Weekly Menu #6

Monday
Pesto Chicken and Pasta
Side Salad

Tuesday
Tequila Lime Shrimp with Cumin Rice
Grilled Veggies

Wednesday
French Onion Salisbury Steak
Buttered Corn on the Cob

Thursday
BBQ Chicken Potato Skins
Sweet Potato Fries

Friday
Pocket Burgers with Crispy Onion Straws
Grilled Veggies

And as always, check out these snacks and desserts to bring an extra big smile to your kiddos face!

Be sure to check out our other weekly menus here.


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Crispy Ranch Chicken

The kiddos may have finished school ten days ago, but I myself just finished yesterday. I am officially back! Those classes kicked my butt!   I know that I have slacked a little for the last few months, hopefully I can make up for it!  I have still been crafting, cooking, and creating I just haven't had time to blog about it all.  Life. Is. Crazy.  I am ready for summer vacation and FUN FUN FUN!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt 
• 1/8 teaspoon Pepper
• 2/3 Cup Panko Crumbs
• 1 Tablespoon Parmesan Cheese
• 1/2 Cup Ranch Salad Dressing
• 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• About 3 Chicken Breasts

Serves 4-5

First I pounded the chicken breasts to about a half inch thick and then I cut them into thirds.  My chicken breasts were pretty big, so you may only be able to cut them in half.  Next, combine all of the dry ingredients on a large plate and place the ranch dressing in a shallow bowl. 

One piece at a time, dip the chicken into the ranch dressing and flip to cover then dip to coat each side with the panko mixture.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.  

Cook chicken for about 8 minutes per side or until chicken is cooked through and golden brown.  Remove chicken from skillet and place on paper towel for about a minute and then serve.  

I served with Spicy Potato Wedges and Steamed Asparagus.

Cajun Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo

Creamy pasta dishes are one of my favorite comfort foods.  Something about the slightly spicy Cajun flavor mixed with the cheeses puts this recipe at the top of my list.

Ingredients:

• 3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (about a pound)
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Cajun Seasoning
• 2 Tablespoons of Butter
• About a Tablespoon of Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon of Minced Garlic (I used the kind from the jar)
• 1/2 pint of Grape Tomatoes (quartered)
• 1/4 Cup Dry White Wine
• 1 Cup Heavy Cream
• 1 Cup of Shredded Asiago
• 1 Cup of Shredded Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon of Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of Pepper
• A couple dashes of Nutmeg
• 16 oz of Fettuccini (cooked)

Serves 5-6

Pound chicken breasts with rolling pin or meat mallet until it is about 1/2 inch thick.  I place the chicken between two pieces of wax paper or plastic wrap to keep the mess to a minimum.  Next generously sprinkle both sides of chicken breasts with Cajun seasoning.  

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter with about a table spoon of olive oil.  When the butter is melted and oil is hot, add the chicken breasts.  Sear the chicken breasts on both sides about 3 minutes on each side.  Remove the chicken from the skillet and place in baking dish.  Next put the chicken in the oven for about 10 minutes to finish cooking it.  When the chicken is cooked throughout, cut it into strips to add to the pasta sauce.

The sauce will be made in the same skillet as the chicken was cooked.  Start by pouring in the white wine to deglaze the pan.  Using a whisk get all of the brown bits to mix in.  Heat for about a minute.  Then add the tomatoes and garlic cook for additional 2 minutes to soften them.  Lower the heat to med-low and stir in heavy cream and additional tablespoon of butter.  Stir constantly as you add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Continue stirring as the sauce begins to thicken. This will take about 5 minutes. At this point the sauce will not be real thick.  It thickens more with the cheese.   Add the grated cheese and stir as it melts.  When sauce is smooth add in pasta  and chicken and toss.  The Cajun seasoning from the chicken will mix in with the sauce to give it a little snap!

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Weekly Menu #5

Now that we've had a few nice days, I'm really itching to cook on the grill. Just the other night we threw some hot dogs on the grill because it was a last minute decision and we didn't have anything else to grill, and then sat around by a fire once the sun went down and it was awesome! So we'll start incorporating a few more grill ideas as we move forward. Hopefully it will get so nice outside that we can do an entire week full of grilled dinners!

Monday
Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
Flattened Redskin Potatoes

Tuesday
Cha Cha Chicken Tacos with mango Tango Salsa

Wednesday
Spicy Italian Beef Sandwiches
Cucumber Salad

Thursday
Grilled Bourbon Pork Medallions
Grilled Rosemary Chive Potatoes
Waldorf Salad

Friday
Lazy Lasagna
Caesar Salad

Here are some suggested snacks and desserts to go along with your menu this week.

Be sure to check out our other weekly menus for ideas and inspiration for your family's meal planning.

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Weekly Menu #4

I'm not sure about you, but I am ready for winter to end!  It has been so snowy and cold here and I just can't wait for a little sunshine... and grilling! I did put a grill recipe in this week, but I am just going to make on my grill pan indoors. The key lime flavor will transport me to a tropical location in all this cold. I also threw in a few of my favorite slow cooker recipes, since we aren't anywhere tropical and nothing says "burr" better than a warm meal in the slow cooker.

Weekly Menu #3

For this week's menu, we are going back to some of our original recipe posts! Boy you can tell we've come a long way in our picture presentation, lol! Even though the pictures aren't a scrumptious looking, we promise the recipes are. The Creamy Garlic Ranch Pork Chops are one of our most viewed recipes ever. And of course we only included 5 because we know you're going to have pizza and PB&J's for dinner sometime this week, right? Isn't that what all busy families do??

Weekly Menu #2

Here is our round up of our 2nd Weekly Menu plan. All of these dinners are sure to please! We can say this with confidence because these our our recipes and our pictures, not just ones we have taken off the internet and use stock photos. Our pictures may not be magazine worthy, but this is what you can expect your food to really look like (heck, sometimes we even post half eaten pictures because we could not hold our husbands off long enough to take a good pic:).

And we're adding a couple dessert/snack recipes now to go along with our menu plans. Just check out the suggested recipes below the daily menu plan.

As always, change the recipes up to fit your weekly schedule. We only post 5 because we assume you'll have leftovers and probably eat out or on the run sometime this week.

Monday
Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Bowls

Tuesday
Sausage 3-Cheese Stuffed Shells
Simple Italian Side Salad

Wednesday
Sweet Garlic Chicken Legs
Hassleback Potatoes

Thursday
Hearty Beef Stew

Friday
Honey I ate the Pork
Better Than Rice-a-Roni Rice Pilaf
Steamed Veggies

Here are some great dessert recipes to go along with your weekly dinners:

Enjoy!!

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Mojo Chicken with Creamy Garlic Bowties

My whole family agreed that the new recipe that I created tonight is a keeper.  It wasn't exactly what I started out to make, but I think it turned out even better.  I am so glad that I actually kept track of what I put in it, because I often just throw stuff together when trying new things.  Mark this as a success!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Mojo Marinade (This is made by Wegmans, but Lawry's also sells a similar one called Mesquite with touch of lime)
• olive oil
• 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 3 Strips of Bacon Cooked and Crumbled
• 3/4 Cup Heavy Cream
• 3 cloves Minced Garlic
• A Couple Dashes of White Wine
• 1/2 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese 
• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
• 1-16 oz Box of Farfalle Pasta

Pour marinade over chicken and let sit in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.  In a medium size skillet drizzle a little olive oil.  Pour chicken marinade and all into skillet.  Cook chicken thoroughly.  Remove chicken, slice, cover, and set aside.  Bring pasta water to a boil.  Add a splash of white wine to deglaze the chicken skillet.  Add garlic and pepper and simmer for a minute.  Add in cream and whisk together for about two minutes.  Add in Parmesan cheese while continuing to whisk.  Sauce will thicken as it stands.  If it gets to thick add a splash of wine to thin it out.  Pour sauce over pasta.  Plate the pasta with a few slices of chicken and sprinkle a little more Parmesan on top. 

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Greek Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:

• Lemon
• 8 Chicken Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
• 1 oz Container of Plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 teaspoon Oregano
• 2 teaspoons Minced Garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley

Combine yogurt, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper, parsley, juice of 1/2 lemon, and zest from 1/2 lemon in a bowl.  Mix well.  Pour over chicken and marinate for about 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375. Place chicken in baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes.  

I served with brown rice, and Zucchini Fritters.

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Sweet Garlic Chicken Legs

Sometimes when I don't know what to make for dinner I look into my freezer and pick something out at random.  I knew I had to figure out something to do with the chicken legs that took out to thaw and I knew it had to go with the green beans that I had put in the slow cooker.  At about 4:30, I decided on this.  The sauce was great and the chicken was super moist.  This recipe is made with very basic ingredients that can be found in almost anyone's pantry.  I had chicken legs on hand, but feel free to use thighs or whatever you have!    

Ingredients:

• 6 Chicken Legs
• 1/3 Cup of Honey
• 1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Ketchup
• Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Minced Garlic

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a glass baking dish with foil (for easy clean up).  Place chicken legs in dish and sprinkle with pepper.  In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients and whisk them together.  Pour mixture over chicken and bake for about 35 minutes.

 Remove chicken from oven and flip it over (so the other side can get a chance in the yummy sauce).  Raise the oven temp to 425 and bake for additional 10-15 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and begins to caramelize.

I served with Fried Noodles and Fresh Green Beans I made in the slow cooker.  

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Pesto and Cheese Stuffed Chicken

My family loves anything with pesto and this cheesy stuffed chicken is at the top of their list!

Ingredients:

• 2 Large Boneless Chicken Breasts
• 2 Tablespoons Sour Cream
• 3 Tablespoons Shredded Mozzarella
• 2+ 1 Tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
• 2 Tablespoons Seasoned Bread Crumbs
• 2 Tablespoons Pesto
• 1 Egg

Serves 2 to 4- Since I use large chicken breasts, we often cut them in half after we have cooked them and it is plenty for all of us.   

Preheat oven to 375.  Place chicken breasts one at a time in a ziploc bag.  Use a rolling pin or meat mallet, flatten the chicken breasts to about 1/4 inch thick.  

In a small bowl combine sour cream, pesto, shredded mozzarella, and 1 tablespoon of finely grated Parmesan.  

Spread a layer of the pesto mixture onto each piece of chicken.  Don't go all the way to the edge or the yummy goodness might ooze out while baking.  Trust me, you want to be able to eat as much of this as possible!  It is SO good!

Roll the chicken breasts up.  You can secure them with toothpicks if you would like, but I just lay it seem side down in the baking dish and it stays in place.

Next, in a small bowl lightly beat one egg.  In another small bowl place remaining Parmesan and seasoned bread crumbs.  

Using a pastry brush, brush egg onto chicken roll ups and generously sprinkle with Parmesan Bread Crumb mixture.  

Place Chicken Roll Ups in baking dish. Bake at 375 for about 30 mins. 

 I served with pasta tossed with a little pesto and garlic.  YUM YUM YUM!

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Key West Grilled Chicken

My in-laws recently returned from a trip to Key West.  My husband and I love Key West so this marinade is inspired by their vacation there.  The chicken was delicious, but the whole time I was eating it I was thinking "I want to use this marinade to make chicken fajitas!" So needless to say I will be making this marinade again!  

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Key Lime Juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon Rosemary
• 3 Tablespoons Honey
• 1/4 Cup Canola Oil
• 1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Minced Garlic
• 4-5 Chicken Breasts

Serves 4-6

Combine all ingredients except chicken in a small bowl.  Whisk them together until smooth.  The honey will disolve pretty quickly.  Place chicken in ziploc bag or glass bowl and cover with marinade.  Refrigerate for about 30-60 mins.  Grill until cooked throughout.

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Chicken Saltimboca

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A few weeks ago I was watching The Chew and they were having a cook off between 3 audience members and one of them made this dish (or very similar).  When it was on I wrote it down but do you think I saved it HA! Nope!  I remember saying to myself "that is so easy, I can just remember that."  So I created this from memory and even if it wasn't the exact same, it was still delicious.  

Ingredients:

• 4 Small Boneless Chicken Breasts
• Black Pepper
• 4 Thin Slices of Provolone
• 4 Slices of Prosciutto
• 4 Sage Leaves
• 3/4 Cup of White Wine
• 1 1/2 Cups Chicken Broth

Serves 4

Preheat oven to 375.  Place piece of provolone on each piece of chicken.  Top cheese with 1 sage leaf and then tightly wrap the whole piece of chicken with a slice of prosciutto and place it in a glass baking dish.

 Next pour the white wine and chicken broth in the bottom of the dish.  Sprinkle with pepper.  Bake for 25 minutes or until prosciutto gets crispy.

I served this Mushroom Risotto and Oven Roasted Asparagus

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Kickin' Baked Chicken

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I feel like I could name almost every dish that I make "Sweet and Spicy" something or other so I had a tough time coming up with a name for this.  I thought I would wait until after dinner to decide and as I was eating the chicken it was clear that it was different from sweet and spicy... it was KICKIN'!  I served it with Super Shells and Cheese and Zucchini Fritters.

Ingredients:

• 4 Chicken Breasts
• 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
• 3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Dried Oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Cumin

In a bowl, combine all ingredients except chicken and mix well.  Pound chicken breasts to flatten them a little bit.  Dip each piece of chicken in the spice mixture until coated.  Place in baking dish.  

I usually do this about 30 minutes before I want to cook and place them in the fridge to let the flavors soak in a bit.  Then I preheat oven to 425 degrees and bake the chicken for about 20-25 minutes

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30 Minute Chicken- Magical Mom Style

So last week both Tracy and I had Pampered Chef parties. One of the items we both got with our free product was the Deep Covered Baker. We quickly found out this baker has a multitude of uses, one of them being you can cook a whole chicken in the microwave in 30 minutes!! Pampered Chef does have a recipe on their website for a chicken, but you know I can't just copy a recipe, I have to make it my own!

Anyway, I used our old standby recipe for herb butter and smoothed it all underneath the skin of the chicken. Yes, underneath. The skin is water tight, so if you put the butter on the outside it doesn't really soak into the meat. Trust me, under the skin is the way to go.

Don't worry, if you don't have the baker, you can cook this in a large corningware, or just cook in your oven or crockpot (but it will take a heck of a lot longer). It will still taste delicious!

Herb butter:

• 1/2 stick real butter
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary and thyme
• 1/2 tsp. lemon zest

Bring butter to room temp and mix in the herbs.

Chicken spices:

• 1 Tbsp. paprika
• Dashes garlic powder, thyme, black pepper and salt

Make sure to clean out the chicken's insides. cut any extra fat and rinse the chicken. As I mentioned above, rub the herb butter under the chicken skin. Sprinkle the spices on top. Mist the baker with olive oil and place chicken inside. Cook in microwave for 30 minutes or until chicken reaches 165 degrees. Remove from microwave, cover and let rest 10 minutes.

Yummy!!

Takeout Style Chicken Saag

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1 diced onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp. cumin
• 1 Tbsp. coriander
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. salt (or more to desired taste)
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 16 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• Bag baby spinach
• 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• Can coconut milk
• Cooked basmati rice

In pan, sauté onions and garlic in oil. Add spices and lemon. Add tomatoes and spinach and cook just until wilted. Place this mixture in food processor and purée.

Chop up your chicken and place in slow cooker. Add spinach mixture and coconut milk. Cook on low for 5 hours.

Serve with basmati rice (cook according to package directions).

Slow Cooker Ranch Pesto Chicken and Pasta

Since it is July and SUPER hot here, I am trying to avoid turning on the oven.  Gosh that sounded like something my grandmother would say:)  I would prefer to grill every night, but that just isn't realistic either.  This week my oldest son started summer sandlot baseball so I am in need of some quick and easy meals for the family.  This slow cooker recipe is perfect.  I can throw it in the crock pot and head to the pool for the afternoon.  All I have to do is boil some pasta and throw it all together.  SUPER EASY!

Ingredients:

• 4 Boneless Chicken Breasts
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Packet
• 1/2 teaspoon Minced Garlic
• 1/3 Cup Chicken Broth
• 3 oz of Pesto
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1/4 Cup (plus more for garnish) Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 pound box of Tri-color Rotini Pasta
• 8- Diced Cherry Tomatoes

Serves 4

In a small bowl (I use a pyrex measuring cup) combine pesto, minced garlic, Hidden Valley Ranch Mix, and chicken broth- mix well.  Place chicken in slow cooker and pour mixture over top.  Set slow cooker to low and cook for about 4 hours.

Boil water and cook pasta according to box.  Drain pasta and toss with olive oil.  Pour pasta into slow cooker and mix with chicken and sauce.  Add Parmesan cheese and toss.  Serve pasta and chicken with a little more Parmesan and diced tomatoes.  Enjoy!

I often make my own pesto here is the recipe and another one of my favorite dishes- Pesto Chicken



This recipe was featured on the Magical Moms' July Menu.  Be sure to check out all of our monthly menus



Lots of AMAZING recipes on the Magical Moms' June Menu, Marvelous May Menu, Appetizing April Menu, and March Madness Menu.