Menu for September

Wow, did you think I took a permanent vacation?? Yea, I wish! Summer was just really hard to get myself totally organized. I still cooked a lot, but just didn't plan as far ahead as I like to. Know what I learned?? I learned that I really did like having the month (or at least 2 weeks) of meals planned. It was really more stressful to have to come home from work, pick up kids at 2 different babysitters and then figure out dinner. So, with the girls taking extra long naps today, I decided to figure out a menu for September. I'm hoping that with the boys back in school, there will be more quiet time around here to figure this out month to month.



Sept 1-4:

Breakfast Skillet: just throw in what you like. We like hashbrowns, eggs, sausage, onion, and cheese. Serve with toast and fruit.



Hobo Dinners: a lean ground beef patty, sliced potatoes, and sliced carrots in an aluminum foil pack. Lay out a large sheet of aluminum foil. Form the hamburger patty and lay in the middle of the foil. Top with slices of potato, carrots, and a ring of onion (optional). Season with salt and pepper, and worchestershire sauce. Close the foil packs (do one pack for each hamburger patty), and bake at 350 degrees until the hamburger is cooked through and veggies are tender.



Homemade pizza, frozen pizza, or takeout



Leftovers



Sept 5-11:

Chipped Beef Gravy over biscuits (although this is my birthday...so I'm hoping to go out!!)



Ham Slice, fried potatoes, veggie



Roast Chicken (in oven or crockpot, or rotisserie from grocery store), mashed potatoes, corn



Beef and Bean Burritos: super easy recipe! Brown 1 1b ground beef with garlic and onions. Add one can of refried beans and one jar of salsa. Can add some taco seasoning, cumin, or hot peppers if desired. Fill tortillas, add cheese, enjoy! These can also be made ahead and frozen for later.



Chicken Hashbrown Casserole: use leftover chicken in a cheesy hashbrown casserole recipe. Will have to post the recipe later.



Grilled Cheese Sandwiches



Leftovers



Sept 12-18:

Pepperoni Spaghetti Bake: a baked spaghetti casserole with pepperoni, sauce, and cheese. Recipe does call for eggs, so I will have to post the recipe later.



BBQ Chicken Salad: I'm trying to duplicate my favorite salad from Cafe DelSol. Grilled BBQ chicken breasts (sliced), salad greens, corn, black beans, cheese, cilantro (which I will omit), and french fried onions. Yummy!! I'll use ranch dressing.



Meatballs: Homemade meatballs baked in the oven with spaghetti sauce. I will serve with baked mac-n-cheese for a total calorie overload. I'm not even going to weigh myself in the morning!!



Stuffed French Toast: Thought I better use a weight watchers recipe to follow the meatballs! Make regular french toast, but before frying, spread the inside of the bread with lowfat cream cheese and bananas (or fruit of choice). Brown on both sides, dust with powdered sugar. If you want to make it a little more fattening, use the blueberry cobbler bread that is sold at Walmart.



Chicken and Dumplins: the old fashioned version is my favorite. Will cook off a chicken (although you can use canned chicken or chicken breast for a quicker supper), and use the broth to make slippery potpie (dumplins). Will post the recipe later.



Subs (homemade or takeout)



Leftovers



Sept 19-25:

Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes, veggie

Southwest Chicken Pasta: Penne pasta with cheesy sauce, topped in grilled chicken, black beans, and tomatoes.

Paninis: my favorite grilled sandwich. The kids prefer ham, pepperoni, sauce, and mozzarella. Shane and I prefer beef, mozzarella, and grilled onions. If you don't have a panini maker, you can still have the sandwiches. My recommendation, though, is to use thick sliced Italian bread, so that it doesn't just turn out like a smooshed grilled cheese. Grill it with a heavy pan on top to flatten it slightly.

Pork chops or Pork Roast (depending what is on sale)

Chicken Noodle Casserole: Shane's request for the month. Basically it is cubed/chunked cooked chicken with egg noodles (and a little broth) topped with bread cubes and baked. I like to add onion, celery, pepper, and poultry seasoning to the broth for extra flavor.

Hamburgers/Hotdogs on the grill: our farewell to summer...

Leftovers

Sept 26-30:

BBQ Beef Tips over Rice: start with cut up round steak or stew meat, add the sauce, and cook in the crockpot all day. I believe I've posted the recipe before, so I will try to link it for easier reference.

Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Broccoli

Tacos/Taco Salad, Corn

Homemade Chicken Fingers, mac-n-cheese

Meatloaf Minis: a Kraft recipe. Your basic meatloaf recipe will work also. Just put the meatloaf in a cupcake pan (divided among the 12 cups), put an indentation in each cup of meat, put a dollop of BBQ sauce in the middle, and bake at 350 degrees. Add cheddar cheese near end of baking.