You are going to find that this menu actually covers four weeks, even though it looks like only enough meals for maybe two, assuming you have some leftovers for meals. That is because it is the start of summer and we have day trips and longer vacations planned during this time, so there were not enough meals to post for a two week period. Hopefully you will have some fun things planned as well so that you won’t need full meal plans either!
Garlic Butter Chicken Bites with Asparagus, steamed rice
This recipe from eatwell101.com is a nice take on an upscale dish you might get at a Chinese restaurant. It basically all cooks in one pan, so that part is nice as well. The chicken and asparagus have just a little heat to them, but you can cut that back to your liking. Steamed or sticky rice makes a good side.
Pork Roast, mashed potatoes, green beans, Strawberry Earthquake Cake
This meal is for my family for Sunday lunch – and for leftover sandwiches later in the week. The roast actually cooks overnight – if you are serving it for lunch – as you cook it 8 to 10 hours in a slow cooker and then let it sit on warm for another four. Very few ingredients are needed, and it comes out very flavorful. It is from addapinch.com. Serve it over mashed potatoes and have green beans as a side. I also am going to serve Strawberry Earthquake Cake from recipstep.com. It is like an ooey gooey butter cake but with strawberries in it and some coconut and white chocolate chips. Some whipped cream on top finishes it off.
Burgers, chips, baked beans, brownies
Our small group dinner group is coming over for dinner. We are grilling burgers with all the sides. We like to get fresh burgers from a meat market, but you can make your own or buy frozen patties.
I have shared my bean recipe before, but here it is again. You can make homemade baked beans or you can use baked beans straight from the can and maybe doctor them up a bit. I make homemade baked beans. My recipe is from an old recipe book called Pots, Pans, and Pioneers that I received as a wedding gift. Here is the recipe:
1 large can pork and beans
1 small chopped onion
2 tsp parsley flakes
½ cup maple syrup
½ cup BBQ sauce
¼ cup ketchup
4 slices bacon, cut up
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
Cook bacon until almost crisp. Add onion, parsley, and garlic; cook until bacon is crisp. Add drained beans and other ingredients. Cook slowly for 30 or so minutes.
I do like to cook the beans ahead and time so that all the flavors mix well. You can cook on the stove or in the oven. I have kind of played around with the portions to get it to the flavor that we like.
Ribs, potato salad, ranch beans
This is not a meal that requires a lot of prep or cooking. My husband smoked the ribs at an earlier time. Anytime he uses the smoker, we make sure that it is full since that thing is a pain to clean. We just portion and freeze. All I have to do is thaw the ribs. You already know that I do not have a potato salad recipe to share with you, but I kind of eyeball it. I can tell you the ingredients I use and how I mix it up, but that’s about it. I peel and cut up russet potatoes (you decide how big a batch you want to make) and boil them. I also put an egg in there to boil at the same time. Once they are cooked and drained, peel the egg and chop it and add to the pot. Then add mayo, mustard, sweet pickle relish, salt and pepper and stir it all up. I start with small amounts and add additional if needed until it is the color and taste that I want. You can always buy potato salad too, but homemade is SO good. We actually like to eat our potato salad warm, but I know many do not. If that is the case, if you are making homemade, just make it ahead of time and chill. The beans are just canned Ranch-style beans.
Creamed red potatoes, corn on the cob, purple hull peas, pan-fried okra, cornbread
My family LOVES this vegetable meal during the summer. They requested this, so that is what I planned. I don’t have a recipe for the creamed potatoes. I cut up some clean, unpeeled red potatoes into small chunks. I cover those with water and boil until soft. While they are cooking, mix about ¼ cup all purpose flour with one can of evaporated milk (Don’t confuse that with sweetened condensed milk – you will get a VERY different outcome!!) Once the potatoes are cooked, drain off most of the water but not all. Put the pot back on the stove and pour the milk mixture over the potatoes. Bring everything back to a boil until the mixture thickens. Season with salt and pepper.
I did find a slow cooker recipe from slowcookemeals.com for the corn on the cob. I have never thought about doing this, but I have tried it out, and it works great! It allows you to get that done while you are working on other things and you don’t tie up a burner on your stove.
Purple hull peas are a favorite of ours but are not always easy to find. However, they are a wonderful late spring and summer treat. Most of the time I have to find them frozen now, but I look for some that are flash frozen. Usually Pictweet has pretty good ones. I do my purple hull peas in the Instantpot. That helps as well with meal prep since I can get those going ahead of time.They come out perfect every time! The attached recipe from bayoumama.com never fails me.
My husband really likes fried okra, so I try to make a homemade version for him instead of the store-bought kind. I usually use frozen, unbreaded okra that I have thawed, but you can also use fresh okra. If you like fried okra, try this recipe from southernfoodandfun.com.
You already know I like to use Gladiola yellow cornbread mix when I make cornbread. If my granddaughter is not eating it, I usually put some diced jalapenos in the batter for a little extra kick.
Boudin, crawfish meat pies, Brussels sprouts
This may be a hard one to replicate. Boudin is not easily found (or universally liked). It is something that we have to get when we travel back to Louisiana, or we have friends bring us some if they are headed our way to visit. Boudin (pronounced “BOO-dan,” at least in Cajun country) is a cooked sausage made from pork meat and rice, plus various vegetables and seasonings, all stuffed in a natural pork casing. You can substitute your favorite grilled sausage here. The meat pies are a Louisiana favorite as well. The best ones are found in one of two places. The very best are at the original restaurant – Lasyone’s in Natchitoches. The second best place to find them are at many of the gas stations in Louisiana! We can also get them frozen, but not around where we live. The original ones can be ordered directly from the restaurant, but mini ones are also sold in grocery stores. We have to stock up on these as well when we can. We actually got crawfish stuffed ones on our last visit to Louisiana, so that is what is planned for this meal. There are recipes available to make them yourself, but I have never tried. The one I linked for you is from southernliving.com. The Brussels sprouts are actually a recipe from myketorecipes.com where you marinate them overnight before you roast them.
Chicken Pasta Primavera, fruit
The dish is lovingly called Blue Bowl pasta in my house. My kids have called it that for years because I always serve it in this melamine blue bowl that I have had since forever and a day! They say it doesn’t taste right if I don’t serve it in that bowl – I know that because I have tried!! My son even told me that he calls dibs on the bowl when I die. LOL!! The recipe is from an old Betty Crocker cookbook. The copyright date on mine is 1990 but it goes as far back as 1969. Unfortunately I could not find the recipe online anywhere, so here it is:
1 cup chopped broccoli
⅓ cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 carrot, cut into thin strips
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups cut up cooked chicken
1 tsp salt
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 16-oz pkg garden rotini, cooked
⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 Tbsp snipped parsley
While the pasta is cooking, cook and stir broccoli, onion, garlic, and carrot in oil in large skillet over medium heat until broccoli is crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in chicken, salt, and tomatoes; heat just until chicken is hot, about 3 minutes. Drain the pasta (and place in your blue bowl!!). Dump the chicken mixture on top of it and mix well. You can sprinkle with the cheese and parsley, if you so choose.
I actually use more veggies than the recipe calls for because we really like it that way. I also cook my pasta in salted water.
Southern Style White Beans with sausage, cabbage
This is a good southern recipe. People who don’t live in the South don’t know what they are missing. I especially love this recipe from food.com because you don’t have to soak the beans overnight. You can cook them in about three to four hours. I like to cook mine a day ahead so that they have time to really absorb all the flavors. I also like to fry up some andouille or smoked sausage links and serve them on the side of the beans. I plan on having cabbage as the side. You can do this, choose a different side, or have none at all.
Managing the Mundane 
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