Menu #2

Here is my second set of meals. I am a retired teacher and administrator, and I now work as an office aide at a junior high (it’s a great retirement job!!), so this menu is made for my first couple of weeks back to work. You will definitely notice that there are some simple and quick recipes. After being off for the summer, getting back in the swing of things has been a struggle! Hopefully some of these will be helpful to you though. 

Now, I didn’t say these were all super healthy for you. If that is what you are looking for, you probably need to look elsewhere! I do try to keep our meals balanced, but they are definitely not all on the healthy side. We eat fairly light for breakfast and lunch, so that enables us to eat a little heartier at supper. 

I hardly ever mention bread or rolls for the meals because we try to stay away from too many carbs. However, many of these meals can be completed with rolls, garlic bread, biscuits, or any other of your favorites.

You will notice there are fewer recipes this time. That’s because several of the dishes will yield leftovers, so that’s what I have planned for a few nights. You also know we go out on the first Friday of being back to school. No way I am cooking that night!!

Just a reminder that if it is in italics and/or underlined, there is a link attached that you can check out.

Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, fresh corn on the cob

I wish I could tell you that I follow a specific recipe for fried chicken, but I don’t. However, I have linked a recipe I found that is similar to what I do. It is from sweetpeaskitchen.com. This is for pan fried chicken, not deep fried. I make mashed potatoes from scratch. I peel and cut up some russet potatoes and boil them until they are tender. I drain them and add in some butter, milk, salt, and pepper. I start with small amounts because I can always add more. I use my electric hand mixer to “mash” the potatoes. For white gravy, I actually just use the country gravy mix from Pioneer. You can purchase it at just about any grocery store. We like to cook the corn on the grill, but many times I also boil it. It just depends on what you like. To grill it, we shuck it, put butter on it and wrap it in foil. Then my husband grills it on medium heat for about 20 minutes. Some folks like to put it straight on the grill. You can also just boil or steam it. There is even a way to do it in the slow cooker if you are so inclined.

Jambalaya, salad

The recipe that I use is one where I just have some ingredients written down on the back of an envelope, and then the directions are in my head! SOOO, instead of trying to explain all that, I have linked a recipe from chilipeppermadness.com that is pretty similar to mine that should turn out great. We really like spice and Creole and Cajun flavors, so you will continue to see many of those dishes from me.

Manwich, tater tots, fruit

I think this one is pretty self-explanatory. Buy a can of Manwich sauce, some buns, and a pound of ground hamburger or ground turkey for this one and follow the instructions on the can! Prepare some tater tots in the air fryer (I also like them cooked in the oven), and put some fresh fruit with it. Done and done!

Chicken and noodles, pudding

This one comes up often on my menu during the school year. I am a member of a teacher society called Delta Kappa Gamma International (DKG). For 25 years I have had meetings on the first Monday of almost every month during the school year. Because I was gone, my husband was in charge of feeding the kids. This is always the meal they had on DKG nights, and he still fixes it for himself when I have meetings. Our grown children live near us, so sometimes he will invite them to come eat with him, but most of the time, it’s just for him. And this is basically another made-up recipe. 

Place some bone-in chicken (or a whole chicken, depending on the amount you are making) in an oven-safe dutch oven and cover with water. Place a lid on the pot. Cook the chicken in the oven ay 350 degrees F until it is cooked through, usually about an hour or longer based on the size of the chicken or chicken pieces. Remove from the oven and move the pot to the stove. When the chicken is cool enough, remove the meat from the bones and add it back to the pot with the liquid that is still in there from cooking the chicken. Bring it to a boil and add chicken Ramen noodles. The amount depends on how many you are feeding. When it’s just for my husband, he just uses a couple of packages. Pour in half of the seasoning packets and cook until the noodles are done.

The other tradition we had when the kids were at home was to have pistachio pudding (the instant kind) with this. I’m not sure why, but that’s what goes with this in our house! Make of it what you will!! If you make this, you might want to consider having something a little healthier on the side like a salad, some green beans, or any other green vegetable that you like. Once again, I never said all our meals were super-healthy!!

Baked Chicken Tacos, Spanish rice

These are a nice change of pace from regular tacos. It does make 10 tacos, and I don’t recommend making them all unless you are going to be able to eat all 10 for this meal. They do not reheat well. You can make a half-batch of the filling, or you can only make a portion of the tacos and save the rest of the filling to make more for another meal. This recipe is from thecookierookie.com. I just use a package of Spanish rice mix for the side. There are two I like. I use Knorr Rice Sides Spanish Rice or Rice-a-Roni and Pasta Mix Mexican Style. We love Mexican food in our house as well, so you will see quite a bit of that on my menus. 

Blackened Salmon, baked potatoes, broccoli

We really like salmon filets. I buy a package of individually frozen filets at Sam’s. Since it is usually just for the two of us, we get about five meals from that one package because you only need one filet per person per meal. This recipe is from wellplated.com. 

I think baked potatoes taste the best and have the fluffiest texture when they are cooked in the oven at a fairly low temperature. I usually cook them at 350 degrees F for about 3 hours. I wash them, poke a few holes with a fork in each, and wrap them in foil. When I am gone for the day, I just set my oven on delay so that it comes on three hours before dinner. You can just steam some fresh or frozen broccoli to finish out the meal. 

Air Fryer Chicken Thighs, Sweet and Spicy Sweet Potatoes, English peas

Once again, I will use thighs because that is what is in my freezer. We bought some in bulk, so I want to find as many recipes as I can that use them so that I am using my food resources well. I really like to use my air fryer. I don’t have a large one, but it is mostly just for the two of us. It gives me the taste of fried food without all the mess and fat. This recipe is from wellplated.com. 

The potato recipe is from Allrecipes.com. My husband is not a big fan of sweet potatoes, but he really likes them cooked this way. They aren’t mushy and they have a little kick to them. You could probably cut down the spice for your taste if you don’t like too much. They are almost like sweet potato fries.

As far as canned peas go, we only eat Le Sueur peas. I know they are more expensive than other brands, but some things are worth it to me. I also can get a pack of 8 at Sam’s, so it cuts down the overall cost. I know not everyone has room for that much or even likes them, so do what works for you.

Quick chicken and spaghetti, green beans

This is basically another open and dump kind of recipe for busy nights. You need 16 oz. of cooked spaghetti, a jar of alfredo sauce, a can of Rotel tomatoes, and some cooked chicken. You can cook your own or buy some pre-made and pre-seasoned. While the spaghetti cooks, pour the alfredo sauce in a pot along with the Rotel and heat it up. Add in the cooked chicken. Drain the spaghetti and then mix it all together. It is better to do this a little early so that the spaghetti can absorb some of the sauce and the flavors can meld. I will even do this a day ahead when I can and reheat it the next day. I think it tastes better and has a creamier consistency when you do this.

Skillet sausage and potatoes, fruit, raw veggies

I sound like a broken record (I guess people are starting to know what that means again since vinyl is back in style!), but this is just another quick throw-together meal that I basically made up when my kids were little. I’m sure you can tell that we like potatoes a lot since many of my meals have some sort of potato. This one also plays into our Louisiana wheelhouse. I just cut up some sausage – of course I use andouille or a really good smoked sausage (my favorite is Richard’s – pronounced Re’shards- or Cajun Family Traditions) – and I peel and cut up some russet potatoes. 

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and heat up about a tablespoon or so of vegetable or canola oil. When it’s hot, throw in the sausage and potatoes – well, don’t throw them in or you will get splattered with oil – and season. We use Tony’s Creole Seasoning or Slap Ya’ Mama Cajun Seasoning. Of course, you use what you have or what you like. Stir around and sprinkle again if needed to make sure everything is seasoned. Put a lid on the skillet and let it cook. Check it every few minutes and give it a stir to make sure that nothing is sticking. When the potatoes are soft, it’s ready. I put some fresh fruit and some raw veggies as sides, and that’s it.

When my kids were little, I did alter this a bit. I made it as is for my husband and myself, but I did a little separate amount for the kids that did not have the spicy seasoning.

Chicken and rice, salad

Hey look – rice instead of potatoes! This is a recipe I adapted from a pork loin recipe that I use. All you need is a can of cream of mushroom soup, a can of French onion soup, and a can of golden mushroom soup. Dump all of those together in a large saucepan. Stir them together. Add your chicken. I use rotisserie chicken that I shredded – more on that in another entry – but you can cook up some chicken in the sauce as it heats, you can cook some ahead of time, or you can use prepackaged cooked chicken. Let everything heat up over medium heat and come to a nice bubble. While that is going, cook your rice – whatever kind you like. I actually plan to use some leftover rice that I have in the freezer. That will make this meal even easier and quicker. Do you see a pattern here?? When everything is cooked and hot, scoop out servings of rice and ladle the chicken sauce over the rice. You can also just mix the rice and the chicken and sauce altogether before serving. Egg noodles also work well with this. Pair this with a nice green salad to finish out the meal.