3 Week Menu Plan

Hello there. I have been working on a project for my Mom and I thought I would share it with y'all and hopefully help out someone. My Mom works long hours and gets home late so she needed easy to prep quick to eat dinner. So this is what I made for her. I have not yet plugged them into my recipe builder so I don't know the stats. Enjoy.

Charity

Week 1:

Saturday (Crock-pot Day): Italian Meatloaf
Sunday (Crock-pot Day): Beef Tips in Crock Pot
Monday: Layered Mexican Chicken
Tuesday: Ham
Wednesday: Pasta with meat sauce (use left over Italian meatloaf diced)
Thursday: Shepherd’s Pie (use leftover beef tips)
Friday: Macaroni and Cheese (Crock-pot add ham)

Week 2:

Saturday (Crock-pot Day): Mexican Crock Pot Roast
Sunday (Crock-pot Day): Barbecue Orange Chicken (use leftovers for lettuce wraps)
Monday: Fajitas
Tuesday: Tri-Color Pesto Rotini (meatless but you could add cooked chicken)
Wednesday: Roast Chicken (see recipe below or purchase already cooked)
Thursday: Pizza Night (Just grab a boboli, pizza sauce, cheese and bake for 10 minutes or melty)
Friday: Chicken Pot Pie (use leftover roast chicken)

Week 3:

Saturday (Crock-pot Day): Root Beer Barbeque Chicken
Sunday (Crock-pot Day): Hoisin Chicken
Monday: Ravioli Lasagna
Tuesday: Burritos (use extra Mexican crock pot roast)
Wednesday: Sloppy Joes (ground beef, tomato soup, spices or spice envelope)
Thursday: Chicken Wraps (leftover bbq chicken in a tortilla with some lettuce or radishes on top)
Friday: Teriyaki Meatballs (just add frozen meatballs to pan with teriyaki sauce)

Week 1 Recipes:

Italian Meatloaf
2 pounds of ground beef
1 egg
1 onion chopped
½ cup spaghetti sauce
½ cup bread crumbs
½ cup rolled oats
1 tsp Italian seasoning (or sprinkle in some basil and oregano)
garlic, salt and pepper to taste (I think I use 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper)
2 tbsp spaghetti sauce
Mix together first seven ingredients (everything BUT the 2 tbsp spaghetti sauce)

Shape into a round loaf to fit into crockpot.

Place meatloaf in crockpot. Top with the remaining 2 tbsp of spaghetti sauce. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours. You can also bake this for 1 hour at 350 in the oven. (It is best slow cooked, but good any which way!)

Beef Tips in Crock Pot

1 lb Beef Stew Meat
1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix
10 3/4 ounces Healthy Request Cream Of mushroom soup, condensed undiluted
1/2 cup red wine (I use beef broth)
4 ounces mushrooms, drained

Mix all together in crock pot and cook all day on low. Serve over rice or noodles. Serve over egg noodles. I would recommend doubling it and freezing the extra.

WW Layered Mexican Chicken
2 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray
2 pound(s) uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast(s) 3
10 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 1/2 cup(s) fat-free sour cream
2 cup(s) shredded reduced-fat Mexican-style cheese, divided
8 oz chopped green chilies, two 4-oz cans
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
13 medium corn tortilla(s), cut in half each
1 cup(s) fat free salsa, mild, medium or hot

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a lasagna pan with cooking spray.
• Place chicken in a medium saucepan and fill with enough cold water just to cover chicken. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes; drain. When chicken is cool enough to handle, cut into 1-inch pieces.
• Transfer chicken to a large bowl and add beans, sour cream, 1 cup shredded cheese, chilies, cumin and pepper; mix well and set aside.
• Arrange 10 tortilla halves in bottom of prepared pan, overlapping pieces to cover surface. Top tortillas with 1/3 of chicken mixture and then layer with 8 tortillas halves. Spoon 1/3 more chicken mixture over top and then top with remaining 10 tortilla halves. Spoon remaining chicken mixture over top and sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese.
• Bake until filling is bubbly and cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing into 12 pieces. Serve with salsa on the side.

Shepherd’s Pie
Leftover beef tips
1-2 cans of mixed veggies
1 jar of beef gravy
Instant mashed potatoes (prepared)

Combine beef with veggies and gravy and place in a baking dish. Cover with prepared mashed potatoes. Bake for 10-15 minutes or eat as it. 

Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese
1/2 pound uncooked macaroni or hearty pasta
--4 cups of milk
--1 egg
--4 cups shredded cheese
--1/2 t kosher salt
--1/2 t black pepper
--1 tsp dried mustard
*add diced ham if you like

Spray crock well with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, whip egg and milk together. Stir in spices.
Add cheese and noodles, and stir well to combine. Pour the mixture into the crockpot.
It will be very liquidy.

Cover and cook on low for 2-5 hours, or on high for 1-3. The cooking time will vary depending on what size crockpot you are using, and how quickly it heats and cooks. I was quite surprised at how quickly our pasta got fork-tender.

Week 2

Mexican Crock Pot Roast
3-4 lbs rump steak (trimmed rump steak or top round roast)
2 cups chunky salsa
6 ozs tomato paste
½ cup water
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
4 ozs green chilies (one small can)

1 Combine salsa, paste, water, seasoning mix and chilies.
2 Spoon 1/2 the mixture into the bottom of a crock pot.
3 Add the roast and top with the remaining mixture.4Cover and cook 8-10 hours on Low.

Slow Cooker Barbecue Orange Chicken

Ingredients:
3 boneless, skinless, chicken thighs or breast meat
1/3 cup sugar free orange marmalade
1/3 cup flour
2 tablespoons lite soy sauce
1/3 cup barbecue sauce

- Place chicken in slow cooker
- Spoon flour over chicken and mix until coated
- Mix barbecue sauce, marmalade, and soy sauce and pour over chicken. Cook on low 4-6 hours (I recommend doubling the recipe)

Tri-Color Pesto Rotini
2 pound(s) uncooked multi-coloured rotini
2 medium uncooked carrot(s), diced
1 medium green pepper(s), diced
1 medium sweet red pepper(s), diced
1/4 cup(s) drained sun-dried tomatoes in oil, diced
1/2 cup(s) store-bought pesto sauce, made with basil
1/4 cup(s) canned chicken broth, reduced sodium or water
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and transfer to a large bowl.
• Add carrots, bell peppers and tomatoes.
• In a small bowl, whisk together pesto and broth. Add mixture to pasta and stir to coat; season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature. Yields about 1 1/3 cups per serving. (Note: This dish will last up to 1 week in the refrigerator. You may substitute 2 pounds of couscous for the pasta, if desired. Cook the couscous as directed and follow from step 2.)

Rotisserie Chicken (Crock-pot)

1 whole chicken
spray olive oil
Lawry's seasoned salt -no substitutes
Aluminum foil

Crock-pot rotisserie chicken
Clean chicken inside and out. Spray with olive oil spray. Sprinkle with Lawry's. Spray inside of crock with Pam. Note: Do not put any water in the crock. Roll 3 or 4 wads of aluminum foil into 2”-3” balls and put them in the bottom of the crock. The chicken is going to sit on these. Place chicken breast side down in crock on top of aluminum balls.
(The chicken breast sits on the aluminum balls, for the simple fact that the natural juices drain to the bottom of the pot, so with the breast on the bottom the juices stay in the breast instead of draining from the breast keeping the breast super moist!)

Cook on High (will not come out the same on low), 4-6 hours. (3lb. chicken took 4 hours)

You have to use the aluminum to get the deli taste. This chicken tastes very close to one you would buy, precooked, in the deli section of your supermarket

**NOTE** wrap a potato in foil and place them in the bottom of the crock pot
to make the foil balls, then you have both chicken and potatoes cooked to perfection!

Week 3:
Ravioli Lasagna
1 pkg (20 to 25 oz.) frozen ravioli (any flavor)
1 container (15 oz.) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 pkg (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 t. dried basil
1 jar (26 to 30 oz.) prepared pasta sauce (divided)
8 oz. (2 cups) shredded four-cheese pizza blend
¾ c. shredded asiago or parmesan cheese

Cook ravioli according to package directions; drain and set aside. In small bowl, combine ricotta cheese, spinach, egg, and basil; set aside. Spread 1 c. of the pasta sauce in 9 x 13 inch baking dish that has been lightly coated with no-stick cooking spray. Top with half of the cooked ravioli in single layer. Spread ricotta cheese mixture over ravioli. Sprinkle evenly with four-cheese blend. Top with remaining ravioli and pasta sauce. Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until sauce is bubbly around edges. Sprinkle asiago cheese over top. Let stand 10 min. before serving.

Slow Cooker Root Beer Barbeque Chicken

SAUCE:
1 cup sugar-free (diet) root beer
1 cup ketchup
2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs. molasses
2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ tsp. liquid smoke
½ tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. paprika

2 ½ to 3 pounds skinless chicken breasts

1. To make the sauce, whisk together all the sauce ingredients (through the paprika) in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

2. Place the chicken in a slow cooker and pour 1 cup of the barbecue sauce on top. Cover and cook for 3-4 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low. Heat the remaining barbeque sauce to 10-15 minutes or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Serve with cooked chicken.

To Make in Oven: For Oven Root Beer Barbecued Chicken, brown the chicken pieces in a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish and coat with ¾ cup of the barbeque sauce. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes at 350 degrees or until the chicken is completely cooked through. While the chicken is cooking, simmer the remaining sauce for 10-15 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Baste chicken with sauce before serving.

Hoisin Chicken
-2-3 lbs frozen chicken wings or boneless chicken breast
--1/2 cup prepared Hoisin Sauce
--1/4 cup honey
--4-5 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
--1 inch of ginger, peeled and grated (or 1 tsp. powder)
--1 T sesame oil

Dump chicken into crockpot. Add the Hoisin sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or on high for 4-5. Stir well to mix flavors.
Cook on high for another 30 minutes.