Here it is.... FINALLY!

I have had soooooo many people ask me what our menu is going to be for the next 4 months that I decided to make it its own blog:)! I also decided to start this food blog because ever since my discovery of the Food Network I have loved cooking and experimenting with new recipes. Lance and I are very experimental when it comes to our food.

Anyway, having this all planned out makes it so that I know exactly what I'm going to buy when I go grocery shopping so that I don't end up buying something then throwing it away because it's expired or something. I've only listed the main dishes because our fruits and veggies for the meal will totally depend on what's in season. Another thing, we've only planned our meals for Monday-Friday with Saturdays being Lance's days to grill and Sundays being leftover days. I will include recipes. I am definitely not one of those people who keeps recipes from others because it's a family secret or something, that's just being selfish!

Here's January-February. I'll try to update each Sunday. Some things are very repetative substitute any of your favorites. I'll also be including side dish recipes like my favorite roll recipes that I usually make on Mondays because those are the days that I have the time.

January 5-9

Cheesy potatoe soup

Enchiladas

Teriyaki chicken with stir fried veggies

Chicken rollups

Lasagna

January 12-16

Beef stew

Rice and gravy with meatballs

Rice-a-roni with grilled chicken

Sloppy joes

Taco soup

January 19-23

Sweet and sour meatballs on rice

Baked potatoes with pot roast

Baked tillapia and rice

Spaghetti and meatballs

Beef stroganoff

January 26-30

Fajitas

Chicken and gravy on rice/mashed potatoes (whichever sounds better)

Chicken rollups

Sloppy joes

Mini pizzas

February 2-6

Cheesy potatoes

Fajitas

Pasta-roni with grilled chicken

Sweet and sour meatballs on rice

Chicken and gravy on rice/mashed potatoes

February 9-13

Beef stew

Spaghetti and meatballs

Enchaladas

Teriyaki chicken with stir fried veggies

Lasagna

February 16-20

Taco soup

Rice-a-roni with chicken

Tillapia with rice

Beef stroganoff

Rice and gravy with meatballs

February 23-27

Baked potatoes and pot roast

Chicken and gravy on rice/mashed potatoes

Tacos

Ham fried rice

Chicken rollups

Beef Stew (still a work in progress)

1 1/2 lb roast (I prefer a rump/chuck roast, but really any roast will do, even brisket)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 can tomato soup
2 cans water (more if you like)
1 package Lipton beefy onion soup mix
4-6 carrots peeled and sliced
4-5 potatoes peeled and diced
Olive oil

Turn crock pot on to be warming up if you choose to cook this in the crock pot (it makes my life easier). Dice the meat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in a preheated pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Brown the meat (if I'm using a rump roast or brisket I hardly brown it at all, but if I'm using a roast with better marbling/more fat, then I brown it more).

While meat is browning pour cream of mushroom soup, tomato soup, water, and soup mix into crock pot, as well as the carrots and potatoes. Just brown, do not fully cook the meat. When browned pour in crock pot. I usually give it 5-6 hours to cook. You can easily do this in your oven or on the stove top, just make sure the meat is cooked:).

Lasagna (still a work in progress)

Lasagna noodles
Spaghetti sauce (homemade, or I really like Western Family)
1 pint Ricotta cheese (you can use cottage cheese too)
Grated parmesan
16 oz mozerella cheese
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Mix Ricotta cheese, eggs, salt, pepper.

Boil noodles as directed. Spoon spaghetti sauce on bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Place one layer of noodles. Top with half the ricotta cheese mixture, sprinkle parmesean cheese on top, then sprinkle a layer of mozerella cheese. Create another layer of noodles, ricotta cheese mixture, parmesean, and mozerella. Add one more layer of noodles, top that layer with spaghetti sauce then sprinkle remaining mozerella.

Cover with aluminum foil and place in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.

Chicken Rollups

3 c cooked chicken (shredded or chopped)

1 can mushrooms

1/8 tsp pepper

1 (8oz) square of cream cheese

2 packages of crescent rolls

Chicken stuffing mix

Butter

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 can milk

Combine all ingredients except for crescent rolls, chicken stuffing mix, butter cream of chicken soup and milk. Roll crescent rolls out and cut into 8 squares per package (so 16 squares). Spoon about 1/4 c of chicken mixture in the center of each square. Pinch the corners of each square together at the top of the mixture then pinch the sides together to seal in the chicken mixture. Roll the roll in butter, then in the crushed stuffing mixture. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and back at 325 for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Warm up cream of chicken soup and 1/2 can milk in a sauce pan and spoon over rollups when they're done.

These freeze great. Just put the rollup together, place them on a cookie sheet, place it in the freezer, then when you're ready to make them place them in the oven for a little bit longer than if they were thawed.

Teriyaki sauce

2 Tbsp corn starch

1/4 c water

3/4 c soy sauce

1/4 c water

1 c granulated sugar

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/8-1/4 tsp garlic powder

Combine corn starch and water. Pour in sauce pan along with remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil (make sure to watch it closely, stiring constantly, mine always boils over and I lose over half the sauce). Boil for at least 5 minutes or until thickened.

Buy your favorite frozen stir fry mix, warm up. Pour teriyaki sauce over rice, veggies, and chicken.

Enchaladas

1/2 c flour

1 (8oz) can tomato sauce

2 c water

1\2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

2 chicken boullion cubes

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp pepper

salt to taste (I usually don't add any because all the other spices make it unnecessary)

8 flour tortillas (I like the uncooked kind from Costco that you cook yourself... yummy)

1 lb of ground beef, cooked (you can used chicken too)

Mix together the flour and 1 cup of warm water. Pour tomato sauce in a sauce pan, strain in flour and water mixture to make sure there are no flour chunks. Dissolve boullion cubes in remaining water. Add remaining ingredients. Place sauce pan on medium heat and cook until the sauce has thickened.

Divide ground beef, or chicken, into the 8 tortillas along with as much cheese as your heart desires. Roll them up. Spoon some of the sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish. Place tortillas on top then spoon the remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle more cheese and place in a 350 degree oven until sauce begins to boil and cheese has melted (usually about 30 minutes).

Cheesy Potato Soup

1/2 c finely chopped onions

2 c chopped potatoes

3/4 c flour

3/4 c butter

1 quart half and half (I prefer to use fat free half and half. I've been wondering.... how is that possible?)

1 c cheese (I use way more)

salt and pepper to taste

Saute the onions until very soft, almost golden brown, add in chopped potatoes and 4 cups of water. Boil until potatoes are soft. Pour into a bowl and set aside. Melt butter, add flour, stiring constantly for a few minutes to eliminate the floury taste. Pour in half and half. Stir until thickened. Add in cheese. When melted add in the onions, potatoes, and whatever water remains. I've been adding regualr milk to thin the soup out a bit.