Brown your ground beef in a skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 of a medium yellow onion chopped to the beef. If you’re making a small bake, use 1 pound beef to 6 small to medium tortillas. I usually make at least 12 tortillas using 2 pounds of beef because the leftovers are so good. I use corn tortillas but use what you prefer.
Once beef and onions are done, remove from heat. Spray/oil a baking dish to fit the size bake you’re making. Evenly distribute the beef & onion mixture onto the middle of your tortillas. Roll them up and place them into your baking dish seam side down. Repeat until your dish is full.
Cover with 1-2 jars/cans of prepared enchilada sauce. If you like it saucy like I do, go with more sauce.
Now cover with 1-2 cups of your shredded cheese like cheddar or jack (definitely 2 cups for the larger sized bake). I like to top with dried cilantro, jalapenos, and black olives to make it pretty and give it a little more flavor. You can skip if you don’t like those ingredients.
Bake about 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.
Put your side salad with greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded carrots, etc. on your plates. Dress with your favorite dressing then add a slice of enchilada bake on the side. Yum!
Grocery Items
Ground Beef
Yellow Onion (2 meals)
Flour/Corn Tortillas (2 meals)
Enchilada Sauce, Red or Green
Cheese of choice, shredded (2 meals)
Black Olives (optional) & Jalapenos
Salad Greens (2 meals)
Salad Veggies like:
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Shredded Carrots
Radishes
Salad Dressing of choice
Spice: Cilantro, dried or fresh (optional)
Monday Menu
Burgers and the Fixins with
Cantaloupe
Prep
Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.
Pat your burgers (beef, turkey, etc.). I usually get about 4 burgers per pound of meat. Grill to desired doneness, usually about 4 minutes per side for my taste.
Slice a cantaloupe or melon of choice for your side. You could pick up pre-sliced or cubed if you like.
Slice tomatoes and onions for your burgers. You could grill the onions if you like. Wash and dry lettuce.
Dress up your burgers to your liking, slap on a side of cantaloupe, and dig in!
Grocery Items
Ground Beef/Turkey
Buns
Cantaloupe/Melon
Tomato for slicing
Onion (If you need more)
Lettuce
Condiments of choice like mayo, ketchup, mustard
Tuesday Menu
Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken with
Coleslaw and
Cheese Quesadilla Points
It’s time to get out that Crock-Pot. This recipe is easy peasy!
Prep
START IN THE MORNING: I use a large package of chicken breasts (3-4 pounds which is 4-5 breasts). NOTE: We’re making extra chicken for Thursday.
Get out your slow cooker and drizzle with at least 2 tbsp olive oil so this doesn’t stick.
Put 1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce in the bottom of the pot. Put your chicken breasts in trying to get them all on one layer touching the heating surface. Top with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste and 1/2 c more of your BBQ sauce.
Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours. Do not lift the lid during the day to check it out. The cooker knows what it’s doing and you don’t want the meat getting dry. Once it’s done, the meat will look brown, and it will fall apart and be very easy to shred.
Prepare slaw — you can cut your own cabbage or use a bag of pre-cut cabbage. More often, I buy it ready to go. To make the slaw dressing use 1/2 c mayo or Greek yogurt, ~ 3 tbsp milk, 1 tbsp white vinegar, 1/2 tsp celery seed, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix that all together and mix into your slaw. That’s enough dressing for a regular-sized bag of shredded/chopped cabbage (about 4 cups). Put slaw in the refrigerator until time to serve.
Using leftover cheese & tortillas from Sunday, make cheese quesadilla points to serve as a side. Put tortillas in a pan over medium heat. Put enough cheese to cover half of the tortilla and just fold over. Flip them fold side down so the cheese stays in place. Cut them into points and serve with your BBQ chicken and slaw. De-lish!
Grocery Items
Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless (2 meals)
BBQ Sauce of choice
Tortillas (if you need more)
Olive Oil
Cabbage, shredded
Mayo/Greek Yogurt
Milk (2 meals)
White Vinegar
Spice: Celery Seed
Wednesday Menu
Grilled Pork Chops with
Roasted Asparagus and
Smashed Red Potatoes w/ Chives
I’ve just recently started doing this smashed potato recipe in the microwave. Yep, the microwave. Welcome to the future ; )
Prep
Preheat your grill or grill pan to medium heat. Season chops with salt & pepper & salt-free seasoning blend like Mrs. Dash Table Blend. Grill them for 5-7 minutes per side (depending on thickness) or until done. Chops are generally pretty lean so if you cook them too long, they’ll get tough. NOTE: Make extra chops for Friday.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle a baking pan with olive oil and then place cleaned and trimmed asparagus on the pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt & pepper to taste. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until desired texture is reached.
Use a large microwave-safe dish with a lid. Add cleaned small red potatoes that have been sliced in half and 1/4 cu water. Cover with lid and cook on high about 10 minutes. I use about a dozen potatoes.
CAREFULLY remove to check doneness. Watch out for the steam. The potato should press easily with a fork. If not, mix them around and put them back in the microwave for 2-3 more minutes.
Once done, drain water and smash the potatoes with a fork. Mix in ~1/2 c milk, 2 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp dried chives, and salt and pepper to taste.
Plate it all up. Wooo, it’s getting tasty in here!
Grocery Items
Pork Chops (2 meals)
Asparagus, fresh
Red Potatoes, small
Milk (if you need more)
Butter
Spices: Chives, dried, and Mrs. Dash Table Blend or similar
Thursday Menu
BBQ Chicken (leftover) on
Salad with
Sweet Corn & Avocado
Prep
Get your “meal salad” plates or bowls out. Place your lettuce or mixed greens plus any other veggies you like in the bowls/plates. If you have some leftover slaw, add it. It may sound weird but it tastes amazing.
Cook enough corn so you have about 1/2 c per salad. I use frozen and cook in the microwave, lidded, 5-7 minutes. Drain and add to your salads.
Heat up your leftover BBQ chicken and top the salads. Drizzle a little ranch dressing over each salad.
Top with sliced avocado. Nomnom!
Grocery Items
Salad Greens (if you need more)
Corn, frozen or canned
Avocado
Ranch Dressing, of choice
Friday Menu
Pork Fried “Rice” Bowl (leftover pork) with
Mixed Veggie Quinoa
Chopsticks are optional but fun!
Prep
Start by cooking your quinoa per package instructions. One cup dry makes about 4 servings cooked. I use chicken stock instead of water for a more intense flavor. NOTE: If you want to use rice, that’s cool too – we switch it up!
Cook your frozen veggies in a microwave-safe dish with a lid. Carefully remove when finished and drain.
Cut the leftover pork chops from Wednesday into small cubes. Warm in the microwave covered with a wet paper towel to keep it moist.
Put it all together. Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Add 2 tbsp butter (or more if needed) and crack two eggs in the skillet. Using a spatula, mix the egg with butter until the eggs are almost cooked through. Add the quinoa, drained veggies, and heated pork. Add at least 2 tbsp soy sauce. Remove from heat, mix and serve immediately.
Top with sliced green onion (optional) and dig in!
Grocery Items
Quinoa/Rice
Chicken Stock
Mixed Veggies, frozen, 12-16 oz bag
Lite Soy Sauce
Butter
Eggs
Green Onion (optional)
Saturday Menu
Chili with Beef & Beans
I really like chili and my daughter doesn’t care if it’s 100 degrees out. It’s easy & leftovers are delicious. I also use canned tomatoes & canned beans (I don’t soak beans ;)) to make it. I tend to do a mix of both. You can make your chili just before dinner or pop it in the slow cooker to simmer all day.
Prep
Start by browning your meat in a large pot. You cannot skip this step even if you’re using a Crock Pot. It’s not safe. I like it meaty so I usually cook up two pounds of ground beef.
Once the meat is cooked, add 2 tbsp chili powder and 1 tsp garlic powder. Mix in with the meat. If you want to use the Crock Pot, transfer the meat now and continue adding the rest. Otherwise, just do it all in the pot.
Open all of your cans – chili beans, kidney beans, and tomatoes. Drain the kidney beans. If you want to use spicy diced tomatoes for an extra kick, that’s good too.
Dump it all in your pot and stir. Simmer at least 20 minutes. It gets better the longer it simmers.
Add hot sauce to taste. Serve with your favorite toppings. Mine are cheese and sour cream. If you have leftover green onion, that would look nice and taste great, too. Try crackers or tortilla chips as a side. Enjoy!
