Guest Menu Plan by Kimberly
I have a really hard time passing up a really good grocery deal, even if I don’t need it or we already have five boxes in the cupboards. There is something about buying cereal for 5¢/ounce or yogurt for 12¢/carton that really makes my day. Consequently, my pantry and cupboards are starting to overflow!
So over the past weeks, I have been making more of a conscious effort to use some of my surplus. This week that involved getting a spiral sliced ham I bought on sale at Christmas out of the freezer. Then I had fun coming up with creative and diverse meals using ham. I tried some new recipes, used items from the pantry, and took advantage of seasonal vegetables. All six of my boys declared the week a success!
Here’s what’s for dinner at my house this week:
Monday — Spiral Slice Ham (used oven bag in oven), Creamy Scalloped Potatoes, green salad, store bought rolls
Tuesday — Big Salad, Oatmeal Bread For Big Salad: I put a huge bowl of mixed lettuce, a platter of chopped veggies, and several proteins (chopped ham, sliced hard boiled eggs, cottage cheese, and cubed cheese) on the table and everyone builds their own salad. Yummy!
Wednesday — Ham Stroganoff with egg noodles (added extra veggies), salad and leftover bread
Thursday — Homemade Pizza (I divided my dough into 4 sections to make ham and pineapple for boys; meat lovers for daddy (precooked bacon and sausage from the freezer, ham, and pepperoni); veggie and basil for mommy; S’mores Pizza for everyone!)
Friday — Omelette enchiladas (my own creation), banana muffins, fruit salad
For Omelette Enchiladas: Chop and saute favorite veggies and ham. Use electric griddle to make single egg ‘pancakes.’ Spooned veggie mixture down center of omelette, sprinkled with cheese, rolled up and placed in greased pan. Prepare Cheese Sauce and pour over omelettes. Bake at 375-degrees for about 20 minutes.
Saturday — Split pea soup with ham bone (added cauliflower), green salad, Cornbread
Sunday — Chopped!
This month on Sunday evenings we play a version of this TV show. We have two teams of two that are given four identical ingredients and challenged to make a complete meal in 30 minutes. They are allowed to use other items in the kitchen and pantry. The other four people are the judges (and pick the ingredients). It has been a lot of fun and a good way to get the boys excited about cooking and creating a meal. They are learning a lot about cooking, and working as a team! This week they received a pack of raman noodles, an egg, canned shrimp, and a pear (all items I had on hand). Go!
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