Menu Plan – 21.0

 Menu 21:

Sunday – Blackened Trout

Monday – Peas and Pancetta (with Pasta)

Tuesday – Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken

Wednesday – Grilled Cheese Night!

Thursday – Lobster Rolls

Friday- No cooking for you!

Saturday – Buffalo Salmon

Sunday –  Blackened Trout with Spicy Kale.    This is such a great, healthy dinner to start your week off.  This recipe from The Food Network is full of flavor but not full of fat.  The only thing that I change in this recipe is swapping out black beans for the kidney beans.   Not for any real reason other than I am a black bean fanatic.  

Monday– Peas with Shallots and Pancetta (with noodles).   and.. in opposite news (fat/calorie-wise).. this recipe by Bobby Flay is amaZing.  I turn this delicious side dish into a main dish by mixing it with whatever pasta I have on hand and a little extra olive oil.  I also like to grab the pancetta from Trader Joe’s that’s already diced and ready to  throw into the pan.  This dinner takes 20 – 25 minutes tops.  Really a great Monday night recipe. 

Tuesday– Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken.  Finally a jerk chicken recipe that actually tastes like I remember it tasting in Jamaica!    I found this recipe on Pinterest but it’s originally from a site called Bakers Royale.  I have tried recipe after recipe.  Jar sauce after jar sauce and I think this may be it!  AND it’s a slow cooker recipe.  

Wednesday–  Easy night!  Make your own Grilled Cheese night!  Add ham, add avocados, use goat cheese, use three cheeses.  What ever your heart/taste buds desire!  Serve with tater tots for an all around kid friendly fun night.  

Thursday– Bon Appetit’s Ultimate Lobster Rolls.  Ok.  So this recipe looks delicious and sounds delicious BUT I ain’t killing a lobster.  I’m the ultimate meat-eating hypocrite.  I admit it.  I am a vegetarian at heart and really in my brain too when I think about… well, you know, when I think about it.  However, my taste buds are selfishly winning this argument thus far.  With all that said, I will be using faux lobster or something from the seafood counter that tastes like lobster but does not appear to be staring back at me.  

Friday –  Stop cooking, will ya?   Take a break!  Order take-out.  Drive-thru.  Have a dinner out.  Something.  Anything.  Just stay out of your own kitchen.  🙂

Saturday–  Buffalo-Style Salmon.  Yess!!!!!!!  Finally I found a new salmon recipe.  Love all of the savory (soy/brown sugar) recipes out there but I really needed something different.   This has a  little kick and delicious greens on the side.  I will admit though, that I am not an arugula fan at all so I swapped out for a different leafy green.   This is a perfect grill night recipe.

Don’t forget to click on the link below to use the printable grocery list!  This will help keep you on track as you shop.  Hope this helps streamline your grocery store trips! The goal is for you to go to the store ONCE this week. Save time. Save $$.

Grocery List Template

and as always, here is your menu planning template to print out, write your menu and stick on your fridge.  It is super cute!!

Menu Planning Template

Happy cooking and have a great week!

Menu Plan – 20.0

 Menu 20:

Sunday – Fried Chicken Sandwich with Slaw and Spicy Mayo.

Monday – Fastest-Ever Enchiladas

Tuesday – Salmon with Olive Vinaigrette

Wednesday – Picnic Night.

Thursday – Chicken w/Goat Cheese and SunDried Tomatoes.

Friday – Pasta With Spicy Shrimp and Tomato Sauce

Friday- No cooking for you!

Sunday – Fried Chicken Sandwiches with Coleslaw and Spicy Mayo.  Highly, highly, highly recommend this recipe from Bon Appetit.   I made the coleslaw ahead of time and fried the chicken in about an inch of olive oil.  I didn’t actually deep fry like the recipe calls for and it still turned out wonderfully.  I served this with corn on the cob and sweet potato fries.  Wow.  All I can say is wow!  🙂

Monday– Fastest ever Enchiladas. – This recipe is by one of my most favorite chefs, Ingrid Hoffman.  Her recipes always taste so authentic!  These truly are super fast.  Serve with Spanish rice and black beans for a perfect Mexican dinner.

Tuesday– Salmon with Olive Vinaigrette.  This incredibly easy recipe by Bobby Flay is such a great midweek recipe.  Now if only I could figure out how to cut some fat out of this dish.  I am on a mission to figure that out.  I’ll keep you posted.

Wednesday–  Picnic in the living room night.  Make sandwiches.  Have chips. Cut up fruit.   If you don’t have kids, pop open a bottle of wine and call it a mid-week date night.  If you do have kids, pop open a bottle of wine and call it a brilliant idea for dinner night.  Super easy and everyone loves it.  🙂

Thursday– Chicken Breasts Stuffed w/Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomatoes. – This recipe from Cooking Light pretty much has all of my favorite ingredients in one recipe.    I haven’t made the shallot-thyme sauce.. I’m sure it’s great but I need to cut a few corners during the week.   I serve this with rice or orzo as the recipe recommends.  So delicious!

Friday –  Pasta With Spicy Shrimp and Tomato Sauce.   I found this recipe in Real Simple Magazine and it’s such a great Friday night dish.  It is so incredibly easy and who really wants to put a ton of effort into dinner after a long week.  Serve with garlic bread and call it a day!

Saturday–  Relax and let someone else do the cooking!!

Don’t forget to click on the link below to use the printable grocery list!  This will help keep you on track as you shop.  Hope this helps streamline your grocery store trips! The goal is for you to go to the store ONCE this week. Save time. Save $$.

Grocery List Template

and as always, here is your menu planning template to print out, write your menu and stick on your fridge.  It is super cute!!

Menu Planning Template

Happy cooking and have a great week!