What's For Dinner? 30-Minute Menus For 2009 - 29th Edition

This is the 29th edition of the weekly 30-minute menus. These are published on a weekly basis; I like to develop the weekly menus on Friday, grocery shop on Saturday, and start the week's menus on Sunday.

School is starting for many of us so the meals this week are quick and easy - so you can put your dinner on the table lickety-split and your energies into getting your children settled in school. The menus are also easy on the budget which is a great help this time of year!

Grilled Shrimp with Greek Veggie Salsa will be served at my house on Saturday as a delightful finale to summer. I will invite a few friends over to make a grand party of it all. The appetizer course will be 'At the Cheese Ball': cheddar cheese balls; summer sausage with roasted garlic mustard; sliced pears, veg tray, spicy tomato salsa; tortilla chips, savory herb crackers; and honey roasted almonds.

You will find that I use several cooking methods, mix and match, to get dinner on the table quickly! (The ingredients in parenthesis show some of my quick-prep steps.) You can always substitute your favorite made-from-scratch recipes when you have more time.

I hope you have a great week!

Sunday:
Roulade de Poulet (boneless, skinless chicken breasts; buy extra chicken for Thursday)
Mushroom Rice Pilaf (boxed pilaf)
Broccoli Medley (fresh bagged veg mix)
Nutty Fruit Salad
Fruited Pink Creams (purchased ice cream, liqueurs; buy enough ice cream for Friday and Saturday)

Monday:
Spaghetti Bolognese (boxed pasta, jarred Bolognese sauce)
Italian Vegetables (frozen veggie mix)
Jam Thumbprint Cookies (jarred jam)

Tuesday:
Cream of Broccoli Soup (vegetarian; buy extra broccoli for Friday)
Artichoke Crostini (jarred artichokes)
Caramelized Peaches

Wednesday:
Shepherd's Pie (instant mashed potatoes, canned mixed vegetables and soup)
Waldorf Salad
Cherry Fluff (canned cherry pie filling and pineapple, frozen whipped topping)

Thursday:
Oven Fried Chicken (boneless, skinless chicken breast or tenders, seasoned coating mix for chicken)
Macaroni and Double Cheese (boxed macaroni and cheese dinner, shredded cheese)
Green Beans
Fresh Baked Cookies (take-and-bake cookies)

Friday:
Ham and Cheddar Strata (pre-cooked ham or ham lunch meat, purchased sourdough bread, bagged cheese)
Broccoli / Bell Pepper / Mushroom Stir Fry (sliced mushrooms)
Toasted Pound Cake with Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce (purchased pound cake, ice cream, and chocolate sauce)

Saturday:
Grilled Shrimp with Greek Veggie Salsa (cleaned and deveined shrimp, canned tomatoes and black olives)
New Potatoes
Corn on the Cob
Ice Cream with Apple Crunch Topper (purchased ice cream)

I sincerely hope you have fun with your meal planning and preparation,

What's For Dinner? 30 Minute Menus For 2010 - 4th Edition

This is the 4th edition of the weekly 30-minute menus for 2010. These are published on a weekly basis; I like to develop the weekly menus on Thursday or Friday, grocery shop on Saturday, and start the week's menus on Sunday.

Winter is in full-force here in Atlanta; we move between rainy and very cold/clear weather. To help chase away the colds and flu the weather helps bring to us this time of year, the menus this week are hearty to keep everyone at your table warm on the inside.

To help with the budget during these tough times, I have included 'cook once - eat three times' menus. You family will not mind one bit because each menu is so different than the others; they won't even know your clever time-saving and budget-saving trick if you don't tell them!

You will find that I use several cooking methods, mix and match, to get dinner on the table quickly! (The ingredients in parenthesis show some of my quick-prep steps.) You can always substitute your favorite made-from-scratch recipes when you have more time.

I hope you have a great week!

Sunday:
Eye of the Round Roast Beef with Peppercorn Sauce (crock pot, gravy mix; save some beef for Tuesday and Thursday)
Mashed Potatoes (frozen steamers)
Chop House Salad (jarred salad dressing)
Individual Boston Cream Tortes (purchased pound cake, instant pudding mix, prepared chocolate syrup)

Monday:
Spicy Redfish with Pineapple Slaw (bagged slaw mix, jarred slaw dressing, canned pineapple)
Herb and Mushroom Rice (boxed rice mix)
Chocolate Dipped Cookies and Berries (purchased cookies, chocolate morsels)

Tuesday:
Blue Cheese Encrusted Beef Stew (beef from Sunday; prepared pie crust, jarred beef gravy, canned potatoes and carrots)
Fresh Fruit Salad (prepared mayo)
Apple Dumplings a la Mode (purchased ice cream, prepared pie crust)

Wednesday:
Oven Fried Chicken (boneless, skinless chicken breast or tenders, seasoned coating mix for chicken)
Macaroni and Double Cheese (boxed macaroni and cheese dinner, shredded cheese)
Green Beans
Fresh Baked Cookies (take-and-bake cookies)

Thursday:
Mexican Beef and Cheese Soup (beef from Sunday; shredded cheese)
Tortillas with Guacamole Spread
Stacked Brownies (purchased brownies, ice cream, and chocolate syrup)

Friday:
Tortellini Rustica with Fresh Vegetables (vegetarian; prepared tortellini, grated Parmesan cheese)
Three Pepper Salad (jarred Italian salad dressing)
Quick Tortoni and Seasonal Berries (purchased coconut macaroon cookies and ice cream, frozen whipped topping)

Saturday:
Fiesta Chicken (boneless, skinless chicken breasts, Ro*Tel canned tomatoes)
Yellow Rice (boxed rice mix)
Mexi-Corn (canned corn)
Pear Salad (canned pears)
Banana Pudding (purchased vanilla wafers, instant pudding mix)

I sincerely hope you have fun with your meal planning and preparation,
Elizabeth Randall and Family