Menu Plan March 19-23

I must be craving mexican food, because two of this week's meals have similar flavors. I was thinking maybe I should put in something more "different" but I really want both of them, so they stayed!

I can't believe the weather we are having already this spring! So I am also really excited to uncover the grill and get grilling!! So I had to include one grilling recipe this week to get things started. More grilling to come.

I hope you try out some of these meals and let me know what you think!!

Monday: Taco Casserole

Recipe: Taco Casserole

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 envelope of taco seasoning
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 cup sour cream (light sour cream works perfectly)
• 1 cup cottage cheese 
• 2 cups crushed tortilla chips 
• 2 cups (8 ounces) grated Monterey Jack cheese (or whatever cheese you have on hand)
• (Variations: You could add minced garlic, chopped peppers, tomatoes, and various shredded garden veggies to make it a really healthy option, along with the addition of black beans.)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a skillet, brown the beef, drain off extra fat; remove from heat. 
3. Add onion, garlic powder, taco seasoning mix, and tomato sauce to beef; mix and set aside.
4. In a medium sized bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese; set aside.
5. Place half the crushed chips in the bottom of a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish that has been coated with a nonstick vegetable spray.
6. Add enough meat mixture to cover the chips, then cover the meat with half of the sour cream mixture.
7. Sprinkle with half the grated cheese. Repeat layers.
8. Bake uncovered, for 30-35 minutes, until cheese melts and casserole is heated through.

* For a healthier, lower fat option, substitute the ground beef with a ground turkey. Use low fat sour cream or only lower fat cottage cheese and add the veggie options mentioned above.

Preparation time: 10 minutes 

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Source: Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Tuesday: Buffalo Chicken Wraps

Caution...These are addicting! They can be a little time consuming to assemble. But they make a ton and they are delicious! The link below has a really detailed step by step picture gallery. I hope you give them a try!

Source: Can you stay for dinner?

Wednesday: Spicy Bean and Rice Burritos

My husband does not like beans...so this may be a hard sell. I think what I will do is cook some chicken and give the family the option for beans or no beans! I can't wait to give this recipe a try!!

This yummy recipe is from a blog called...are you ready... A Bitchin' Kitchen...LOVE it!

Thursday: The BEST Pork Chops EVER!

This recipe is similar to the chicken recipe I tried a few weeks ago and is so good. If you are not a fan of pork chops you could easily swap chicken instead. 

Find the recipe for this gem here.

Friday: Chicken and Shrimp Kabobs

There is no real recipe that I follow for kabobs. Here are the general steps I follow:

1. Cut the chicken into bit size pieces. Marinate the chicken and the shrimp in italian dressing for a 2-3 hours or overnight. 

2. While the chicken and shrimp marinade, I soak my wooden skewers in water to prevent scorching on the grill.

3. I then chop any vegetable I plan on having. I chop them in large pieces so they stay crisp and do not fall off the skewer as they cook. I like to use red and yellow peppers, but the possibilities are endless. 

I do not put the vegetables and the meat on the same skewer! They take different amounts of time to cook and I don't like the vegetables to burn. Some people love the idea of having everything on one stick, so if that is your thing, go for it!

4. I assemble skewers with only one thing on each skewer. For example, I have one solid chicken skewer, one shrimp one and one veggie one. 

5. Spritz the grill first with non stick spray or olive oil and then heat the grill to medium heat (about 5 minutes or so). 

6. Place the chicken skewers on first since they take the longest to cook. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the chicken no longer has any pink.

7. Place the shrimp and veggie skewers on about halfway through the chicken cooking time  and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the shrimp are completely pink. The veggies are more of personal preference. I like mine crispy so I only leave them on while the shrimp cooks. 

I serve these skewers with brown rice and they are so delicious! Happy Grilling!