Monday Meal Plan!

Whew!  Only two weeks left of summer vacation, so I'm feeling the pressure to test out a few more recipes that could be ones we use during the school year.  This week we are going Up North for our last time this summer and it's our last opportunity to get away for a few days before baby Evan arrives.  So, it's a short cooking week and I also have to pack in 3 freezer meals before we leave!  We snagged some fantastic vegetables at the Farmer's Market this week (thanks Jackie for sharing your farm share with us!), so I'm looking forward to a few new items.

Monday - Grilled Chicken Salads with a Garlic and Herb marinade on the chicken.  I'm thinking a nice Asiago Caesar dressing will go good with this.  We're using our fresh romaine and mixed spring lettuce from the market for this recipe.

Tuesday - Stuffed shells!  Yum!  It's been a long time since I've made these and I'm going to try this recipe to see if it's better than my existing recipe.  I'll probably make some homemade garlic toast too (sub buns sliced in half, spread butter, garlic powder, and mozzarella cheese on top, and broil until it's melted and brown).

 

Wednesday - Asian stir-fry with chicken and broccoli.  I'll serve it with brown rice.  I bought a seasoning packet from the grocery store and figure that I'll just cut up the broccoli and chicken and go with it.  

Freezer Meals:

Italian Sausage Stuffed Peppers (Stuffed Peppers )

Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos

cooking spray for sauteeing

2-3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in bite sized pieces

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 cup cilantro lime pesto (recipe follows)

flour or corn tortillas

preferred taco garnishes (salsa, sour cream, cheese, etc)

Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. In a skillet sprayed with cooking spray, saute chicken over medium high heat and cooked through. Toss cooked, seasoned chicken with the pesto. Fill tortillas with chicken and top with preferred garnishes.

* To make ahead/freezer meal - Cook chicken as directed as above and cool. Place chicken in freezer bag. Prepare cilantro lime pesto as directed below. Place a 1/2 cup of pesto in a small storage bag then place inside the freezer bag with the chicken. Freeze. When ready to prepare, defrost and heat chicken. Toss chicken with defrosted pesto. If desired, heat chicken and pesto together before filling tacos.

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves (do not include stems)

2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons sliced, toasted almonds

3 tablespoons chopped, fresh garlic

1 1/2 teaspoon lime juice

1/2 cup shredded asiago (Parmesan or Romano can be substituted too)

1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup chicken broth

Using a blender, mix together the cilantro, olive oil, almonds, garlic, lime juice, asiago, salt and chicken broth on low speed for 2 minutes. 

Cheddar Potato Soup (double the recipe for 2 batches)

Potatoes

2 cans cheddar cheese soup

Chicken broth