Menu Plan Monday~ Jan 1, 2012

Happy New Year!
Here is this week’s dinner menu.  One of my resolutions for 2012 is to spend more time menu planning.  I find such relief when I open my chalkboard closet and find tonight’s dinner decision ready and waiting for me.  I also want to be better prepared for lunches, so I may start planning those out too.  My goal is to make sure we use up all of our leftovers as it bothers me when we have to throw out food that has been sitting too long in our fridge.  I love to cook, but there is always a way to make it more efficient and enjoyable.

Monday Meatloaf is a beef version of this recipe from Cooking Light.  (I find turkey meatloaf just doesn’t cut it.) We left out the sriracha sauce so everyone could eat it.  Our little guy ate it all up! If it’s just me and my husband eating it, the spicy version is amazing. Roasted Green Beans in the oven and Sweet Potatoes in the Pressure cooker (10 mins total time!) rounded out the meal.

Tuesday will be my first attempt at cooking a Whole Chicken in the pressure cooker.  I have found recipes including beer cans, lots of liquid, minimal liquid, etc.  I haven’t quite decided what I’ll do, but most recipes say it should be done in about 25 minutes.   I’ll also be saving the bones to make a fresh batch of chicken broth. (Still trying to get it to gel…maybe in the pressure cooker it will work!)  The leftover chicken will be used for Waldorf chicken salad sandwiches, which will help me meet my healthy lunch goal and to use up leftovers.

Wednesday~ Sweet & Sour Pork Tenderloin in the Crock pot.  New recipe…will update later with results.

Thursday~ Homemade Chicken Nuggets and Sweet Potato fries.

Friday~ Homemade Pepperoni Pizza night. I should do a salad…but probably won’t.

Saturday~ Salmon and Broccoli. Last time we did salmon the little guy wasn’t for it.  I’m going to try it poached and see if he will eat it this time.

What menu planning resources do you use?  To get more ideas, check out Menu Plan Monday.

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3 replies
  1. Katie says:

    Haha, sorry, I picked up on a tiny side comment in this and not the whole post. ^_^

    How do you normally cook your chicken broth and what do you mean by it not gelling? Like it doesn't get jello-y after being refrigerated?

  2. Emily @ Random Recycling says:

    Hi Katie~
    My chicken broth didn't get into the gelatin state, even after trying it with a little apple cider vinegar and keeping the temp low. I'm going to try to make broth in the pressure cooker tonight and will update with the results.

  3. Katie says:

    Interesting. I was going to suggest the ACV trick. I usually make it in the crockpot and it always turns out nicely, so maybe the pressure cooker will work!

    I usually get a thicker broth if I use the drippings from when I cooked the chicken and the skin as well as the bones. Otherwise, perhaps try less water?

    I'm interested to hear how the pressure cooker works out! Good luck!

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