Monday, August 31, 2009

Menu Plan 8/31/09

I need to recycle a few meals from last week since we didn't get to them.


Monday - breakfast for dinner

Tuesday - tuna noodle casserole

Wednesday - spaghetti & meatballs

Thursday - creamed chicken over biscuits

Friday - family birthday dinner for one of our nieces

Saturday - homemade pizza night!

Monday, August 24, 2009

Menu Plan 8/24/09

I'm going to try to post a weekly menu, not only for easy reference, but so that I keep a record of what I'm cooking. When you menu plan on paper, that paper gets thrown away and then you have no idea what you've been making from week to week. (At least, that happens to me.)

We occasionally have a leftover night (called FiFi in our house, which means "Find It, Fix It"), but we also use leftovers for lunch. So I don't usually plan a FiFi night.


Monday - crockpot chicken, pasta, steamed veggies

Tuesday - Heather's meatloaf, roasted potatoes and carrots

Wednesday - creamed chicken over biscuits, steamed veggies

Thursday - homemade pizza night

Friday - spaghetti, steamed veggies

Saturday - breakfast for supper

Saturday, August 22, 2009

White Pizza

This is one of my favorite ways to fix pizza! When I was growing up, I was not a fan of tomatoes or tomato products, so anytime I could order white pizza, I was all over it!

We usually have a once-a-week pizza night, and although my Hubby is a fan of more traditional pizza with lots of meat toppings, I think I need to convince him to let me make this every so often. It's so good!


White Pizza

your favorite pizza crust
1 cup part-skim ricotta
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella
2 Tbs grated parmesan
1 Tbs olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Mix the ricotta and garlic together in a small bowl. Place pizza crust on baking stone or pizza pan. Spread ricotta mixture over crust. Top with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Add additional toppings as desired. (My experience is to keep the toppings simple. My favorite is cooked and drained spinach!)

Drizzle olive oil over pizza toppings. Bake for 12-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your crust. Cool slightly before slicing.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Easy Cream Cheese Pasta and Chicken

I wanted to make my yummy Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken, but I didn't have all the right ingredients. So I improvised!

First, I didn't have any boneless skinless chicken breasts; all I had was chicken leg quarters (yay for 49cents/lb chicken!). I didn't have any Italian seasoning or cream of chicken soup either. I'm trying to use less processed foods in my cooking. And I didn't want to mess up another pan just to make a white sauce!

This was very yummy! I'll definitely make this again!



Easy Cream Cheese Pasta and Chicken

4 chicken leg quarters (or use whatever chicken you have on hand)

8 oz spaghetti noodles
2 T. butter
4 oz cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)
1 T. Italian seasoning
1 t. garlic powder
1 T. milk

1. In the morning, put your chicken in the crockpot with about 1 cup of water. Sprinkle with a little bit of your favorite seasonings. I use seasoning salt. Cook on low 8 hours or high 6 hours.

2. A half hour before eating, cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions. Drain and reserve until after next step.

3. In the same pot over low heat, melt butter. Stir in cream cheese, seasonings, and milk. Allow the cream cheese to melt. Add a bit more milk if you like a looser sauce. I wasn't going for a sauce that you can pour, just a sauce that would stick to the noodles.

4. Return noodles to pot and toss to coat with sauce.

5. To serve, pile de-boned chicken, noodles, and your choice of steamed vegetables on your plate. Enjoy!