Menus 12/28/09 - 1/3/10

Still on vacation this week, no work and no classes to teach/attend!

12/28 Mon: Layered Chicken and Black Bean Casserole, Jalapeno Corn Muffins (this is a carry-over from a couple of weeks ago when plans changed).

12/29 Tues: Parmesan Italian Pork Chops, green salad, Swiss Cheese Potatoes (CrockPot), French bread (from the freezer).

12/30 Wed: Italian Beef Sandwiches (CrockPot), green salad. I think we'll actually be making these out of a pork loin roast, as Mr. Mamie reports that he cannot locate a beef roast in the big freezer, and we scored two large pork roasts from GolfDad recently. However, if the grocery store ads that come in the mail tomorrow have any SUPER deals on beef roasts, I might go buy one/some.

12/31 Thurs: CrockPot Honey Mustard Chicken, green salad, cornbread stuffing (from a mix). Niece and Nephew will be here for dinner.


1/1 Fri: Beef and Bean Chimichangas w/ all the fixings. Niece and Nephew will be here for dinner.

1/2 Sat: Ham, Pasta, and Broccoli Casserole - today is GrandmaT's birthday, and this is her request.  It's what she usually makes for the Igor Family to eat for dinner on Halloween, as they bop around going to parties and trick-or-treating in the neighborhood.  However, it didn't happen this year, so we're having it for her birthday instead.  It's a modification of an old magazine recipe - I'll try to get the info posted later this week.  This is a great casserole for once-a-month/freezer cooking.  We'll also have green salad, Italian Cheese Bread, and an as-yet undetermined birthday cake. Niece and Nephew will be here for dinner.

1/3 Sun: Crockpot BBQ Beans and Polish Sausage, green salad, Oatmeal Dinner Rolls (from the freezer).  I have to prepare for the three-day work trip up north, as well as prep lecture materials for a colleague who will cover my university class on Tuesday, so an easy CrockPot dinner is in order! Niece and Nephew will be here for dinner.


I'm engaged in a muffin-baking marathon today! We like to have lots of muffins stashed in the freezer for snacks, quick breakfasts, kid-food for Niece and Nephew, etc.  So far I have made Health Nut Blueberry Muffins and Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Muffins. Next up is Pumpkin-Butterscotch Chip Muffins - great combo! Also this week I hope to get to: Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, Whole Wheat Honey Pumpkin Muffins, Spiced Carrot Muffins, Healthy Cranberry-Blueberry Muffins, and Savory Cheese Muffins (these are actually a "dinner muffin," and they're on my menu for next week). For most muffins that call for white flour only, I alter the recipes so that the flour content is at least 1/2 white and 1/2 whole wheat.  Today, I'm substituting 1/4 cup wheat germ for 1/4 cup flour as well. I won't do this on the Lemon Poppy Seed or Savory Cheese muffins, though - somehow doesn't seem like it will work very well.


A note about last week: I never got around to posting/sharing a meal plan, but there WAS one, really! We had Taco Mac on Monday, and leftovers from that on Tuesday. Wednesday was Honey-Spice Glazed Pork Chops, which were new to us and quite tasty (served with Stove-Top Stuffing and green salad).

For Christmas Eve dinner on Thursday all the family was over, and we served a Costco red/meat lasagna along with a homemade Cheesy Chicken Lasagna, green salad, and Italian Cheese Bread.  We've had and enjoyed the Costco frozen lasagna before, but it was left in the dust by the Cheesy Chicken Lasagna - a HUGE hit!  I was very tempted to add spinach to the recipe, but I wanted Brother Igor to try it, and knew he wouldn't if there was green stuff in it.  We'll definitely be having the Cheesy Chicken Lasagna again, and I will for sure doctor it up with some frozen spinach and maybe a little ricotta cheese.  I made this lasagna with "oven ready" lasagna noodles, and they worked perfectly - definitely an easier way to go than dealing with boiled noodles.  For Christmas Eve dessert I made a batch of The Best Birthday Cupcakes with Chocolate Syrup Frosting.  I used white cake mix, and decorated the tops with red/white/green sprinkles.  Very festive! These cupcakes are fantastic - soooooooo tender and tasty, and the frosting is delicious without being too sweet.

On Christmas Day we all gathered at GolfDad's house, where he made us a wonderful meal of standing prime rib roast, baked potatoes, and Mom's bacon green beans.  Mrs. Igor brought dessert (two pies), and Mr. Mamie was in charge of the green salad (as he was the night before) - a huge salad buffet that was a hit on both nights.

Over the weekend we ate leftovers and made homemade pizza.


Also last week I made: Eggnog Cranberry Muffins,  Multi-grain Blueberry Pancakes, and Lemon-Blueberry Bread, ALL of which were YUMMY!

Head over to orgjunkie.com for a boatload more weekly meal plans.