French Bread Pepperoni Pizza

Fresh Garden Salad




This is the perfect meal for those nights when everyone has somewhere to go and dinner needs to be on the table pronto. This meal can be fixed in about ten minutes.

Ingredients:
1 loaf of French bread
1 jar of pizza sauce
½ lb of pepperoni
½ lb of mozzarella cheese
½ head of chopped iceberg lettuce
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
½ cup of cilantro, chopped
Salad dressing of your choice

Preparation:
Toss the salad ingredients together.
Slice the French bread.
Cover each slice with a spoonful of pizza sauce, some pepperoni, and some cheese.
Broil just until the cheese melts and begins to turn brown.
Dinner is ready!

Chicken Pozole Soup

Warm Yellow Corn Tortillas
Pico de Gallo




This is a version of the classic pozole made in the crock pot. If you have chicken left over from last night’s Roasted Chicken with Orzo, this is a perfect way to use up the leftovers. Throw it together in the morning, and come home to a nice warm dinner. If you have time, make the Pico de Gallo the night before, or that morning, so the flavors have more time to blend.

Ingredients:
2 cups of cooked, diced chicken
4 cups of chicken broth
4 green onions, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 fresh jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1 jar of green chilis
2 cans of hominy, including the liquid
1 cup of chopped cilantro
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp Mexican oregano, ground
2 Tbsp cumin, ground
2 tsp salt

In the morning:
Place all the ingredients in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 7-9 hours.

In the afternoon:
Make the Pico de Gallo if you haven’t done so already.
Warm the corn tortillas over a gas flame or in the microwave.
Serve the soup with tortillas. Garnish the soup with the Pico de Gallo.

Roasted Chicken with Orzo

Warm Sweet Potato and Spinach Salad

The chicken and sweet potatoes cook in the slow cooker. All that is needed at the end of the day is to cook the orzo pasta and put the spinach salad together.

Ingredients:
1 roasting chicken
1 lemon, sliced
1 onion sliced
1 sprig of rosemary
1 tablespoon of butter for the chicken
1 cup of orzo pasta
1 tablespoon of butter for the pasta
2 large sweet potatoes
2 cups of spinach, torn into pieces
¼ cup of apple juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar

In the morning:
Wash and dry the roasting chicken
Rub the cavity with salt. Place the lemon, onion, and rosemary inside the cavity.
Rub the outside of the chicken with butter.
Lay metal cookie cutters on the bottom of the slow cooker. This will make a platform to keep the chicken and potatoes out of the juices as they cook.
Place the chicken in the slow cooker.
Wash the sweet potatoes and lay the them around the chicken.
Bake on low for 6-8 hours.

In the afternoon:
Cook the orzo according to package directions.
Heat the apple juice and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until it begins to thicken.
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into bite sized chunks.
Toss the sweet potatoes with the spinach. Pour the apple juice mixture over the top and stir to coat. The spinach will be slightly wilted from the heat of the sauce.
Take the chicken out of the slow cooker and place on a serving platter on a bed of orzo pasta.

Tip: Save the drippings from the bottom of the crock pot. Strain it and freeze in ½ cup containers. You will have homemade chicken stock on hand in premeasured ½ cup amounts for any recipe that calls for chicken stock.

Dinner Magic Menus October Week 2

Dinner Magic Menus October Week 2

Quick Chicken Parmigiana
Stir Fried Zucchini and Onion
Green Salad

Salmon Burgers
Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Salad with Radish Slaw

Korean Style Beef Bowl with Udon Noodles

Italian Sausage and Bean Stew

Tex Mex Chicken and Rice
Pinto Beans
Melon Mojito Salad

Turkey Meatloaf
Potatoes Au Gratin in a Crock Pot
Dinner Salad

Turkey Meatloaf Gyros
Cucumbers in Yogurt

Dinner Magic Shopping List October Week 2

Dinner Magic Shopping List October Week 2

Meats:
6 breaded chicken patties
1 lb flank or skirt steak
1 lb. bulk Italian sausage (hot or sweet)
1 lb chicken breast tenderloins
1 ½ lbs ground turkey

Dairy:
½ lb Mozarella
½ lb Parmesan
Eggs
Sour cream
1 cup plain or Greek style yogurt

Frozen Food:
1 small package frozen corn

Fresh Produce:
1 head of garlic or 1 jar of crushed organic garlic
3 zucchini
3 yellow onions
1 head of iceberg lettuce
1 head of romaine lettuce
1 bunch of cilantro
3 tomatoes
1 green bell pepper
1 bunch of radishes
2 cucumbers
2 large sweet potatoes
4 russet potatoes
1 bunch green onions
1 bag grated carrots, or 3 fresh carrots
2 carrots
1 small leek
1 small package bean sprouts (optional)
Fresh Udon noodles
1 honeydew (if the honeydew and cantaloupe are not available fresh, frozen will do)
1 cantaloupe
2 kiwi
3 limes

Canned Food:
2 small cans of sliced black olives
1 can salmon (15 oz.)
3 cans beef broth, or one box of beef broth
3 cans chicken broth
1 can cheese soup
1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz.)
1 small can tomato paste (6 oz.)
2 cans cannelloni beans or navy beans
1 can pinto beans (15 oz.)
1 jar of salsa

Dry Food and Staples:
Olive oil
Sesame oil
Vegetable oil
Mayonnaise
Bread crumbs
Corn meal
Flour
Sugar
Powdered sugar
1 pound of spaghetti
White or brown rice
Whole wheat burger buns
Whole wheat flat bread or gordito style tortillas
Croutons

Spices and Condiments:
Salt and pepper
Lemon juice
Rice wine vinegar
Soy sauce
Basil
Oregano
Sage
Thyme
Mint
1 package taco seasoning mix
Asian style salad dressing

Other items for your own personal shopping list:

Pumpkin Soup

Grilled Turkey Sausage with Vegetables
Pumpernickel Bread



Ingredients:
1 can (16 oz.) of pumpkin puree (The kind that already has the pumpkin pie spices in it.)
1 can evaporated milk
3 cups of chicken broth
1 lb turkey sausage
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, sliced
½ cup of mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbsp real butter

Preparation:
Stir together the pumpkin, milk, and chicken broth in a saucepan. Warm over low heat.
Cook the turkey sausage in a skillet. Remove the sausage.
Cook the vegetables in the butter until tender. Add the sausage back to the pan to keep warm.
Serve the sausages on the pumpernickel bread, topped with the sautéed vegetables.
Serve the pumpkin soup with the sandwiches.

I have another version of a 10 minute pumpkin soup recipe on my Easy Meals Examiner.com page.

Scallops and Shrimp with Green Rice

Peas and Carrots




Ingredients:
½ lb of shrimp, cleaned and deveined
½ lb of scallops, rinsed and dried
¼ cup Italian dressing
1 cup of parsley
¼ cup of sunflower seeds
1 clove of garlic crushed
¼ cup oil
2 cups of long grain rice
1 pkg frozen peas and carrots

Preparation:
Put the shrimp and scallops into a zip top plastic bag with the Italian dressing. Let them marinate while preparing the rice and the parsley mixture.
Cook the rice according to the package directions.
Put the parsley, garlic, and sunflower seeds in a food chopper with the ¼ cup of oil.
Pulse until the mixture is chopped into a green paste.
Cook the shrimp and scallops on the indoor grill until they are browned.
Cook the peas and carrots in the microwave.
Stir the parsley mixture into the cooked rice.
Serve the shrimp and scallops over the top of the green rice with the peas and carrots on the side.

Turkey Burgers

Parmesan Oven Fries
Broccoli



These thick, juicy patties will make you want to always stay home for burgers and fries. Shown here in the pan, they only get better when you add all your favorite toppings.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 egg
1 tbsp barbeque sauce or ketchup
½ cup of crushed saltine cracker crumbs
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
4 potatoes, cut into wedges
¼ cup of fresh grated parmesan
Cooking spray
4 cups broccoli florets
4 burger buns

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Spray a baking pan with cooking spray and lay the potato wedges on it.
Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the potato wedges.
Bake in the oven, turning once, until they are crispy brown and tender.
While the potatoes bake, stir the turkey burger ingredients together.
Form into patties. Cook on the indoor grill, or fry in a pan sprayed with cooking spray.
Cook the broccoli until crispy tender.

Serve the turkey burgers with sliced tomato, lettuce, pickles, and all the burger toppings your family enjoys.

Sesame Pork Chops

Baked Potatoes
Fresh Green Beans




This is a meal that only takes a few minutes to put together, but the pork chops must cook in the oven for one hour. I buy the already washed and clipped green beans in a bag to save time.

Ingredients:

4 pork sirloin chops, thick cut
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 chopped green onions
4 baking potatoes
1 lb fresh green beans, cleaned and clipped
2 tsp cooking oil
1 Tbsp cornstarch
Butter for serving with the potatoes, if desired

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Sear the pork chops in a pan to brown both sides and seal in the juices.
Mix the garlic, soy sauce, honey, and mustard.
Place the pork chops in a baking dish. Cover with the sauce and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
Place them in the oven to bake for one hour.
Wash the potatoes. Drizzle ½ tsp oil on each potato and wrap in a piece of aluminum foil.
Bake the potatoes for 45 minutes.
During the last ten minutes of cooking time, cook the green beans in boiling water.
Remove the pork chops and reserve the broth.
Mix one Tbsp cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water.
Thicken the broth by simmering it with cornstarch and water.
Serve the pork chops and potatoes with the green beans.
Sprinkle the pork chops and potatoes with the chopped green onions.
Use the thickened broth as a gravy for the pork chops and potatoes.

This dish also tastes delicious with my Homemade Chunky Applesauce with Cinnamon.