March 9-15, 2014

Sunday:  Babe’s Chicken

Monday:  Mooyah

·          This wasn’t planned, but we had some car stuff to deal with this afternoon that came up very last minute.  So, on our way home we had some very hungry kids that needed dinner ASAP!  J

Tuesday:  Pioneer Woman’s Butter Chicken with Rice and Roasted Asparagus

Pioneer Woman’s Butter Chicken

·          This was our original plan for Monday night’s dinner, and I’m so glad I made it happen on Tuesday.  It is ridiculously good!  The chicken had been marinating since noon the day before, so the flavors had plenty of time to sink in.  The sauce on this is so yummy!  I actually didn’t put in as much chicken as the original recipe called for, so I had quite a bit of the sauce leftover.  I froze what was leftover so that I could put it on pasta or another dish later.  I will absolutely make this again!

I roasted some asparagus at 400 degrees for 15 minutes as a side dish.  Right after it was done, I poured on Aunt Suzanne’s sauce made with 2 tablespoons melted butter, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar.  So, so good!

Wednesday:  Breakfast at Mom’s

·          Chad was gone this evening, so we went to Mom’s for dinner.  Bacon, eggs, biscuits, & fruit made everyone happy.  J

Thursday:  Beef, Tomato, Mushroom & Rotini Pasta with Caesar Salad

·          This is one of our longtime favorite meals that can be thrown together very quickly.  The kids and I had gone to the park, so it was nice to have an easy and tasty meal on the table in under 20 minutes.  J

Fresh Tomato, Beef, Mushroom & Rotini Pasta

(You can easily decrease or increase this recipe.  It makes great leftovers!)

1 lb ground beef

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 c chopped tomatoes (I use the sweet cherry tomatoes)

salt & pepper

1 1/2 c uncooked pasta

fresh basil

Parmesan cheese

sliced mushrooms (optional if you like them!)

- Brown beef, garlic & mushrooms, pour off drippings

- Stir in tomatoes, salt & pepper.  Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes

- Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.  Toss beef mixture and basil with pasta.  Sprinkle with cheese.

Friday:  Swedish Meatballs with Roasted Broccoli and Carrots

Swedish Meatballs

This is one of Ranger’s top 5 meals, hands down.  He LOVES meatballs!  Especially when I keep them simple and don’t make them with pasta and tomato sauce.  Chad had his fantasy baseball draft, so this meal was just for the kids and me…we all managed to clean our plates.

I’ve had this recipe for a while…I was a subscriber to E-Meals several years ago and this was one of our favorites.  It’s so easy, can be prepared ahead of time, and everyone enjoys it!  The gravy really puts this one over the top.

Ingredients:

Meatballs

1 lb extra lean ground beef or ground turkey

1/4 onion, finely chopped

1/2 c bread crumbs or quick oats

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1/4 t allspice

Gravy

1 pkg onion soup mix

1 c water

1 T flour

1 c milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all meatball ingredients together.  Form into 1″ balls.  Place in 9x13 pan and bake for 30 mins.  In large skillet, mix together the onion soup mix, water, flour, and milk.  Heat until thickened.  Add cooked meatballs to skillet.  Simmer for 20 mins, stirring occasionally.  Serve over egg noodles, if you choose to. 

Saturday:  Grilled Chicken and Roasted Vegetables 

·          Chad has overhauled our grill and was ready to give it a try for the first time.  I gladly agreed to let him pretty much do everything.  J