1. Finely dice two of the onions, the bell pepper, and 5 stalks of celery.
2. Slice one pound of the carrots, julienne the other pound for carrot sticks (as well as 4 more stalks of celery) and whatever else you may need for the week.
3. Boil 2 eggs for the chicken salad you're going to make for Monday, and scramble 2 eggs for the fried rice you're having for lunch on Sunday.
4. Bake 4 of the chicken quarters: Preheat the oven to 375 F, place the quarters on a cookie sheet covered in foil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder, bake for 1 hour or until skin is dark brown. Cool and remove the meat from the bones and place in a container in the fridge.
5. Cook 1.5 cups of rice in 3 cups water (I love my rice steamer for this. That's OM). Cool in the fridge for later.
You don't have to do this pre-prep, but it helps save time during the week.
Now, for Sunday's menu:
Breakfast: French toast (8 slices bread dipped in egg/milk mixture), syrup, juice, milk
Lunch: Chicken fried rice (recipe below)
Dinner: spaghetti with meat sauce, salad, quick rolls (recipes below for rolls and sauce)
Chicken Fried Rice:
1 C cooked, deboned chicken from above (if you have leftover pork, beef, ham, whatever meat you want to get rid of, you can use this instead of the chicken)
3 C cooled rice
1 C frozen peas, thawed
1/2 C diced onion
1/4 C diced celery
2 scrambled eggs, chopped into 1 inch pieces
Oil
Butter
Soy sauce
Oyster sauce (optional)
Heat 2 T oil in a nonstick skillet or wok. Stir fry the veggies (except peas) until crisp/tender (you can add other veggies if you have them on hand), about 4-5 minutes. Add chicken, egg, rice and peas. Stir until well mixed. Add 2 T butter, spinkle with 3 T soy sauce and 3 T oyster sauce (if you like the flavor, which I love). Stir until the butter is melted and the soy sauce and rice are well blended.
Remove from heat and serve while hot.
Spaghetti Sauce:
1/2 lb ground beef, browned with 1/2 C chopped onion
2 cans Italian style tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, rubbed between your palms as you add it
1 tsp garlic powder (or 2 cloves garlic, minced)
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Simmer for 30 minutes or more (depending on how saucy or chunky you like it). Serve over cooked spaghetti. I often put this in the crockpot and cook it all day for a really smooth, thick sauce.
Quick Dinner Rolls:
3 C self-rising flour
1 pkg rapid rise (or regular) yeast
1 1/2 C warm water
3 T sugar
3 T oil
1/2 stick butter, melted
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Set aside and allow 10 minutes to bloom. Add the flour, sugar and oil. Mix until soft dough forms, then need (using a little more flour on the counter or a board) about 5 times. Pat down to about 1/2 inch thickness. Cut rolls with a biscuit cutter and dip in butter. Place, sides touching, in an ungreased pan. Cover and let rise 1 hour. Bake at 425 F for 15 minutes, until golden brown.
These rolls are yummy. You can double the batch and store leftovers in an airtight container for later use, but you'll need to nuke them for about 15 seconds to freshen them up. They're best when fresh.
Note: If you have any questions about any of the recipes, or if you aren't sure how to go about making something, like the French toast, please comment and I'll get back to you as soon as possible with tips. If you have your own favorite recipes for these items, please feel free to post them in the comments section. Sharing is wonderful.
Tomorrow: Monday's menu and new recipes
No comments:
Post a Comment