Menu Plan Monday – June 21-26

I can’t believe it’s already Monday again. Did you have a good Father’s Day? We had a nice, relaxing day. I got up and made a big breakfast, and on a Sunday morning that means getting up really early to have enough time before church. J drew on the card, and “wrote” Daddy on it – he was very proud of himself. We spent most of the day just hanging around the house, playing with the boys. What did you do?

On to the menu for the week. I’m trying one new recipe, a tater tot casserole my friend Stephanie recommended to me. I have a great chicken recipe my friend Amber suggested that I really want to try, but I’ll save that for next week. Here’s a link to that recipe if you want to check it out! She’s also got photos of her absolutely adorable twins you might want to see. :)

Monday: Pasta night! I’m actually going out with some friends for dinner and pedicures, but I’m going to make some pasta for the boys before I leave. I’m adding lean ground beef to the marinara sauce I bought. I also like to add a little chicken stock, minced garlic, and fresh parsley to give a boost to the flavors.

Tuesday: Chick Fil A night! Last week the four of us ate for less than $6.00 because of the free kids’ meals and our coupon for a free spicy sandwich. We have another free sandwich coupon, so we’ll do the same thing again this week. We’re meeting up with some friends this week, so that’ll be fun.

Wednesday: Tater tot casserole. I’ve never had this, period, but my friend Stephanie told me about a version she made that she thought was really good, so we’re giving it a try. It’s incredibly easy, too – can’t beat that!

Ingredients:

• one package of frozen tater tots
• 1 lb. ground beef (I buy the 96/4 lean meat for casseroles)
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup (I bought the 98% fat free)
• 1 can chopped green chiles
• 1 onion
• shredded cheddar
• salsa

Directions:

1. In a skillet, brown the ground beef. Stir in the chopped onion and green chiles.
2. Layer the meat mixture in the bottom of the casserole dish, and pour the cream of mushroom soup over the top.
3. Add a single layer of tater tots over the top of the casserole. Cook the casserole according to directions for the tater tots.
4. Five minutes before the casserole should be done, pull it out and top with shredded cheese, then cook the remaining time.
5. Serve with salsa. Enjoy!

Thursday: Leftover casserole. We’ve got plans this weekend, so I’ll be glad to not have to cook!

Friday & Saturday: Eat out. We usually never eat out this much in one week, so it’ll be a treat. Hopefully we won’t end up spending too much! I’ll let you know how it goes.

I have several great giveaways going on right now: a Wanchai Ferry Prize Pack, an Honest Tea Prize Pack, and an SAT test prep course from Knewton (valued at $490!). Be sure to take a minute and enter! And check back tomorrow – I’m doing another review and giveaway. I won’t tell you yet what it’s for, but here’s a hint – it’s something to use in the kitchen, and it’s something Brian and I have wanted to get for a while. Any guesses?

Have a great week, everyone!