Welcome to January folks! This week is a total catch up week for me. After house guests, Christmas and kids on vacation I have a lot of things that need to be gotten in order this week. So I’m trying not to get too ambitious on the menu front this week. Although of course I want the family to have tasty & filling meals, I really don’t want to spend my days in the kitchen.
Monday: Leftover Buffet
We didn’t wind up doing this over the weekend-Yankee Bill suggested we try some of the canned venison instead. His actual words were “So, when are we going to try some of that canned vension” accompanied by a pleading look-so naturally I couldn’t resist 
Since it’s just the kiddos and I we’ll be able to make a full meal out of the leftovers, even though they’ve been depleted by lunches etc.
Tuesday: Venison Tacos, Spanish Rice & Green Beans
I’ve got some Venison Cubesteak defrosted, so instead of a ground beef style taco it will be meat strips. I have a new Spanish Rice recipe that I am trying out-if it’s any good I’ll share it with you all soon!
Wednesday: Crockpot Turkey Tetrazzini
There is still smoked turkey left over from Christmas Dinner. Wednesday I will be running errands during the day and have a meeting early that night, so I needed a meal that could be easily put together in the morning, cooked in the crockpot and served up by Yankee Bill for the kiddos.
Thursday: All Day Mac ‘n Cheese w/Green Salad
Have you ever gone to a party and come home with more food than you brought? Somehow that happened to us last week-we wound up bringing home a bunch of varieties of cheese that we hadn’t brought to a party. What better way to use up some sharp cheddar, spicy jack and horseradish cheddar than in some homemade All Day Mac ‘n Cheese!
Friday: Calzones
Lately my bread & pizza dough have been coming out very wet-I can’t really figure out why. I’m following the measurements in my Pizza Hut Crust Clone recipe exactly and using the same measuring cups I always have. Maybe it’s the humidity in the air? Anyway, I had told the kids last week that we’d make calzones instead of pizza-but then the dough came out so runny that there wasn’t any good way to work with it-so I sort of spread it around on the pan to make the pizza crust. I figure I owe them this week-so I’ll watch the dough more carefully and we’ll make calzones this time!
Saturday: Chicken Parmesean over Pasta with Broccoli
I bought a couple of big packs of chicken breasts on sale a couple weeks back, and when I made Chicken Parmesean for dinner I went ahead and flattened/breaded all the remaining breasts. They were flash frozen and are sitting downstairs in the freezer just waiting to be used!
Sunday: Baked Potato Buffet
Yankee Bill loves baked potatoes, but I rarely make them. For some reason I seem to have a mental block where they are concerned-I just never remember to get them started early enough to be ready for dinner time. But with a new year comes new challenges-and of course new Christmas bills! Potatoes are inexpensive and filling, and if you offer them up baked with a bunch of optional fillings such as chili, creamed chicken and broccoli cheese sauce they can even be fun!
For more great menu plan ideas, make sure you head on over to “Menu Plan Monday” at the Organizing Junkie!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Do you have a recipe for the crock pot Tetrazzini? I would love to give that a try – I’ve been neglecting my crockpot.
As for baked potatoes, I always do them in the microwave and they come out great. Usually I just do one for myself at about 4-6 minutes on high (don’t forget to prick them with a fork or they will EXPLODE!). My parent’s microwave has a setting for them.
Hi Jenn. Just wondering what your philosophy is on how long leftovers, etc. are still good for. I noticed a few times you talked about something defrosted in your fridge or, as in this post leftovers from Christmas, that you need to use up. I’m all about the frugal and hate to see food wasted, but I’m also one of those people who won’t drink the milk once the sell by date arrives! I’m really tryong to get over it, so I’m always curious on how others handle this kind of thing. Right now I have some filet mignon leftover from dinner out Friday night. It’s only Monday, but I haven’t used it yet and am already thinking it may just need to go! Any tips or ideas?
After reading your menu posts so often I decided to post my own today on my blog http://www.robynsonlineworld.com/2010/01/weekly-menu.html