December Meal Plan...

If you are scrambling for recipes this month with all the busyness of the season, here is what we are having.  We have leftovers on Wednesday because we have to be at church soon after John gets home from work.  I've included some of the recipes.... Enjoy!

December
2011
Meal Plan

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
	Turkey Pot Pie (Healthy)	Venison Stew	Leftover Turkey Pot Pie	Brushetta Chicken (Recipe below)	Leftovers or go out	BLT’s w/avocadoes Soup
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
Potluck-Pumpkin Soup	Stuffed  Peppers (recipe below)	Meatloaf	Leftovers	Talapia (Recipe below)	Fish tacos	Leftovers- soup from freezer
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Luncheon @ church	Thai Chicken	Turkey Chili	Leftovers	Lasagna	Leftover lasagna
25	26	27	28	29	30	31

Turkey Pot Pie- from Cooking Light.com

Ingredients

• 3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth$
• 1 1/2 cups frozen green peas, thawed $
• 1 cup (1/2-inch) cubed peeled baking potato $
• 1 cup (1/2-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato $
• 1 cup (1/2-inch) cubed peeled celeriac (celery root)
• 1 cup (1/2-inch-thick) slices parsnip
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen pearl onions
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces $
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces), divided $
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free milk $
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt $
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper $
• Cooking spray $
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry dough, thawed

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Bring broth to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Add peas and next 5 ingredients (through onions) to pan; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 6 minutes. Add chicken; cook for 5 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken and vegetables from broth with a slotted spoon; place in a large bowl.
3. Increase heat to medium. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place all but 1 tablespoon flour in a medium bowl; gradually add milk to bowl, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add milk mixture to broth; cook for 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently. Stir in chicken mixture, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Spoon mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
4. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon flour on a work surface; roll dough into a 13 x 9-inch rectangle. Place dough over chicken mixture, pressing to seal at edges of dish. Cut small slits into dough to allow steam to escape; coat dough lightly with cooking spray. Place dish on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 16 minutes or until pastry is browned and filling is bubbly.

Bruschetta Chicken- from the Taste of Home Cookbook...

• 4 Servings
• Prep: 10 min. Bake: 30 min.

103040\\

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Place flour and eggs in separate shallow bowls. In a third bowl, combine bread crumbs and cheese. Dip chicken in flour, then eggs; coat with bread crumb mixture.
• Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Drizzle with butter. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170°.
• In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Spoon over the chicken. Return to the oven for 3-5 minutes or until tomato mixture is heated through. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: 1 topped chicken breast equals 380 calories, 14 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 185 mg cholesterol, 589 mg sodium, 19 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 42 g protein.

Smoky Stuffed Peppers
2 large bell peppers, tops cut off and seeded4 ounces hot Italian sausage, removed from casing (about 1 link) 3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth1 large plum tomato, chopped 2/3 cup instant brown rice1/3 cup chopped fresh basil1/3 cup finely shredded smoked cheese, such as mozzarella, Cheddar or Gouda, divided.

1.  Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler.
2. Place peppers cut-side down in a  large, microwave-safe dish.  Fill the dish with 1/2 inch of water, cover and microwave on High until the peppers are tender-crisps, 7 to 10 minutes.  Drain the water and transfer the peppers to a roasting pan.  3.Meanwhile, cook sausage in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Stir in broth, tomatoes and rice; bring to  simmer, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon.  Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the rice is softened but still moist, about 10 minutes.
4. Stir basil and half the cheese into the rice mixture.  Divide the filling between the peppers, then top with the remaining cheese.  Broil until the cheese is melted, 2 to 3 minutes.

I served the peppers with an Orange and Avocado Salad with a Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette.  Yum! Enjoy!

BOBBY'S BAKED TILAPIA- from foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

• Butter cooking spray
• 4 (6 to 8-ounce) tilapia fillets
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 lime, finely grated zest and juice
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a large cast iron pan with a nonstick butter spray.

Rinse fish and pat dry; place on the cast iron pan. Season each fillet with salt, cracked pepper, lime zest and lime juice. Add fish to the pan. Place a pat of butter on each fillet and cook in the oven for 8 to 12 minutes.