Menu Plan Monday: Week 9

Monday: Chicken Cordon Bleu, asparagus, and strawberries
Tuesday: Salad w/ turkey, avocado, strawberries, almonds & orange viniagrette and rolls
Wednesday: Chicken enchiladas w/ guacamole and corn
Thursday: Linguine with shrimp scampi and spinach
Friday: PW's Favorite Sandwich and fresh pears
Saturday: Turkey burgers w/ sauteed mushrooms on whole-wheat buns and sweet potato fries
Sunday: Orange Chicken, rice, and brocolli

BBQ Chicken Braid

This is another fabulous recipe from Melanie over at My Kitchen Cafe. We took one braid to a family with a new baby, and enjoyed the other ourselves. It was delicious, and so pretty! Serve with a nice green salad to round out the meal.

BBQ Chicken Braid
2 c. cooked chicken, chopped

1 ½ c. bbq sauce (we love Sweet Baby Ray's or Famous Dave's)

1 red onion, sliced

1 c. mozzarella, shredded

1 c. cheddar, shredded

1 recipe French bread rolls dough (recipe follows, I actually used my whole-wheat bread dough found here)

Roll ½ of dough after 1st rising into a 15 x 11 inch rectangle. Place on greased cookie sheet. Cut 1" wide strips on two sides of dough, leaving the middle third intact. Mix chicken with BBQ sauce. Spread 1/2 of chicken, onions, and cheeses along the middle. Alternating between sides, braid strips over filling (see photo below). Fold ends up and press so filling doesn't ooze out. Repeat with other ½ of dough and filling ingredients. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes (makes 2 braids). I brushed butter on top after baking, though that wasn't in the original recipe. YUM!

French Bread Rolls
*Makes about one dozen rolls
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. To the yeast mixture, add the oil, salt, and 2 cups flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 12-14 equal pieces, and form into round balls. Place on lightly greased baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth (or greased saran wrap), and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake for 12-13 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Menu Plan Monday: Week 8

Sorry I didn't post a menu last week- we were out of town for most of the week and it has been really busy around here! Hopefully this week I'll have a little time to play catch-up and post a few recipes! For now, here is this week's menu:

Monday: Garlic shrimp, brown rice, and steamed artichokes
Tuesday: Murphy's Hot Hamburger and green beans
Wednesday: Sweet & Spicy Salmon, Rustic Mashed Potatoes, and asparagus
Thursday: Brown Sugar Ham & Bean Soup and Lion House Rolls
Friday: Nachos Supreme
Saturday: Chicken Divan and rice
Sunday: Ropa Vieja (delicious Latin beef stew) and homemade tortillas

Menu Plan Monday: Week 7

Okay, we ate a ton of unhealthy food over the holiday weekend (think hot dogs, potato salad, candy, chips, greasy Mexican food, candy, frog-eye salad, lemon cake, candy, birthday cake & ice cream, orange rolls, and you guessed it- more candy). SO, I tried to make our menu for this week extra healthy to make up for it. Here it is:

Monday: Sweet & Spicy Salmon, potatoes, and asparagus
Tuesday: Greek Chicken, whole-wheat spaghetti w/ marinara sauce and spring greens salad
Wednesday: Turkey chili soup and roasted veggie Ritz crackers
Thursday: Chef salad and Lion House rolls
Friday: Hawaiian pizza on whole-wheat crust and carrot sticks
Saturday: Tuna wiggle and green beans
Sunday: Maple/brown sugar ham, potatoes and asparagus

Sun-Up Breakfast Sandwiches

I got this recipe from Lexy's Junior Better Homes Cookbook. It makes for a fast, easy and delicious breakfast on Saturday mornings. Or you could make a bunch, freeze them, and warm them up on a busy weekday morning!

Sun-Up Breakfast Sandwiches

1 package English muffins

1/4 c. apricot jam

8 slices Canadian bacon

8 eggs

milk

s & p

8 slices cheese (recipe calls for American, but I prefer real cheese so I used Cheddar)

Toast English muffins, and spread each bottom half with apricot jam. Warm up bacon on skillet or in microwave, place over jam. Beat eggs with a little milk and s & p. Scramble in greased skillet. Top bacon with eggs and a slice of cheese. Cover with top half of muffin. Mmm!