Menu Plan, September 1-7

Here’s what the 144 family will be dining on this week:

 Monday

Breakfast- waffles with bananas, berries

Dinner-left-over grilled chicken from fajita party in stir fry chicken and vegetables

Tuesday

Breakfast-scrambled egg whites and cheese, toast, yogurt smoothies

Dinner–  Chicken and shrimp quesadillas (just grilled chicken and shrimp for mom plus some spinach) broccoli, pineapple

Wednesday

Breakfast- cereal, yogurt

Kid dinner: soy corn dogs, berries

Thursday

Breakfast- smoothie popsicles

Dinner-Maple-brined pork chops, apples

Recipe: Maple-Brined Pork Chops with apples (4 servings)

2 cups boiling water

2 Tablespoons kosher salt

1 cup unsweetened apple cider or juice

¼ cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon maple extract

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

4 (5 ounce) bone-in rib pork chops

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into ½-inch thick wedges

1.  Stir the boiling water and kosher salt in a medium bowl until the salt dissolves; refrigerate until cold. Stir in apple cider, maple syrup, maple extract and allspice. Put the pork chops in a single layer in a large baking dish. Pour the brine mixture over the chops. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight, turning the pork occasionally.
2. Remove pork chops from the brine and pat them dry with paper towels. Discard the brine. Swirl the oil in skillet, then add pork. Cook until deep golden on the outside and an instant-read thermometer inserted registers 160 degrees F for medium, about 4 minutes each side. Transfer the chops to a plate and keep warm.
3. Add the apple wedges to the skillet. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the apples are a deep golden and tender, about 6 minutes.

 Friday

Breakfast-Chocolate chip pancakes

Kid dinner-Pick your leftover night

(Grownup date night)

 

Saturday

Dinner-Baked Ziti (Carbs for the endurance I’ll need the next day!), breadsticks, salad, broccoli

Recipe Baked Ziti (8 servings)

12 oz uncooked ziti

2 tsp olive oil

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

1/3 pound raw lean ground beef

1 tsp each: dried oregano, thyme, rosemary

1/2 tsp table salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

28 oz canned crushed tomatoes

1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Add beef and cook until browned, breaking up meat with a spoon as it cooks, about 3 to 5 minutes; drain off any fat and set pan back over medium heat.

Add oregano, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper; stir to coat beef. Cook until herbs become fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Spoon a small amount of beef-tomato mixture into bottom of a 4-quart casserole dish (just enough to cover surface); top with half of cooked ziti. Next, layer with half of remaining beef-tomato sauce and half of mozzarella cheese. Layer with remaining ziti and then top with remaining beef-tomato sauce; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake until cheese is golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Slice into 8 pieces and serve. Yields 1 piece per serving.

Sunday

Ride day for Mom!

Mom’s breakfast- peanut butter sandwich with bananas, honey

Dinner-Hamburgers, corn on the cob, cut fruit

 Looking for more meal-planning ideas? You can check out about 300 others at Menu Plan Monday…

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