I'm going to make a month (or maybe even two month!) meal plan over the next few days. I figure, while Mark is here to help out, I'll go ahead and do my least-favorite (and therefore most procrastinated) meal chore: planning! Having a plan for a whole month will be a huge asset in making sure we end up eating dinner...or at least, so that we don't eat pancakes or grilled cheese too frequently ;-)
So, please, share any and all suggestions for a "New mom of two" meal plan - i.e. make-ahead, crock-pot, use-in-multiple-ways, easy recipes.
And you can bet soup & sandwiches will be on there a few times, so if you have neat tips for quick put-together meals for those days when things are all topsy-turvy, do share!
Any ideas I gather, I'll post here:
FamilyFun's "Month of Meals" for December - if nothing else, the categories gave me some great ideas (like "blast from the past" or "Meat-free Friday")
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
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HEre's my favorite. I use 2 chickens, but you'd need just one. You get 3 meals from one chicken
Leanne Ely's Rubber Chicken
Serves 4 for 3 days
1 chicken -- washed and patted dry (get a nice sized one)
1/2 celery rib -- cut in pieces
1 onion -- quartered
1 carrot -- cut in 2" pieces
salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
Day One: The adventure begins--Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In the cavity of the chicken, season with salt, pepper and garlic powder and place cut up vegetables inside. Sprinkle the outside with salt and pepper and a little garlic powder, too, if you like. Cook for about an hour or longer (depending on the size of the bird) till the juices run clear. Let sit a minute and then remove the vegetables. In the meantime, if you were smart, you boiled the neck with some celery, onion and carrot and have that broth, too. To further cut down on the grease from the chicken, you could take the cooking juices and put them in a cup and refrigerate while you make the rest of the meal. This will get rid of a significant amount of chicken fat which will all rise to the top. Make a nice gravy by deglazing the pan with a little water and thicken it up with a flour/water mixture (about a tablespoon should do) Serve your wonderful chicken with Just Like Mama's Mashed Potatoes and lots and lots of veggies. Remember, you want leftover chicken.
Day Two: Let the adventure continue! Take your time and pull every last itty bitty bit of chicken of them bones. You want that chicken skeleton to look like a science project. Toss the chicken in pot with a can of black beans and season with a little cumin, some garlic powder and serve it up with lots of salsa, tortillas, some cheese--whatever turns your key! A great big salad will give you a perfect dinner.
Day Three: The adventure ends--with the skeletal remains finally hitting the stock pot. Throw in the same veggies: onion, carrots and celery, season it with salt, pepper and garlic powder and throw about 3 quarts of water over the top. Cook the daylights out of it and strain. Now make soup or store appropriately. Bet you didn't know one puny chicken had so many meals in it, did you?
Monthly meal planning is a huge pain and not something I enjoy either, but it's SOOOO nice when it's done!! I love not having to worry about what we're having for dinner for a whole month! I don't really have any suggestions though, other than what we've been eating, which I post every Monday. I'll be checking your blog to see the suggestions that other people leave though!
I LOVE crockpot meals . . . esp. since I have a 3 yr and newborn. Here's a couple of my favorite recipes . . .
Bacon Chicken
Chicken tenders
Bacon (I use turkey bacon)
Sour cream
Cream of Mushroom soup
1. Mix desired amount of sour cream and crm of mushroom soup (I use 1 can of soup w/ 4 oz sour cream) w/ a little milk; just enough make a little creamy. Spread enough on bottom of crockpot to cover.
2. Wrap bacon around chicken tenders and lay on top of soup/sour cream mixture. Use enough chicken to cover sauce on bottom of pan. Pour remaining sauce over chicken.
3. Cook on high for 4 hours. I like to serve with steamed green beans and mashed sweet potatoes.
One-Stop Chicken & Veggies
Chicken tenders
Fresh/frozen green beans
Fresh baby carrots
Cream of Chicken soup
1. Mix desired amount of crm of chix soup with water til slightly creamy. Pour part onto bottom of crockpot.
2. Lay chicken on top of soup mixture and sprinkle with season salt and pepper, then add green beans and carrots. Pour rest of soup mix on top of veggies.
3. Cook on high for 4 hours. Thirty (30) minutes from finish time, stir, then top with french fried onions.
Thanks for the recipes! I'm still working on my menu...it's probably going to end up being January's menu LOL!
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