Last week was fabulous. Christmas Eve we were busy with church pageants, family celebrations and kiddos going out of their minds with anticipation. Christmas Day chaos ruled supreme and we just relaxed. The rest of the week Yankee Bill pampered me and let me sleep in each morning. . . meals were very relaxed and spur of the moment. . .
But now back to semi reality. YB is back at work, and although the kiddos are off from school for the week it is time to get back into my menu planning MoJo. . .
Monday: Turkey Tetrazzini, Green Salad
For Christmas Dinner I bought a smoked turkey at Aldis. At $1.69 a lb, it was much more than I usually spend on turkey, but less than a lot of other meats out there. Since it was smoked, all I had to do was warm it up and make some gravy. The meat was FANTASTIC. Mmmmm. And there is a ton left over.
We’ve already had turkey, gravy & rice, turkey soup etc from the leftovers. There are still 2 big containers of meat left. Some will get used for this Tetrazzini recipe I found on Recipezaar. com, the rest will get temporarily frozen in the upstairs freezer. I will plan on using it up within the next week or so. . . I just can’t leave it unfrozen and expect it to last that long.
Tuesday: Venison Tacos, Refried Beans & Rice
I actually, for once, have salad stuff in the fridge, which means I have lettuce, tomato etc. I’m substituting Venison in the Tacos because I have a freezer full of it, and the taco shells were bought on sale months ago. Fat Free Refried Beans in a can from Aldi’s, and rice bought in bulk at the Asian Food Store.
Wednesday: New Year Eve Party
We will be going over to a friends house for a family style NYE party (ie hubs, wives & kiddos). We usually bring dips and snacky foods and everyone chows down. . . so no dinner is needed. I plan on bringing my Buffalo Chicken Dip and Ginger Rhubarb & Blueberry Cobbler. I will make the cobbler from jars of ginger rhubarb jam I made last spring, and some frozen blueberries out of the freezer.
Thursday: Pea Soup with Smoked Turkey, Biscuits
After staying up till midnight on NYE, I’m likely to be running on low power (yeah, pitiful I know). Pea soup can be thrown in the crockpot in the morning and ready for dinner with barely an effort on my part. Also it’s a lower calorie meal after all the high calorie snack foods we will have consumed the night before. The smoked turkey has almost a bacon type flavor, so it should compliment the peas well.
Friday: Homemade Pizza
With the holiday chaos we skipped the pizza last week! Have to be back on the Friday Pizza train. . .
Saturday: Venison Curry & Rice
Plenty of Venison in the freezer, and curry is an admirable way to use up all the bits and bobs of leftovers etc in the fridge.
Sunday: Baked Fish, Baked Potatoes & Veggies
Frozen fish filets from Aldis with some Paul Prudhomme “Fish Magic” sprinkled on top, Baked potatoes and whatever frozen veggies I feel like. Any leftover fish will go into a chowder on Monday.
For more great menu plan ideas check out Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie.
I can’t wait to read more about the upcoming fish chowder!
🙂
Jenn, your menu for the week sounds great. I’ve noticed that you tend to use refried beans out of a can from Aldi’s – which I imagine you get a great deal on. Have you ever tried making a huge batch of refried beans and freezing them? It’s not a ton of work (I did it recently since I live overseas and don’t have access to refried beans) and they turned out great! And I would think they’re cheaper than canned, although I could be wrong. Just a thought… Have a blessed new year!