Meal #5

Christina’s Salsa Chicken

Ingredients

1 pound chicken, cooked & shredded
1 packet taco seasoning
16 oz wide egg noodles
24 oz salsa
16 oz sour cream

Boil noodles. Drain & return to pot. Add sour cream & salsa. In a separate bowl, mix shredded chicken with taco seasoning. Add to the noodle mixture & cook for five to seven minutes on medium heat.

Serve with a tossed salad.

Makes eight servings.

Amy’s Tips:

This is my girlfriend’s (Christina) recipe and it is so yummy! She tells me that it freezes beautifully too. Make a double batch and throw half of it in the freezer for a night when you don’t feel like cooking. I would cook the noodles only to al dente just to make sure you don’t end up with mushy noodles after reheating.

Meal #6

Country Ham and Macaroni Casserole

Ingredients

1 lb country ham slices or regular smoked ham in one piece
1 lb elbow macaroni
2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese (8 oz)
1 cup sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 cup dry plain bread crumbs

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bring 4 quarts water and ham to boiling in large pot. Once water begins to boil, remove ham to a plate. Add macaroni to pot. Return water to boiling; cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Coarsely chop ham, discarding any fat.
Drain macaroni and return to pot. Add ham, cheese, sour cream and soup. Scrape into a 13x9x2 baking dish. Pour melted butter over top. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake in heated 400º oven 30 minutes or until heated through and top is golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Note: Prepare in two 8x8 casserole dishes, bake one and freeze one (unbaked) for another day this month. If freezing, top with crumbs and margarine right before baking.

Broccoli

Ingredients

1 head of broccoli
Salt to taste

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Trim and wash broccoli. When water has been brought to a boil, then add broccoli to the pot. Cook for three minutes. Drain broccoli. Place broccoli back in the hot pot and put the lid on. By the time the rest of your dinner is ready you will have the perfect broccoli- perfect color and texture.

Meal #7

Roast Turkey Sandwiches

Ingredients

1- boneless, white turkey breast
1 can of chicken broth (low sodium)
Salt & Pepper
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Cook turkey as directed on package after it has been thoroughly unthawed. Drizzle the skin of the turkey with olive oil and sprinkle salt & pepper on the outside & inside (in the cavity) of the bird. Pour a can of chicken broth in the bottom to keep the bird moist. Allow the bird to roast uncovered until the skin is crisp & golden. Cover with a foil tent after it has reached the desired color. Allow the bird to rest fifteen minutes after cooking before cutting.
Note: To store the meat, I double-bag the meat and store half in the freezer & half in the fridge (for immediate use). Pour half a can of chicken broth in each of the bags to keep the turkey meat moist & tender.

Makes eight servings.

Serve on wheat bread with blue corn chips.

Amy’s Tips:

This is our family favorite and I prepare one of these each month for our sandwich meat for the month. The meat stays extra moist, if prepared for the freezer as directed, and is much better for you than that nasty lunchmeat.

You can look on allrecipes.com for great ways to use up that leftover turkey (if you even have any!)

Meal #8

Sunday Brunch: Pumpkin Pancakes

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup milk
1 cup pumpkin, canned

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and spices. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, adding yogurt, milk and pumpkin puree. Mix well. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just blended. Spoon the batter onto a preheated, oiled griddle, using 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook pancakes slowly over a low-medium heat for approximately 4-6 minutes, flipping after 3 minutes.

Makes eight servings.

Served with warm maple syrup & orange juice.

Amy’s Tips:

Who doesn’t love a good Sunday brunch? My son eats these as fast as I can make them. To make them even more appealing (as if you need that) I make a smiley face on the top pancake made out of whipped cream.

If you want a really sweet pancake, substitute the cup of sour cream for one cup of French vanilla yogurt and decrease the sugar to a ½ cup. I usually prepare them this way, but French Vanilla Yogurt is not always available at Aldi. I figured it would be good to have an alternate plan and created the recipe using the sour cream & extra sugar and it worked perfectly!