Menu Plan Monday 12/21/15

I can’t believe Christmas is this Friday! I just got my shopping done yesterday. Yes, I am always a last minute shopper. Every year I swear I am going to get things done early, and yet, every year, I don’t. But it doesn’t matter, all I have left to do now is wrap presents and bake. My hubby is on shift for Christmas this year so we will be eating Christmas dinner at the fire station (again). I still haven’t figured out what dessert I am going to bring…maybe my sopapilla cheesecake or peanut butter pie.

At any rate, the boys and I will be doing our holiday baking this week. In addition to cookies, we are making peppermint bark, graham cracker ice cream sandwiches, Irish toffee bars, and cookie dough fudge. No, we don’t eat all of this ourselves, we actually give most of it to our neighbors. 🙂 Since I will be busy baking, I am keeping my cooking relatively light. This is our menu for the week:

Monday: Chicken Caesar Salad

Tuesday: Mexican Pizza

Wednesday: Stuffed Zucchini

Thursday: Simple Calzones (this is our traditional Christmas Eve dinner)

Friday: Christmas dinner at the fire station

A very Merry Christmas to all of you! Thanks for stopping by for Menu Plan Monday and I hope you enjoy a wonderful holiday!

Menu Plan Monday 12/14/15

 

Wow, I can’t believe how close we are to Christmas, and I haven’t even started shopping yet! It’s going to be a busy couple of weeks for sure. I also have to get going on my holiday baking. I will share some of my favorite recipes in next week’s post. For this week, this is our menu:

Monday: Italian Polenta Casserole

Tuesday: Creamy Swiss Chicken

Wednesday: Stuffed Pork Chops

Thursday: Pizza (we have tickets to go see the Star Wars movie!!!)

Friday: Mexican Stuffed Shells

Thanks for joining me for Menu Plan Monday! See you next week.

Italian Polenta Casserole

Polenta was a staple of my childhood, but I have to admit, it’s not something I’ve used a whole lot in my own cooking. So, after having this dish at my mom’s, I asked her to pass on the recipe to me so I could try it at home. I love casseroles because of their easy, one-dish design, and this one made a lot so we had some for lunch the next day. It did take me a while to find the Polenta in the store (mine was in the produce section near the tofu).

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

2 medium zucchini

1 tube basil and garlic polenta

1 jar pasta sauce (I like to use the large 32 oz. jar)

1 bag shredded Italian cheese

Olive Oil cooking spray

2 tbsp. Olive Oil

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. Garlic Salt

1/4 tsp. Pepper

1/4 tsp. Salt

Directions:

1. Cut the zucchini in half, then slice diagonally into pieces.
2. Cut the Polenta into about 8 slices.

3. Spray each side of the Polenta with the Olive Oil cooking spray and cook in a skillet over medium-high heat for about 3-4 minutes on each side, until they turn light brown. Place them in a casserole dish.

4. Next, add the meat and the seasonings to the pan and brown. Drain the meat and set aside.

5. Add the olive oil to the skillet and saute the zucchini slices for 3-4 minutes until tender.

6. Return the meat to the pan and add the pasta sauce. Cook until everything is heated through.

7. Spoon the meat mixture on top of the Polenta and cover with the shredded cheese. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes until the cheese is melted.

Serve with a salad and some garlic bread and you are done!

I liked this a lot and think I will be adding this to our regular rotation! Thanks for stopping by. Check out more new recipes here: