Week #4

It's Christmas Week!!!  All who have already lost their minds (and wallets!) say "HOORAY!!!"   

Monday - Spaghetti & Meatballs 

What you need: Whole wheat spaghetti noodles (1/2 to 1 box depending on how many you want to feed or how many leftovers you want), your favorite kind of store bought spaghetti or previously made (and canned or frozen) variety, meatballs (you can either buy them pre-done as I have on clearance wooohooo! or take 1 lb of ground beef or turkey, mix it with a splash of mix and some oatmeal or bread crumbs and form into meatballs) Instructions:  This one is rocket science folks.  Boil some water, add your noodles (the boxed kind, not your brain although it might be tempting if you're still buying and wrapping gifts!), cook until tender and drain.  While those noodles are boiling, brown your meatballs until done, usually around 10 minutes on good medium/hot burner.  Once the meatballs are browned, drain off any drippings and then add your favorite sauce.and simmer until toasty.  Add a small side salad and maybe some bread and dinner is served.  

Tuesday - Crockpot Chicken & Roasted Potatoes
What you need:  One whole chicken with the head/guts/yucky stuff taken out of the inside cavity, your favorite fresh herbs (I like to use rosemary, oregano & garlic), one can chicken broth, one bag small red potatoes.Instructions:  Get out your trust crockpot.  Rinse and pat dry your chicken.  Cut the skin on one end and put your favorite fresh herbs just under the skin, right on top of the meat.  Be sure to mush them around really good so it covers the whole chicken.  Pour the chicken broth over the chicken. You can sprinkle with some more of your favorite herbs or some salt and pepper if you wish.  Cook on low for 8 hours - you can cook this one on high for about 4 hours and it'll give the same results.  For the potatoes, there are 2 options.  Our favorite is to salt them with sea salt just a tad and put them in the steamer (make sure you look at your steamer instructions for how long - they're all different).  OR, the second option is to chop up the potatoes and place them on a foiled and greased cookie sheet.  Spray a little olive oil and dash some sea salt on top - bake for about 18 minutes at about 400.  Serve with a nice little salad or your fave veggie and you're set.  If you have a double-decker steamer (like I do!), then you can do your fave veggie at the same time as your taters just make sure you give them both a little extra and water in the steamer.    

Wednesday - Mediterranean Quesadillas with Antipasto Relish (family fave!)  
from Pampered Chef's 29 Minutes to Dinner 

Here's a link to this one since someone else already went to the hassle of writing it out! http://www.mealsmatter.org/recipes-meals/recipe/62979 My only suggestion is to use the regular burrito size, whole wheat quesadillas and double the chicken mixture.  You can also cut a bunch of calories and fat if you chose a low fat provolone or a provolone/mozzarella mixture.    

Thursday - Pasta Fagioli (family fave!) Can't take credit for this one either!  Here's the link to this recipe: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/day-305.html  This is seriously one of THE best soups I've made.  The touch of Tabasco makes all the difference so don't think you can skip it! The recipe as listed is gluten free but since we aren't a gluten free family, I use the regular mini-pastas you can find at your local grocery store.  I also use all reduced sodium canned products since there's no need for extra salt.  Make sure you check your pasta sauce to get the right measurement (the Hunt's can I use is about 10oz bigger than the recipe calls for - I save the rest for leftover "kid" spaghetti without the meat).  You can serve a bunch with this recipe OR it freezes pretty well!  Add some bread or crackers and small salad and you can call it a night!   

Friday - 7 Layer Dip (My contribution to my family's Christmas Eve celebration!) 

What you need: one can refried beans (I like the black bean variety but it's sometimes hard to find), 1 - 2 packets taco seasoning (I use the Costco mega-bottle so I'm guessing it's a little more than what is usually inside one packet) sour cream, salsa, 4 oz can green chiles, bag of grated "mexican" cheese, sprouts, 4 oz can of sliced olives - drained, chopped tomatoes, bag of your favorite tortilla chips Instructions: Dump your beans into a 9 x 13 pan (or smaller if you want a thicker dip), combine with the taco seasoning right in the pan.  Smooth it out and then add a nice layer of sour cream.  Then add about a cup of salsa (I do a lot of "eyeballing" on this recipe) on top of the sour cream.  Then sprinkle the can of green chiles on top of that. Sprinkle the cheese, then the sprouts, and finally top it off with the olives and the chopped toms.  So, mine is a little more than 7 layers but what would folks say if you volunteered a 9, 10, or 11 layer dip???Add any and all of your favorite Mexican touches to this one - it's pretty hard to mess up! 

Saturday - Christmas Ham and Mashed Tater Dinner

Nothing fancy about this. Store bought ham with glaze that comes in the package and mashed potatoes.  I may need to get you a basic Betty Crocker Cookbook if you need help with these.  One of life's secrets is sometimes the hardest things are really the simplest but shhhhh....we wouldn't want the hubs to know!   

Merry Christmas, my friends!  May this season bring happy times, fond memories, and a solid remembrance of just why we celebrate.  As my kiddos would say, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS! I'M SO GLAD IT'S CHRISTMAS!"  Some cookies for Santa and a birthday cake for Jesus are also on the list for this week in my house - here's to making memories folks!