chicken, beans, corn, herbs, and spices simmer in the crockpot.
    5 from 2 votes
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    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 5 hours hrs
    Total Time 5 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
    Course Main Dish
    Cuisine Gluten-free, Tex-Mex
    Servings 8 bowls
    Calories 324

    Equipment

    slow cooker.
    Slow Cooker

    Ingredients
      

    • 4 cups marinated, grilled chicken, chopped
    • 3 cans great northern beans (15.5 ounces each), drained and rinsed
    • 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
    • 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
    • 2 cups canned or frozen yellow corn, thawed and drained
    • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
    • 1 tablespoon garlic salt
    • 1 teaspoon oregano
    • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
    • ¼ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
    • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
    • 32 ounces vegetable or chicken broth
    • 1 avocado, sliced (for garnish)
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    Instructions

    • Place the chicken, beans, onion, garlic, corn, cumin, garlic salt, oregano, smoked paprika, Tabasco sauce, and 2 tablespoons of cilantro in slow cooker.
      ingredients for slow cooker white chicken chili
    • Pour broth over ingredients and stir gently.
    • Cover and cook on low for 4 ½ to 5 ½ hours (this may vary depending on how hot your slow cooker cooks). If necessary, add water.
      slow cooker white chicken chili in crockpot
    • Serve garnished with remaining chopped cilantro and sliced avocado if desired.

    Notes

    1. You could use any cooked chicken in this recipe, but the marinated, grilled chicken is what gives this crockpot white chicken chili its distinct flavor. It's worth the extra effort, and planned leftovers are always a good addition to a meal plan. You can save lots of time by doing prep work like this in bulk and freezing the prepared ingredients. You can find out more about this way of cooking by reading the our meal plan primer.
    2. Vegetarian. For a vegetarian version, add a second variety of beans in place of the chicken and use vegetable broth. A dash of liquid smoke will help add some of the flavor lost from not using the grilled chicken, or you could marinate and grill vegetables in place of the chicken.
    3. Gluten-free. As long as tamari is used in the chicken marinade instead of soy sauce, this recipe is gluten-free as written.

    Nutrition per serving

    Calories: 324 calCarbohydrates: 27 gProtein: 32 gFat: 11 gSodium: 2020 mgFiber: 8 gSugar: 4 g
    Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili Permalink
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    Sliced cornbread in a round cast iron skillet and piece of cornbread on a plate

    Easy Cornbread with Canned Corn

    Flavor takes center stage in this easy recipe for cornbread with corn kernels. Golden yellow with delicious browned edges from cooking in a cast iron skillet and rich with corn kernels throughout each piece, this cornbread is perfect served on its own with butter or with chili, pinto beans, or soup.
    4.54 from 26 votes
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    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 25 minutes mins
    Total Time 35 minutes mins
    Course Bread
    Cuisine American, Southern
    Servings 8 slices
    Calories 286

    Equipment

    preseasoned cast iron skillet
    9" Cast Iron Skillet

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
    • 1 cup all-purpose flour
    • ¼ cup sugar
    • 3 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ¼ cup vegetable oil
    • 1 cup milk
    • 1 large egg
    • 15.25 ounces canned corn, drained
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    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 425°F.
    • Put half of the vegetable oil in a 9x9x2 cast iron skillet and preheat in oven just long enough to heat oil (be careful not to burn oil or let it smoke). Tip: You can test the preheated oil for readiness by dropping a tiny bit of cornmeal or batter into it. If it sizzles, it is ready.
    • While oil is heating in skillet, mix all remaining ingredients in a bowl.
    • Remove preheated cast iron skillet from oven carefully.
    • Pour batter into preheated cast iron skillet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until done. Cornbread is done when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with no wet batter (moist crumbs are okay).

    Notes

    One cup of thawed and drained frozen corn may be substituted for the canned corn.

    Nutrition per serving

    Serving: 1 sliceCalories: 286 calCarbohydrates: 42 gProtein: 6 gFat: 10 gSodium: 402 mgFiber: 2 gSugar: 8 gNet Carbohydrates: 40 g
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    🧾 Create a shopping list

    Note that any recipe scaling from the recipes above does 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. To print the notes for each day, after clicking the Shopping List button, click Print Collection.

    📌 Pin this meal plan

    Meal Plan for Week 8 (Group 1): Chicken with Basil Cream Sauce, Vegetable Stromboli, Creamy Tomato Basil Soup, Slow Cooker Beef and Mushrooms, White Chicken Chili - visit Add Salt & Serve for recipes

    Meal Plan for Week 8 (Group 1): Chicken with Basil Cream Sauce, Vegetable Stromboli, Creamy Tomato Basil Soup, Slow Cooker Beef and Mushrooms, White Chicken Chili - visit Add Salt & Serve for recipes
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    Posted by Mary Ann on February 1, 2021; Updated on March 15, 2023Filed Under: Meal Plans

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    Mary Ann Kelley

    Hi there! I'm Mary Ann Kelley, and I'm the food blogger/meal planner here at Add Salt & Serve. Read more

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    Meal Plan for Week 8 (Group 1): Chicken with Basil Cream Sauce, Vegetable Stromboli, Creamy Tomato Basil Soup, Slow Cooker Beef and Mushrooms, White Chicken Chili - visit Add Salt & Serve for recipes