Menu Plan Monday - January 24th

Wow it’s been a tough month. Holiday bills are coming in, the car died and needed replacing, property taxes are due, we’ve got 2 feet of snow with more to come, the heat pipes in the basement froze (thankfully we were able to thaw them), one of the garage doors has a snapped coil, and then the truck wouldn’t start this morning (it’s 3 degrees outside).

My husband has been working ridiculous hours which include a temporary night shift from 2pm to 2am. His next check will be great but we’ve got to get through the rest of January as well as the first week of February before he gets paid. So the $353 I’ve spent so far this month on groceries along with maybe another $20 for milk and produce is going to have to be enough.

My menu goal this week is to prepare dinners my kids won’t moan about that also provide hearty enough leftovers for my husband to take to work.

Sunday – Kielbasa, Pierogies, Roasted Cauliflower

Monday – Crunchy Oven Baked Chicken Toes, Baked Potato Wedges, Carrots and Celery with Ranch Dip

Tuesday – Turkey Meatballs in Gravy, Egg Noodles, Green Beans

Wednesday – Pork Cutlets Parmesan over Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Bread

Thursday – Crockpot Steak and Potatoes, Broccoli

Friday – Breakfast for Supper – Pancakes, Sausage, Orange Juice

Saturday – Pizza (hopefully homemade but possibly takeout)

For tips on menu planning, menu ideas and more links to recipes check out Menu Plan Monday at I’m an Organizing Junkie.

Have a great week!

Menu Plan Monday - October 11th - Use It Up Week

One of the things from last week's menu that I planned was a roasted chicken stuffed with my 4th attempt at my mother in law’s stuffing recipe. And….YES I NAILED IT!!! Hubby was thrilled and ate a small mountain of it that night. The Crockpot Swiss Steak was not so good and the Crockpot BBQ Pork Ribs never got made – those are getting pushed to this week. On Saturday we ended up doing an appetizer night with our guests – it was a very fun evening.

So on to this week. My husband is home today and the kids will be home again tomorrow. Sunday we had a lazy day and our menu comprised things made out of leftovers. That’s the theme for this week – Use It Up. The soup I made was very good – it thickened up to almost a stew and was very tasty.

Here are some of the things I need to use up this month (some sooner than others):

Sour Cream
Green and Red Peppers
Chicken stock
Already cooked chicken (full breast and cut up dark)
BBQ Cubed Steak
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Hot Italian Sausage
Apples
Boneless Pork Ribs
Hot Dogs (I have a TON of them it seems)
Ricotta Cheese
Mozzarella Block

Sunday
Lunch – Open Faced BBQ Cubed Steak Sandwiches, Hot Dogs (kids), Carrots and Celery w/Ranch Dip, Homemade Potato Chips

Supper – Refrigerator Soup – Sausage, Chicken Stock, Cannellini Beans, Green Beans, Pasta, Tomato, Onion, and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Monday – Columbus Day (No School) – Grilled Chicken, Noodles Alfredo, Broccoli

Tuesday (No School / Soccer) – Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Tuna Mac, Freezer Pickles, Carrots and Celery w/Ranch Dip,

Wednesday (Dance) – Crockpot Chicken and Rice Casserole, Green Beans

Thursday – Blackened Blade Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Salad

Friday – Make Your Own Taco Night

Saturday - Boneless Pork Ribs w/Apples and Onions, Baked Beans, Mashed Potatoes, Carrots

Looks like I still have to find something to do with the peppers (I can freeze them if I don’t use them this week), and I have plans to make a lasagna within the next week for the freezer as well. The sausage, along with a few peppers, is getting thrown into the leftover potato chips this morning as hash browns.   I think the kids and I will bake something with the apples later today or tomorrow.  I know I have a few more things lurking in the freezer that need to get used up. We’ll see what other things I find and I’ll share any great ideas I might have for using them.

For more great menu ideas and links to recipes check out this week's Menu Plan Monday at I'm and Organizing Junkie.  Have a great week!

Menu Plan Monday - October 4th

Last week's menu went pretty well.   We enjoyed the Ritz Cracker Eggplant Casserole.  I used cream of mushroom soup instead of golden mushroom, only blanched the eggplant briefly and used a little more cheese and ritz crackers than the recipe called for. 

This week is a little busy with plans to have company for dinner over on Saturday.   My daughter has two birthday parties on Saturday - a Boo Bowling Party and a Movie Night Sleepover.   I have to get gifts and finish her Brownie sash (the iron on patches sooo didn't stay on!).  On Friday my son's preschool is taking a field day trip to a local farm. We get to go on a hayride, pick apples, have snacks and bring home a pumpkin.   Of course I think he is most excited about riding on a school bus.

This week I'm planning the following:

Sunday - Homemade Pizza - Cheese for the Kids, Eggplant and Onion for Mom and Dad (this was AWESOME!)

Monday - Soup and Sandwich Night

Tuesday (Soccer) - Roasted Stuffed Chicken (my mother in law's stuffing recipe), Gravy, Mashed Potataoes, Broccoli (leftover chicken used for lunches and Thursday's dinner, bones used to make stock)

Wednesday (Dance)  - Crockpot Swiss Steak (I will add chopped tomatoes to this recipe), Noodles, Green Beans

Thursday - Chicken, Sausage and Broccoli over Pasta, Tossed Salad

Friday - Crockpot BBQ Pork Ribs, Baked Beans, Homemade Potato Chips, Carrots and Celery with Ranch Dip

Saturday (Company for Dinner) - Still working on a menu plan for this....considering doing a hearty appetizer type buffet but I'm not sure yet.

For more great menu ideas and recipes check out Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.  

Have a great week!

Menu Plan Monday - September 27

I'm trying to avoid the grocery store until Friday - which is the first day of the new month and payday.   The checkbook is a bit tight and most of our bills are due end of month.  October happens to be a three paycheck month so hopefully we can work on getting a little ahead of ourselves before plunging into the holiday season.

My husband has been away since Thursday and my daughter and I attended our local Girl Scout Council's Camporee Camp Out over the weekend.   I neglected to menu plan last week and it was HORRIBLE.   I had a hard time coming up with ideas and felt that all I did was rush and not feed my family very well.   Needless to say we are back on track this week.

Here's what I'm planning for dinner at our house this week:

Sunday - Breakfast for Supper

Monday - (Hubby is still away) - Corn Dog Muffins, Baked Beans, Carrots and Celery w/Ranch Dressing

Tuesday - (Soccer) - Thyme Pork Cutlets, Ritz Cracker Eggplant Casserole, Buttered Noodles, Green Beans

Wednesday - (Dance) - Crockpot Chicken Pot Pie, Salad

Thursday - London Broil with Bobby Flay's Fra Diavolo Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli

Friday - Spaghetti and Meatballs w/Homemade Sauce, Eggplant Parmesean, Bread, Salad

Saturday - Dinner at my Aunt's house

Additionally I'd like to make the following items for snacks and for the freezer:  Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Zucchini Bread, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and of course Spaghetti Sauce. 

For more great menu ideas and links to recipes check out Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.  Have a great week!

Menu Plan Monday - September 13th

I was able to stick to last week’s menu plan pretty well. The only meal I didn’t make was the Asian Pork Chops as we were running errands that evening and decided to eat out. The Cinnamon Chicken went over very well – I wasn’t sure as the combination of cinnamon and tomatoes was a little odd to me. I personally liked the Creamy Beef Over Noodles – although we had it over mashed potatoes as we had noodles the night before. The big hit with the kids were the Corn Dog Muffins. I made them mini sized and they were snacking on them all weekend.

We have a pretty active week ahead – soccer, curriculum night at school, dance class as well as a math project that my daughter needs to get finished. I tried to put together a relatively easy menu plan that utilizes what I have in the freezer and has some variety. Here’s what I came up with for our dinner table this week:

Monday – Skillet BBQ Cubed Steak, Roasted Cauliflower, Oven Roasted Potatoes, Broccoli

Tuesday (Soccer and Curriculum Night) - Kitchen Scavenge Night

Wednesday (Dance) – Crazy Slow Cooker Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans

Thursday - Brown Sugar Chicken (crockpot), Rice, Corn

Friday – Hot Dog Casserole, Cheesy Bread, Salad

Saturday (Soccer and birthday party) – Fried Rice (use up leftovers) Chicken Strips, Vegetable Medley

For more great menu ideas and links to recipes check out this week’s Menu Plan Monday at I’m an Organizing Junkie.

Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad

I used these gorgeous vegetables as inspiration for my Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad.

Clean and slice vegetables for grilling. I used eggplant, zucchini, onion, red pepper, green pepper.  Salt the sliced eggplant and let it rest in a colander to drain away any bitterness. Rinse off salt and pat dry.

Ready for the grill.

Grill Veggies with a bit of olive oil brushed on ntil they get soft and achieve some of those nice grill marks.

My grill didn't seem to get quite hot enough so I don't have as many grill marks as I would have liked

Prepare your choice of pasta according to directions in an amount you think is reasonable.  I cooked half of a 13oz box.   I prefer using tricolor rotini but all I had in the pantry was penne. Cook al dente so it doesn’t get too mushy. Rinse in cold water.

Toss pasta with grilled veggies, a little garlic, parsley, basil and your choice of dressing – I used a Balsamic Vinaigrette. Add parmesan if desired. I had some leftover crumbled Italian sausage and some fresh diced tomatoes that I added in as well.

Serve chilled as a side dish.

I think this dish would also work very well hot.   If I made it hot I would probably not use the Balsamic Dressing but would instead toss with just olive oil, parmesean and cook the tomatoes instead of using them fresh and cold.  My husband enjoyed this as a side in his lunchbox.

Menu Plan Monday - Labor Day Monday

I'm starting my menu this week on Sunday.   We actually have a picnic to attend Sunday afternoon so I'm not sure if we'll really be eating dinner when we get home.   If not the chicken is already cooked and I'll use it for my husband's lunches throughout the week (chicken sandwiches, chicken salad, etc, etc).  I'm trying to use up a few things from the freezer - kielbasa, stew beef, pork chops and hot dogs.   Also trying a few new recipes so I'm rather excited about that - dinners have been a bit boring around here.   

Here's what will be on our table this week:

Sunday – Chicken and Roasted Vegetable Quesadillas

Monday – Mom’s Skillet Kielbasa, Salad

Tuesday – Cinnamon Chicken ($5 Dollar Dinner Mom Cookbook), Vermicelli, Broccoli

Wednesday – Creamy Beef over Noodles, Salad

Thursday – Asian Pork Chops ($5 Dollar Dinner Mom Cookbook), Green Beans and Carrots, Brown Rice

Friday – Make Your Own Taco Night – Taco meat, lettuce, tomato, salsa, sour cream, refried beans, shredded cheese and corn

Saturday – Corn Dog Muffins, Baked Beans, Carrots and Celery with Dip

Lunches for DH this week will consist of chicken sandwiches, Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad, Bisquick Quiche, and of course - leftovers.

For more great menu ideas and recipes check out Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Links I Liked - Summer Produce

Here are a few shots of my garden. I’m very pleased with the results thus far. It’s smaller than I wanted this year, hence a bit crowded and needs a little more weeding and pruning but it’s starting to produce nicely. I almost think that in the past I’ve been overwatering as it did well with me gone for 10 days.

Harvesting a few zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers and green beans yesterday has me excited about all the fresh summer foods available. I found a few great blog posts on using the abundance of summer produce available to us from farmers markets and grocery stores as well as our own gardens.

Give these a look:

The following two posts are from Jami at An Oregon Cottage. First is a great collection of light, easy, veggie oriented meals in her post Favorite Easy Summer Meals. This second post is one on Freezer Jam that I wish I had before strawberry season ended here. I’m bookmarking this one for next summer.

Take advantage of the great sale prices on red peppers and check out Holly, The Mostly Happy Stay at Home Mom’s process of preparing Roasted Red Peppers. I didn’t get any into my garden this year but I’m going to snag some at the next sale and make these.

Jessica aka FishMama at Life as Mom has dozens of links to summer recipes including grilled meats and vegetables, salads and treats. Check out her BBQ Recipe Ultimate Recipe Swap for some summer backyard party ideas.

Hope you enjoy these links as much as I did.   Have a great day!

Menu Plan Monday - March 29

It’s pouring buckets outside today and of course the little man and I have to go out twice – once this morning and again after lunch for story time. He is attending a preschool screening at our elementary school this morning. They identify children who require early intervention for the FREE preschool program at our elementary school (yes you heard me FREE – ok we do pay taxes for it….). I don’t see my son requiring intervention however they also have a lottery to fill out the classes from the rest of the kids that are screened. So why not give it a shot – it’s free, 4 days a week 2 ½ hours a day.

I actually planned my menu last week but never posted it. And I did a better job following it than I have in the past few weeks.

I’m planning to grocery shop Wednesday or Thursday (applied to April’s budget). The budget is going to have to be bigger this month due to Easter Dinner and the need to do some freezer/pantry stocking. Pickings around here have just been too slim….while DH likes that I maintain a budget I think he’s getting aggravated with the lack of a few things he’d like. So this week I’m working hard on a grocery list based on sales and coupons. I have an extra $8.00 off my entire order at Stop & Shop so that’s where I’m headed this week as well as CVS and perhaps Aldi.

Here’s the menu plan for this week:

Monday – Chicken Cutlets Parmesan, Pasta, Salad

Tuesday – Pork Chops with Balsamic Sweet Onion Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli

Wednesday – Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Homemade Bread, Salad

Thursday – Grilled Chicken Legs, Green Beans, Pasta Alfredo

Friday – Burgers and Dogs, Macaroni Salad, Homemade Potato Chips

Saturday – Family Fun Takeout - Egg Coloring Party!!!!

For more great menu and recipe ideas check out Menu Plan Monday at I’m an Organizing Junkie. Have a great week!

Menu Plan Monday - March 15th

Most of last week’s menu went as planned. Wednesday the kids and I ended up next door for pizza so on Thursday we opted for Takeout Chinese. This week I’m cooking from the pantry as much as possible with an eye towards providing my husband leftovers for lunches. I’m trying two new recipes from Erin Chase’s new book The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook: 200 Recipes for Quick, Delicious, and Nourishing Meals That Are Easy on the Budget and a Snap to Prepare. One of the recipes has a link and the other is only available in her cookbook.

For dinner at our house this week:

Sunday – Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Soup, Carrot sticks

Monday – Chicken, Broccoli, Mushrooms over Penne, Salad

Tuesday – Honey Glazed Pork Chops, Pierogies, Green Beans

Wednesday – Cowboy Pie (From The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook), Corn

Thursday – Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Casserole (I’m going to have to modify this recipe a little based on what is available in my pantry and my family’s tastes – let you know what I come up with and how it turns out)

Friday – Spaghetti, Homemade Sauce with Meatballs & Sausage (from the freezer), Salad, Homemade Bread

Saturday – Leftover Buffet

Check out Menu Plan Monday at I’m an Organizing Junkie for more great recipes, menu ideas and a giveaway this week.

Menu Plan Monday - Planning Around Sales and Loss Leaders

Last week’s Pantry Challenge Menu went relatively well but was pretty boring. I had hoped to get to the store on Thursday but never did. On Sunday morning I did a loss leader/sales shop at Stop and Shop and on Monday morning I’ll be completing my grocery shopping at Shaws. Check my blog on Tuesday for the results of those two shopping trips.

My menu plans for the next two weeks will take advantage of the sales items I was able to get at both stores. This week I’m focusing on using the more perishable items in my menu and next week I’ll work with what I have left. My grocery goal this month is to feed my family on $200. The majority of that is going to be spent this week so I’m going to have to make things stretch.

Here is the plan for this week:

Sunday – Flying Pantry Gourmet (in other words I’m winging it!)

Monday – Broccoli, Mushrooms and Sausage over Penne

Tuesday – Rosemary Chicken Dinner (I'm substituing sweet pototaes for the white potatoes in this recipe), Broccoli

Wednesday – Quesadilla Surprise (utilize leftover chicken and leftover veggies)

Thursday – Crockpot BBQ Spareribs, Coleslaw, Mashed Potatoes, Corn

Friday – Soft Taco’s, Rice, Salad

Saturday – Pork Fried Rice (use leftover rib meat and leftover rice)


Lunches this week will consist of sandwiches, chef salads and leftovers.   The kids and I are going to bake Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies later today for a treat throughout the week.

For more menu planning ideas and great recipes check out Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Menu Plan Monday - January 18th

I haven’t done weekly menu planning since before Thanksgiving. For quite a bit of that time we weren’t home and the rest was filled with holiday chaos. This week I’m trying to work with the meat I have in the freezer and one trip to Aldi on Tuesday to fill out the rest of my menu requirements. I had hoped to do a pantry challenge next week but I’m not prepared enough yet. Hopefully after a few weeks of budget shopping to restock the pantry and freezer with staples I can give that a try.

Here’s what’s on the table at our house this week:

Sunday – Turkey Noodle Soup

Monday – Mom’s Night Out – Baked Chicken Tenders, Oven Baked Potato Strips, Corn, Salad

Tuesday – Broccoli and Sausage over Penne, Salad

Wednesday – Grilled Mustard Rosemary Chicken Thighs, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans

Thursday – Dance Lessons Night – Crock Pot Flank Steak in Mushroom Sauce, Brown Rice, Salad

Friday – Soup and Sandwich Night

Saturday – Company for Dinner – Bobby Flay’s Porterhouse Steak with Fra Diavolo BBQ Sauce, Cucumber, Onion and Tomato Salad with Honey Basil Vinaigrette, Mashed Potatoes

Lunches: Turkey Salad Sandwiches, Chef Salads, PBandJ, Leftovers


For more great menu ideas, recipe links, etc check out this week's Menu Plan Monday at I’m an Organizing Junkie.

Menu Plan Monday - Creating Leftovers for Lunches

My menu planning focus this week is to create leftovers for my husband’s lunches. We don’t have any deli meat and I’m not grocery shopping again this month. He has access to a microwave and since he works outside he enjoys hot and hearty lunches. Hopefully my plan will satisfy him.

Notes from last week – the Honey Baked Chicken went over well – the Pork Chops with Apples and Thyme did not. My husband asked me to find the last recipe I used for the Thyme Pork Chops so we’re giving that a try again this week. Wednesday and Thursday are busy evenings in our house this week so hopefully my choices will be easy to put together ahead of time. I am also going to make Chicken Stock, Blueberry Bread, and Quiche for the freezer.

Here’s what I’m putting on the table this week:

Sunday: Roast Chicken, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Corn

Monday: Asian Grilled Chicken Breasts, Salad, Rice

Tuesday: Chicken Pot Pie with Bisquick

Wednesday: Ham and Noodle Bake, Corn

Thursday: Crockpot Beef Stew, Rolls

Friday: Thyme Pork Chops, Sweet Potato, Green Brocoli

Saturday: Halloween – Take Out/Eat Out at Friends


For more great menu ideas as well as links to recipes check out Menu Plan Monday at I’m an Organizing Junkie.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

I made a batch of these the other day. I buy bananas at Aldi in a large bag and we never seem to get through them before they get too ripe. When they are very ripe, I peel them, pop them into a Ziploc bag and put them into the freezer to use for baking. As they thaw they get all mushy so you don’t even have to mash them.

Here’s the recipe I used with my own tweaks added. For starters I reduced the sugar from ¾ cup to ½ cup and added vanilla, cinnamon and the mini chips to the recipe. Also I generally make the mini muffins as my kids like them better than the large muffins.


Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Makes 12 Large Muffins or just about 4 Dozen Mini Muffins

Ingredients
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 large bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat muffin pans with non-stick spray, or use paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. Combine bananas, sugar, egg, vanilla, and melted butter in a large bowl. Fold in flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Add chocolate chips Scoop into muffin pans.
3. Bake in preheated oven. Bake mini muffins for 10 to 15 minutes, and large muffins for 25 to 30 minutes. Muffins will spring back when lightly tapped.

After the muffins cool, I put half in a container for us to snack on immediately. (and I mean immediately as they are already gone!) The other half I freeze on a plate then transfer to a Ziploc bag to dole out for lunches and on the go snacks. The mini size muffins are perfect for the kids – they will have 2 for a snack – no waste and a yummy treat.

Menu Plan Monday - October 19th

I never got the recipes posted last week that I intended to post – I’ll try to do that this week. The Rosemary Chicken and Sweet Potatoes is just soooo yummy!!! Shepherd’s Pie is one of my husbands favorites and it even got a thumbs up from little miss picky eater. The Pork Fried Rice I made on Sunday was very good – of course it’s one of my ‘throw together’ recipes so who knows if it will be as good next time.

On the menu at our house this week is:

Monday – Honey Baked Chicken, Rice, Salad

Tuesday – Grilled Sirloin, Baked Sweet Potato, Broccoli, Rolls

Wednesday – Pork Chops with Apple & Thyme, Pierogies, Green Beans

Thursday – Spaghetti with Meat Sauce (meat is leftover cubed steak in freezer and I’ll make my own tomato sauce), Salad, Homemade Bread

Friday – BBQ Pork Sandwiches (from leftover Pork Chops – the apple is a nice touch with the BBQ), Hot Dogs, Baked Beans, Coleslaw, Carrots & Celery

Saturday – Leftover Buffet/Breakfast for Supper

Sunday - I’d like to do some kind of roast this day – pork, beef, chicken or turkey. I’ll finalize which meat based on what I can get for the best price when I shop on Wednesday. My plan is to get some leftovers and lunchmeat out of whatever meat I cook on Sunday.

Hopefully my family will enjoy the meals I planned for this week. The Honey Baked Chicken has gone over well in the past and we haven’t had pork chops or pierogies in a while. I’m also planning to bake banana mini muffins for the lunchboxes and need to make up a batch of waffles for the freezer.

Need ideas for your menu? Check out the great links and recipes on the Menu Plan Monday post at orgjunkie.com.

Chicken Baked in Cream of Chicken Soup

4 Split Chicken breasts – Skin removed (boneless would work as well)
½ Stick Butter/Margarine Softened
Flour (enough to make a paste with the butter)
1tsp Poultry Seasoning (more to taste)
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
½ Can Milk
½ Can Water

Place chicken in a greased baking dish. Combine butter, flour and poultry seasoning to make a paste. Make patties out of the paste and place on top of each chicken breast smoothing over as much of the chicken as possible. Combine the soup with the milk and water in a separate bowl then pour over the chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes (or until chicken doesn’t run pink).

Sorry my recipe isn’t precise but it’s one of my grandmother’s that was never written down and I’ve always sort of ‘wung it’. The butter and flour mixture makes a nice crusty yet soft topping on the chicken. This was one of my favorites as a kid.

The Leftover Queen

Yes the Leftover Queen is a name I love to call myself – and love even more hearing it from those I feed. I get the biggest kick out of taking leftovers and re-creating them into something tasty and frugal. My Pantry Challenge Menu this week takes advantage of a few of these leftovers. Our BBQ Pork on Tuesday is using up the Garlic Thyme Pork Roast leftovers in the freezer from last week. I will serve it sliced thin heated with sautéed onions and BBQ sauce. The ‘meat’ in Wednesday night’s Spaghetti and Meat Sauce is actually cubed leftover Meat Loaf frozen from the week before last.

One of my family’s favorites re-created from leftovers is quesadillas or wraps. I sauté whatever leftover meat I have along with onions, peppers, leftover veggies (broccoli, mushrooms, squash, potato, sweet potato, etc) and either roll them into a flour tortilla or put the mixture between two tortillas with cheese and fry lightly until the cheese is melted. The quesadillas work great as either a sandwich for one or cut into smaller triangles as an appetizer.

Leftover rice, veggies and meat often become Fried Rice, Soup or Pot Pie . Leftover potatoes are re-created into potato pancakes or hash browns on the weekend.

How do you make use of leftovers? Do you plan your menu to create leftovers and then re-create them? I’d love to hear your recipe ideas for creating meals out of leftovers.

Bisquick Quiche

Here's my variation of Bisquick Quiche:

1 1/4 Cups Bisquick Mix
1/4 Cup butter or margarine, softened
2 Tablespoons boiling water
2/3 Cup Chopped Ham
1 Cup shredded Swiss Cheese
1/4 Cup chopped onion
1/2 Cup chopped brocoli
12 ounce can Evaporated milk
3 Large Eggs
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease bottom and side of 9-inch pie plate. Stir Bisquick and butter until blended. Add boiling water and stir until soft dough forms. Press dough into bottom and up sides of greased pie plate.

Sprinkle ham, cheese, onion and brocoli over crust. Beat eggs, evaporated milk, salt and pepper until blended. Pour into crust.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until edge is golden brown and center is set.

The recipe is derived from the Betty Crocker Bisquick site. I substitute Evaporated milk for Half and Half as I can keep the cans on hand in the pantry. I always use swiss cheese but I will experiment with other meats like sausage or bacon and other veggies. DH seems to really like the brocoli best.

After the quiche has cooled I cut it into large pieces, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for DH to bring in his lunch box. If he has microwave access I will leave it frozen - if not I'll let it thaw in the fridge and he lets it sit out of his lunchbox until he's ready to eat it.