Nifty Nique's Everyday
Menu for week 8/17 - 8/23
This last week went so very fast. This last week both Dustin and I had good friends visit, we got to check out the outdoor market in Gruene and even hosted a family dinner. Dustin's mom and her side of the family are cookers! Its great (ok a little intimidating but great). There is normally a dinner hosted once a week somewhere. Well since we got our dining room chairs we could finally have people over. I made my standard spinach lasagna and roasted garlic focaccia. It turned out wonderful! Anyways on to the menu...
Monday - Lemon Chicken with Couscous
Tuesday - Pot Roast
Wednesday - Marinated Brisket with Mashed Potatoes
Thursday - Sausage with creamy corn fries
Friday - Ham and Pasta Casserole
The weekend is a little up in the air. Dustin's sister is flying in from Nashville so I'm sure there will be several family dinners. So we'll see how the menu truly plays out.
Monday - Lemon Chicken with Couscous
Tuesday - Pot Roast
Wednesday - Marinated Brisket with Mashed Potatoes
Thursday - Sausage with creamy corn fries
Friday - Ham and Pasta Casserole
The weekend is a little up in the air. Dustin's sister is flying in from Nashville so I'm sure there will be several family dinners. So we'll see how the menu truly plays out.
Spinach and Bacon Stuffed Chicken
Alright gang, I don't brag often but I'm bragging today! I have always loved eating out. Partly because I don't have to do anything and partly because I have never felt like my cooking was up to par. But in the last 8 months I feel I've grown in leaps and bounds. This meal topped everything.
Stuffed Chicken (I only made two breast so double or triple accordingly)
4oz Cream Cheese (we buy the fat free kind)
Clove of roasted garlic (I roast a head a week and throw it in everything)
1/3 package of frozen spinach (drain spinach throughly)
2 slices of thick cut bacon
2 Chicken breasts
Season with pepper, cajun seasoning or whatever else looks yummy
Cook bacon till crispy, crumble. Mix with cream cheese, garlic, spinach, and spices. Slice chicken breast down the middle, don't cut through. Pound chicken thin and flat (it helps to cook it evenly and quickly). Stuff chicken with half the mixture. Heat a skillet with olive oil. Sear chicken on both sides until you get a golden crust, about 4 minutes per side. Throw chicken on a pan (preferably on a wire rack if possible) in a hot oven (375ish) and finish cooking, about 10-15 minutes. The insides will be melted and bubbling.
Broken Spaghetti Risotto (This one I "stole" from Rachael Ray, this is my version)
8oz angel hair spaghetti
1 can chicken stock (we buy low sodium fat free stock, but you can play with it)
1 Tbsp butter
Couple Tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 Onion, chopped very small
In a saucepan heat butter. Break spaghetti into small pieces and toast in the butter (the spaghetti will begin to brown, but don't burn!). Add onions so they can start to cook. Once spaghetti starts to brown add stock in a bit at a time. Stir constantly as the noodles begin to soak up the stock, add more. You will use the whole can. The stirring will help break down some of the starch and the sauce will thicken. I added a couple tablespoons of Parmesan right before serving. You can use half stock/half water, or stock and wine. Also you can season the risotto with whatever you have around, fresh or dried herbs, dried mushrooms or anything else your imagination can come up with. Enjoy!
Stuffed Chicken (I only made two breast so double or triple accordingly)
4oz Cream Cheese (we buy the fat free kind)
Clove of roasted garlic (I roast a head a week and throw it in everything)
1/3 package of frozen spinach (drain spinach throughly)
2 slices of thick cut bacon
2 Chicken breasts
Season with pepper, cajun seasoning or whatever else looks yummy
Cook bacon till crispy, crumble. Mix with cream cheese, garlic, spinach, and spices. Slice chicken breast down the middle, don't cut through. Pound chicken thin and flat (it helps to cook it evenly and quickly). Stuff chicken with half the mixture. Heat a skillet with olive oil. Sear chicken on both sides until you get a golden crust, about 4 minutes per side. Throw chicken on a pan (preferably on a wire rack if possible) in a hot oven (375ish) and finish cooking, about 10-15 minutes. The insides will be melted and bubbling.
Broken Spaghetti Risotto (This one I "stole" from Rachael Ray, this is my version)
8oz angel hair spaghetti
1 can chicken stock (we buy low sodium fat free stock, but you can play with it)
1 Tbsp butter
Couple Tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 Onion, chopped very small
In a saucepan heat butter. Break spaghetti into small pieces and toast in the butter (the spaghetti will begin to brown, but don't burn!). Add onions so they can start to cook. Once spaghetti starts to brown add stock in a bit at a time. Stir constantly as the noodles begin to soak up the stock, add more. You will use the whole can. The stirring will help break down some of the starch and the sauce will thicken. I added a couple tablespoons of Parmesan right before serving. You can use half stock/half water, or stock and wine. Also you can season the risotto with whatever you have around, fresh or dried herbs, dried mushrooms or anything else your imagination can come up with. Enjoy!
Menu Plan for 8/10 - 8/16
Well my first week at work was killer on my menu. I did good on Monday! I even premade the lasagna so all I had to do was throw it in the oven. Well then Tuesday and Wednesday I got home within minutes of Dustin. Thursday he actually had a day off. So this week's menu is about ease and as always saving money. Most of the meals can be made in 30 minutes or less. So if we got home around the same time its still only 30 minutes till dinner.
Monday - Sliced Ham and roasted potatoes
Tuesday - Grilled sausage and homemade mac n' cheese
Wednesday - Stuffed Chicken and broken spaghetti risotto (a Rachael Ray recipe, the queen of thirty minute meals!)
Thursday - Lasagna Raviolis (this will be an experiment with leftover egg roll wrappers)
Friday - Night out
Saturday - Creamy Gnocchi and Garlic pull apart bread
Sunday - Pizza
The shrimp we had gotten an amazing deal on! It was 16-20 count for $4.99 a pound. We bought two pounds and have made four meals. This is the last of the shrimp. The ham was a meal deal at HEB. Buy a ham and get a whole bunch of stuff free. The ham was $20 and we got six bags out of it. But we got $15 worth of free stuff. I'll tell you about the garlic pull apart bread and lasagna raviolis for sure.
Ropa Vieja
Let me start by saying Ropa Vieja is generally beef. And generally the meat and spices are cooked together. But as always I am trying to be creative and make our money stretch as far as possible. I had gotten pork at $1 per lb. I had already cooked and shredded the meat. So please do not take this recipe as an authentic recipe.
3/4 lb shredded pork
1/2 cup water
1/2 can of tomato paste
1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 red pepper, sliced
Seasoned with cumin, red pepper flakes, chili powder, paprika.
I tossed all the ingredients into a pot and simmered. This is not meant to be a super spicy dish. Dustin likes heat and I don't. So we learn to compromise. Season with more heat if you'd like. You can add jalapenos or other peppers. Add more water or paste for more "gravy". Spoon meat and juices over rice. Serve with sour cream, avocados and whatever you have hanging around. We happened to have green onions and limes. Enjoy!
3/4 lb shredded pork
1/2 cup water
1/2 can of tomato paste
1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 red pepper, sliced
Seasoned with cumin, red pepper flakes, chili powder, paprika.
I tossed all the ingredients into a pot and simmered. This is not meant to be a super spicy dish. Dustin likes heat and I don't. So we learn to compromise. Season with more heat if you'd like. You can add jalapenos or other peppers. Add more water or paste for more "gravy". Spoon meat and juices over rice. Serve with sour cream, avocados and whatever you have hanging around. We happened to have green onions and limes. Enjoy!
Stretching you Meat
Let's talk a little bit about saving money! These days this seems to be everyone's favorite subject. The economy has brought to light things some of us have done for years. It is so fun to share these tips with others. My hope would be even as the economy rebounds that many of us (to include a new group of thirfty students) will continue to life smartly and thrifty. That we will teach our children patience, balance and self control with their money and lives. That we would understand less really is more, that family time is more important than over extending our credit cards and mortgages. Oh the big hope I have for our future!
Our first saving tip is making meat a side note. Dustin is a man's man. He wants meat at every meal. If we can have several types in the same meal he is in hog heaven (sometimes literally). But meat is expensive. So I do several things to make this stretch. We buy in bulk to start. When I get home from the store I immediately portion things out when I can. Hamburger or chicken breasts get packaged into quart size freezer bags and they are labeled and put into the freezer. Two weeks ago I bought a huge pork tenderloin. It was on a huge sale. $5 for 5 lbs. Yep $1 a pound for center cut amazing pork tenderloin. I wish we had a deep freeze and I would have bought several.
I cut this into a couple pieces. I cut out two smaller pieces to cook up in the oven for sliced pork. Each of those pieces turned out to be rough 3/4 of a pound. Then the large piece and all the extra cuts were thrown into the crock pot with 1/2 a can of Coke and some water. The Coke helps breakdown any connective tissue. I don't season it at all. That way we can use the meat in a variety of dishes. After 6 hours or so on low the meat will shred beautifully. Don't over cook. The Coke will continue breaking down the meat until its mushy.
After the meat is cooled in gets portioned into freezer bags too. This worked out to four bags. So that is six portions of meat from a $5 piece. Less than $1 a meal!!! We had sliced roasted pork with mashed potatoes and gravy, pulled pork sandwiches, pork enchilada casserole, ropa vieja and pork egg rolls so far. We have one more roast and actually one more bag of shredded meat. I only used half the bag for enchiladas and half for the egg rolls. We have some nights that meat is the focus, like our roast night. But when I'm combining meat in pastas or casseroles I use less. The egg rolls didn't take much at all so I used maybe 1/3 of the bag. Then 2/3 went into the casserole. Just cause you stuffed a bag full of meat doesn't mean you have to use the whole thing. Skimping too much will bring an uproar in my house. But as a general rule of thumb is meat should be 1/4 to 1/3 of your plate. Grains, pasta, veggies, and other side dishes should make up the rest of the plate.
Our first saving tip is making meat a side note. Dustin is a man's man. He wants meat at every meal. If we can have several types in the same meal he is in hog heaven (sometimes literally). But meat is expensive. So I do several things to make this stretch. We buy in bulk to start. When I get home from the store I immediately portion things out when I can. Hamburger or chicken breasts get packaged into quart size freezer bags and they are labeled and put into the freezer. Two weeks ago I bought a huge pork tenderloin. It was on a huge sale. $5 for 5 lbs. Yep $1 a pound for center cut amazing pork tenderloin. I wish we had a deep freeze and I would have bought several.
I cut this into a couple pieces. I cut out two smaller pieces to cook up in the oven for sliced pork. Each of those pieces turned out to be rough 3/4 of a pound. Then the large piece and all the extra cuts were thrown into the crock pot with 1/2 a can of Coke and some water. The Coke helps breakdown any connective tissue. I don't season it at all. That way we can use the meat in a variety of dishes. After 6 hours or so on low the meat will shred beautifully. Don't over cook. The Coke will continue breaking down the meat until its mushy.
After the meat is cooled in gets portioned into freezer bags too. This worked out to four bags. So that is six portions of meat from a $5 piece. Less than $1 a meal!!! We had sliced roasted pork with mashed potatoes and gravy, pulled pork sandwiches, pork enchilada casserole, ropa vieja and pork egg rolls so far. We have one more roast and actually one more bag of shredded meat. I only used half the bag for enchiladas and half for the egg rolls. We have some nights that meat is the focus, like our roast night. But when I'm combining meat in pastas or casseroles I use less. The egg rolls didn't take much at all so I used maybe 1/3 of the bag. Then 2/3 went into the casserole. Just cause you stuffed a bag full of meat doesn't mean you have to use the whole thing. Skimping too much will bring an uproar in my house. But as a general rule of thumb is meat should be 1/4 to 1/3 of your plate. Grains, pasta, veggies, and other side dishes should make up the rest of the plate.
Menu Plan for 8/3 - 8/9
Well gang, I had just wrote about homemaking. It is such an important focus and I truly believe that. However that being said, I start full time tomorrow at a new position. Dustin and I decided that it was very important for me to have health insurance and for us to be able to pay off our debt. As I've talked about before I have two credit cards, a student loan and a hefty car payment. Dustin also has a large car payment and a small amount on a credit card from the move and what not. So I am back to juggling work and home life. We both desire for me to stay at home full time but this is better for our family right now... Maybe someday we'll be blessed to have rug rats running around and I can be a stay at home mommy. With our debts paid off and maybe even a down payment for a house life would be more relaxing to focus on fun money and not debt money. Long winded entrance to the menu huh? Ok without further delay...
Monday - Grilled Sausage Links with Fried Okra and Salad
Tuesday - Spinach Lasagna (roll over from last week)
Wednesday - Turkey, Avacado, Bacon Paninis with Oven Fries
Thursday - Ham and Veggie Mac n' Cheese
Friday - Ropa Vieja (Mexican tomato pork dish... I'll post the recipe for that one)
Saturday - Crispy Honey Shrimp and Stir Fried Veggies
Sunday - Night Out
So hopefully its a smooth transition back into the working world. And I will continue to bring fun new recipes.
Monday - Grilled Sausage Links with Fried Okra and Salad
Tuesday - Spinach Lasagna (roll over from last week)
Wednesday - Turkey, Avacado, Bacon Paninis with Oven Fries
Thursday - Ham and Veggie Mac n' Cheese
Friday - Ropa Vieja (Mexican tomato pork dish... I'll post the recipe for that one)
Saturday - Crispy Honey Shrimp and Stir Fried Veggies
Sunday - Night Out
So hopefully its a smooth transition back into the working world. And I will continue to bring fun new recipes.
A thought on Homemaking
Those of you that have known me for a while have seen my passion for homemaking. I've desired to be a great homemaker since I can remember. It has always been my heart to take care of my family through food, chores, crafts and emotional strength. I don't have any one thing I can say that made me this way. But this move has changed me a little.
We moved almost six weeks ago. My whole goal has been to find a new job. Something I want to do instead of a job I have to do. But I found myself depressed that it has taken so long. Instead of feeling blessed that I get to be a full time homemaker for the time being. I spend my days reading, crafting and cleaning. I have a healthy meal on the table when Dustin gets home. I can handle the grocery shopping and all the errands that Dustin would not enjoy. He is 100% free to focus on work. He still works 5-6 days a week in 10-12 hour shifts. He works outside in 105 degree weather for a good part of his day. And here I have been at home pouting that I can't find a job I want.
So today I woke up with a little bit different thought. I searched the internet for stay at home wives. Read tips on what they do all day. And these women are amazing. One talked about how household management is much like hotel management. Things need to be neat and orderly, healthy dinner on the table. But more than that a household manager is in charge of the long term well being of her family. To make sure not only that her family's daily needs are met but also their long term dreams, hopes and goals. She is the single tie of her family. Without her members may live there own life and pass each other by.
I have a lot to think about. Money is not the only thing that should concern us. Would my family or your family be healther with a full time house manager? Do you need to help supplement your family's income? Is your calling outside of the home?
We are going to be talking more on this subject, since this is where I am in my life. No official change of plans at this time at this time. I don't have the green light from D to stay at home permnately... yet. But even with a job outside of the home I am in charge of my home. Right now I just have extra time to go the extra mile.
We moved almost six weeks ago. My whole goal has been to find a new job. Something I want to do instead of a job I have to do. But I found myself depressed that it has taken so long. Instead of feeling blessed that I get to be a full time homemaker for the time being. I spend my days reading, crafting and cleaning. I have a healthy meal on the table when Dustin gets home. I can handle the grocery shopping and all the errands that Dustin would not enjoy. He is 100% free to focus on work. He still works 5-6 days a week in 10-12 hour shifts. He works outside in 105 degree weather for a good part of his day. And here I have been at home pouting that I can't find a job I want.
So today I woke up with a little bit different thought. I searched the internet for stay at home wives. Read tips on what they do all day. And these women are amazing. One talked about how household management is much like hotel management. Things need to be neat and orderly, healthy dinner on the table. But more than that a household manager is in charge of the long term well being of her family. To make sure not only that her family's daily needs are met but also their long term dreams, hopes and goals. She is the single tie of her family. Without her members may live there own life and pass each other by.
I have a lot to think about. Money is not the only thing that should concern us. Would my family or your family be healther with a full time house manager? Do you need to help supplement your family's income? Is your calling outside of the home?
We are going to be talking more on this subject, since this is where I am in my life. No official change of plans at this time at this time. I don't have the green light from D to stay at home permnately... yet. But even with a job outside of the home I am in charge of my home. Right now I just have extra time to go the extra mile.
Menu Planning Mondays
So I am finally ready to get back into sharing my menus! Dustin and I had to throw out a good amount of food for the move. We actually had to part with most of our furniture, some kitchen stuff, and a bunch of other stuff at the last minute. It was just us packing the trailer and we just couldn't fit all of our stuff. We didn't have cooler room to save what was in the fridge. We just didn't have space to keep everything in our pantry. I worked out menus to use as much as possible of our little stock. But it also meant we got to start almost from scratch when we got here. I put the tips I have gotten from the blog community about stocking up on things while they are on sale and with coupons. So we have a great stock pile. It has saved so much money. We were lucky on sales the first couple weeks, which was great cause the last two weeks the sales have been really disappointing. But anyways... short story long, we are eating great and I'm ready to share.
Monday - Pork Tenderloin with Broken Spaghetti Risotto (I saw it on Rachael Ray)
Tuesday - Chicken Salad
Wednesday - Spinach Lasagna
Thursday - BBQ Pork Sandwiches
Friday - Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Saturday - Shrimp Stir Fry and Homemade Eggrolls
Sunday - Dinner out!
There we go. I'll be sharing recipes for a couple things this week. I also need to find a fun dessert to try this week. Enjoy!
Monday - Pork Tenderloin with Broken Spaghetti Risotto (I saw it on Rachael Ray)
Tuesday - Chicken Salad
Wednesday - Spinach Lasagna
Thursday - BBQ Pork Sandwiches
Friday - Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Saturday - Shrimp Stir Fry and Homemade Eggrolls
Sunday - Dinner out!
There we go. I'll be sharing recipes for a couple things this week. I also need to find a fun dessert to try this week. Enjoy!
Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf
Alright gang, this recipe is Food Network inspired. Paula Deen to be specific. Since I'm not working I've had far too much time to myself. I have been able to check out all the shows I have wanted. You can probably find her recipe on the Food Network page, but this is my verison.
1 pound ground chuck
1 big carrot, diced
2-3 stalks of celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1/2 seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 milk
8oz cheddar cheese, cubed
4-8 strips of bacon
Creole Seasoning
Red Pepper
Onion Powder
Salt and Pepper
BBQ Sauce
Sautee carrot, celery and onion is a small amount of oil. Add garlic after a couple minutes and continue to cook until all veggies are softened.
In a large bowl combined ground chuck, breadcrumbs, milk, and veggies. (Some people use eggs as a binder for the meat. I like the moisture that comes from the breadcrumb and milk mixture, but use whatever you are comfortable with). Season as you like. I seasoned as I normally would a regular meatloaf, since the goal was not to make a massive hamburger patty. Once all these ingredients are mixed well add in your cubed cheese.
Form meat on a sheet pan. I know Paula set the meat on top of bread to soak up the excessive grease. I didn't but might try this in the future. We generally get 85/15 or leaner meat, but with the cheese it had a good amount of grease that covered the pan. Cover formed meat with strips of uncooked bacon. Then top with BBQ sauce. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or so.
I served with garlic and green onion mashed potatoes! Enjoy.
1 pound ground chuck
1 big carrot, diced
2-3 stalks of celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1/2 seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 milk
8oz cheddar cheese, cubed
4-8 strips of bacon
Creole Seasoning
Red Pepper
Onion Powder
Salt and Pepper
BBQ Sauce
Sautee carrot, celery and onion is a small amount of oil. Add garlic after a couple minutes and continue to cook until all veggies are softened.
In a large bowl combined ground chuck, breadcrumbs, milk, and veggies. (Some people use eggs as a binder for the meat. I like the moisture that comes from the breadcrumb and milk mixture, but use whatever you are comfortable with). Season as you like. I seasoned as I normally would a regular meatloaf, since the goal was not to make a massive hamburger patty. Once all these ingredients are mixed well add in your cubed cheese.
Form meat on a sheet pan. I know Paula set the meat on top of bread to soak up the excessive grease. I didn't but might try this in the future. We generally get 85/15 or leaner meat, but with the cheese it had a good amount of grease that covered the pan. Cover formed meat with strips of uncooked bacon. Then top with BBQ sauce. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or so.
I served with garlic and green onion mashed potatoes! Enjoy.
Nerdy Tips
So I've shared my nerdy Excel spreadsheets on coupons and my price lists. I have not kept up on my coupon sheet. What I found is the receipts don't always list what coupons I used and it became a burden to keep up. So nice try, but fail on the coupon list. The price list I keep updating. It is nice to see what is a good price for the things I buy. When I started I had no clue that $1.69 a pound for chicken breast was a good deal or paying $2.79 a pound wasn't. It has saved us a ton of money, just figuring out when to buy and when to change the menu and do without.
So two new spreadsheets I'm working on... One is a reciept list. In Excel I've been recording each reciept. What I bought, how much I paid and if I can remember the coupons or specials. Then the other is writing down what each meal costs me. With the receipt list, I can go back and figure out exactly what everything cost. We aren't close to bragging that every meal costs $3 or anything crazy. We still splurge on fun snacks and have meals that cost $10 for just the two of us. But it helps bring to light some of our spending. Did we really need beans and rice with our tacos? Did I really use that much cheese? How can we reuse the leftover veggies? It gives me time to look over the meal, what can be done better, what I can do so Dustin doesn't have to eat the same food tomorrow for lunch.
On Monday I'll get back to sharing our menus for the week. I'll continue to share fun recipes, but also try to share the costs and tips on the planning, coupon use and the recreations for what the leftovers will become.
So two new spreadsheets I'm working on... One is a reciept list. In Excel I've been recording each reciept. What I bought, how much I paid and if I can remember the coupons or specials. Then the other is writing down what each meal costs me. With the receipt list, I can go back and figure out exactly what everything cost. We aren't close to bragging that every meal costs $3 or anything crazy. We still splurge on fun snacks and have meals that cost $10 for just the two of us. But it helps bring to light some of our spending. Did we really need beans and rice with our tacos? Did I really use that much cheese? How can we reuse the leftover veggies? It gives me time to look over the meal, what can be done better, what I can do so Dustin doesn't have to eat the same food tomorrow for lunch.
On Monday I'll get back to sharing our menus for the week. I'll continue to share fun recipes, but also try to share the costs and tips on the planning, coupon use and the recreations for what the leftovers will become.