Month 5 of Menus

1. chk parmesan
2. sausage mcmuffins
3. slow cooker italian beef (philly cheesesteak)
4. chk BLT
5. steak, foil potato packets, salad
6. grilled cheeseburger wraps
7. chef salad, bread
8. lazy lasagna
9. slow cooker chk tacos
10. tomato soup, grilled cheese
11. grilled steak, potato/onion packets, grilled zucchini
12. hotdogs
13. spaghetti
14. red beans and rice, salad
15. stromboli bread braid
16. pancakes, sausage, egg
17. chk salad, fruit salad, rolls
18. slow cooker lemon garlic chk, salad, rice pilaf
19. slow cooker pork w/peaches sandwiches
20. spinach walnut penne
21. french rolls, gouda, fruit salad
22. pineapple steak fajitas
23. cheesy veg chowder
24. stuffed shells
25. corn and potato chowder, shredded zucchini
26. crockpot chk and rice
27. spaghetti
28. grated potato, sausage, cheese, veg
29. vegetarian soft tacos
30. ham and cranberry sandwiches, sliced apples
31. goulash

Month 4 of recipes

Month 4

1. gumbo, bakery bread
2. club sandwiches
3. black beans, rice
4. pancakes, eggs, sausage
5. potato cream cheese soup, bread, veg
6. picnic (sandwiches, chips, apples, cookies, juice)
7. brisket, potatoes, veg
8. spaghetti
9. cheese, crackers
10. calzones
11. lemon chk soup, bread
12. baked chili, fritos
13. pizza, salad
14. ravioli alfredo, asparagus
15. pan-fried pork chops, garlic bread, veg
16. breaded chk, soda bread, veg
17. cheesy veg chowder
18. sausage over rice
19. bbq chk salad, rolls
20. cheesy chk chowder
21. meatloaf, mashed potatoes, veg
22. chk cheese lasagna
23. hotdogs
24. salisbury steak, sweet potatoes
25. pancakes, canadian bacon, eggs
26. spaghetti and meatballs
27. burgers, raspberry chocolate smoothies
28. lemon chk orzo soup
29. black bean quesadillas
30. bean and cheese nachos
31. goulash

Black bean quesadillas

How have I never put black beans in my quesadillas before? Somehow the beans combine with the cheese to create this smoky flavor that I never could have imagined. I don't think I'll ever cook a bean-free quesadilla ever again.

tortillas (I use fat-free to avoid those nasty trans fats)
15 oz black beans (approx. 2 cans), drained
2 cups sharp cheddar, grated
butter
salsa
sour cream

Mix together the beans and cheese. Melt butter in a frying pan. Put about half a cup of the bean mixture on a tortilla and fold in half. Place tortilla in the frying pan and brown both sides. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Warning: this is a messy meal. Those beans tend to slide right out of the tortilla. You will have beans burning your hands, but you won't care because your mouth is enjoying the flavor. Next time I'll experiment with a blender to see if it helps to puree the beans first, or if they'd still fall out of the tortilla. If anyone has already tried this, let me know if it helps.

Month 3 of menus

1.chk divan, rice
2.mashed potato soup, bread, matchstick carrots
3.baked fondue, bread, broccoli
4.spaghetti
5.rotisserie chk, skillet biscuits, veg
6.steak salad w/arugula & grapefruit; bakery bread
7.slow cooker chicken and wild rice
8.hash browns, pancakes, sausage, and eggs
9.goulash
10.hotdogs, french fries, fruit
11.cheesy monkey bread
12.pan fried pork chops, sweet potatoes
13.cheesy veg chowder, bread
14.shake n bake chk, baked potatoes, cucumber
15.slow cooker chk and wild rice, salad
16.spaghetti
17.chicken avocado BLT
18.banana bread pancakes, canadian bacon, eggs
19.burgers, smoothies
20.black beans and rice
21.sticky apricot chk, sweet potatoes
22.pork chops, squash, green beans
23.hotdogs
24.sandwiches
25.shake n bake chk, french fries, veg
26.leftover breaded chk, penne pasta, veg
27.slow cooker chk tacos
28.pumpkin burgers
29.country sausage gravy, biscuits, veg
30.pork tenderloin w/pan sauce, bread, veg
31.havarti mac n cheese, broccoli (extra cheese sauce to dip broccoli)

Month 2 of menus

Month 2


1.ham veggie sandwich
2.leftover mashed potato soup, fresh bread
3.meatloaf, baked potatoes, veg
4.shepherd's pie
5.ham sammy
6.shake n bake chk, stovetop stuffing
7.cranberry chk, rice, veg
8.chk braid
9.quesadillas
10.goulash (Kraft mac n cheese, ground beef, and either condensed tomato soup OR tomato sauce) - a kid favorite!
11.spanish rice -simmer for closer to an hour than 30 minutes
12.quinoa black bean bowls
13.spaghetti, salad, garlic bread
14.zucchini gratin, pot roast, biscuits
15.pizza
16.smoked sausage, hash browns, grape tomatoes
17.spinach walnut penne
18.hotdogs
19.apple bacon grilled cheese
20.dirty rice
21.cheese, crackers
22.french toast
23.grilled chk, buttered noodles, arugula salad
24.red beans and rice
25.lemon chk orzo soup, fresh bread, salad, fruit, cookies
26.calzones
27.ravioli bake
28.ham, cream cheese, and raspberry jam sandwiches
29.frozen pizza
30.meatloaf, mashed potatoes, matchstick carrots
31.slow cooker london broil, egg noodle, sliced radish

Month 1 of menus

Month 1

Chk = Chicken
Veg = Vegetable

1.wafflewiches, veg
Wafflewiches are sandwiches with waffles instead of bread. We were out of bread and I didn't have time to bake any. :P I think I used cranberry jelly instead of the strawberry preserves though.
2.carnitas, crash hot potatoes, veg
3.slow-cooked corn chowder
4.carnitas pizza
5.spaghetti
6.beef stroganoff, veg
7.honey chk, lemon zucchini muffins
8.goulash
9.cornflake chk, smoothies (then popcorn and Netflix)
10.ravioli casserole
11.breaded chk, honey, biscuits, veg
12.pancakes, sausage, eggs
13.steak, sweet potatoes
14.black bean soup w/rice
15.cheesy veg chowder, fresh bread
16.pan-fried pork chops, nuked potatoes, salad
17.beef au jus
18.tomato soup, grilled cheese
19.ham and cheese sliders, cucumber
20.hotdogs
21.chk rice soup, fresh bread
22.chk fajitas
23.spaghetti
24.frito pie
25.pizza
26.kielbasa, rolls, celery
27.cheese, crackers, pickles, olives, cookies
28.ravioli
29.crispy chk costoletta, mashed potatoes, asparagus
30.havarti mac n cheese, frozen veg
31.grilled cheeseburger wrap

Chicken Divan

1/3 c sliced or slivered almonds
1 qt chicken broth
lemon zest
4 T butter, divided
1/2 c. plus 2 T flour
1 1/2 c. rice
1 lb chicken
salt
pepper
poultry seasoning
2 T olive oil
asparagus
lemon juice
1/3 c milk or heavy cream
2 T tarragon

Toast almonds in a fry pan until golden, then reserve.
Boil 2 3/4 c. chicken broth, lemon zest, and 1 T butter. Add rice and return to a boil. Reduce to simmer, cover, and cook for 18 minutes.

Microwave asparagus in 1/3 c. water and some lemon juice.

Dredge chicken in flour, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Heat 1 T butter and the olive oil in the fry pan, then add chicken. Cook chicken 3-4 minutes on each side. Melt remaining butter around the chicken. Add 2T flour and stir one minute. Slowly pour in remaining chicken broth and milk. After sauce bubbles, add tarragon and allow to thicken another 2-3 minutes.

Serve chicken and asparagus on a bed of rice, then cover in tarragon sauce and sprinkle with toasted almonds.