Menu Monday!

Good morning!  It's my first menu plan of 2019. I'm happy to be back to my regularly scheduled menu planning. After getting home from vacation I didn't have a plan.  I'm a fan of a plan.. :) 

Here's what this weeks plan is looking like..

Monday: White bean chicken chili, crackers, salad – Yesterday I made a pot of white bean chicken chili and made enough to last us for 2 nights. If I have any leftover after tonight I'll freeze it for my hubby's work lunches. Here is my recipe..

Crockpot Chicken Chili

1 can of olives, sliced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup salsa
2 cups frozen corn
2 #’s chicken
4 to 6 cups cooked white beans + 1 cup reserved (from cooking the beans) bean broth OR 2 to 3 cans of navy beans (drained) + 1 cup chicken broth
8oz cream cheese
1T chili powder
2t cumin

Put all ingredients in the crockpot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or until the chicken is done. Remove the chicken and shred. Add it back into the crockpot. Stir everything up and serve. 

 

I cooked the white beans in my Instant Pot and I also did not have any cream cheese. I didn't have my menu put together in my mind well enough when I shopped last week. But I had an opened container of sour cream which was a little more then half full. So I added that instead and it worked out fine.

Tuesday: Fried pork chops, rice pilaf, garlic roasted brussel sprouts and a salad.

Wednesday: Tacos or taco soup. I'm leaning towards the taco soup because it's winter and soups are so appealing :). I'll serve cornbread muffins and a salad if I do the soup.

This was the taco soup recipe I used for years when my kids were growing up:

Taco Soup
Crystal Miller

Cook up a pot of pinto beans. Here is how I do it:

In a large soup pot (6 to 8 qt) put 3 cups dry beans, 12 cups water and 1 T. salt. Cook for about 2 ½ hours or until soft.

When beans have finished cooking add:

1 lb. or less cooked hamburger, drained
1 can sweet corn, drained
1 can of olives, drained and sliced
1 can regular diced tomatoes or 1 can Rotel Tomates
2 T taco seasonings

Simmer these ingredients for about 15 minutes or as long as 1 hour to allow flavors to blend. Serve with corn bread or tortilla chips and salad.

For just the 2 of us that is way to many beans. I'll cook up 1 cup of beans (with 4 cups water and 1t salt) for our soup and leave the rest of the ingredients the same. I'm sure this will give us 2 meals and maybe a serving or 2 to freeze.

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Leftover pot roast soup. Last Saturday I cooked up a 3# pot roast in my crockpot. I also roasted a mix of red potatoes and sweet potatoes. We ate this for 2 nights and I chopped up the rest of the meat and froze it along with the leftover potatoes. I'll pull this out of the freezer and add broth along with some more veggies, add more seasonings to taste. Crackers and a salad on the side will make this an easy meal.

Saturday: Leftovers – I'm sure I'll have more leftovers at this point. Not just the soup but often I have small portions of other meals I've made during the week. On Saturday's I often will have a “Leftovers Buffet” to finish off whatever we have in the fridge. This helps my “no food waste” commitment :).

Sunday: Fried chicken, macaroni & cheese, salad. I'll make the fried chicken in my air fryer and the mac & cheese will be homemade.

I have a few mac & cheese recipes that I've made in the past but I think I must be getting lazy nowadays because here is how I make it:

Easy Mac & Cheese

Boil up elbow macaroni (amount is based on how much you need. For us it will be about 8oz). When it's finished cooking, drain and put back into pan. Add a little butter to coat (1 to 2 tablespoons for my 8oz) and then add grated cheddar cheese (1 to 2 cups? I don't measure I just add it in until it looks right). Stir it around to start melting (with the residual heat from the pasta). Then I add milk, a little at a time and turn the heat back on to medium. As I add the milk I stir until it is all smooth and creamy and warm. The amount of milk will be up to you and how creamy and saucy you want your mac & cheese. It doesn't take a much.

That should do it for us. Hope you have a great week!

Crystal