Menu Plan Monday

After a busy weekend, I got a late start on my weekly grocery shopping. I also went to the store without a list, which caused me to overspend a little, and I probably forgot something(s) too.

Our dinners for this week will be:

Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup* with sweet rolls
Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and green beans
Chile colorado with rice and refried beans (cheese pizza for the kids)
Spaghetti with meat sauce, homemade Peasant bread
BBQ Chicken in the crockpot, with rice and corn
Beef Stew with Cornbread

I made the Chicken and Rice soup tonight, but like always, I made some changes! I wanted to stretch it a bit because it was feeding all 7 of us. I used 3 cans of chicken broth plus 2 cups of homemade chicken stock, and upped the rice to 3 cups. It came out perfect, and everyone had enough! I served it with a bag of "pan de leche" (sweet rolls).

Hubby and Sabrina requested that I make meatloaf again this week. I usually make it pretty much the same way all the time. One and a half pounds of hamburger, 2 eggs, 2 slices of wheat bread toasted & crumbled, season salt, a can of tomato paste, and bread crumbs until it reaches the right consistency (not too slimy/wet, but not too dry so that it maintains the loaf shape). Mix it all up, form it into a loaf, and then top with a layer of ketchup. Bake at 350* for an hour.

Chile colorado is another simple dish. Cube up a pound of beef (I'm using the london broil that I got on sale), toss with some flour and pepper. Fry in oil until no longer pink on the outside. Add a can of red enchilada sauce (the big can), and simmer for thirty minutes. Serve over rice with refried beans, and your favorite kind of tortillas for scooping. And a dollop of sour cream. The leftovers are awesome over scrambled eggs.