I got back from the conference on Wednesday night last week-the rest of the week was a hodgepodge of quickly thrown together meals from the fridge and freezer. Honestly, I really do hate it when I don’t make a menu plan-I feel so out of control and scattered when it comes to dinner time! So I’m happy to be back on track again.
Monday: Venison Steaks, Frozen Veggies & Rice
Quick and easy. I have the venison defrosting as I type. Since I can start the rice early in the rice cooker, it can all be ready to go no problem at supper time. Mondays are a sort of hectic night for us around here-Yankee Bill plays on a billiards league and has to be out the door by 6:00, I have my weight loss meeting at the library, and then I have to be on air for Frugal Coast2Coast at 8:30. Quick and easy dinners save the day.
Tuesday: Homemade Fried Rice
Yankee Bill has a dinner meeting so it will just be the kids and I-so I’m keeping it simple. There will be rice leftover from Monday to which I will add all the odds and ends of veggies in the fridge (I know for a fact I’ve got onion, celery & carrots languishing away in there). I will add any leftover venison plus an egg or two for protein.
Wednesday: Grilled Chicken, Potato Home Fries & Steamed Carrots & Cauliflower.
I have a bag of marinated chicken (ie dumped the raw chicken & marinade in a bag & froze it) that has been in the freezer since the fall. Since the weather MAY warm up a bit, I think I can use the grill and cook it. If not, I can always bake in the oven. There are potatoes starting to grow eyes down in the cellar that need to be used pronto, and a head of cauliflower that I bought and haven’t used for anything either. Let’s have a yummy supper and get the fridge cleaned out at the same time!
Thursday: Venison Roast, Potato Hash, Scalloped Tomatoes
I keep forgetting about the Venison Roasts in the freezer-they are on a different shelf and somehow that makes them escape my memory! I’m going to crock pot this one, as I will be busy most of the day at church helping with the annual Lenten Luncheon.
Friday: Homemade Pizza
Usually if I make extra pizza dough I like to roll it out and parbake it before freezing, but last week I decided to freeze the second batch as a big ball. I’ll take it out to thaw on Thursday night and see how it goes. Isn’t experimenting fun?
Saturday: Venison Pot Pie
Leftover Venison + Leftover anything else in a thick bubbly gravy covered by pie crust. Yummy and frugal!
Sunday: Roast Chicken, Mashed Potatoes & Salad
I’m planning on buying a whole chicken when I go shopping this week. I’ll use some more of those potatoes from the basement for real, homemade mashed potatoes (even if Yankee Bill prefers the fake ones, I like the real ones) and throw a salad together with it. Leftover potatoes will be used with some salmon to make fish croquettes on Mon or Tues next week.
Jenn- have you ever made taquitos or enchiladas with the venison? I have made frybread and green chile with it for Indian tacos. I love spicy and southwestern food, and I think in those terms when I see the menu posts for the venison..
I’ve never heard of Indian tacos-do you have a recipe?
I tend to use ground meat for my tacos-I have used vension before,but not frequently. When summer hits and the cost of fresh produce goes down I may try using strips of venison in fajita’s with pepper, onion etc. .. that would be good.
Jenn- Fry bread is simple yet it takes a little practice to make.
1 Cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup powdered milk
1/4 tsp salt
warm water
Combine your dry ingredients in a bowl, add enough warm water to form a soft dough. Turn out on a lightly floured cutting board and knead until smooth and soft not sticky. Let rest about an hour then shape into small balls. Roll each ball out flat about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. poke a couple of holes into each with a fork, fry in hot oil in a skillet about half way full of oil. You want to brown them on both sides and drain on paper towels. This the recipe I was taught by my mother-in-law. You can look up other variations on google. I like mine with red or green chile or refried beans. You can also sprinkle on powdered sugar for a sweet version.
Hi Jenn,
Longtime reader, but this is my first comment. I always freeze “raw” pizza dough. It works out great, and seems to roll out even better after being frozen. Good luck!
Erin in TX