Menu Plan Monday

I've REALLY got to empty the freezer. They had organic chickens short-dated at the grocery store the other day- meaning they were half-priced. I wanted so bad to get them, but I had no room for anything else in the freezer. It's good in one way, but not in another. So I need to start eating what I've got in there. Hubby and I still discuss what we eat and how it impact not just our health and us, but our world. I also checked out "The Omnivore's Dilemma" from the library, but I've just started the first chapter. We want to choose "happy meat" as it's sometimes called, but realize also that it's sometimes not possible for us to our finances. We've decided to just do the best that we can, when we can and go from there - just like our "diet". No use beating ourselves up because that gets us nowhere either. Guilt and stress at this point doesn't help anyone - and the small changes I've been making have been helping (see my previous post titled Catching up with my doctors report for one example). Baby steps are the way to go for us.

I am planning meal for the weekdays but I have found that we've really only been eating about 3-4 of the meals, eating leftovers for the rest of the days lately. I did not make Thurs and Friday's planned meals for example. BUT that is also because hubby wanted Fish and Chips so that's what we had on Thurs (continuation of his Birthday meal). And we also went out to eat on Friday since he had off, and Saturday was just hot dogs pulled from the freezer. Anyway, both of those meals were freezer meals (I have a ball of pizza dough, some cheese, sauce and pepperoni all in there to use still) so it's not that big of a deal in the long run.

For more menu ideas (usually over 200!!!) visit I'm an Organizing Junkie

Monday: Hamburger Vegetable Soup (recipe below I haven't tried it yet)
Tuesday: Au Gratin Scalloped Potatoes (just what we call them - scalloped potatoes with cheese of course) (recipe below)
Wednesday: White Bean Soup with Roasted Garlic and Rosemary (my rosemary is STILL blooming - it hasn't been cold enough here this year for it to stop and I might add some ham) (recipe below)
Thursday: Roast Leg of Lamb (This will free up a lot of room - it's one that I got when short dated)
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: Leftovers
Sunday: Leftovers

Hamburger Vegetable Soup
From Sharing Our Best: Recipes from Amish Mennonites, Stuarts Draft, VA
Mrs. Paul D. Yoder

1 1/2 lbs hamburger
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 cup water
1/2 c chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cups diced potatoes
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp basil or parsley
1 beef bouillon cube
3 tomatoes or a little juice
salt and pepper to taste

In large saucepan, brown meat with onions. Add water and remaining ingredients except tomatoes. Cook until vegetables are tender, then add tomatoes and simmer 10 minutes. May add more of other vegetables and juices or water. Should make about a gallon of soup.


Scalloped Potatoes Au Gratin (7 pts)
Serves 10
1 can evaporated skim milk
8 slices American cheese slices
1 large onion, sliced
1 c lean ham, chopped
10 med Potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 head broccoli, optional
2 cups Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

Layer: potato slices,4 slices American cheese, 1 cup Parmesan, ham, broccoli, potatoes, American cheese, Parmesan Cheese. Pour evaporated milk over (can use 2 cans if there's room and you like a lot of "sauce". Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cook covered at 350 F for 1 hour until potatoes are tender. Uncover and cook until cheese is browned.

Per Serving: 313 Calories; 13g Fat (36.5% calories from fat); 21g Protein; 30g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 41mg Cholesterol; 869mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 1/2 Fat.

White Bean Soup with Roasted Garlic and Rosemary
From: http://www.rustickitchen.com/html/recipes/whitebeansoup.html
Makes 6 1/2 cups.

This robust main-course soup is flavored with slow-roasted garlic and fragrant rosemary, topped with grated Parmesan. Serve it with a loaf of crusty bread and your meal is complete.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
paste from 1 bulb roasted garlic, about 2 tablespoons (see note)
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
2 cans Bush’s great northern beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary or 3 teaspoons dry, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add onion, carrots and celery, and sauté until onions are translucent, about five minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in roasted garlic. Add bread crumbs, beans and vegetable broth and simmer for about 15 minutes to let flavors combine. Stir in rosemary and Parmesan. Taste, season with more salt and pepper if desired, and serve. Garnish with more Parmesan.

Note: to roast garlic
To roast garlic, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove as much of the papery skins from the garlic bulb and slice the top off the cloves. Place in baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 1 – 1½ hours until the garlic cloves have mellowed into a paste and can be easily squeezed from their skins.