Get Ready to Cook!

This post is the first week-long meal planning segment. I have included 6 dinners that you can use, as well as a grocery list at the bottom. Please, please, PLEASE give me feedback in the comments section on recipe or format suggestions, as well as cooking tips of your own, for I am sure you are all savvy cookers yourselves. I put next to each dinner how many people it serves - as you can see, I re-use food from each of the first three meals. You will end up with some leftovers of the last two meals, but I figure they make great lunches. You may need to play around with the quantities as these amounts are good for my husband (who eats for two) and me (who eats a decent portion). Pardon the length of this entry - I thought if you wanted to follow the guide, you can just print out the recipes and shopping list. Let's go!

Meal #1 (serves 3-4)
Leek & Potato Soup (only serve 1/3 of the soup made, as an appetizer)
Marinated Beef w/ Mashed Potatoes and Corn on the Cob (serve 1/2 the beef and 1/2 the potatoes, save the rest)

*Recipes*
Leek & Potato Soup
1 lb white potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced
3 leeks, cleaned, trimmed and sliced
2 tbls. butter
1 med. onion, chopped
3 cups vegetable stock

1) Melt butter over medium heat in saucepan. Add leeks and onion and cook gently for 5 minutes without browning. Add potatoes and cook for 3 minutes.
2) Add stock, bring to boil, cover and simmer gently 20-30 minutes. Leave to cool.
3) Puree until smooth using an immersion blender or in batches in the food processor.
4) Reheat gently in the pan, serve warm.

Marinated Beef
1 1/2 lb skirt, flank, or London broil steak
3 tbls. red wine vinegar
few tlbs. olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried rosemary

1) Whisk together everything but the steak in a large, wide dish. Add the steak and marinate, covered and refrigerated up to an hour.
2) Grill the steak. Or you can preheat the oven to 425 degrees with a rack in the center, and heat an ovenproof skillet over high heat until very hot. Add a tbls. of olive oil, then sear the steak for 3-4 minutes on one side (do not move it around!), flip over and put the skillet in the oven. (You will know the steak is ready to flip when it no longer sticks to the bottom of the skillet). Cook in the oven another 4 minutes or so for med. -rare and add an extra minute or two for the doneness you prefer. Use a meat thermometer to test whether it is cooked to your liking.

Mashed Potatoes
8 large White or Yukon Gold Potatoes, scrubbed
1/2 med. sweet onion, minced
5 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
3 tbls. butter
1/4 milk
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (optional).

1) Dice potatoes and boil for 15 minutes until soft. Drain, return to the pot.
2) While potatoes are boiling, saute onion and garlic in small saute pan until onion is slightly caramelized and golden brown. Be sure it is medium to low heat so garlic does not brown.
3) When potatoes are done, mash with handheld masher or beater, if you prefer.
4) Add butter and milk, if desired, and mash into potatoes to give a creamier consistency.
5) Stir in onion, garlic, herbs, and garlic powder, if you want them extra garlicky.

Corn
1 ear of corn for each person

1) Cover corn in a large pot with water
2) Bring water to a boil.
3) Cover and boil 7-10 minutes.


Meal #2 (serves 4)
Chicken & Cheese-gravy (save 1/2 chicken)
Potato cakes (use leftover mashed potatoes from Meal #1)
Roasted asparagus

*Recipes*
Chicken & Cheese-gravy
8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 tsp. dried thyme
Ground black pepper
Olive oil
2 tbls. butter
2 tbls. flour
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar, Gouda, Gruyere or other favorite cheese.

1) Heat olive oil in skillet over med-high heat. Add a few tbls. olive oil.
2) Season chicken with thyme and pepper. Cook chicken in skillet, 6 minutes per side.
3) In a small saucepan, melt butter. Whisk in flour, and when incorporated, slowly whisk in broth and milk. Simmer a few minutes until thickened. Stir in the cheese slowly until melted.

Potato Cakes
Leftover mashed potatoes (from Meal #1)
1 1/2 tbls. flour
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
olive oil

1) Heat skillet over medium heat, coat with oil.
2) Mix flour into mashed potatoes.
3) Mix breadcrumbs and cheese in a dish. Form small pancakes out of the mashed potato mixture, dip into the breadcrumbs, and fry in the pan until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip over and fry another 2 minutes or so, until golden brown. You can serve this with the cheese-gravy made above, or with ketchup or applesauce, whatever you prefer!

Roasted asparagus
1 bundle green asparagus (1/2 - 1 lb.)
1 1/2 tbls. olive oil
salt and pepper

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2) Wash and trim woody stems from asparagus. On a baking sheet, toss with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast 15 minutes, turning occasionally. (Very skinny asparagus only takes 10, thicker asparagus may take a little longer).

Meal #3 (serves 4)
Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs (save 1/2 the meatballs and sauce)

*Recipe*
Pasta Sauce
1 med. onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 med. carrot, peeled and chopped
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2- 28oz. cans crushed tomatoes
2- 15 1/2 oz. cans diced tomatoes
2- 6 oz. cans tomato paste
1 tbls. dried oregano
1 tbls. dried parsley
salt and pepper
1 tsp. sugar, optional
1/2 lb. spaghetti

1) Saute onion, pepper, carrot, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes in a large pot over medium-high heat until softened.
2) Add all six cans of tomatoes, herbs, salt and pepper.
3) Simmer as long as possible, at least one hour. In the meantime, make meatballs. As soon as they are done, add to the sauce and leave in as long as possible.
4) Serve over cooked spaghetti.

Turkey Meatballs
1/2 med. onion, grated
2 tbls. dried parsley
1 large egg
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs
2 lbs. ground turkey

1) Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Form into balls using about 2 tbls. meat for each. Place on lightly oiled baking sheet
2) Bake in 350 degree oven 10 minutes, flip and bake another 10 or until cooked through. Add to pasta sauce and cook until ready to serve.


Meal #4 (serves 2-3)
Chicken and leek soup
Homemade focaccia

*Recipes*
Creamy Chicken and leek soup
Leftover leek and potato soup from Meal #1
Leftover chicken from Meal #2, finely diced
1/2 cup Greek yogurt, plain yogurt, or sour cream
snipped chives

1) Stir chicken into soup and reheat over medium-low heat. Stir in yogurt and heat until warm. Serve with snipped chives as a garnish.

Homemade focaccia
*Recipe from "The Bride & Groom's First Cookbook" by Abigail Kirsch*
1 cup warm water (110 degrees)
1 package active dry yeast
1 tbls. sugar
3 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
6 tbls. olive oil
1 med. onion, half finely chopped, half thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 tsp. dried basil (or 1 tbls. fresh)
1 tsp. dried parsley (or 1 tbls. fresh)

1) Sprinkle yeast and sugar over the warm water, blend lightly, and let stand 10 minutes until foamy.
2) Place the flour in a large mixing bowl. With a wooden spoon, make a well in the center. Add 3 tbls. oil, salt, and yeast mixture and toss with spoon until you can form the dough into a ball. Throw onto a floured board or counter top and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes.
3) Let dough rise for 30 minutes in a warm place. Punch down the dough and let it rise, covered, 30 minutes more. Preheat the oven to 450 and brush a baking sheet with oil.
4) While the dough is rising, saute the chopped onion in 1 1/2 tbls. oil for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, saute for a minute, and cool. Saute the sliced onion in the remaining 1 1/2 tbls. oil until translucent, about 5 minutes.
5) Knead the chopped onion and garlic mixture, pepper, basil, and parsley into the dough until well distributed. Flour your hands and press the dough onto the oiled baking sheet so that the dough completely covers the sheet. (FYI: I have never been able to press the dough so that it completely covers the baking sheet. Just press and stretch it out as far as you can!) Arrange the onion slices over the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes (start checking at 15 minutes, because I've had it start to burn at 20 minutes before) until golden and crisp. Transfer to a cooling rack.
6) Cut across the width into 1-inch strips.

Meal #5 (serves 4)
Rigatoni with Steak (use leftover steak, chopped, from Meal #1 and leftover sauce from Meal #3)

*Recipe is from "Giada's Family Dinners" by Giada De Laurentiis*
2 tbls. olive oil
1-2 lb. steaks (use leftovers)
salt and pepper
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
3/4 cup dry red wine (I usually substitute beef broth)
2 cups marinara sauce (use leftover pasta sauce from Meal #3)
1 cup low-sodium beef broth
12 oz. dried rigatoni
3 oz. shaved Parmesan cheese (or grated)

1) Heat oil in a frying pan over med. heat. Add onions and carrots and saute about 8 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add garlic and oregano, saute for 1 minutes. Add wine (or broth) and simmer for one minute. Add marinara sauce and broth. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat to allow flavors to blend, about 10 minutes. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
2) Boil rigatoni in large pot of salted water until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain.
3) Reheat steak pieces in the sauce a few minutes. Toss hot pasta with the sauce. Transfer to bowls and sprinkle with the cheese.

Meal #6 (serves 6)
Meat Lasagna (use leftover sauce and meatballs from Meal #3)

*Recipe*
1 box Barilla oven-ready lasagna noodles
Leftover sauce and meatballs
1 med. container ricotta cheese
8 oz. tofu, mashed with a fork
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1) Preheat oven to 350. Mash meatballs with a potato masher in the sauce until broken up to make a meat sauce, put 1/2 cup aside and divide the rest into 4 parts.
2) Mix the ricotta cheese with the mashed tofu, divide into 3 parts.
3) In a 13x9x2 inch pan, spread 1/2 cup sauce on the bottom. Layer 4 lasagna noodles, slightly overlapping. Spread 1/3 ricotta mixture, a layer of sauce, and 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Layer 4 more noodles, 1/3 ricotta, a layer of sauce, and a cup of mozzarella. Layer 4 more noodles, the remaining ricotta mixture, and a layer of sauce. Layer the last 4 noodles, the remaining sauce, and the remaining mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake another 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown.

**CHEAT SHEET SHOPPING LIST**
PRODUCE
6 med. onions
3 carrots
3 heads of garlic
1 bundle green asparagus (1/2 - 1 lb.)
1 ear of corn for each person
1 green pepper, chopped
8 large White or Yukon Gold Potatoes, scrubbed plus, 1 lb white potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced
3 leeks, cleaned, trimmed and sliced

HERBS
salt and pepper
dried oregano
dried thyme
dried basil (or 1 tbls. fresh)
dried parsley (or 1 tbls. fresh)
snipped chives
crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (optional)

REFRIGERATED
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 med. container ricotta cheese
1/2 cup Greek yogurt, plain yogurt, or sour cream
2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar, Gouda, Gruyere or other favorite cheese.
7 tbls. butter
8 oz. tofu, mashed with a fork
1 large egg

CANNED
1 cup low-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup chicken broth
2- 28oz. cans crushed tomatoes
2- 15 1/2 oz. cans diced tomatoes
2- 6 oz. cans tomato paste
3 cups vegetable stock

BAKERY
At least 16 tbls. olive oil
1 package active dry yeast
2 tbls. sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup bread crumbs

MEAT
1 1/2 lb skirt, flank, or London broil steak
2 lbs. ground turkey
8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

PASTA
1/2 lb. spaghetti
12 oz. dried rigatoni
1 box Barilla oven-ready lasagna noodles

MISC
3/4 cup dry red wine (I usually substitute beef broth)
3 tbls. red wine vinegar