Menu Day!

I thought I'd do a little Menu Sunday Monday, a la elefantitas alegres.  But unlike the lovely Kate over at EA, I am not nearly together enough to plan a menu for a whole week every week.  There are wayyyy too many nights where I am eating a lean cuisine over the sink because I'm lazy, or going out because I'm a fatty and I can't resist and invitation to go eat delicious fatty food.

But this week, for reasons unknown, I actually have something that almost slightly resembles a plan!

Sunday:
Beef Stew!

I failed to take a picture, and I didn't even make it (Mom did, and I went over and nommed all of her food like a big mooch.)  But beef stew is something I make on the regular, especially in the winter, because it's delicious and it's super easy.  So if you're looking for a dinner that requires approximately 5 minutes of effort, here you go.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. stew beef 
• 5 cups fresh veggies 
• To me, this usually means a pack of baby carrots, an onion, 2 packs of fresh mushrooms and 2 potatoes.  Maybe more than 5 cups.
• 1 pkg. McCormick slow cooker beef stew seasoning
• 1 can Campbell's golden mushroom soup.
• I know that the McCormick recipe doesn't call for this - but DO NOT SKIP IT.  It makes your beef stew, for reals.
• 1 1/3 cup water

Directions:

     Mix water and seasoning mix in a small bowl.  Chop any large veggies (like onions and potatoes).  Throw it all in the slow cooker.  Cook it for 8 hours on low (which is the best way) or 4 hours on high if you're short on time.  PB always insists it be served with rice.  Me, I could just eat it with a spoon out of the crock pot.  Up to you. And there's dinner!

Monday:

I put together this chili cornbread casserole recipe from Daisy, JD.  It did involve roasting my own red peppers, which I really didn't know how to do until I had already decided to make the stuff and bought everything.  Then the explanation she links you to on the Pioneer Woman site looked really daunting.  But I did it anyway, and it actually did work just like she said!  Not that bad.  Though my house still does smell like a giant charred pepper.  

The only modification I did to this recipe was adding a pound of cooked lean ground beef, because my family will pretty much refuse to eat any vegetarian meal for dinner.  Here's hoping it's good!

Tuesday:

Probably going to be a leftover day. 

Wednesday:

Barbeque chicken, green beans, and macaroni and cheese.  

Green beans = a can of Hanover green beans, heated with olive oil, a little chopped onion, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Barbeque chicken = chicken breast thrown in the crock pot on low for 8 hours, covered in KC Masterpiece barbeque sauce

Mac and cheese = the big blue box.  Not kidding.  Sometimes nothing else will do.

Thursday:

Taco Soup!

I made a big freezer batch of this for one of my friends who'll be having a baby in two weeks or so, and it makes such a giant recipe that I kept some for myself.  This is my grandmother's recipe and it is so, so easy and tastes amazing.  It also (obviously) freezes well.

Cook together:

• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped

Drain fat.  Put in large pot along with:

• 1 large can crushed tomatoes
• 1 15 oz. can plain tomato sauce
• 2 small cans Ro-Tel
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 1 package Ranch dressing mix
• 2 cans white corn, drained
• 2 cans black beans, drained
• 2 cans pinto beans, drained
• 2 cans kidney beans, drained
• 1 can water

Simmer for about 15 minutes and ta-da!  You have enough taco soup for an army. Serve it with tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream.  

See? Delicious!