What's for Dinner Next Week?

Sunday: Lemon Salt Marinated pork tenderloin: Recipe Here

Monday: Tacos

I browned and seasoned 3 pounds of ground meat on my prep day; divided and froze into thirds

Tuesday: Broiled chicken with Asian BBQ sauce

I separated a large package of boneless/skinless chicken thighs into two zipper bags and mixed enough BBQ sauce (recipe below) for all the meat. Then I divided the sauce into two quart size bags and froze everything together.

Asian style BBQ sauce: amounts are approximate

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1 T rice vinegar

2 T honey

3/4 tsp. ground ginger

1 T sesame seeds

Combine all ingredients mixing well. Add a little water if needed to thin consistency for brushing. Broil chicken 8-10 minutes, brush with BBQ sauce. Turn meat over, brush on more sauce, and broil 5-8 minutes longer until done.

Wednesday: Pork Chops- We had this last week too. It didn't reheat well, so I am going to try something different with this half of the recipe this week. I'll let you know how it turns out...

Thursday: Sausage French Bread Sandwich

Brown your favorite variety of sausage with chopped onion. Drain fat. Combine 1/4 cup of room temp cream cheese with 1/4 cup room temp butter, 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, salt and pepper (to taste). Spread evenly on both sides of french loaf. Layer provolone cheese over spread. Place sausage crumbles on top of one side of cheese, close up the sandwich. Cut french loaf into two halves and wrap in foil to make sandwiches for two nights (each half will serve 2-3 people). To heat, place wrapped sandwich in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Cut into servings and wrap in damp paper towel, Heat in microwave for 30 seconds each to soften the bread.

Friday: Steak Fajitas

Slice onions, red, and yellow peppers into strips. I also sliced meat (flank steak) into thin strips across the grain. I followed the directions on packaged fajita seasoning to prepare the marinade and poured it over the meat which I froze into two separate bags. I placed the veggies in another bag and froze everything together. Fajitas take only a few minutes to cook, so I'll whip everything up on Friday night.

Saturday: Spaghetti- Your favorite recipe or my shortcut recipe below.

Brown 1 pound ground beef and 1 pound sausage with chopped onion and sliced crimini mushrooms. Salt a pepper to taste. Add two jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce, 1 can of diced tomatoes, and 1/2 cup water (I put the water in the jars and then shake to get all the sauce out). Add more salt and pepper if needed and any herbs you like- Italian seasoning and a couple of bay leaves work well. Simmer for about an hour. Pour into three separate containers and freeze for three meals that will serve 3-4 each.