Weekly Menu January 30-February 5

This week I am going to try a few new recipes I found via Pinterest! I marked them each with an "*". They are all sounding pretty good. My goal is to keep my grocery total for the week to right around $90. I figured up the cost of these meals, and it is right at $90. This is without coupons, so it could be lower if you use them or there is a sale.

Weekly Menu January 30-February 5
Monday: Macaroni & beef with cheese*, apple slices, baked beans
Tuesday: Pork chops, baked potato, corn casserole
Wednesday: Chicken crock pot Parmesan*, garlic bread, cheesy broccoli
Thursday: Taco ring*, carrots, apple slices
Friday: Leftovers or pizza?
Saturday: Lunch: Grilled ham and cheese, yogurt, banana slices
                Dinner: Out to eat or pizza?
Sunday: Lunch:Homemade frozen meal
              Dinner: Chili soup

Treat of the week: Brownie strawberry cupcakes *

Grocery List: 4 lbs. ground beef, taco seasoning, shredded cheddar cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, (2) 8 oz. crescent rolls, green bell pepper, salsa, lettuce, tomato, onion, sour cream, chicken breasts, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, olive oil, sliced mozzarella cheese, marinara sauce, tomato sauce, (2) box macaroni elbows, brownie mix, strawberry cake mix, eggs, apples, baked beans, pork chops, potatoes for baking, garlic bread, frozen cheesy broccoli, bananas, yogurt, kidney beans, tomato juice, soup crackers, chili seasoning, creamed corn, sweet corn, Velveeta

Feel free to email for any recipes. I will include the new ones I am trying this week. I don't always follow the recipes exactly. My family doesn't like onions, for example. Instead of using onions like it calls for, I use onion salt instead. I always change up the recipe to make the dish more likeable to our family.

Brownie Strawberry Cupcakes from Jen DelMuro

Ingredients

• 1 (19.5 ounce) package brownie mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 (18.25 ounce) package strawberry cake mix
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 3 egg whites

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 48 muffin cups with paper liners.
2. Whisk together the brownie mix, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup canola oil, and 1/4 cup water in a bowl. Stir just until fully incorporated, about 50 strokes; set aside.
3. Mix the cake mix, 2 tablespoons canola oil, 1 1/3 cup water, and 3 egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.
4. Spoon the brownie batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each cup 1/3 full. Spoon the cake batter over the brownie batter, until muffin cups are each 2/3 full.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 20 minutes. 
6. Top with vanilla icing 
7.  Taco Ring    Ingredients:
   1 lb. ground beef
   1 package (1.25 oz) taco seasoning mix
   1 c. (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
   2 T. water
   2 8-oz packages refrigerated crescent rolls
   1 medium green bell pepper (optional)
   1 c. salsa (optional)
   3 c. lettuce, shredded (we used more — ¾ a head)
   1 medium tomato, diced
   ¼ c. onion, chopped
   ½ c. pitted ripe olives  optional
   sour cream Directions:
   –Preheat oven to 375°. Brown the ground beef, then drain. Add taco season and simer
   –Unroll the crescent dough; separate into triangles. Arrange triangles in a circle on a pizza pan with the wide ends toward the center of the pan, overlapping each other. It will look like a large sun with the points hanging half off the pan.
   There should be a 5 or 6 inch opening in the center. Spoon the meat mixture evenly onto widest end of each triangle. Bring points of triangles up over filling and tuck under wide ends of dough. (Filling will not be completely covered). Bake 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.
   –Cut off the top of the bell pepper. Discard top, membrane, and seeds. Fill pepper with the salsa.
   –Shred lettuce, and dice tomato and onions. Slice the olives. Place the bell pepper in the center of the taco ring, and arrange other salad items around the green pepper.
   Simple Macaroni and Beef with Cheese by Michael Ruhlman
   
   1 large onion, diced
   1 tablespoon canola oil
   salt to taste
   optional seasonings: black pepper, oregano, cumin, coriander, chopped garlic, hot smoked paprika, chilli powder—whatever you’re in the mood for (I just used black pepper, garlic and a tablespoon of fish sauce, which gives it depth)
   one 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, pureed in the can with a hand blender or in a blender blender ****NOTE by Tara, I am going to just use 2 cans of tomato sauce & not worry about doing any purees!**
   2 pounds lean ground beef
   1 box macaroni
   1 cup each grated cheddar and mozzarella cheeses
   Sweat the onions in the oil with a three-fingered pinch of salt.  Add the beef and cook it, breaking it up as you do. (Because my beef was very fatty, I cooked it separately and added it to the pot along with the tomatoes. Also an option, but uses an extra pan.)  Add another three-fingered pinch of salt or two, along with any dry seasonings you want.  Add the tomatoes and any fresh seasonings you may be using, bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook for an hour.
   Cook the macaroni in boiling water till it’s half done.  Drain it and add it to the tomatoes.  (I wanted this to stretch into two meals, so I used the whole box, but if you want your dish to be very tomatoey and beefy, you might want to add only half the macaroni).  Stir it into the sauce.  Taste it.  Add more salt and other seasonings as needed, and cover.  When it’s cooled and the pasta has absorbed the tomato juices, transfer it to a large baking dish and cover it with foil.  It can sit out for several hours like this, be refrigerated for up to two days, or frozen a few weeks.
   Bake it in a 400 degree oven till it’s piping hot (about 45 minutes if it’s cold to room temperature).  Just before you’re ready to eat, remove the foil, cover macaroni with the cheese and broil till it looks beautiful.
   

Chicken Crock Pot Parmesean by Stephanie O'Dea

--2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

--1/2 cup bread crumbs

--1/4 cup parmesan cheese

--1/2 t Italian Seasoning

--1/4 t black pepper

--1/4 t kosher salt

--1 T olive oil

--1 beaten egg

--sliced mozzarella cheese

--favorite jarred marinara sauce

The Directions:

--spread the 1 T of olive oil into the bottom of your crockpot stoneware insert

--whip the egg with a fork in a separate bowl

--mix the bread crumbs with the seasonings and the parmesan cheese in another separate dish

--dip the chicken into the egg, then into the bread crumb mixture, coating both sides with crumbs, cheese and seasonings

--place the chicken breast pieces in the bottom of the crock

--layer 2-3 slices of mozzarella cheese on top

--cover with entire jar of marinara sauce

--close lid and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4. If your chicken is still frozen, it will take longer.