Menu Plan for 11/2-11/8/09

Wow! Can you believe that it's already November? Winter is fast closing in, so this week my family will be wrapping up the last of the summer and fall chores. This week, we'll be moving our daughter, Valerie, to her new apartment, cleaning up and putting to rest the vegetable garden and flower pots, stacking the last of the firewood, and cleaning out the chicken coop. When all of that is done, my husband & I will finish painting our bedroom and bathroom, a project that we started 2 years ago! All of this will be going on, while we continue our regular routine...at least, that's the plan!

On another note, the virus that I have been battling with the last 2 weeks has struck again! We've got 2 kiddos down for the count...praying for this to be over soon!

The crockpot will be getting a work-out this week!


Monday: Crockpot Whole Grain Breakfast Cereal, blueberries
Leftover Beef Stew, toast
Crockpot Chinese Pepper Steak, brown rice, salad (see Wednesday's post)

Tuesday: Plum Smoothies, cinnamon toast
*Homemade Cream of Mushroom soup, crackers
Apple Cinnamon Pork Tenderloin, (using crockpot)Broccoli Salad, sourdough bread

Wednesday: Apple Pan Goody
Toasted tunafish sandwiches, sliced apples
Cincinnati Chili, (started in the crockpot!), green salad

Thursday: *Nutmeg Coffee Cake, fresh orange/grapefruit juice
Organic boxed macaroni & cheese, carrot sticks
Chicken/Apple sausage, quinoa, steamed broccoli

Friday: Cream of Wheat pudding
Simple nachos, tangerines
*Salmon quiche, coleslaw, buttermilk biscuits

Saturday: Whole wheat waffles, hot chocolate
Leftovers
Lentil Burritos, (crockpot), green salad

Sunday: Homemade granola
Chili, (crockpot), cornbread

Desserts/Snacks: Oatmeal cookie/ice-cream sandwiches, pumpkin bars, spiced apple cider, popcorn

The desserts and snacks will be from recipes I have found. They are not considered "healthy" in their present form, so I'll be doing a little experimenting this week to fix that!

*Recipes*

Homemade Cream of Mushroom soup (from "The Tasha Tudor Cookbook")

1/2 lb. of fresh mushrooms, chopped
2 slices of sweet onion, chopped
2 T. unsalted butter
4 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca
1 cup boiling water
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup cream
2 egg yolks, beaten slightly

Saute the mushrooms & onion in the butter, then transfer to a stockpot, add the chicken stock, and simmer for half an hour. Strain through a sieve. Add the tapioca and boiling water. Simmer 10 minutes. Season as you like. Just before serving, add the cream and egg yolks. Heat thoroughly, taking care not to allow soup to boil. Serve immediately. Serves 6

*Nancy's Nutmeg Coffee Cake (from "The Farm Chicks in the Kitchen" cookbook)

2 cups flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour)
2 cups packed light-brown sugar (I use sucanat)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup sour cream
1 t. ground nutmeg
1 t. baking soda
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 t. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix flour and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Use a pastry cutter or 2 knives to cut in the butter until the mixture looks like sand. Spoon half the mixture into a square 9-inch pan, evenly pressing over the bottom.

Add the egg, sour cream, nutmeg, and baking soda to the remaining flour mixture; mix until well combined. Spoon the batter over the mixture in the pan, spreading evenly. Mix the walnuts and cinnamon in a small bowl and evenly sprinkle over the batter in the pan.

Bake until center is set-about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and cut the warm cake into 9 3-inch squares. Serve warm (the crust will be soft), or allow to cool (the crust will be crunchy). Store, covered, in the pan up to 2 days.

*Salmon Quiche* (from "Eat Your Way Through the USA", Alaska)

4-5 oz. smoked salmon, flaked
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
2 T. flour
4 large eggs
1 cup milk
3/4 t. salt
1/8 t. red pepper sauce

Toss salmon, cheese, and onion with the flour. Spread in greased pie pan. Beat eggs slightly, then beat in remaining ingredients. Pour over salmon mixture. Cook uncovered in a 350 F. oven 35-40 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. You'll want to double this! Excellent for leftovers!