Menu Plan Monday- Week of July 14, 2009

I was pretty unhappy with our share from the Organic Buying Club we belong to. We now have about 4 bags of celery, and 4 bags of Dandelions, which are really bitter and a little difficult for children to eat. I really feel that the share we got last week didn't lend itself to being worth all of the money, but that's another topic, not to mention half of the things the list said it was to include were not included, but replaced with a bag of celery.

Here is my menu plan for this week:

Monday: Hamburgers, Cous Cous, Zucchini, and Baked Kale Chips

Tuesday: Turkey Spaghetti w/ Mixed Veggies and Bread

Wednesday: Baked Chicken w/ Quinoa Side Dish and Baked Sweet Potatoes

Thursday: Black Bean Burgers w/ Side Salad -VEGETARIAN

Friday: Shepherd's Pie - Recipe Below

Saturday: Pizza w/ Pineapple and Peppers- VEGETARIAN

Sunday: Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken BBQ


For more amazing recipes and meal plans check out Orgjunkie.com


Pantry Pull Outs- This is a new thing I am going to start posting, that will take some things out of my fridge or pantry that I want to get rid of, and use them in a random recipe:

Orange Marmalade: Going to make Orange Whole Wheat Pancakes

Celery: Sweet and Sour Celery
Cream of Celery Soup

I'll probably only get around to making one of these celery recipes, but I really need to clear out my fridge of celery...for real!!!



I'll let you know how it was on Wednesday!!



Here's my recipe for Shepherd's Pie:

1 lb ground beef-
6-7 potatoes peeled and cut into quarters
2 carrots diced
3 celery sticks chopped
1/2 c. water + more if needed
1 med onion
1-2 cloves garlic minced
4 T. oil
3 T. Bragg's Amino Acids
3/4 c. milk
3/4 t. salt
4T. butter
1 c. Cheddar Cheese- Optional

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Fill large pot with water, and add peeled and cut potatoes. Bring to boil and cook until potatoes are tender with fork. Drain and cool.

2. In pan, bring 2 T. oil to med-high heat and add onions and garlic. Saute for approx. 5 min. Add ground beef and brown.

3. In different pan, bring 2 T. oil up to med-high heat and add carrots and celery. Saute' for approx 5 min, add water and cover to steam till tender. Add more water if needed.

4. Drain beef and add Bragg's Vinegar. Place in 8x10 casserole dish to cover bottom. Next, add carrots and celery to casserole dish.

5. To cooled potatoes, add butter, milk and salt and mash to desired consistency. (I like to do this in the kitchen aid to get a whipped-like mashed potato)

6. Spread mashed potatoes over the top and add cheese if desired. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and cheese is melted- approx 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

This week, I'm going to be writing about a few different things:

1. Quinoa and its benefits- for me, its a lot faster than cooking brown rice!!! I'll share some recipes and other interesting facts!!

2. Condensed Cream of "whatever" soup... so many recipes include these items, but they are so bad for you -msg, really fattening, etc.. I am going to explore a few different options for using homemade items in their place.

3. Family Meal Table: Things have been a little hectic here, so I am behind of my study, but I will be posting soon!!

Thanks!






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