This weeks healthy menu

So, this is week 4 and still no repeats. Next week, there will probably be some repeats though. This menu has been amazing for me. It keeps me on track and cooking daily. It also helps me stick to my budget since I have a list and a plan. I spend about $50 a week to make these meals. I also spend about $100 once a month on stocking the pantry and the freezer. But, I just want you to know that if you shop you store sales and plan ahead, it can be done.

Monday: Spaghetti. The turkey sausages are on sale this week, so the meat in my sauce will be sweet Italian turkey sausage, but use whatever you can get on sale. I make a very simple homemade sauce. I mix a can of Italian stewed tomatoes, a small can of tomato sauce, and a little tomato paste in the food processor until smooth. In a sauce pan, saute some diced onion and minced garlic in a little olive oil. Once soft, add the tomato mixture. Season with basil, oregano, salt and pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes for a kick. Let simmer while you finish the rest of the meal. For the meat, cut the casings on the sausages and brown up the meat in a skillet. Once browned, add the sauce to the meat but make sure to save a little of the sauce for later in the week. Serve over Tinkyadda brown rice spaghetti or your favorite noodle. Serve with a nice green salad with a little homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

Tuesday: Roast Chicken. Whole cut up chicken is on sale this week too. I prefer using that because the dirty work is already done, but you could certainly roast a whole chicken if you like. I will be roasting 2 chickens, some to use later in the week and some to freeze for Cooper as it is his main protein. In a roasting pan, place chicken pieces, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, and celery. Season with a little salt and pepper and poultry seasoning. Pour some water over the chicken and veggies then cover with foil. Roast on 325* for about an hour until cooked through. Save the yummy broth it made. Will probably have it with some steamed broccoli or asparagus.

Wednesday: Pizza. Create your own pizza. I love to do this. Pick all your favorite toppings, we will have some leftover chicken, peppers, onions, mushrooms, olives and what ever else we have around. I'll use kinnikinnick pizza crust. Put a little of your leftover sauce from Monday and top with your favorite topping and cheese if you can have it. Bake until warm and crispy.

Thursday: Meatloaf. I love meatloaf, as a child it was one of my favorite foods. If I can find ground beef on sale, I will use that, other wise, I'll use ground turkey because it is much less expensive at my store. First in the bottom of a bowl mix a little catchup, brown mustard, Worcestershire sauce, a little brown sugar, salt and pepper to make sort of a BBQ sauce. Then add in an egg, shredded carots, diced onion, a little oats to help bind (make sure to use certified gluten free if you are sensitive, Bob's Red Mill sales them, they also have the regular oats too, make sure they say "gluten free"), and your ground meat. Mix all together and put in a loaf pan, or for quicker cooking into muffin tins. Bake on 325* until cooked all the way through. About 10 mins before it is done, pull it out and put some BBQ sauce on the top to get all bubble and yummy. Serve with peas and mashed potatoes.

Friday: Green Chili Chicken Chili. So, this is a new recipe, so if it isn't great, I apologize in advance, but I think it should be pretty tasty. Shred up some of the leftover roast chicken from earlier in the week. In a large pot, saute some onions and garlic in a little olive oil. Add a box of GF chicken stock (or the leftover stock from earlier in the week), a can of diced green chilies drained, a can of great northern white beans drained, a can of corn drained, and the chicken. Season with salt and pepper, cumin, and what ever else sounds good when I'm making it. Let simmer for an hour or so. Serve with gluten free corn bread. I hope it's good!

Satuday: Date night at home. Fillet mignon is on sale this week, so I thought it would be a great time to have a date at home. I will probably cook the steaks on the indoor grill, unless I can convince hubby to cook outside. We will have baked potatoes, and a nice green salad, maybe some sauted mushrooms. I'm also going to make a pear apple crisp and serve it with some ice cream (maybe soy dream for me). And we will also have mint iced tea.
To make the crisp you need:
3-4 pear apples (this is an actual fruit, it is delicious, but if you can't find it, you could just use 2 pears and 2 apples) thinly sliced
1/4 cup of 100% juice (apple juice blend is my fav)
A little honey
cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice to taste
Mix all of this together
For the topping:
2/3 c gf flour blend (I'll use a rice, tapioca, sorghum blend)
2/3 c rolled oats (again make sure gf if necessary)
2/3 c brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
4 tbs of butter or spectrum organic shortening (for dairy and soy free)
Mix all together with a fork until crumbles from
In a greased baking dish pat a small about of the crumb mixture to cover the bottom of the dish. Pour in the pear apples and all the liquid. Then top with the rest of the crumbs. Bake on 350* for about 30-40 min until fruit is tender and and bubbly and the crisp is golden brown.
For the mint tea:
Steep 4 tea bags in 3 cups of water with several sprigs of mint, Add about a 1/2 to a cup of sugar depending on how sweet you like it. Then add a cup of orange juice and 3 cups of cold water and some lemon juice to taste. Serve over ice with a little mint for garnish!

Sunday: Leftovers. I splurged on the date meal, so we will have leftovers on Sunday, there will be plenty of meatloaf and chili, so we won't go hungry.