Menu 1st week of January

Hello Friends! Tomorrow I am starting a challenge for myself and I do hope you will join me! Tonight, as all is calm, and it is 10:30 pm, I'm simply going to blog my menu and I'll return tomorrow with more thoughts.

Sun: Chicken Tacos with yellow squash added in. I boil the chicken breasts in water and one can of rotel, then shred the chicken as soon as it turns white, then make it according to the directions on the back of a packet of taco mix. In addition to all the taco fixings, I cut yellow squash in half lengthwise, hollow out the seeds with a spoon, and then in a tiny bit of olive oil saute the "boats" for a few minutes on each side till they are tender. Dice it up and add it to the tacos.

Mon: Baked tilapia, wild rice, steamed fresh green beans. Tilapia recipe is on recipezaar.com - #99709 - baked tilapia with spice. Don't get scared off by the number of spices in the recipe, it only takes a minute to measure them all out and mix them up. UPDATE: THIS WAS WONDERFUL! Everyone loved it. I used Panko for the breadcrumbs but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. I will make this again (and I don't say that often.)

Tues: Orange turkey tenderloins, baked potatoes, steamed broccoli. Turkey tenderloins - just salt and pepper, brown in little bit of olive oil, then mix together 1/2 cup of orange marmalade, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire and dump over the tenderloins. Cook about 15 minutes until the turkey is done and the sauce has thickened. UPDATE: Yuck. These didn't have any flavor and they were overcooked and tough. I will NOT be making this again and if you were planning on it, find a different recipe.

Wed: Crock pot lasagna. I am using ground turkey because of my hubby's cholesterol, but you can use ground beef in the recipe. Brown together 1 lb of meat, 1 diced onion, 2 cloves of minced garlic, then add a 28oz can of tomato sauce, 1 6 oz can tomato paste, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon oregano. Mix in a bowl 12 oz (2%) cottage cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and one cup of shredded mozzarella. In the bottom of the crock pot, layer some meat sauce, then a double layer of no-bake lasagna noodles (break to fit) then the cheese, then the sauce, then more noodles... end with sauce and top with one cup of shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake 4 or 5 hours on low. Do NOT rush it and cook on high. Serve with garlic bread and a salad.

Thurs: Fried rice. Make the rice some other night this week, maybe Wed night because you don't have to do anything except toss the salad and heat up the bread that night. Put the rice in the fridge - it is important to start with cold cooked rice. You need 4 cups of cooked rice. (you can freeze any leftovers) 1 cup chopped onion - cook in just a bit of oil till tender, then push the onion to the side of the pan and cook one scrambled egg with a few drops of soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil (if you have it) and I do mean drops. Scramble the egg, then push aside and add in 1 cup frozen (but thawed) peas and carrots, a chopped up cooked chicken breast (you can use a rotisserie chicken or even cooked pork or shrimp). Just stir it around for a few minutes. You can add other veggies in like mushrooms or water chestnuts, baby corn... anything that you like. - push it all to the side and add a little butter to the pan, then toss in your rice, and add about 3 or 4 Tablespoons of soy sauce. Mix up! Serve warm.

Fri: Lentil soup. Recipe is on recipezaar.com #99564 - Lentil soup for people who hate lentils... looks amazing.

Till tomorrow!
Mecca