Everyone is so busy all of the time with family activities and life in general, but even more so this time of year. Meal planning is even more important when life gets so hectic. Planning ahead will actually save so much time, and I know I get so frustrated going to the grocery every single day as a result of when I don’t plan ahead. I ran into some friends yesterday and we were talking about some of my recipes that they enjoy and they asked for a week of meal ideas. Here are some of my family’s favorites with a grocery list at the end to help you take some stress out of your week’s planning!
Chicken Piccata
- 2 packages of thinly-sliced boneless chicken breasts
- 1 egg plus 1/4 cup water mixed in a bowl
- 1 1/2 cups flour in a bowl with salt and pepper sprinkled through
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 fresh garlic cloves crushed
- 1 whole lemon
- 3 tablespoons capers (drained from liquid)
- 1 cup white wine
DIRECTIONS
Place 1/4 cup olive oil in a pan on medium heat with brown, fresh garlic. Drench chicken through the egg mixture, then coat both sides with flour and place in oil. Brown on both sides for 2-3 minutes. Pour wine, lemon juice squeezed from lemon and capers over chicken. Turn heat to low and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Honey Soy Chicken and Rice Bake
- 5-6 bone-in chicken thighs
- ⅓ cup honey
- ⅓ cup soy sauce (can substitute with reduced sodium soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil (optional)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ cup green onions, sliced (about 4-5 green onions)
- 1½ tablespoons minced ginger (about 4-5 cloves)
- 1½ tablespoons minced garlic
- 1½ cups rice
- 2 cups chicken stock (can substitute water)
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
In a large bowl or re-sealable zip-top bag, add the chicken, honey, soy sauce, vinegar and sesame oil. Squeeze out the excess air from the bag and tightly seal it, then gently massage the bag to coat the chicken in the marinade. Place the bag in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for 2 hours.
Remove the chicken from the bag and discard any remaining marinade.
Add the vegetable oil to a large oven-safe pot over medium heat. Carefully add the chicken thighs, skin side down. Cook until the thighs are nicely caramelized, about 5 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken, transfer it to a plate, and set aside.
To the pot, add the green onions, ginger and garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 1-3 minutes. Add the rice and stir to combine. Add the chicken broth, season it with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Stir well and return the chicken thighs to the pot, skin side up.
Cover the pot with a lid, place it in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the rice and chicken are both fully cooked.
Fluff rice and serve warm. Garnish with green onions.
Grilled Salmon with White Beans & Arugula Salad
- 1 tbsp, drained, chopped capers
- ¼ tsp grated lemon rind
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ¾ tsp Kosher salt, divided
- 1 tsp minced fresh garlic
- 1/8 – 1/4 tsp ground red pepper
- 1 15 oz can unsalted Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
- Cooking spray
- 4 (6 oz) salmon fillets
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups arugula
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
DIRECTIONS
Whisk together capers, rind, juice, oil, ½ tsp salt, garlic and red pepper in a bowl.
Place beans in a bowl and drizzle with 2 tbsp caper mixture.
Place salmon on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle salmon with remaining salt and black pepper. Broil salmon, skin side down, for 7 minutes.
Add Arugula and onion to the bowl with the beans. Drizzle with remaining caper mixture and toss.
Divide salad between 4 plates and top each with salmon. Serve immediately.
Brisket
- 1 bottle of Miller Lite beer
- 1 bottle Heinz chili sauce
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 8-10 lb brisket
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350.
Mix beer, chili sauce and brown sugar in a bowl.
Place brisket in roasting pan with fat side up. Pour mixture over top of brisket. Cover brisket with aluminum foil and seal tightly. Cook on 350 for 4 hours. Let cool and slice against the grain with an electric knife. Place brisket back in pan. Reheat covered the next day on 325 for 1 hour.
I like to make this the day before and let it sit in the juices overnight. The flavor is amazing and always enjoyed by all.
Hawaiian Meatballs
- 2 lbs ground beef or ground chicken
- 1 egg
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple
- 4 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 4 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 cup ketchup
DIRECTIONS
In a slow cooker, place all ingredients (except for ground beef or chicken, egg and breadcrumbs). Mix all ingredients together. Turn cooker on high. Mix chicken, egg and breadcrumbs in a bowl. Mix together. Make into 1-inch balls and place in sauce. Turn temperature to low and cook for 6 hours. I love to use these as an appetizer or as a dinner choice served over rice.
Being from the South, I love my grits! I make them for breakfast several times a week. This next recipe is one my family often eats for dinner. We like spicy things and the sauce has a wonderful kick. You can alter it to make it less spicy if needed.
Spicy Shrimp with Andouille Sausage on Grits
- 1/3 cup green hot pepper sauce
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1 shallot chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 2 cup milk
- 1 cup corn grits
- Kosher salt and pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 8 oz smoked Andouille sausage, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 yellow pepper, chopped
- ½ cup minced shallots
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 30 uncooked large shrimp, approx. 1lb peeled and deveined
- 4 plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
DIRECTIONS
Combine first 5 ingredients in a heavy medium saucepan. Boil over medium heat until smooth and simmer.
For grits, bring the water and milk to a boil, gradually whisk in grits. Reduce the heat and simmer until grits have thickened, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid lumps. Season with salt and pepper
For shrimp and sausage: heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the sausage to a pan and brown, then transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon. Add garlic, bell peppers and onions. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté until tender. Add tomatoes and smash. Cook down for 5 minutes. Add shrimp and Cajun seasoning to the pan and sauté until shrimp are beginning to turn pink, 1-2 minutes. Add the sausage and cook another 5-10 minutes.
Divide grits evenly among 4-5 bowls. Serve sausage, peppers and shrimp over grits. Drizzle with sauce.
Mongolian Beef & Broccoli
Marinade:
- 2 lbs | 1 kg beef tenderloin, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce*
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing (Chinese) wine
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (corn flour)
Sauce:
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce (important. See Notes)*
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce (optional BUT adds incredible flavour)
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 3/4 tablespoon ground white pepper (or 1-2 teaspoons red chili powder)
Stir Fry:
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 8 cloves (or 4 tablespoons) garlic, minced
- 1/2 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 broccoli, cut into florets or bag of already cut
- 4 green onion / scallion stems , thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water (corn flour)
DIRECTIONS
Whisk marinade ingredients together until well combined. Marinate the beef slices for 30 minutes to an hour (the more marinading, the more tender the meat will be).
While beef is marinating, whisk together the sauce ingredients until well combined. Set aside and prepare vegetables.
Heat up a wok over medium heat with the 1/4 cup of oil. When oil is hot, stir-fry the marinated beef in batches of four (don’t crowd the wok) until they are just crisp on the edges (about 2 minutes — they cook FAST in the hot oil, so don’t have the oil on high heat or it will spit and spatter all over you and your stove). Remove the meat, leaving as much oil in the wok, and set aside.
Heat up the sesame oil in the wok with any remaining oil, and stir-fry the garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add the vegetables and stir fry until they are vibrant in color and just tender.
Add the beef back into the wok with the prepared sauce. Simmer in the sauce until the beef slices are cooked through (about 2 minutes); add the cornstarch mixture and the sliced green onions. Cook for a further minute, or until the sauce thickens, while stirring quickly.
Grocery list for this week of meals:
- Eggs
- 4 cups arugula
- 1 small red onion
- Bag of broccoli florets
- Red bell pepper
- 4 green onions
- Yellow pepper
- 4 plum tomatoes
- 2 shallots
- 2 pkg thinly sliced chicken breasts
- 2 package chicken thighs with skin on
- 5-10 lb brisket
- 2 lb beef tenderloin
- 2 lb ground beef or ground chicken
- Flour
- Brown sugar
- Olive oil
- Lemon
- Fresh garlic cloves
- Minced ginger
- Small jar capers
- Heinz chili sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- Soy sauce
- Corn starch
- White wine
- 1 lb (30) uncooked medium shrimp
- 8 oz smoked andouille sausage
- Cajun seasoning
- Sesame oil
- Vegetable oil
- Old Bay
- Corn grits
- Breadcrumbs
- 20 oz can crushed pineapple
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 ½ cups rice
- 1 miller lite beer
- 1/3 Cup honey
