Menu Plan Monday

Monday-Homemade macaroni and cheese with turkey blend smoked sausage and salad

Tuesday-Pork chops, baked potato, salad, corn

Wednesday-Chicken Enchiladas from WW cookbook (thanks Mary!)

Thursday-Swiss steak, mashed potatoes, green beans

Friday-Pancakes, bacon, and fresh fruit

Saturday-Leftovers...since I need to make a dish for our potluck at church.

Check out OrgJunkie for other menu ideas! I have to get my list ready for run to the grocery store(s) and I also need to try and complete OrgJunkie 28-day Organization Challenge. Let's just say I am trying. I am not a magician and my husband is partly to blame...so can I just throw his stuff in a box??? : )

Seven Layer Bars

from Allrecipes

I need to make these bars for a fundraiser tomorrow. The reason why I need to make them is because they are tasty and I'm short on ingredients for other recipes that I linked up below. Specifically chocolate chips. I am running real low and this recipe is very forgiving-anything goes. You may end up with four layer bars or 10 whatever you come up with they will be a hit! More recipe located at the Recipe Swap.

Seven Layer Bars

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1-1/2 cups graham cracker or Oreo crumbs

1 cup each chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, peanut butter or vanilla chips, chopped walnuts, flaked coconut, and anything else that floats your boat.

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put butter in a 9x13 pan and melt in the oven. This won't take long so stay close. Swirl around pan to evenly coat bottom and around the sides. Sprinkle crumbs in an even layer and press into butter. Then layer chips, nuts, and coconut ending with sweetened condensed milk over the top. Bake until turns golden brown about 20 to 30 minutes depending on oven. I tend to cook mine too long so watch closely after 20 minutes. Enjoy!

More bar recipes worth trying!

Eclair Dessert

Chocolate Marshmallow Bars

Special K Bars

Save the Ham!

I go grocery shopping about every two weeks and more times then not I pick up a pound of sliced ham from the deli. I am not one to let expiration dates dictate whether food is still edible but deli meat is an exception. With any other food I would throw it in the freezer but for some reason I don't and won't do that with the ham. Not sure why and I think I'm sounding crazy. But for that reason I have two wonderful recipes to use up that short-lived deli ham or regular ham for that matter.


Ham and Cheese Frittata

Oil, enough for a thin coat in pan
3 cups shredded or southern hashbrowns, frozen
Ham, chopped
6-10 eggs, beaten (I use one carton of egg substitute)
Swiss, sharp cheddar, gouda, fontina or your favorite cheese about 1-1/2 cups shredded

In an oven-proof skillet heat oil and add hashbrowns. Make an even layer across the pan flipping after about 6-8 minutes. Spread out to form a crust and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Lay ham over potatoes and then pour eggs over that and season as desired. Cook over medium heat on the stove. With a spatula run it around the outside of the eggs after they have set to allow unset egg to flow to the outside (kind of what you would do with an omlet). After the outside is pretty well set, stick skillet into a 375 degree oven to allow the center to set. This will depend on the how far the frittata was cooked on the stove so just watch and give the skillet a jiggle. If the center does not jiggle pull out your skillet and top the frittata with cheese. Put back in the oven to melt the cheese which will not take long. Cut into wedges and enjoy. Tastes great the next day too!


Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

Ham slices
Potatoes, sliced
2-3 Tbs butter
2 Tbs flour
onion powder, ground mustard (optional)
2-1/2 cups milk
2 cups shredded Colby, Sharp cheddar, or Gouda (these work really well)
additional milk and cheese

Depending on the amount of potatoes you use this will all vary slightly. Usually I make either a 9x13 pyrex dish or regular dutch oven size amount. Layer potatoes on the bottom and top with the ham in the middle. Then make a roux. Take a medium saucepan and melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted sprinkle the flour and seasonings into the butter. Using a whisk mix together and allow to cook for a few minutes. Mixture will bubble and stir around occasionally. Turn heat up to medium high and pour in milk. Stir constantly until thickens. Reduce heat and continue stirring constantly until desired thickeness is reached. Added shredded cheese. This is really good with tortilla chips in case you get the munchies not that I would know what that is like. Pour cheese sauce over potatoes and ham. It may look like its not saucy enough so I add milk around the edges just so the bottom of the dish is covered. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1-1/2 hours or until potatoes are tender. Additional cheese can be put on top at the end of baked until melted. More great leftovers. This is one of my top five favorite meals.


Check out WFMW for more great tips!

Update on the Challenge

Oh my the challenge...My time is almost up. I can say I have made some progress but there is a lot more to do. My husband has a pile he of papers, publications, etc which he is in charge of organizing. I have been piling it on his desk chair. The funny part. If he needs to sit at the computer with me, he will sit on his pile. He told our herd vet about this and got a laugh out of him. With only five days left in the challenge I hope to buckle down and finish this with a completed room. I may have to gather Kurts stuff up and put it in a garbage bag. Is that cheating? Does anyone else have husbands like this? He threatens me if I throw something of his away he will throw something of mine away. I make sure I get rid of items he will never know are gone. Shhhh!!

Menu Plan Monday

Monday-Turkey burgers with cheese and maybe lean bacon, oven fries, green beans.

Tuesday-Hot beef and mashed potatoes, corn

Wednesday-Cheesy Tuna Noodle Casserole

Thursday-Crispy Ranch Chicken, potatoes, green beans

Friday-Tacos

Saturday-Something simple : )

My blood pressure and cholesterol are high. Which means it time to change what we are eating and start trying to live a healthier life. Easier said than done but I am trying and I have lost five pounds. I am hoping to lose a total of 13 so eight more pounds by my daughter's birthday which is March 28. Exercise, exercise, exercise. Milking the cows three times a day only provides a low impact workout and I am not constantly moving if I am milking with someone else but by myself gets the heart pumping.

Menu Plan Monday/Lasagna Recipe

Photo from Doctoroz.com

Monday-Whatever...we had a very late lunch



Tuesday-Hearty Meatball Lasagna (recipe below), garlic bread and salad



Wednesday- Shake and bake chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, green beans

Thursday-Turkey chili or leftovers for the Pickies

Friday- Crunchy baked haddock, oven fries, rye bread, and salad

Saturday-Leftovers or out for supper

Courtesy of Doctor Oz
Hearty Meatball Lasagna


Ingredients
1 box whole wheat lasagna sheets, cooked
3/4 lb chopped portobello mushroom caps (about 5) or white button mushrooms
1 10 oz. bag baby Swiss chard or baby greens (can also use frozen chopped spinach as a substitute, thawed and well drained)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb part skim ricotta cheese
1 egg
Pinch grated nutmeg
1 lb part skim mozzarella, thinly sliced or grated
1/4 cup grated Italian cheese
8 meatballs
Your favorite high-quality jar tomato sauce (no meat in it)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375.
Toss mushrooms with 1.5 tbsp olive oil on a baking sheet. Roast mushrooms until tender and cooked through, about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer into a medium bowl and mash 8 meatballs into mixture. In a large saucepan, sauté chard in remaining olive oil and garlic over medium heat until wilted. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, cooked chard and egg. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.Add sauce to the bottom of an 11x14 pan, add a layer of cooked lasagna noodles over, then spoon the ricotta mixture over the top. Then add some meatball and mushroom mixture on top of that. Then place a few very small pieces of mozzarella (spread out) and more sauce to cover layer. Repeat 3 or 4 times. Top last sauce layer with remaining mozzarella (this should be most of it) and sprinkle with grated cheese and fresh cracked pepper. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes, remove foil and cook additional 15 minutes.




I am going to omit the Swiss chard and substitute fat-free cottage cheese for ricotta. I am also going to make this tomorrow during the day and not cook the noodles. I hope you enjoy because the picture is making me hungry!



Check out OrgJunkie for more menu plans.

Half-Baked Chicken Fried Chicken

Half-baked chicken fried chicken. Do I really need to say anything more? The chicken stays moist and is a really great treat if you like fried chicken. I love the crunchy coating and hopefully others checking out the Recipe Swap will too!




Let's get started! For this you will need a few items. There are very few measurements and it's more so keep each item on hand if you need to add more...you'll get the idea.



Boneless skinless chicken breasts
flour (1 cup)
beaten egg(s) (2)
saltine crackers, crushed (1 sleeve)
seasoning or chicken coating mix (opt)
olive or canola oil
butter

I usually use a 2.5 to 3 pound bag of breasts which is about 5-6 breasts. My ingredients amounts will be based off this. But it is easy to add more if you need more, just remember that so you don't start off with too much.

Assemble 3 bowls/containers large enough to lay a breast in for dipping. Put the flour, beaten egg, and cracker crumbs (with/without seasoning or coating mix) in their own separate bowls. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Preheat oven as well to 400 degrees. Have a baking dish ready to transfer chicken into. I use a 9x13.

Take a chicken breast and coat it with flour on both sides. Shaking off the excess and then dip into beaten egg, covering both sides. Remove from egg to the cracker crumb mixture. Make sure to coat entire surface of chicken. Carefully put into frying pan with butter and oil. Fry for about 3 minutes on each side. You want a golden color on each side.

I have to do atleast two batches. You don't want to overcrowd the frying pan. Three is the most I can fit in their. I also add more butter and oil if it needed which it will be needed. Transfer to a baking dish.

I bake mine at 400 degree until a meat thermometer reads 170 degrees. Probably about 30 minutes or so. I use my trusty thermometer. Let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting in. Enjoy your half-baked chicken fried chicken!