Ok…so it’s been FOREVER since my last posting of a Menu Plan and Recipes. I am going to try to keep this up this time…but no promises. I have a hard time remembering to type it all out and most of the time I don’t use recipes, or at least not ones that are written down. We have a fairly calm week ahead (I hope) so I should be able to cook dinner four nights this week. I know, I know..I should be cooking every night, but we’re still trying to work back into a school groove so I won’t push it.
Here’s what we’re looking at for this week:
Menu Plan
Monday: BBQ Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
Tuesday: Pancakes (I make extra and freeze for breakfast all week), bacon, baked apples
Wednesday: Church night/Eating at Mommaw’s
Thursday: Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad, Garlic Bread
Friday: Apricot Glazed Pork Tenderloin, Stuffing, Peas
Recipes
Baked Apples
Ingredients:
Four medium baking apples
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375-degrees. Wash and core the apples. Pare a strip from around the tops of each apple and discard. Place the apples in an 8-inch-round or 8-inch-square baking pan.
Put 1-tablespoon of raisins in each apple. Pour the apple juice over the apples and cover the apples with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil; baste the apples with the juice. Bake another 20 minutes, or until apples are fork-tender. Serve baked apples warmed or chilled. Recipe makes four apples, or four servings.
Apricot Glazed Pork Tenderloin
Now this is a recipe I do by memory…but I did take the time to look up a version quite similar to my own and thought I would share it with you. This recipe comes from Martha Stewart.com. Thanks Martha!
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 2 pork tenderloins (about 12 ounces each), trimmed of excess fat
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 1 jar (10 to 12 ounces) apricot jam, (about 1 cup)
- 1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
Directions
- Heat broiler; set rack 4 inches from heat. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Rub pork with oil; season with salt and pepper. Broil 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, whisk together jam and mustard. Cook over medium heat until jam melts, 3 to 4 minutes; remove from heat. Transfer half to a small bowl for brushing. Cover pan to keep remaining sauce warm.
- Remove pork from broiler; brush with reserved sauce. Continue broiling until pork is blackened in spots and registers 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 5 to 10 minutes more.
- Cover pork loosely with foil; let rest 5 minutes before slicing. Serve drizzled with warm sauce.
I have found when winter draws to an end and spring has sprung, my daughters become eager to try new flavors or old ones they’ve just forgotten about. I like to take this opportunity to introduce new recipes and ingredients into our menu. As soon as the fresh produce becomes available I fill our countertop bowls with everything offered; everything from staples like apples and oranges to new flavors like mango and papaya adorn our home.
Since we discussed last week some tips on getting the best hotel rate, I thought this week we would touch on a few more travel tips. These tips should ensure a peaceful (ha.), stress-free, and frugal trip for you and your family.
Nutritious snacks don’t have to be bland or boring. With a little imagination you can easily create delicious, super nutritious snack with your children. While you and your child are making these snacks try sharing with them how each of the parts of the snack work together in our bodies.
This week, I got a Beef Stew Kit from Kroger for about $10, which is usually a lot more than I like to spend on one item, but I probably couldn’t make it from scratch for that cheap and it will make one dinner and two lunches for hubby. I also got some chopped pork chops this week since they were on sale. We’ll be having a lot of the same things we have every week, since my girls are creatures of habit. 