Weekly Meal Plan #6 {April 3, 2017}

It's MONDAY! I hate to admit, I kinda like Mondays. It's the day when we get back into our routine, I can start making my lists for the week, and I get to plan out all the rest. It's like a fresh start. As a Christian, Sundays are considered the first day of the week, and I do LOVE Sundays, but in a different way that I like Mondays. But that's another subject for another day...

I am only sharing four meals this week because we have a short week here at our house. Ben and I are going out of town on Friday!!!

So here it is:

Ginger Beef Stir-Fry
from Gimme Some Oven



MARINADE INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup soy sauce (if making gluten-free, be sure to use GF soy sauce)
1/2 cup vegetable broth (or chicken/beef broth, or water)
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
STIR-FRY INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. thinly sliced flank steak or sirloin, cut diagonally across the grain into thin strips
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces baby portobello or button mushrooms, halved
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, halved
3 cups chopped kale
2 green onions, thinly sliced

2 cups cooked jasmine or white rice or quinoa

TO MAKE THE MARINADE:

Add all marinade ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine. Pour marinade into a large bowl or ziplock bag, then add in the steak and gently toss to combine. Cover/seal and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

TO MAKE THE STIR-FRY:

Once steak has marinated, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Remove steak from marinade with a slotted spoon, reserving the marinade, and add to saute pan with garlic. Saute for about 2-3 minutes until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove steak with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan.  Then add in the mushrooms, kale, and reserved marinade, and stir to combine. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until the kale is wilted, the sauce has thickened and come to a boil, and the mushrooms have cooked, stirring regularly so that sauce does not burn. Add in the steak, and toss to combine.

Serve immediately over rice or quinoa, garnished with chopped green onions.

Crockpot Chicken Verde Tacos

from The Nourishng Home

1 large yellow onion
1.5 - 2.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs or tenders or breasts (amount just depends on how many people you are feeding and if you want leftovers)
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
1 cup Salsa Verde (I use Trader Joe's brand)
1 large red bell pepper (or use a combination of red and yellow peppers)

tortillas of choice (I love the Ortega whole grain crunchy!)

toppings of choice (I love avocado!)

cooked white or brown rice seasoned with salt, pepper, chili powder, and maybe a little lime juice

Cut the ends off of the onion and then slice into five thick slices. Place in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker.
Place the chicken thighs on top of the onion. In a small bowl, combine the seasonings and evenly distribute the seasoning mix across the top of the chicken.
Then, evenly spoon the salsa verde over the top of the seasoned chicken.
Slice the red bell pepper into thick slices; discard the seeds and stem. You can either - place the sliced pepper over the salsa and cook with the chicken for very soft pepper slices – or add the sliced peppers during the last hour of cook time to enjoy them al dente.
Cover and cook on high 5-6 hours or on low 7-8 hours.
When chicken is done, use a slotted spoon to move the peppers to the side and carefully remove just the chicken and place it on a large platter. Use two forks to shred the chicken.
Remove the pepper and onion slices and place on a serving plate.
Serve the chicken and veggies with warmed tortillas, or use large Bibb lettuce leaves to make lettuce wraps. Top with your favorite fajita toppings, such as diced tomatoes, guacamole, fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, etc. 

Simple Spaghetti with Side Salad 

Ingredients:

spaghetti noodles of choice (We use the Hodgson Mill whole wheat angel hair)

1 jar spaghetti sauce of choice

1/2 -1 lb ground beef or ground mild Italian sausage

shredded Parmesan cheese

bread of choice

salad ingredients of choice (butter lettuce with carrots, tomatoes, and croutons topped with Greek yogurt ranch is our favorite with spaghetti.)

Make salad ahead of time and put in the middle of the table for easy refills. Start browning meat and breaking it up as it cooks. Start noodles while beef is cooking. Cook noodles according to the package directions. Add jar of sauce to the meat after it cooks and warm. Warm the bread in the oven. Drain noodles, then toss with the meat/sauce mixture. Top individual plates/bowls with parmesan. Serve with warm bread and salads.

Smothered Chicken and Snap Peas

adapted from Betty Crocker

cooking oil of choice

1-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced thin (most grocery stores carry pre-thin-sliced breasts)

salt and pepper

garlic powder

dried oregano

dried cayenne pepper (optional)

1 cup shredded cheddar

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1 cup sliced mushrooms (OPTIONAL) (canned or fresh are fine)

fresh bag pre-rinsed snap peas

Steam the snap peas quickly in a medium bowl in the microwave with a little salt and butter. Reserve.

Season chicken on both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and cayenne if desired. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken for 5-10 minutes on each side (this will depend heavily on the thickness of the chicken). Once it's cooked, but not too brown, top each piece of chicken with as many mushrooms as you can fit, then sprinkle with each of the two types of cheese. Lower the heat, and cover pan with a lid or foil. Let the cheese melt. Serve immediately with the snap peas (reheat if needed).

Shopping List:

Bakery/Breads:

• 1 baguette of choice to pair with spaghetti (We love the garlic oval loaf from Food City.)

Produce:

• 1 container sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 4 oz sliced shiitake mushrooms
• 1 pkg fresh snap peas
• 1 bag butter lettuce
• 1 pkg grape tomatoes
• 1 pkg shredded carrots (you will not need the entire bag, so if you have regular or baby carrots on-hand already, you can just chop a few of those instead)
• 1 jar Greek yogurt ranch dressing (This is in the produce section in most grocery stores.)
• 2 bell peppers (I like 1 red and 1 yellow.)
• 1 medium-large yellow onion
• taco toppings of choice such as avocado, tomato, cilantro, lettuce
• garlic
• 1 bunch scallions (green onions)
• 3 cups chopped kale (I like the clamshell containers of baby kale... it's more tender so my kids like it better.)

Dry Goods:

• 1 pkg spaghetti noodles of choice
• tortillas of choice (I love the Ortega whole grain crunchy!)
• jasmine rice (about 1 cup dry)
• brown or white rice (about 1 cup dry)

Cans/Sauces:

• 1 jar spaghetti sauce/marinara of choice
• 1 jar salsa verde (green) Herdez brand is my favorite for this recipe.
• soy sauce
• vegetable broth (or chicken or beef broth is fine too)

Baking/Spices:

• cooking oil of choice
• garlic powder
• dried oregano
• cayenne pepper (optional)
• salt and pepper
• paprika
• cumin
• rice wine vinegar
• cornstarch
• ground ginger

Meat:

• 1-2 lbs thin-sliced chicken breasts
• 1/2 to 1 lb ground mild italian sausage or ground beef
• 1 lb thin-sliced flank steak or sirloin (Food City has beef already sliced called "Stir-Fry Steak".)
• 1-2.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, breasts, or tenders (Type and amount depends on your preference and desired amount.)

Dairy:

• 1 cup shredded cheddar plus a little extra for taco toppings
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• shredded Parmesan cheese or grated
• sour cream if desired for tacos