MMC 30-Minute Menus for January 23, 2011

Cabin fever anyone? While the weather outside may be beautiful, it is very cold making it easy to stay indoors (and get cabin fever!). The menus this week will have your house smelling wonderful with all those great winter-time aromas. The menus are also easy on the budget for smiles all around!

The Saturday menu, Beef Burgundy, has an easy prep that makes it great for a family night but is also fancy enough for company! If you are having company, I would recommend the Curry Shrimp Cocktail 'Party in a Bag' appetizer course consisting of: a Camembert Round; Shrimp Cocktail with Tamarind Coconut Curry; Endive, Snow Peas, Asparagus Spears, Bell Peppers with Pineapple Chipotle Salsa; Sea Salt Pita Chips and Simple Water Crackers; Wasabi & Soy Sauce Almonds. This will complement the meal nicely and leave you time to enjoy your guests, too!

Do you have a party in your plans? If so, check out the latest feature on my website - 'Party in a Bag'! The Bags are designed to help you pull your party together in 30 minutes - flat! I love to entertain but don't often have the time required to pull off a big, fancy 'do', so, over the years, I have learned a few short-cuts; I will share them with you.

If you are planning a dinner party or family gathering, take a look at the Holiday and Special '30-Minute Complete Menu Plans' on my website. You will find menu ideas to help with your celebration or 'do'.

The Family Meals '30-Minute Complete Menu Plans' are developed to help with both weeknight and special dinner prep. I create Complete Menu Plans using the 30-minute menus from this blog:

• The Complete Menu Plans give you recipes and step-by-step instructions for preparing the complete meal (not just the entree as most meal plans do) in 30 minutes - flat! I even include a grocery list to save unnecessary trips to the grocery store.
• These are eComplete Menu Plans so you can purchase the menu plan now and use it for dinner tonight!
• You won't have to spend your precious time thinking of menu ideas and then looking up the recipes - I will send it all directly to you!
• You can purchase a Complete Menu Plan for the introductory price of .25 each.
• You can purchase a Complete Menu Plan for the introductory price of .25 each. If you have found my 30-minute menus helpful, then you must check out the 30-Minute Complete Menu Plans!

You will find that I use several cooking methods, mix and match, to get dinner on the table quickly! (The ingredients in parenthesis show some of my quick-prep steps.) You can always substitute your favorite made-from-scratch recipes when you have more time.

I hope you have a great week!

Sunday:
Chicken Veronique (boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders, sliced mushrooms; purchase extra mushrooms for Saturday)
Rice or Pasta
Sauteed Yellow Squash
Caprese Salad
Double Chocolate Torte (purchased pound cake and chocolate frosting)

Monday:
Mexican Beef and Cheese Soup (shredded cheese; purchase extra shredded cheeses for Thursday)
Tortillas with Guacamole Spread
Brownies (purchased brownies)

Tuesday:
Speedy BBQ Chicken Sandwiches (canned or deli chicken, bottled BBQ sauce; purchase extra chicken for Friday)
Buns and Condiments (purchased buns, jarred condiments)
Baked Potato Wedges
Cole Slaw (bagged slaw mix, jarred slaw dressing)
Fruit Pizza Cookies (purchased sugar cookie dough)

Wednesday:
Lemony Pan Seared Pork Chops (prepared lemon juice, jarred capers)
Pasta (boxed pasta)
Fresh Broccoli Spears
Rice Krispy Treats (rice cereal, mini-marshmallows, chocolate morsels)

Thursday:
Super Supper Stuffed Spuds (vegetarian; microwave potatoes and bake in oven to finish, shredded cheeses, bagged chopped veggies)
Mandarin Spinach Salad (bagged baby spinach, canned Mandarin oranges, bottled Asian-type salad dressing)
Single Layer Yellow Cake with Berries (yellow cake mix, frozen whipped topping, seasonal berries)

Friday:
Weeknight Chicken Divan (canned or deli chicken, frozen broccoli and cheese mix)
Long-Grain White Rice
Fruit Salad (fresh, seasonal fruit)
Apple Pie a la Mode (purchased apple pie and ice cream; purchase extra ice cream for Saturday)

Saturday:
Beef Burgundy (sliced mushrooms; any leftovers make a fine soup base)
Wide Egg Noodles
Marinated Green Bean and Red Pepper Salad (jarred herb vinaigrette)
Warm French Rolls (purchased bread)
Peach Sundaes (purchased ice cream and jarred peach preserves)

Get inspired for your weekly menus at OrgJunkie!

I sincerely hope you have fun with your meal planning and preparation,
Elizabeth Randall and Family