Fall/Winter 2018 Menu
Week 1
Monday
Chicken Corn Chowder, bread and salad
Tuesday
Tacos
Wednesday
BBQ chicken sandwiches and Coleslaw
Thursday
Pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes and Brussel sprouts
Friday
Nachos for Family Movie Night
Saturday
Go Out or Take Out
Sunday
Cheese and veggie plate- cheese and crackers, raw veggies and hummus, apples, grapes, olives, etc..., or fondue with veggies, apples and bread. Burgers on the grill or a big pot of chili would be perfect for a Sunday night too.
I try not to spend too much time in the kitchen on Sundays.
Breakfasts
Fried egg on english muffin and apple; oatmeal with blueberries; eggs, bacon and grits; muffins (homemade or from a mix) and a boiled egg
Groceries:
Produce-
- Salad (Chicken corn chowder night, either ingredients to make your own or bagged salad)
- yellow onion (chicken corn chowder)
- Iceberg lettuce (Taco night, I buy a bag of pre-shredded)
- Cabbage (BBQ chicken night, I buy a bag of pre-shredded cabbage)
- Brussel sprouts (2 bags for my family, pork tenderloin night)
- 1 bag of baby red potatoes
- 4 Tomatoes (tacos and nachos)
- Salsa (tacos and nachos)
- Cilantro (nachos)
- Avocado (nachos)
- Carrots (Sunday night)
- Apples (breakfasts and Sunday night)
- Broccoli (Sunday night)
- Blueberries (breakfasts)
Bakery-
- 2 loaves of french or Italian bread (Chicken chowder and cheese plate night)
- Hamburger buns (BBQ chicken)
- English muffins (breakfast)
Meat-
- 1 package chicken breasts (chicken corn chowder)
- 1 package chicken thighs (BBQ chicken)
- 1 pre-seasoned pork tenderloin (my family eats 2)
- 1 package organic, grass fed ground beef (tacos)
- bacon (breakfast)
Staples-
- 1 box chicken broth (chicken corn chowder)
- 1 can cream of chicken soup (chicken corn chowder)
- 2 cans of corn (or frozen) (chicken corn chowder and nachos)
- Orzo pasta (chowder)
- Dried basil (chowder)
- Dried Thyme (chowder)
- Taco shells
- Taco seasoning(I buy this in a large container from Costco or you can get the small packets)
- 2 cans of sliced black olives (tacos and nachos)
- 1 jar of favorite BBQ sauce (BBQ chicken)
- Mayonnaise (cole slaw)
- Vinegar (cole slaw)
- Scoops chips (Nachos)
- Popcorn (family movie night)
- Oatmeal (breakfasts)
- Grits (breakfast)
Dairy-
- Butter (chicken corn chowder and mashed potatoes)
- Milk (chowder and mashed potatoes)
- Sour cream (mashed potatoes)
- 2 bags shredded sharp cheddar cheese (tacos and nachos)
- Assorted cheeses or fondue cheese for Sunday night
- 2 dozen eggs (1 dozen to boil and 1 dozen to cook with and for breakfasts)
Chicken Corn Chowder
This is one of my family’s all time favorite dinners! I’ve made it so many times and shared this tried and true recipe with many friends and family! Hope you enjoy it!! (It’s adapted from an old Southern Living recipe)
1 T butter
1 chopped onion1 can corn
2 c. cooked, chopped chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 box chicken broth
1/2 c. orzo
1/2 t. dried basil
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 c. milk
2 T. All-purpose flour
Melt butter in soup pot and sauté onions. Then add all ingredients except last 2, milk and flour. Simmer until orzo is cooked, about 10-12 minutes. In a small bow, mix together milk and flour and then add to chowder. Simmer 5 more minutes. Enjoy!
Tacos
1 box taco shells
1 lb. browned ground beef
1 packet or 2 T. taco seasoning
chopped tomato
chopped avocado
chopped cilantro
shredded sharp cheddar
1 can sliced olives
1 container sour cream (I buy the squeeze kind just for tacos and nachos. You can also put it in a zip lock bag and snip the corner to make it easier for putting on things.)
I line up everything on the counter and let everyone assemble their own. Who doesn’t love taco night?!
BBQ Chicken Sandwiches and Slaw
When cooking chicken in the crockpot, use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts. It just cooks better. I rinse and put a package (about 2 lbs.) chicken thighs into the crock pot, along with about 1 cup of our favorite BBQ sauce. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Done. It will shred apart when done, I’ll add a little more sauce and then serve on warm hamburger buns. For the Coleslaw, I use pre shredded cabbage or slaw mix from the salad section, add approximately 1/4 cup mayonnaise and 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar and mix together. (I could eat just that for dinner!) This is a perfect dinner for a busy night of sports and school when you just need to walk in the door and have dinner ready!
Pork Tenderloin, Mashed Potatoes and Roasted
Brussel sprouts
2 lbs. pork tenderloin (we like the pre-seasoned teriyaki but you could use your own favorite seasoning)
1 bag (approximately 3 lbs.) small red potatoes
Brussel sprouts
-Cook the pork tenderloin on a foil lined baking sheet at 350 for approximately 1 hour, or until the center is at least 145 degrees.
-While that’s cooking, wash and dice potatoes. I leave the skins on but if you prefer them without skins, you could peel them as well. Boil until tender and drain. In pot, add approximately 1/2 c. milk, 1/2 stick of butter and 1/4 c. sour cream, salt and pepper to taste and mash by hand.
-For the Brussel sprouts, wash, cut off the bottoms and slice in half. Put them in a gallon ziplock and coat with olive oil and garlic salt. Put them on a foil line baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes (until brown and crispy) with the tenderloin. Easy!
Nachos!
Friday night is movie night in our house! We always have nachos for dinner and popcorn with a movie (sometimes with fruit loops mixed in for the children!)
Scoops chips
1 bag shredded sharp cheddar
1 can black beans
1 can of corn
1 large can sliced black olives
chopped cilantro
chopped avocado
chopped tomatoes
fresh salsa
Use 2 baking sheets and spread the Scoops chips right side up and cover with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for 5 minutes until cheese is melted. While that’s in the oven, put black beans and taco seasoning in one pot and corn in another to warm. I assemble all the nachos at once, using slotted spoons for the beans and corn. (I also leave the cilantro and avocado off a few nachos for one family member who doesn’t like them.)
Sunday Night
Sunday nights are usually very low key as we get ready for the upcoming week, and so we’ll have a fun, easy dinner. Some Sunday dinners that we enjoy are...
-burgers on the grill
-let the family roast their own hot dogs over the grill or an outdoor fire, (S’mores would be a great dessert!)
-Cheese plate with our favorite cheeses (Manchego, Gruyere, Brie), along with crackers and hummus and vegetables.
-Fondue, with bread, broccoli, carrots and apples.
-When the children were young, we sometimes would have “Brinner” on Sunday nights, which is just breakfast for dinner... pancakes and bacon, or eggs and toast.
I try to keep Sundays as relaxed as possible. Hope these recipes help your week to run more smoothly and help you to enjoy more relaxed evenings with your family!
xo, Meredith
Thank you so much, Meredith for sharing your family's recipes with us! I am headed to the grocery store now!!
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Love these posts thank you for doing them!
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