Menu Plan Monday is Back!

We are on a learning curve here going from a family of 2 to 5 and now 8! Yikes! I have never lived with 7 other people before in my life so there is a lot to learn. Of course food is a central theme for every family and blending 3 families into one can present some challenges. Luckily we have 3 good cooks here and it is just going to require some coordination.

The kids were a little disappointed that we had to cancel "Sunday Fun-day" due to the lousy weather today. I just couldn't bring myself to hang out on the deck and cook brats and s'mores when it is only 32 degrees and raining again. {{{sigh}}} Praying for next week to finally bring us some sunshine and heat so we can put the Fun back into Fun-day.

I tried to pin everyone down for ideas for the menu this week and we all agreed that menu planning is going to be key to keeping everything functioning. We also need to use what we have on hand to make as many meals as possible before going out and buying more. There seems to be a problem with people buying whatever they like but not planning on what we are going to use it for. LOL So I decided to get back to posting our menu plans with orgjunkie.com to keep us motivated.

Monday-
Spaghetti and meatballs, salad, garlic bread (cook extra pasta for Thursday)

Tuesday-
Pork Tenderloin with black beans and yellow rice

Wednesday-
Enchiladas, salad

Thursday- Recipe below
Chicken/shrimp scampi with noodles alfredo, peas, garlic bread

Friday-
Homemade Pizza

Saturday- Recipe below
Pepper Steak Sandwiches, oven roasted potatoes

Sunday-
Bratwurst with grilled peppers and onions, baked beans, grilled potatoes and S'Mores!

Recipes:
Quick and Easy Alfredo Noodles and Scampi

Cook fettuccine noodles, while hot add one tablespoon butter, 1/2 cup whipped cream cheese and season with garlic salt. Stir to melt butter and cream cheese. Top with 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese. Stir in 1/2 cup cooked frozen peas.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in hot skillet with one clove garlic smashed. Add 1 pound diced chicken or peeled raw shrimp to skillet and cook until done, 3-5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper. Squeeze juice of 1/2 lemon over meat and add another tablespoon of butter to make a sauce. Serve with pasta.


Pepper Steak Sandwiches

Finely chop: 1 lb sirloin steak, 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 green pepper, 1/2 onion, 4 ounces mushrooms, (1 jalapeno pepper *optional.) I usually add the fresh jalapeno and then add diced nacho sliced jalapenos after cooking because we like a lot of heat.

Season diced steak with Monterey Steak Seasoning

Heat one tablespoon vegetable oil in large skillet on high heat, add the meat and saute for 1-2 minutes until brown, add vegetables and saute until the juices start to reduce. Serve meat mixture on toasted buns, sprinkled with grated cheese or cover with cheese slice.