Want to help me plan dinner?

Scroll down for this week's meal plan.

Would you like to share a favorite recipe or two?

I love trying new recipes, and this blog has certainly given me the opportunity to try a new dish here and there. I've tried to stick mostly to our family favorites, though, in order to deliver reliable meal plans each week. Unfortunately, I'm starting to run low on my tried-and-true recipes! I have more tricks up my sleeve (and I doubt anyone would blame me for rotating through over 50 recipes), but if variety is the spice of life, I don't want bland meal plans!

So, without further ado, I'd like to invite you (yes, YOU!) to share a favorite recipe. Please, would you?

Don't be shy! Even if your favorite recipe is less than healthy or if it contains some expensive ingredients, share it! It's all about moderation, folks. Well, and planning, too. :)

I can't wait to see your comments!




I want to give credit where credit is due, so please share your name (first names are fine) or where you got each recipe.

Week 13 Meal Plan

Ah, another week begins! I'm so excited that Cinco de Mayo is at the beginning of next week because stores are all having sales on Mexican food items. (I realize that no one in Mexico cares much about Cinco de Mayo, but isn't it fun for us silly Americans to celebrate with delicious food?!) This would be a great week to stock up on your family's favorite Mexican ingredients. I'll incorporate a couple Mexican dishes into my meal plans this week and next.

Yum! I can't wait to get cooking!

Wednesday
Chicken Nachos, Green Salad, Corn

Thursday
Beef Stroganoff, Carrots, Peas

Friday- Trying something new!
Shannon's Chicken Enchiladas, Green Salad, Corn

Saturday
Go out or eat leftovers

Sunday
Salmon Patties, Garlic Bread, Broccoli

Monday- Breakfast for dinner!
Cheesy Egg Pie, Hashbrowns, Fruit

Tuesday
Thai Chicken Satay, Rice, Cucumbers, Broccoli

Week 13 Grocery List -- with Prices!

Ingredients for Week 13 Dinners
I will be purchasing:
1 head garlic ($.39)
1 bunch green onions ($.50)
1 head lettuce ($.98)
baby carrots (1 lb $1.59)
1-2 cucumbers ($.50)
broccoli- you could use any green vegetable ($1.19)
2 limes ($.89)
cilantro ($.33)
ginger ($.39)
fruit (mango $.59)
lime juice (I completely forgot this! I'll estimate $2.00 until I have a chance to go back)
1 bag tortilla chips ($.88)
8 oz mozzarella and/or Swiss cheese ($1.50)
sour cream ($.78)
milk (1 gallon $1.97)
eggs (I went ahead and got extra - 18 eggs for $1.99)
optional: 1 loaf French bread ($1.59)
optional: 1 tomato

In total, I spent $18.06 on this week's dinners.
Here is the approximate breakdown:

Chicken Nachos, Green Salad, Corn $1.99
Beef Stroganoff, Carrots, Peas $2.37
Shannon's Chicken Enchiladas, Green Salad, Corn $3.48
Salmon Patties, Garlic Bread, Broccoli $2.69
Cheesy Egg Pie, Hashbrowns, Fruit $4.82
Thai Chicken Satay, Rice, Cucumbers, Broccoli $2.65

I will be using from my pantry:
1 loaf cheddar cheese
1 lb ground beef
6 chicken breasts
2 (5 to 7 oz) cans boneless, skinless salmon
Simply Potatoes refrigerated Southwestern style hashbrowns (I also saw a new brand of refrigerated hashbrowns on sale this week for $.69. They don't make Southwestern style, so you'd have to add some spices to get the heat in the salmon patties.)
salsa
1 (15 oz) can green enchilada sauce (I'll use 2 (10 oz) cans)
1 (10 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
flour tortillas
1 bag egg noodles
rice
bread
saltine crackers, breadcrumbs, etc
frozen corn
frozen peas
1 packet Lipton onion soup mix
honey
mustard
tartar sauce
butter
Worchester sauce
rice vinegar
peanut butter
soy sauce
sesame oil
oil
flour
brown sugar
chili powder
garlic powder
minced onion
seasoned salt
dry mustard
salt
pepper

I will stock up on these deals:
4 more Don Julio tortilla chips ($.88 each = $3.52)
5 (24 oz) jars Pace salsa ($1.88 each = $9.40)
1 more Western Family sour cream for next week ($.78)
3 (16 oz) Chachies refrigerated salsa ($.99 each = $2.97)
12 pack Frigo string cheese ($2.59 plus I had a $.40/1 coupon)
2 lbs ground beef to freeze ($3.38)
2 Western Family light cream cheese ($.99 each = $1.98)

Just as a public service announcement, I thought I'd share that Reams is having an amazing sale on boneless, skinless chicken breasts. They are advertising frozen 10 lb boxes for only $13.90 (that's $1.39/lb!). It looks like this is a while-supplies-last, limit-1-per-customer kind of deal. I had to take Grandpa to Costco the other day, so I picked up a frozen 10 lb bag for $19.90 since we were running low on chicken breasts. Otherwise, I would be sure to go pick up some chicken!

Week 13 Tips

Wednesday
Cook and shred 3 chicken breasts, saving 2 of them for Friday's enchiladas.
Grate all of your cheese, saving the extra in the fridge for Friday's enchiladas and Monday's egg pie.
Prepare a big green salad, saving some in the fridge for Friday.

Sunday
Wash and chop your cucumbers and broccoli, saving half in the fridge.

Chicken Nachos, Green Salad, Corn

This nacho recipe is adapted from AllRecipes. I like making this size since I don't want to save leftover nachos. However, if you are feeding some pretty hungry people, you may consider doubling the recipe. It feels like a party when you get to eat nachos for dinner! And may I just say that these nachos are delicious? Because seriously, they are.

2 cloves garlic, minced
6 green onions, sliced, white and green parts separated
1 t oil
1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 c salsa
1/2 to 1 bag tortilla chips (enough to cover a baking sheet pretty well)
8 oz shredded cheese
1/2 large tomato, diced (optional)

big green salad

frozen corn


Preheat oven to 350. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the garlic and white parts of the green onions in oil until tender. Mix in chicken and season with salt and pepper. Toss until well coated. Stir in salsa. Arrange tortilla chips on a baking sheet. Spoon chicken mixture over chips. Top with cheese and tomato (if using). Bake for 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Remove from heat and sprinkle with green onion tops. Serve nachos as is or with sour cream and additional salsa at the table.

Prepare green salad.

Microwave frozen corn. Season with salt and pepper.

Beef Stroganoff, Carrots, Peas

1 lb ground beef
1 packet Lipton onion soup mix
1/2 c water
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 c sour cream

1 bag egg noodles

1/3 lb baby carrots

frozen peas


Brown ground beef. Stir in water and onion soup mix. Simmer 7 minutes. Stir in mushroom soup. Simmer 5 minutes more. Add sour cream and warm through. Remove from heat.

Cook noodles according to package directions. Serve beef stroganoff over hot noodles.

Microwave peas. Season with salt and pepper.

Place carrots in a microwave safe bowl. Cover halfway with water. Microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir. Microwave for 1 1/2 minutes more. Test for doneness with a fork. Continue microwaving at 1 minute intervals until tender. Drain water. Toss carrots with salt, pepper, 1 t butter, and a pinch of sugar.

Shannon's Chicken Enchiladas, Green Salad, Corn

This chicken enchilada recipe is from Let Me Plan Dinner reader Shannon. She got the recipe from The Sister's Cafe. Thank you, Shannon, for sharing a favorite recipe!

I'll be serving these enchiladas with a green salad and corn.

I am so excited to try this recipe! I will be making a few minor adjustments to help fit our budget.

• First, I will be using about half as much cheese, maybe less (I planned a couple other cheesy dishes this week and I don't want to go overboard).
  
• I will be sticking with only 2 chicken breasts, and possibly throwing in a can of white beans to up the protein.
  
• I will also use milk instead of cream.

Here is Shannon's recipe verbatim:

Honey Lime Enchiladas
Marinade:
1/4 c. honey
4-6 T. lime juice (depending on how tangy you like it)
1 T. chili powder
1/2 t. garlic powder

2-4 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
1 (15 oz.) can green enchilada sauce
2 c. shredded Colby Jack (or whatever kind you have) cheese
1 c. heavy cream (I've used whole milk before too and it's fine)
8-10 flour tortillas

Mix up the marinade and toss with shredded chicken. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes. I toss mine together in a gallon ziploc and let it sit in the fridge all day.

Pour about 1/2 c. enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Fill tortillas with chicken and a little cheese. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and any leftover marinade. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until browned and crispy on top.

*Oh my goodness, these are delicious! I was a doofus and forgot to mix the milk/cream into the enchilada sauce, but the dish was fabulous even without. The honey-lime mixture is so flavorful and balances well with the other flavors in the dish. I will add one word of warning, however; I would not suggest you taste the honey-lime-chicken mixture by itself. I was trying to gauge how much lime juice to add (I used 5 T.), but I can tell you that the marinade is so powerful by itself that you think you've already gone overboard. I was quite relieved to find the final dish was so well balanced and tasty-- not overpowering like I'd feared. I also really enjoyed my addition of Great Northern (white) beans to the filling. I think they helped keep all the flavors in check, and they provided us extra protein without using as much meat.

Anyway, thank you, Shannon. It was a hit!

Salmon Patties, Garlic Bread, Broccoli

This salmon patty recipe is from my mom, whom I absolutely love to death (and not just because she gave me this recipe)! You are welcome to serve them as burgers on buns with pickles, lettuce, and onion (but no cheese!!! Fish and cheese do NOT go together well. Just sayin'...).

2 eggs
2 t mustard
2 t minced onion
4 Saltine crackers, crushed (or Italian breadcrumbs, etc)
1/2 t seasoned salt
1/4 t pepper
1 c Simply Potatoes refrigerated Southwestern hashbrowns (This is actually a very critical ingredient. If you use other kinds of refrigerated hashbrowns, try adding cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes for a nice kick.)
2 (5 to 7 oz) cans boneless, skinless salmon, drained
2 t oil
2 t butter

tartar sauce
mustard

1 cucumber, sliced thin (optional)
broccoli florets

4 slices of bread or 1 loaf French bread
butter
garlic powder
Parmesan cheese


In a medium bowl, beat eggs. Mix in mustard, minced onion, cracker crumbs, seasoned salt, and pepper with a fork. Then stir in hashbrowns. Next add salmon, flaking with fork and stirring until well mixed. Form into 4-6 patties on a plate. Heat oil and butter in a pan on medium heat. Use a spatula to transfer patties into pan. Brown patties about 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown on the first side. Then flip and cook 3-4 minutes more, until second side is golden brown.

Serve salmon patties on their own, passing mustard and tartar sauce at the table. Top with cucumbers, if desired.

Steam broccoli; season with salt and pepper.

Make garlic bread by buttering slices of bread or French bread and sprinkling on garlic powder and Parmesan cheese to taste. If using French bread, wrap loaf in foil and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. If using regular bread, place on a baking sheet and broil just until butter is melted.

Cheesy Egg Pie, Toast, Fruit

This cheesy egg pie recipe is from my good friend's mom, Susie. It is not the healthiest egg recipe I've ever shared, but all the cheese makes it soooooo delicious! (At least it doesn't have a crust like quiche?)

I feel like you can swap out the cheese for whatever you have on hand.

1 c (about 4 oz) grated cheddar cheese
1 c (about 4 oz) grated Swiss cheese
1 c (about 4 oz) grated mozzarella cheese
2 T flour
1 1/2 T minced onion
4 eggs
1 c milk
1/2 t salt
1/2 t Worchester sauce (optional)
1/2 t dry mustard (optional)

packaged hashbrowns

fruit of your choice


In a greased pie pan, mix together all three cheeses, flour, and minced onion. Beat egg, milk, salt, Worchester sauce, and dry mustard in a large bowl. Pour egg mixture over cheese. Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes, or until eggs are set.

Prepare hashbrowns according to package directions.

Prepare fruit.