Weekly Meal Plan - May 2020 Week 1

*Follow me on Instagram (@recipes.for.moms) and Facebook (@RecipesforMoms) to see posts & stories about our family's meals and grocery shopping.

Homemade Pizza
- A weekly staple in our house during cooler weather! We make the dough in the bread maker and everyone gets to choose their own toppings. Then we let the kids sit on the living room floor and we have a family movie night. (If you have a tradition like this, it helps keep a sense of normalcy for your kids in this time of craziness.)

Spaghetti w/Homemade Sauce
- Hands down one of our favorite family recipes and great for serving when you're having friends over for dinner because you can easily add more tomato sauce and cook more spaghetti to take care of a larger crowd. We'll serve it with a green salad & garlic bread.

Turkey Broccoli Meatballs
- The original Pampered Chef recipe calls for ground beef but I've found that it works just as well with ground turkey and cuts down on the fat. I've topped the dish with whatever long green vegetable I have on hand - snow peas, snap peas or green beans.

Lime-Salsa Chicken
- This meal is super easy and full of flavor! The original recipe calls for the chicken to be grilled but it could easily be done in the pressure cooker or even baked. I have some leftover green enchilada sauce so I'll use that in place of the green salsa.

Rice & Bean Pot Pie
- I'm looking forward to making this meatless dinner but I'll use more ingredients from scratch this time. I'll cook the beans ahead of time in the pressure cooker and prep a batch of dough in the bread maker instead of using the store-bought refrigerated breadsticks. True this will time more time and a bit more effort, but without evening activities right now I have the time. Plus most of the time, the more you cook from scratch, the more money you save.

Steak & Baked Potatoes
- We still have one last meal's worth of Omaha Steaks in the freezer and the weather has been so nice lately. So we'll fire up our little grill for the steaks and hopefully sit outside to eat too. We like to cook our baked potatoes in the microwave then brush them lightly with oil and bake them in the toaster oven to crisp up the outside.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
- This recipe was sent to me by a friend and I love trying new recipes. I bought sliced swiss because it's often hard to find a block of swiss cheese and we can use the leftover slices for sandwiches this week. If you have a recipe you'd like to share, please share it with me via direct message on Facebook or Instagram.


If you make any of these meals, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments or post them to Facebook or Instagram and tag me. I will try to share my meal pics too (mostly on IG, @recipes.for.moms) if I can remember to snap a photo before the food is devoured.

Venison Stew

Serves: 4-6

1 lb. venison round steak, cut into 1" chunks
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c. onion, diced
1 T. olive oil
Salt & pepper
1 can (15 oz.) green beans, undrained
3 carrots, peeled & cut into chunks
2 medium potatoes, peeled & cut into chunks
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
3 c. water or beef broth
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 T. Worcestershire sauce
Grated Parmesan cheese

 (Optional first step) - If your meat tends to have too much strong gamey flavor, try soaking it in a mixture of 1 tablespoon white vinegar and 1 cup milk for several hours or overnight before cooking it.

Pressure Cooker - Add olive oil to pressure cooker pot and turn to Sear setting. Add venison, garlic and onions and season with salt & pepper. Cook and stir until meat is browned. Cancel Sear setting. Drain grease. Add all additional ingredients (excluding Parmesan) to pot. Mix ingredients together and seal lid. Set pressure cooker to soup/stew setting and cook for 20 minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes then manual release remaining pressure. Remove bay leaves. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of individual servings. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker - In a large skillet, heat olive oil then add venison, garlic and onions and season with salt & pepper. Cook and stir until meat is browned. Remove from heat and drain grease. Combine all ingredients (excluding Parmesan) to slow cooker pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours or until potatoes and carrots are soft. Remove bay leaves. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of individual servings. Enjoy!

Notes: I specifically made up this recipe to go with the venison we have in the freezer from my daughter's fall youth hunt. But any type of game meat or even a cut of beef would do great in this stew. We were lucky enough to be given an amazing loaf of homemade sourdough bread from a friend the first time we made this but I would also think about making Parmesan Herb Bread in the bread maker the next time we have it.

Recipe by Stacy

Amish Friendship Bread and Starter

Amish Friendship Bread is the recipe you both love and hate because it tastes amazing but in the end you are left with starter that you have to give away. Sometimes this is easy and people are chopping at the bit to have a starter and other times you'll find yourself begging people to take it off your hands. In its original form, you grow the starter for 10 days then divide it. Some you will bake into bread and some you will divide into more starter that you either keep or give to friends. This recipe will work if you are given a starter or if you want to begin your own starter.

Starter right after initial mixing

Starter 3 hours after initial mixing

Fresh out of the oven - Baking in stoneware is my favorite!

Moist & Delicious

Makes: 1 starter/2 loaves

 If you do not have a starter and want to begin your own:

Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 c. warm water (110℉)
1 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 c. warm milk (110℉)

* As you mix the starter, be sure not to use any type of metal utensils or bowls.

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water for about 10 minutes. The yeast should produce some small bubbles. Stir well. While the yeast dissolves, combine the flour and sugar in a 2 quart glass or plastic bowl. Mix together. Slowly stir in the warm milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Mix until combined and most of the lumps are dissolved.

Loosely cover the mixture with a lid or plastic wrap and keep on the counter. The mixture will get bubbly and grow as the days go on. Consider this Day 1 of the cycle. For the next 10 days, handle the starter according to the directions listed below. You can also transfer the starter to a gallon-size zip-top bag and squish the bag each day instead of stirring it.

Amish Friendship Bread

If you receive a starter from a friend or make your own starter using the recipe above, here is what you do with it.

Day 1 - Make or receive the starter
Day 2 - Stir
Day 3 - Stir
Day 4 - Stir
Day 5 - Add 1 cup each flour, sugar and milk
Day 6 - Stir
Day 7 - Stir
Day 8 - Stir
Day 9 - Stir
Day 10 - Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Mix well and place 1 cup each into 3 containers or gallon bags. Give 3 of the starters to friends with the instructions for Day 1 through Day 10.

After removing the 3 cups, follow the recipe below to make 2 loaves of Amish Friendship Bread.

1 c. Amish Friendship Bread starter
2/3 c. oil
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon (depending on personal preference)
1 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 325℉. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Using a fork or whisk beat by hand until well blended. Grease 2 9"x5" loaf pans with butter, sprinkle with sugar (not flour). Bake for 45-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry. Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans.

Notes: I love Amish Friendship Bread and have fond memories of my mom receiving a starter from a friend. We would watch each day as the starter bubbled and grew knowing the amazing treat that was coming when it was time to bake. But she worked at a school and those bags of starter would get offered and passed around the staff and teachers until everyone had one and you couldn't find anyone to give it away too.

It's my goal to figure out how to keep my starter going without having to divide it each time and give it away. I'm happy to share if friends want some but that's not always the case. There are also many additions you can put into the finished batter before baking. You can Google to find those ideas and I will update my post when I successful make any of the additions.

This recipe has been around for a long time and obviously was not created by me. That being said, I'm unsure where I got my recipe from originally. I found it as a print-out in my recipe book.
 

Weekly Meal Plan - April 2020 Week 4

*Follow me on Instagram (@recipes.for.moms) and Facebook (@RecipesforMoms) to see posts & stories about our family's meals and grocery shopping.

Homemade Pizza
- A weekly staple in our house during cooler weather! We make the dough in the bread maker and everyone gets to choose their own toppings. Then we let the kids sit on the living room floor and we have a family movie night. (If you have a tradition like this, it helps keep a sense of normalcy for your kids in this time of craziness.)

White Chicken Chili
- I love white chicken chili as a nice change from traditional chili. I plan to use a poblano pepper instead of the jalapeno pepper that the original recipe calls for so that we still get some good flavor without too much spice. I also like to cook my white beans from dry beans before I start instead of buying a can of beans. If you're not a fan of white chili, try my Easy Chili instead.

Italian Meatloaf
- I love my mom's meatloaf recipe and I just realized that I've never posted it on the blog (but I do have my mother-in-law's recipe, oops!). I'll work to get the Italian Meatloaf recipe posted this week. We'll serve this with mashed potatoes and I'll make it early in the week since temps are supposed to rise as the week goes on and I won't want to use the oven later.

Bean Tostadas
- My kids love this simple, meatless meal made with a can of refried beans spread on a flat tostada shell then topped with cheese, salsa, taco sauce, lettuce, tomato, cilantro and anything else we can think of.

 Chicken Tender Salad
- I'll used the linked recipe except that I will cook the chicken pieces as larger chicken tenders instead of smaller pieces. I also might use Panko in addition to the seasoned bread crumbs. While my husband and I enjoy the chicken in the salad, the kids prefer to eat the chicken tenders separately with salad on the side. As long as they're getting veggies and protein, they can eat it any way they want!

Grilled Loaded Nachos
- Who doesn't love Nachos for dinner? Plus these add another meatless meal to our menu this week. What makes these so good is the beautiful mix of fresh, chopped, grilled veggies that top the chips and give them a great flavor. We have a tiny outside grill so I'll make these in the oven but per the original recipe, they can also be done on the grill.

*Pick-up from a Local Restaurant*
- Because we operate on a tight monthly budget, we usually don't eat out for dinner more than once a month. But even during this time of pandemic, we are trying to continue doing that so we can support at least one of our favorite local restaurants. This week we plan on getting burgers from The Pine Cone because they do a lot to support our little community.


If you make any of these meals, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments or post them to Facebook or Instagram and tag me. I will try to share my meal pics too (mostly on IG, @recipes.for.moms) if I can remember to snap a photo before the food is devoured.

Chicken Enchiladas

 

Serves: 4-5

1 lb. chicken breast, cooked & shredded
1/4 c. salsa
2 1/2 c. Colby Jack cheese, grated, divided
5-6 flour tortillas, burrito size
1 (15 oz.) can enchilada sauce, divided
Toppings: Salsa, sour cream, cilantro (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine shredded chicken with salsa. In a 13x9 baking dish, pour 1/3 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom. On a plate or cutting board, lay flat one tortilla. In the center, spread 1/2 cup of chicken and top with 1/3-1/2 cup of cheese. Leaving the ends open, roll one end over the filling and then continue rolling until the tortilla is a long cylinder. Place in baking dish, seam side down. Continue with remaining tortillas until all chicken and cheese is gone, keep aside 1/3 cup cheese. Place each rolled tortilla in the pan, close up next to the previous tortilla.

Once all tortillas are in the pan, pour remaining enchilada sauce over rolled tortillas. Cover baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. Remove cover and top enchiladas with remaining cheese. Return to oven for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven and top with salsa, sour cream and/or cilantro, if desired.

Notes: I love enchiladas because like Quiche there are so many different fillings to try. Chicken and cheese are my family's favorite so this is the way we make it most often. But you can use ground beef, ground turkey, shredded beef or leave the meat out altogether. You can choose any variety of enchilada sauce you like, red or green; mild, medium or hot. If you own a pressure cooker, one of the easiest ways to cook the chicken for this dish is to put it on the chicken/poultry setting for 8-12 minutes with the 1/4 cup of salsa with 3/4 cup of water. Then drain the extra liquid when it finishes cooking and shred the meat.

Recipe from Stacy.