Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Cooking From the Couch: Ravioli Casserole

We made the Ravioli Casserole tonight and it was super easy and really yummy! I would definitely recommend trying this quick and easy recipe out! It is a great spin off of the traditional spaghetti and meat sauce. Not the most dietetic dinner, but it sure was good!

Cheese Ravioli Casserole


1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
1 T olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T tomato paste
1 can tomato sauce
1/4 c heavy cream (I used milk)
salt and ground black pepper
1lb frozen cheese ravioli
1 c mozzarella cheese

Bring a pot of water to a boil. In another pan, brown the sausage. Make sure to chunk it up as it cooks. If it doesn't chunk up small enough, put the cooked sausage in the food processor for a bit until it looks like ground beef. Remove and set aside.

Once water is boiling, cook ravioli according to directions. I cook to al dente.

In the same pan, add oil, garlic and tomato paste. Saute for a minute or two and then add tomato sauce. Allow to simmer for a 3-4 minutes. Then, add milk and seasoning. Simmer a few minutes longer.

Combine drained ravioli and sauce in a baking dish...cover with mozzarella and bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted. (This step can totally be skipped)

Monday, August 30, 2010

Cooking from the Couch: Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes are something I ate a lot as a child. I really LOVE my sloppy joes. Yet, it is something I had to introduce them to my hubbie. I always ate the typical canned variety, but it has onions, so that was quickly nixed. Hence, I came up with my own Sloppy Joe recipe to accommodate my hubbies hatred for onions.

The nice thing about this recipe is my hubbie can make it completely on his own with no instruction necessary. I had him make a double batch so we could freeze a few meals for post baby. Try it out and let me know what you think!

2 ½ lb ground beef
2 T tomato paste
3/4 c smoky BBQ sauce

2/3 c ketchup
¼ c Worcestershire sauce
¼ c soy sauce
pepper (I like a lot of pepper)
1T paprika
Brown the ground beef, then drain off the excess oil. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix well. Then, bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes. Serve on buns.

Meal Plan Monday!!

I love the sound of that..Meal Plan Monday! I wish I was on top of things enough to make sure to have my meal plan posted every Monday. Hey...nothing like a new goal right!!!!!

Here is what we are thinking for this week:

Sunday- My Birthday...no cooking here!
Monday-Sloppy Joes (homemade)
Tuesday-Cheese Ravioli Bake with Garlic Cheese Bread
Wednesday-LO
Thursday-Red Chile Chicken and rice with plantains and salad
Friday-LO
Saturday-Grilled pizzas
 
I know many of these meals (like the sloppy joes) could also have a left over day, but I am going to start freezing some of the leftovers now so when baby does decided to come we have some frozen meals ready. I know my hubbie is doing great learning to cook, but I cannot guarantee that I will have it all together ahead of time to put my meal plan and cooking directions together when the new little one gets here. AND, I certainly don't think he will have it all together to be preparing meals every night in addition to taking care of our 2.5 year old, me and a newborn. We are all great multi-taskers, but we all have limits...lol!!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Bento: Jello Snacks

I recently introduce my son to jello snack cups. It was love at first bite! As I looked at the back of the box, I was saddened to see all the ingredients I could not read. So, I knew that was going to be a one time buy. In the meantime, I knew I had to find an alternative plus I would be thrilled to $$. Those little jello cups were $2.79 for 4, that is $0.70 a piece plus everything else you put in the lunch box. It all adds up! So, when I saw our local store had V8 Splash for BOGO, I knew what I was going to do.

Kiwi Strawberry Jello Cups

1 1/2 cups strawberry kiwi V8 Splash juice, divided

1 cup frozen strawberries ( I used fresh strawberries had frozen earlier in the season)
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (I used Agava Nectar)
 
Blend 1 cup of juice and the frozen fruit until smooth.(I like to keep it a bit chunky) Pour into a small pan and bring to a boil. Stir to avoid those little frothy bubbles. Put the remaining 1/2 cup juice in a large bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the juice and let stand 1 minute. Add the hot juice and whisk until the gelatin completely dissolves, about 5 minutes. Stir in the sugar. Allow to cool a bit before you pour the jello into small reusable containers. (I also strain off any remaining foam) Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours. Do not add lids to the containers until completely set.
 
 
***These can be done with virtually any juice/fruit combination.

Bento: What's for Lunch?

I have been making my son's lunch for the past few weeks now. It was easy at first. A protein of some sorts, a fruit, a dairy and a snack. Even as I tried to mix things up I started to notice how much processed foods were making their way not only into my home, but most importantly into my son's lunch. That got me thinking...we buy these things because they are easy and convenient.

So, I am now finding recipes to make some healthy alternatives for my son's lunch. My first find...peanut butter balls. Yes, I know real creative right! haha! I have made these before, but forgot about them! The best thing about this recipe is you can you what ever HEALTHY cereals you have on hand.

Healthy Peanut butter Snack Balls
2/3 cups honey (I used agave nectar)
2 cups peanut butter (I used creamy)
1 cups rice krispies
1/2+ cups grape nuts (I used lowfat granola)

1/4 cup applesauce
2/3 cups coconut
1 cups crushed cereal (I use cheerios and Chex)
1/2+ cups chocolate (I used raisins)
1.5-3 T powdered milk
2/3 cups crushed mini-wheat cereal (or graham crackers)
 
Mix everything but the last ingredient. Roll into 1" balls, then roll in the crushed cereal. You can refrigerate or freeze. This sized batch made over 50 balls.

(I forgot to add that I put flax seed in with the rest of the ingredients)

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Southwest style burger and Campfire Potatoes

Southwest style burgers are a real hit in this household which is a surprise with my super picky hubbie.


Southwest Style Burgers
1 can of chipolte peppers in adobo sauce
1lb ground beef
1t garlic powder
Salt and Pepper
Fixings: Colby Jack cheese, tomato, avocado buns, ketchup

I cut up 1 pepper and added just a bit of the sauce (maybe 1-1.5T) into a bowl with the meat. Then, seasoned with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Then, my hubbie grilled up the burgers. I sliced up the tomato and avacado.

Campfire Potatoes
Red potatoes, diced small (I used 5 med potatoes)

A1 sauce
Hot sauce
Lawry's Seasoning Salt
Red pepper flakes
Salt and Pepper
Worcestershire sauce

In a non-stick skillet heat the potatoes over high heat for a few minutes. (cut them small so they cook quickly) Cook until tender, but not soft. Add enough A1 sauce so all the potatoes have a thin coating over them. Next add some red pepper flakes, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and Lawry's. (Use as much or as little of each) Continuously turn the potatoes until they are cooked through. The sauce will form a crunchy outer layer. About 5 minutes before finishing add a little more A1 and hot sauce, tossing to coat.

Cooking from the Couch: Carnitas and Pork Tacos

Carnitas are really easy and husband friendly. We had a family sized pack of boneless pork ribs to use up this week, but you can really use just about any cut of pork...although I don't recommend thin pork chops! Once defrosted, I have my hubbie put all the pork in a big zip lock bag with about half a jar of Mojo sauce (found in Mexican food section at your local grocery store). We let this marinate over night, then, my hubbie dumped it in the crock pot in the morning (sauce and all) and cooked on low for 6 hours.

I had the luxury of smelling this delicious pork cooking all day...it was almost too much to handle. When my hubbie got home, we whipped up a batch cornbread and a salad.

Cornbread:
We have this mix made ready to use. It is 4 c flour, 1 T salt, 1 c sugar, 1/4 c baking powder, 1 c lard, 4 c cornmeal. It makes about 10 cups of total mix. I just throw everything into the stand up mixed with the whisk attachment and let it do the work of mixing. Then, put in and airtight container and in the fridge it goes.

To make tonight's, cornbread, I used 2 1/2 cups of the homemade cornbread mix with 1 beaten egg and 1-1/4 cups milk. Mix just until dry ingredients and then pour in a drained can of corn. Mix well. Pour everything into a greased  8" square pan and bake at 425 degrees for 15-25 minutes. Super easy and extra yummy!


Pork Tacos (with leftovers)

We turned the oven on to slowly heat up the leftover pork some pimentos (or cooked green and red peppers). We let this heat up slowly in a covered dish at abut 300 degrees for 20 minutes. (or,microwave it)

While it was heating I had my hubbie make a batch of brown rice and white beans. The rice cooked on its own. Then, for the beans he put a can of white northern beans in a small pot with a little olive oil, 1 t cumin and 1 t cayenne pepper. Just let this heat up on low.

Then, once everything was hot are ready to go we had soft flour tortillas, the pork with peppers, some sour cream and cheddar cheese with the white beans and brown rice on the side. Super simple and a great use for the left over pork.

Cooking with Kids: Banana Bread

Today I hosted my monthly Cooking with Kids playdate. It ended up being at the end of August due to the bed rest situation. I was nervous at first about if I was going to be able to handle having all the kids over, my son home all day and still accomplish our project. I definitely still did more than I am supposed too, but it all worked out...only a few contractions during the event.

With hubbies help, we made 1 loaf of banana bread and 1 chocolate zucchini bread to share with the group.


We have a small group of 4 kiddos cooking today...our 5th slept through the whole thing! lol! So, I set it up so that everyone had their own job.

The two oldest boys (almost 2.5 yos) had the job of mashing bananas.



The two younger ones (almost 2yos) each had a set of ingredients to mix. To help make this easy, I gave each a bowl to mix in, all the ingedients, a whick to mix and  plastic measuring cups and spoons. (Oh and a notecard with the measurements)
One mixed the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt. I gave this little one a sifter to play with while the others mixed. She loved it!


The other little one had wet ingredients: oil, sugar and 1 egg. His mommy helped to get all the ingredients in the bowl and then he did his best to mix it all together.

Then, the two older boys dumped all the ingredients in the big bowl and each took turns mixing it. By this time, I was having contractions, so to the chair I went. Mrs. S was nice enough to pour the batter into each childs own mini loaf pan.


Then, we gave the mini loaves back to the kids to add their extras. We had chocolate chips and nuts. Then, into the oven the mini loaves went for about 30 minutes (convection oven at 350 degrees). As payment for all their hard work, the kids were then given some "cake" to eat! Both types were a total hit!

The kids went off and plyed while their bread baked! Then, each got to take home their own mini loaf of banana bread! Complete success...especially because while I engulfed banana bread the ladies helped clean up! The kids were great though, no real mess to speak of!

If you haven't tried cooking with your kids yet or hosting a cooking playdate...try making banana bread. It is quick, easy and bakes up fast!


Banana Bread Recipe

1 3/4c flour,
2 1/4t baking powder,
1/2t salt,

1/3c oil,
2/3c sugar,
1 egg,

4 bananas

Mix dry ingredients in 1 bowl and the wet in another, then fold in together. Pour into pan....Bake at 350 degrees. For a 1 loaf pan bake 50-60 minutes. If using mini loaf pans or muffins, bake for 25-30 minutes.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

This week's Cooking from the Couch Menu...

I was really drawing a blank this week on what I wanted to eat..go figure the pregnant girl with no cravings. Since it is coming towards the end of the month, I figured this would be a good week to work on cleaning out our pantry and freezer. So, we will make some classic dishes with a few alterations to accomodate what is available on hand. We have a lot of pork and chicken in the freezer along with a few other random things, so, let's see what we come up with.

Sunday: Carnitas with Cornbread mash
Monday: (LO meat) Pork Tacos with white beans
Tuesday: Grilled Pork chops with green bean soup
Wednesday: L.O soup with Ham and Cheese stuffed Biscuits
Thursday: A friend is bringing Cuban food
Friday: Southwest style Burgers with campfire potatoes
Saturday: Frito Pie

Again I will work to post recipes as we go along!

Cooking from the Couch: Spaghetti and Meatballs

One think my hubbie can make is spaghetti...I mean boiling water and setting a timer is right up his alley. So, I decided to make a very simple spaghetti and meatball recipe. It did not have all the glorious veggies hidden in the sauce like I usually do, but it was still simply delicious. Plus, all you non cooks out there won't have any more excused for takeout with this simple menu.

Spaghetti and Make-Shift Bolognese

First make the meatballs:
My hubbie brought me a huge bowl with:
1/2lb of extra lean ground beef
1/2 c bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
1 egg
1/4c milk
1/4c Parmesan

Once I mushed everything, I formed into1.5-2 inch balls. I placed each ball into a lightly greased cupcake pan. I have a huge 24 cupcake pan, so, I filled each cup. My hubbie put it in a 400 degree oven for about 7 minutes while I got up to wash my hands.

While it cooked, he started the water boiling in one pot. In another pot he poured in 1 large can of tomato sauce...you can use any spaghetti sauce unless you have a super picky eater like my hubbie. So, he put the sauce in a saute pan and turned on low. As it heated up he mixed in 1/2c chicken stock (I had him use the leftover veggie chicken stock from the chicken pies) and 1/2 c milk.

Once the meatballs are done, remove from the oven and carefully place in your sauce. I always encourage my hubbie to roll the meatballs around a bit to cover in sauce. Then, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or so.

You pasta should be ready now, so drain and add a splash of oils to avoid everything sticking together. Then put into individual pasta bowls with a meatball or two and slather in sauce. Garnish with a little bit of Parmesan! Mission accomplished..easy and delish!

Cooking from the Couch: Chicken pies

Tonight I was craving chicken pot pies, so, I put my hubbie to work. He brought me all the veggies  to prepare then, I walked him through the cooking process. He did great and it totally hit the spot.

Chicken Pies
Veggies of yout choice: potatoes, carrots, corn, green beans
3 breasts of boneless, skinless chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup (low- sodium)
1/2 c milk
Salt and pepper
1 can of biscuits

First, I prepared the veggies:
* I chopped up 3-4 potatoes into bite sized pieces.
* Cut baby carrots into thirds
* I de-stemmed the green beans and cut into thirds
* My hubbie opened a car of corn..I wasn't even going to try to mess with trying to cut corn of the cob on the couch...didn't sound like the safest option!

While I was chopping, my hubbie filled a stock pot half way with water and set it on the stove to boil. Once boiling, he added all the veggies (minus the corn) and boiled for about 10 minutes. You want the veggies to be al dente, soft but firm.

As he fished out all the veggies and returned the water to boiling. I cut 3 breasts of skinless boneless chick in half lengthwise. Then, he added to the water and allowed to boil for another 10 minutes.

In the meantime, my hubbie combined 1 can of low sodium Cream of Chicken soup with 1/2 cup of milk. Mix well with a bit of salt and a lot of pepper. Then, mix in the corn and veggies. Once the chicken was cooked, remove from the pot (save the stock you created...it will be a great veggie chicken stock for soups...freeze it for later). Chop up into bit sized pieces and mix into the veggies.

Pour everything into a baking, I had my hubbie pour everything into a deep dish pie pan, but you could use a 9x9 square or something similar. Then, he cracked open a tube of biscuits (I prefer the small cheap ones..not grands, but that is a personal preference!) and covered the top of out chicken pie with the biscuits. Then, Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Serve..it's delicious!

Boo Hoo Breakfast Brunch

I decided to have a few friends over for a Boo Hoo Breakfast. Many will be sending their little ones off to preschool for the first time. So, I though it would be filling to wallow together instead of alone...AND...what better way to do it than with some good ol' homecookin'!

Orange Stuffed French Toast

1 loaf day-old french bread
Orange Marmalade
Spreadable butter
2.5 cups milk (I will use low-fat milk for my diet conscious pals)

1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
6 large eggs (I will use egg beaters instead)

1. Cut loaves in half, then slice the bread 3/4 of the way through. Each slice should be about 1" wide. Spread one side of the bread with a thin layer of butter and on the other spread a nice thick layer of orange marmalade.
2. Mix remaining ingredients. Place in a ziplock bag prepared french bread loaves. Refridgerate overnight to allow all that eggy goodness to soak in.
3. Carefully remove from bag, Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Serve warm.

Serve with:
Marmalade Syrup: warm up 1/2 c of marmalade and 1/2 c water.


I will also make a Yogurt Parfait: 1 layer of plain yogurt, 1 layer of sliced strawberries, another layer of plain yogurt and top with low fat granola. Mmmmm!!!

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Teriyaki Chicken

This the easiest recipe. I usually would do this very differently, but I had to come up with something simple for mu hubbie to make. I had him cut 2 breasts of chicken in half and grill them. Then, once cooked he chopped up and drenched in Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki Sauce. Super simple!!!

He served over brown rice and some steam fresh mixed veggies that he also lightly drenched in sauce.

Tex Mex Enchilada Bake

Although the recipe calls for everything to be put together in layers and baked...I hate when everything gets all mushy, so, my hubbie mixed everything together and I helped roll it up into individual enchiladas. Also, we used flour tortillas because I don't like corn.

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 each large red and green pepper, chopped
2 cups salsa
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen corn, thawed and drained
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen peas, thawed and drained
12 corn tortillas (6 inch)...I use flour
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups Mexican style shredded cheese

Heat oven to 400. I had hubbie cut breasts in half and grill. He also grilled the red and green peppers. Then, he chopped up. Once everything is chopped up, stir in salsa and corn.

Original recipe says: Arrange 6 tortillas on bottom of 13X9 inch baking dish, cover with layers of 1/2 each chicken mixture, sour cream. Repeat layers; cover with foil. Baker 40 minutes, then removing foil after 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes



My version: Filled each tortilla with chicken mix and some sour cream. Then place in a baking dish and  cover in foil. Bake for 10 minutes.

Meatloaf, Meatloaf, everywhere!!!

Who doesn't love a meatloaf every once in awhile..plus leftover meatloaf sammies are da bomb! My hubbie was raised on meatloaf with the cooked egg in the center, which I love, but he hates eggs. Meatloaf is not his favorite, but he will tolerate it ever so often. Plus, he HATES to touch/mix the meat. So, I had him dump everything in a big bowl and I mixed from the couch.

Here is how to throw it all together:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup ketchup
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef ( I use a mix of pork and beef)
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
Salt and black pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 cup finely crushed saltine cracker crumbs

Press the brown sugar in the bottom of the loaf pan and spread the ketchup over the sugar. In a big bowl, mix remaining ingredients and shape into a loaf. Place on top of the ketchup. Bake at 350 degrees for 1- 1.5 hour or until juices are clear. Flip over and serve.

Potato Soup and Reubens

Since I had leftover sauerkraut, I thought it would be a great idea to make Rubens.

I started hubbie off with the potato soup. Now, I know this was going to be a challenge for him, but I knew if I made the directions simply enough he would be fine...he was not so confident.

Here is how to make the Delicious Potato Soup:

Delicious Potato Soup


3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes ( I did this while on the couch)
1/4 cup diced celery (skipped)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion (skipped)
3/4 cup diced cooked ham ( we used leftover sliced ham)
3 1/4 cups water
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
5 tbsp butter (I used non-salted butter)
5 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups milk (I used 1c cream and 1c milk)

Boil the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a pot over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the bouillon cube, salt and pepper. in the micro melt butter and whisk in flour with a fork. Put bak in micro for 30 sec, stir and repeat for 30 more seconds. Slowly whisk in milk so there are no clumps. Micro for 1 more minute the add to pot. Cook soup until heated through.


Rubens
1/3lb Corned Beef
1/4lb Swiss
Sauerkraut
Thousand Island dressing
Rye or your choice of bread

Spread Thousand island dressing on both halves of bread...spread generously. Then, add meat and swiss. Top with sauerkraut and bake at 350 degrees until cheese melts (about 3 minutes) or if you are my hubbie stick in the toasted oven!

Pork and Sauerkraut Bake

For this recipe you can use almost any type of pork. I bought pork ribs on sale, so, that is what we are having for dinner. I had my hubbie brown them in the pot. This was funny because he kept bringing the pot over to the couch to show me...is this right? Are they done yet?

Anywho...the next part can be done in the slow cooker if you want to have for dinner and are not going to be home all day. This is how we did it because otherwise we would have eaten dinner at 9pm. Usually, I would mix everything and place in a Pyrex dish, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 2-3 hours or until meat is soft.

So, here is how you put it together...

Drain the sauerkraut, but do not rinse! Put 1/2 bag of sauerkraut in the bottom of the slow cooker. Then, place the browned pork on top. Put the remaining kraut on top. Then, season generously with salt, pepper and paprika. Fill the dish with water, pan should be about half full with water. Turn on high and cook for 3 hours. Voila dinner is served!

Pork Roast Dinner

Cooking a pork roast might be one of the easiest things my hubbie had to cook and I might say he was pretty proud of himself! I had him buy the type of pork roast that is tied together. These tend to be the most tender.

I had him cover the roast with salt and pepper. Then, place in a covered roasting pan (or any pan and cover with aluminum foil)and bake at 350 degrees for about 3 hours. Meat should easily pull away from the roast.

The leftover meat was placed back in the roasting pan with about 1/2 cup of water. He placed back in the oven for 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. Once hot, he chopped it up and tossed in some leftover homemade BBQ sauce. Served on toasted buns with some store bought coleslaw.

Here is my homemade BBQ sauce recipe:

2 c Ketchup

4 tbsp. Brown sugar
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. Soy sauce
1 tbsp. Apple cider Vinegar
1 tbsp. Honey or Agave Nectar
1 tsp. Garlic powder
1 tsp. Yellow Mustard
1 tsp. Smoked paprika
1/2 Onion

I put everything in a pan and simmered for about 10 minutes until the onions are soft. Then, remove the onion and allow to cool.

Grilled Pizza

I LOVE grilled pizza! It is super simple (plus my hubbie can make them on his own). They cook so quickly and always have a crispy crust. Plus, there are so many variations.

My hubbie will made 3 pizzas (one for each of us). Our 2 yo sone, who also LOVES pizza, had a small cheese pizza. My hubbie had a pizza with fresh mozzarella, pimentos and sliced ham. I had a pesto and grilled zucchini and squash pizza with fresh mozzarella.

We used store bought pizza dough, but you can make your own if you like. The key to grilling pizza is to keep the flame low and check it often so it doesn't burn. Should take about 3-4 mins per pizza.

Here is my dough recipe if you want to make it from scratch:
3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 package Rapid Rise Yeast
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup very warm water (not hot)
2 Tbsp oil
Cornmeal

In large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, undissolved yeast, and salt. Stir in the very warm water and oil. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make soft dough not too sticky. Knead on lightly floured surface (or throw into the stand up mixer) until smooth and elastic, about 4 to 6 minutes. Cover; let rest on floured surface 10 minutes. Roll out to the desired size.

Cooking from the Couch

Since I have been on bed rest for the last week in a half, I had had to come up with meal ideas that will be suitable to my husbands cooking expertise. (Which I might add is very limited). So, I figured I would start this series of meal ideas called "Cooking from the Couch: Meal Ideas for a Non-Cook". The concept is simple...

So, here is what I have come up with thus far:

Sunday: Non- Creole Jambalya with salad
Monday: Left overs
Tuesday: Grilled Pork chops with baked beans and pickles
Wednesday: Grilled pizza (cheese, ham/cheese, grilled veggie)
Thursday: Pork Roast with green beans and a salad
Friday: Left over Pork- BBQ Pork Sammies with coleslaw
Saturday: Take out
Sunday: Pork and Sauerkraut Bake with Salad
Monday: Potato Soup with Rubens
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Meatloaf with baby carrots and village salad
Thursday: Leftovers with premade mashed potatoes
Friday: Tex- Mex Enchilada Bake
Saturday: Leftovers
Sunday: Teriyaki Chicken over brown rice with frozen veggie mix

I am pretty confident that my hubbie can do these meals. Some of the recipes have been changed a bit to accommodate his cooking style. For example, the chicken and sausage for the Jambalaya was grilled instead on sauted or boiled.