1 lb. boneless chicken breasts
¼ cup honey (liquid)
3 tbsp. Dijon mustard
½ cup olive oil
½ tsp. kosher salt
Heat oven broiler to high heat. Wash chicken in warm water and pat dry. Cut into similar- sized pieces, pounding gently with a meat mallet to get them the same thickness.
Whisk honey, Dijon, olive oil and salt in a medium glass bowl. Drop breasts into sauce, turning to coat. Let chicken marinade for at least one-half hour.
Spray broiler pan with olive oil spray, Place chicken on the pan and place the pan on the first or second shelf of the oven, whichever is about 2 inches from the heat source. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, making sure that the inside of the chicken is no longer pink.
Good sides or starters: Rice pilaf and sliced tomatoes served with fresh mozzarella, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
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One package frozen wheat or white bread dough, thawed in the fridge overnight
1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey
1 small onion, diced
Fresh ground pepper
½ tsp. garlic salt
2 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
½ cup ketchup
1 ½ cups shredded cheddar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. While it’s heating, cook the onion over medium heat until soft, add the ground meat and sauté until thoroughly cooked. If you used ground beef, drain the oil. Stir in ground pepper, garlic salt and 1 cup of the spaghetti sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, roll out the bread dough on a large, floured surface. Slice it into four equal ovals with a sharp, oiled knife. Work each portion into a thin, flat oval.
Scoop a mound of the meat mixture into the middle of each oval. Distribute the cheese evenly between the four calzones. Fold the oval in half and pinch the edges to seal the calzone. If you want them a golden brown, lightly brush egg yolk on the tops and edges then spray or brush with olive oil. Spread them out on a cookie sheet greased with olive oil.
Bake for 25 minutes or until the calzone is golden brown. Ten minutes into the baking, poke a hole in the top of each with the tines of a fork.
Warm the other half of the sauce and garnish the calzone with sauce.
Good sides or starters: Mixed greens tossed with Italian dressing.
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3 cans of Fire Roasted Tomatoes (make sure they don’t have chilis in them)
1 tsp. Thyme
1 tsp. salt
¼ cup dark brown sugar (the molasses adds nutrients to the recipe)
1 cup milk
Heat tomatoes just to boiling then turn down the heat to simmer and add the thyme, salt and brown sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes.
For creamy tomato soup, let the tomatoes cool for a few minutes and pour them into the blender. Place the lid on the blender. Cover with a dishtowel because sometimes the hot soup can cause the lid to pop off. Pulse the blender until the tomatoes are the consistency you like.
Pour them back into the saucepan and add the milk. Heat up to serving temperature but don’t let it boil.
Good sides or starters: grilled cheese sandwiches or fresh bread and cheese (French style).
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1 can black or kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 8 oz. Can tomato sauce
2 tbsp. brown sugar
½ tsp. coriander
½ tsp. salt
4 large red bell pepper, halved and seeded
water to steam peppers
1 cup rice
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare rice as directed. Place first seven ingredients in a large saucepan and heat to boiling. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring ½ inch of water to boil in a large skillet. Place peppers in water, cover, and simmer five minutes. Remove peppers from water with tongs. Place on a cookie sheet, cut side up.
To assemble, fill peppers with rice first, followed by bean mixture and top with shredded cheese. Heat for 20-25 minutes and serve hot.
Good sides or starters: Spanish rice and mandarin oranges.
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1 lb. ground beef or turkey
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 small onion, quartered
2 tsp. minced or crushed garlic
½ tsp. celery salt
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
Fresh ground pepper to taste
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Place onion in a food processor. Pulse until minced. Add remaining ingredients to the processor and pulse until thoroughly mixed. If you don’t have a food processor, chop the onion as small as you can and hand mix the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl.
Preheat a Dutch oven or deep skillet with 2 tbsp. olive oil. With an ice cream scoop, scoop out the meat mixture. Place each ball in the heated oil and brown until golden, turning with tongs when needed.
Reduce heat to low, pour a jar of spaghetti sauce over the meat (your own homemade if you’re ambitious) and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, checking to make sure that the meatballs aren’t sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Good sides or starters: Any kind of cooked past and a Romaine salad with Caesar dressing.
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Do you tear recipes from the back of your home magazine each month but find you don’t use them? Do you peruse the cookbook section of your bookstore but decide that paying $25 for a hardback cookbook is a little excessive? If I had unlimited time, I would spend more time in the kitchen, baking, inventing and trying out new recipes. Most of us, though, don’t have the leisure time to cook complicated meals on a daily basis. These recipes are for those of us who like to cook, but don’t have time to cook up Bree Hodge dinner parties on a daily basis.
The recipes in this Two-Week Meal Plan are simple and combine basic ingredients into nourishing meals for families or couples. They assume some knowledge of cooking but help you get organized so that you don’t have that “what am I going to cook” moment of panic every night. You won’t be required to run all over town to find ingredients, but you’ll feel like you are taking your cooking responsibilities seriously. Each week of the meal plan has a printable shopping list which will help you fly through the market. We’ll also add new recipes each week so that you can keep yourself stimulated in the kitchen. If you have any questions about our recipes, please email us at info@rubbingnickels.com
Week One – Sunday – Pasta Night
Italian-Style Meatballs
Tasty Asian Noodles
Week One – Monday – Meatless Monday
Stuffed Peppers (meatless)
Black Bean Chili (meatless)
Broccoli and Cheese Souffle
Gourmet Veggie Quesadilla
Week One – Tuesday – Soup/Stew Night
Homemade Tomato Soup
Creamy Broccoli Soup
Cioppino (Seafood Stew)
Week One – Wednesday – Easy Day
Easy Day Suggestions
Week One – Thursday – Burger/Panini/Sandwich Night
Burger Calzone
Chicken, Grape and Walnut Salad Sandwiches
Curried Turkey Salad Sandwiches
Week One – Friday – Fish or Fowl
Honey-Dijon Chicken Breasts
Baked Sea bass with Spinach
Week One – Saturday
“Smorgasbord” Night
Heat up any leftovers you have and put them out on the counter, smorgasbord style. If you are running low on leftovers, add a cheese and cracker tray, a veggie tray and/or some mini sandwiches to make sure that your hungry group gets fed.
Week One – Shopping List
Week Two – Sunday – Casserole Night
Sausage and Mushroom (No Boil) Lasagna
Spaghetti Florentine Casserole
Week Two – Monday – Meatless Monday
Oven-Baked Mexican Beans and Rice
Fresh Mozzarella Panini
Butternut Squash and Pecan Gratin
Fresh Cavatelli With Cauliflower
Week Two – Tuesday – Soup/Stew Night
Cream of Carrot Soup
Spicy Bean with Bacon Soup
Week Two – Wednesday – Easy Day
Easy Day Suggestions
Week Two – Thursday – Entree Salad
Antipasto Salad
Bread Salad
Flank Steak and Avocado Salad
Week Two – Friday – Carnivore’s Choice
Satisfying Beef Stew
Barbequed Baby-back Ribs
Week Two – Saturday
Eat out! You deserve it.
Week Two – Shopping List
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As more families choose the “staycation” for their holiday travel, it’s good to do a little research in your community about places you can go that cost little or nothing. Three things in most communities that are enjoyable destinations for families are farms, nature preserves and gardens. You can often visit these places for no admission fee and there are tons of opportunities for family fun and learning.
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