Menu Plan Monday

Every Monday Laura at I'm An Organizing Junkie hosts Meal Plan Monday. Lots of wonderful ideas are there for recipes for the week. I gotta say when I first thought of doing this I sorta scoffed at the idea. Sorry Laura. I'm such a fly by the seat of my pants cook. Love to cook but never thought planning a week of it at a time would help anything. But I gotta say, Laura you are so right. My week last week was that much less stressful because I didn't have to come up with something at the last second to cook for supper. I would take out of the freezer the meat I needed the night before so it was ready to go in the fridge. And the meal plan is flexible enough that things can be bounced around it I want or need to. So Laura, I'm joining in again. It is grocery shopping week, so we're getting down to not many choices in the freezer but here goes.

Monday: Sweet & Sour Pork chunks with Rice, Cucumbers in vinegarette.

Tuesday: Sloppy Joes in Hot Dog Buns, Green Salad

Wednesday: Italian Shake & Bake Chicken Drums with sidekick side and mixed veggies

Thursday: Crockpot Beef Cubes in gravy, mashed potatoes, cooked carrots

Friday: Hamburger Soup, Cheese toast

Saturday: Scrounge Day (whatever can be scrounged from the leftovers in the fridge)

Sunday: the usual We'll See Day

Hamburger Soup

1 1/2 lbs. hamburger

3 cups water

3 carrots, chopped

2 stalks, celery, sliced

1 large potatoe, cut in bite sized peices

2 medium onions chopped

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. brown bouquet sauce or 2 packets beef oxo

pepper to taste

1 bay leaf

1/8 tsp. dried basil

1 28 oz. can tomatoes

Cook hamburger in Dutch oven; drain off fat. Add remaining ingrediants. If tomatoes are whole tomatoes, break up with fork. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat, cover and simmer until veggies are tender, about 15 - 20 minutes.

I always double this recipe and freeze half or leave half for Scrounge Saturday.

Sweet & Sour Pork

2 lbs. cheapest pork chops type meat cut into bite size chunks

1 Tbsp. oil

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup vinegar

1/4 small onion, very finely chopped

1/2 bay leaf

1 small green pepper

Brown the pork slowly in heated oil. Drain fat and add all ingrediants except the green pepper. Cover and cook slowly for 1 1/2 - 2 hours until tender. Cut green pepper in thin strips. Throw away core and seeds. Add to meat and cook for 15 more minutes. Serve over rice.

Can be made in crockpot too. After browning meat add all ingrediants into crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours.

For more recipes and weekly menu plan ideas or if you'd like to post yours and link, go to I'm An Oraninzing Junkie: Meal Plan Monday