Week 8 Recipes & Shopping List

NOTES:
• If you're a new visitor to this blog, please read "how to use this blog" off to the right-hand-side.
• By clicking on “older post” at the bottom of this page, you can look back at previous week’s recipes or click on any of the archives off to the right-hand-side.
• If you are looking for a particular recipe, use the search box at the right-hand-side.
• For busiest nights, make the following recipes:
             (1) - precook rice to speed it up even more
             (2) - quick if you prepare soup the night before
             (3) - brown hamburger and onion ahead of time then all you have to do is assemble casserole and bake it for 40 min
             (4) - pre-slice peppers, chop/grate ginger and toast sesame seeds ahead of time for extra-quick prep
             (5) - also a quick recipe, especially if you choose not to make your own white sauce (although this only takes 15 min)

RECIPE 1: EASY RICE & BEANS WITH AVOCADO

NOTES:
• You can make this the night before, cool, and put in fridge. Reheat and add avocado, diced green onions, and cheese before serving. OR you can just premake the rice to speed up the next day's prep.
• 1 ½ or double this recipe for lunch leftovers the following day.


Ingredients
• 1 1/2 c. brown or white rice
• 3 c. water
• 1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 c. halved cherry tomatoes or 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies or jalapenos
• 1 avocado, peeled and diced
• 1/3 c. chopped green onions
• ½ c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 tbsp chopped black olives (optional)
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• Flour or corn tortillas (optional)


Directions
1. Combine rice and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 35 min.
2. Stir in beans, cook 10 minutes or until rice is done. If using canned tomatoes, add them here. Place rice mixture in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients, tossing gently to combine.
3. Serve with flour or corn tortillas if desired.

RECIPE 2: VEGETABLE SOUP

NOTES:
• This soup can be made ahead, cooled, and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen.


Ingredients
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, minced
• 2 ribs celery, chopped fine
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped fine
• 2 garlic cloves
• 5 c. vegetable broth
• 2 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed, peeled (if desired) and chopped medium
• 1 14.5-oz can tomatoes with Italian seasonings
• 1 c. frozen peas, thawed (optional)
• Optional: 1 can white beans (navy or cannellini) and macaroni pasta
• Oregano & basil to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese for serving (if desired)
• Crusty bread for serving (if desired)


Directions
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-low heat until shimmering. Stir in the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, ¾ tsp salt and a little basil and oregano (about 1/2 tsp each). Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the veggies are very soft, about 20 min.
2. Stir in the broth, potatoes, and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 min. If using beans and macaroni, add them with the broth.
3. Off the heat, add the peas. Let the soup stand for 2 min. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.
4. Serve with grated parmesan cheese and crusty bread if desired.

RECIPE 3: OH-SO-TASTY (AND EASY!) TATER-TOT CASSEROLE

NOTES:
• You can brown hamburger and onion ahead of time to speed up prep.Ingredients
• 1 lb hamburger
• Pepper, salt, garlic powder to taste
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1 small pkg (10 oz) frozen peas
• 16 oz tater tots, frozen

Directions
1. Brown the hamburger in a skillet with a little oil or butter and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.
2. Add chopped onion when hamburger has almost finished cooking and cook on low 3-5 min more. Drain if necessary then add peas and stir.
3. In a greased casserole, layer hamburger/pea/onion mixture on bottom then soup, and frozen tater tots. Bake 40 min at 350. If you like your tater tots crispy, turn the broiler on and broil 3-5 min or until browned (watch closely as the broiler can burn things easily!).

RECIPE 4: HONEY-SOY GLAZED SALMON WITH SPINACH & PEPPERS

NOTES:
• If you pre-toast the sesame seeds and pre-chop the ginger and red pepper, you can pull this meal together in about 15 minutes!


Ingredients
• 1 tbsp honey
• 3 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
• Approximately 1 ¼ lb salmon fillets – this is enough for 4 people (you can buy one or two larger fillet(s) and then divide up into how many portions you need)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped or grated
• About 10-12 cups spinach (seems like a lot but it cooks down)
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted (to toast, simply heat a dry skillet over medium heat and add sesame seeds, shaking pan to mix them up every few minutes until lightly golden)
• Brown or white rice to serve as a side


Directions
1. Toast sesame seeds (see above for directions) and cook rice according to directions.
2. Meanwhile, heat broiler. In a small bowl, combine the honey and 1 tbsp soy sauce.
3. Place the salmon on a foil-lined baking sheet sprayed with oil and season with ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Broil for 5 min then spoon honey mixture over the top and broil until salmon is opaque throughout, 2-5 min more.
4. While fish is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the bell pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until just tender, 3-4 min then stir in the ginger.
5. Add the spinach and ½ tsp salt, and cook, tossing until just wilted. Add the remaining 2 tsp of soy sauce and stir in the sesame seeds. Serve spinach/pepper mixture either next to or over the rice.

RECIPE 5: FETTUCCINE ALFREDO WITH CHICKEN & VEGGIES

NOTE: Making your own white sauce is very simple but if you don’t want to mess with it, buy a jar of premade Alfredo sauce.


Ingredients – For White Sauce
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• Dash of black pepper
• 1 ½ c. milk
• ¼ c. grated parmesan cheese


Directions – For White Sauce
1. In a small saucepan melt butter and cook garlic for 30 sec. Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper – mix until thick and there are no longer lumps. Slowly add all the milk and stir constantly with a wooden spoon or wire whish to evenly blend fat-flour mixture and milk. Stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly then add cheese and stir until incorporated.

Ingredients – For Pasta
• 1-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast (depending on family size and how much meet you want)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
• 1 pkg frozen mixed veggies
• 16 oz fettuccine noodles
• Extra parmesan cheese for serving


Directions
1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels, then slice into 1/2 –inch wide strips. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Cook pasta according to directions. If using the steam-fresh type of frozen veggies, cook according to package directions and set aside. If using regular frozen veggies, throw in at the end of the cooking time with the fettuccine noodles for however many minutes the package recommends.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken and cook until browned on one side, about 4 minutes. Stir and cook until browned on all sides.
4. Drain pasta. Stir veggies and chicken into white sauce and serve over pasta with extra parmesan cheese if desired.

SHOPPING LIST:

NOTES:

• I have organized the shopping list by category and then within each category by meal. After each item you’ll see a number in parenthesis which corresponds to the meal number. That way you can easily pick which recipes you want to try and then find those items (or cross items out) on the list.
• Under Veggies/Fruit I have italicized anything that is a veggie or fruit but NOT found in the fresh fruits and veggie area of the supermarket.
• I have included sides in the recipes and shopping list for recipe (1) and (4). Add sides to the other meals as desired.

Meat
• 1 lb ground beef (3)
• Approx 1 ¼ lb (for four people) salmon fillet(s) (4)
• 1-2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or strips) (5)


Veggies/Fruit
• 2 c. cherry tomatoes OR 1 can diced canned tomatoes with green chilies or jalapenos (1)
• 1 avocado (1)
• 1/3 c. chopped green onions (1)
• Onions – 2 (2, 3)
• Garlic: 2 cloves for recipe (2), 2 cloves recipe (5) (if making your own white sauce)
• 2 ribs celery (2)
• 2 carrots (2)
• 2 medium russet potatoes (2)
• 1 can diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings (2)
• Frozen peas – 1 c. (2) (optional), 1 small 10 oz pkg (3)
• 1 pkg (16 oz) frozen tater tots (3) – I guess this is technically a vegetable? 
• 1 red bell pepper (4)
• 1 tbsp chopped/minced fresh ginger (4)
• 10 – 12 c. spinach (4)
• 1 pkg frozen mixed veggies (5)

Breads & starches
• Brown or white rice – 1 ½ c. (1), 1 c. (4)
• Flour or corn tortillas (to serve with rice - optional) (1)
• Crusty bread, to serve with soup (2)
• 16 oz fettuccine noodles (5)


Spices/Sauces/Vinegars
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Oregano (2)• Garlic powder (3)

• Basil (2)

• 3 tsp low-sodium soy sauce (4)
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds (4)
• 1 tbsp honey (4)

Dairy
• Cheddar cheese- ½ c. (1)
• Grated parmesan cheese – for topping soup (2), ¼ c. if making your own white sauce (5) and for topping pasta (5)
• 1 ½ c. milk (5) – if making your own white sauce
• Butter – 2 tbsp (5)

Other
• 1 15-oz can black beans (1)
• 1 tbsp chopped olives (1) (optional)
• 5 c. vegetable broth (2)
• 1 can white beans (optonal) (2) and/or macaroni pasta (2)• 1 can cream of celery soup (3)


• 1 jar alfredo sauce (if NOT making your own) (5)