Menu Plan 12/28/09

Monday - ham, mashed potatoes, squash

Tuesday - chicken stir fry (lots of veggies - cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, etc)

Wednesday - pork BBQ, collard greens

Thursday - FIFI (find it, fix it) or cabbage & noodles, depending on how many leftovers we have

Friday - skillet hash, steamed veggies

Saturday - ham stromboli, steamed veggies

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Brownies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 Tbs canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch pan. Mix first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and stir until blended. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until set and lightly brown around edges.

Menu Plan 12/20/09

Sunday - FIFI (Find It, Fix It) a.k.a leftovers

Monday - hosting our Mary Kay Christmas party, I'm providing dessert

Tuesday - chicken, pasta, & veggies tossed in olive oil

Wednesday - pizza

Thursday - sandwiches and/or FIFI (we have to be at church at 5:00 to prepare for our Christmas Eve service; food needs to be self-service and on-the-go)

Christmas morning breakfast - omelets, fried taters, and biscuits

Saturday - salmon casserole & baked potatoes

Gingerbread Coffee

I've been craving all things gingerbread this holiday season. One of the ways I love taming this craving is in flavored coffee. Yum! First recipe if for Gingerbread coffee, and the second is for Gingerbread coffee creamer. Enjoy!

2 cups powdered coffee creamer

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 cups instant coffee

Blend together with a whisk. Add 3 tablespoons of the mixture to a mug of hot water. Taste test to see if you want to use slightly rounded or level tablespoons.

GINGERBREAD COFFEE CREAMER MIX

2 cups Coffemate Powdered Creamer

1/2 c. packed DARK Brown sugar

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cloves

Blend well, add 1 Well Rounded tsp to Hot Coffee or Tea.

Thanksgiving in a Crockpot

Wow. This is some good eats. A totally flexible meal depending on what you have on hand. Great for cleaning up leftovers too.


Chicken and Stuffing Crockpot Casserole

1 large sweet potato
2 cups shredded or cubed cooked chicken or turkey
2 cups homemade cream of something (or 1 can cream of chicken soup+1 canful milk, mixed together)
2-3 cups prepared bread stuffing (I had leftovers from Thanksgiving)

Layer ingredients in a 3-4 quart crockpot. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours. Enjoy!

UPDATED TO ADD: Depending on what vegetable you use, this is about 350 calories per serving.

Recipes I Want to Try

Sausage and Vegetable Medley

Deep Cocoa Coffee Cookies

Chicken Cacciatore

Crunchy Peanut Butter S'more Bites

Classic Shortbread Cookies

Vegetable Soup

1 (46 oz) can vegetable juice

1 small cabbage, shredded

or 1 lb. pkg ready-to-use coleslaw

1 green pepper, diced

or 1 cup frozen chopped green peppers

3 ribs celery, diced

1 med. onion, diced or 1 cup frozen chopped onion

2 cups frozen French-cut green beans

6 tsp chicken bouillon

1 tsp. garlic powder or use fresh garlic

Spray a slow cooker with nonfat cooking spray. In the slow cooker mix together the vegetable juice, cabbage, green pepper, celery, onion, green beans, chicken bouillon and garlic powder. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.

Note: If you want to have thicker soup, put a few cups into the blender, vegetables and all, blend, and then return the mix to the pot.

Yield: 12 (1-cup) servings

as seen in Busy People’s Slow Cooker Cookbook