NOT ANOTHER SANDWICH!

Well, it's Monday, so that means it is time to plan our meals for the week! Doing this has made dinnertime so much easier around here. Everyone knows up front what we are having, so there are few - if any - complaints, and it is also saving us so much money!

To be honest, we are getting a little bit tired of plain old sandwiches on Monday nights. So tired, in fact, that last Monday we blew off the plan AND the budget and went to McDonald's. Technically, that could still be considered "sandwich night", but it definitely did not save us time, calories, or money. Pizza night is getting a little bit old, too. Though the reasons we have for these two nights are still valid, we are just really craving some variety in our diet. My goal this week is to incorporate some creativity into both sandwich and pizza nights! In addition, we have one final kink for the week in our usual menu plan: there will be no $10 meal at church on Wednesday night due to "Giveaway Day", which I will post more about after the actual day occurs!

And now, without further ado...

Thanks again to Laura at I'm An Organizing Junkie

for hosting Menu Plan Monday each week!

MONDAY - We are staying true to "sandwich night" because we really do need to keep things quick and easy, but instead of plain old sandwiches, we will be having Savory Crescent Squares. YUM!!! (See recipe below!)

TUESDAY - We are staying true to "pizza night" as well, but instead of greasy take-out pizza, we will be having Build-Your-Own-Pizza, using browned ground beef, mushrooms, black olives, onions, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, Pillsbury pizza crust, and a choice between Ragu or Contadina pizza sauce. I love this kind of pizza night! It's still quick and easy, but SO much more fun than take-out pizza!

WEDNESDAY - Arrrgh! This night is a toughie! We don't want to spend a lot of money, but it is the one day that I really do not have time to cook - ANYTHING! We also have a very small window of opportunity for dining between the time that Mr. Brownstone gets home from work and the beginning of church. If I remember to get it out of the freezer, we might have leftover Mexican Soup from last week.

THURSDAY - Because I AM going to remember to thaw out the Mexican Soup leftovers, I will remember to thaw out the pork chops, too! We will be having the Fiesta Pork Bake and broccoli that we were supposed to have last Friday! We totally forgot that our friends' band was playing at a local BBQ restaurant. We had a really fun time sitting on the back porch in the beautiful weather, while eating good food, listening to good music, and hanging out with good friends!

FRIDAY - We are having Tilapia With Garlic Butter, summer squash, and baked zucchini. (See tilapia recipe below!)

SATURDAY and SUNDAY - We will be at the lake with friends! I'm sure we will dine on things like hamburgers, hot dogs, and S'MORES!, but we have not been so organized as to already have a menu plan together for the ten or so families that will be in attendance! It won't matter what we eat, though...we will be with friends, and dining with friends makes ANY meal worthwhile!

The following recipes are courtesy of my mom's recipe box. She is a fantastic cook!

Savor this.....

Why these are called squares, I'll never know. Square, or not, they are so good! They are also very quick and easy.

Savory Crescent Squares

3 ounces cream cheese
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted - divide 2 tablespoons and 1 tablespoon
2 cups cooked, finely cubed chicken
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
8-oz. can crescent rolls
chicken-flavored stuffing mix

Blend the cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of butter/margarine until smooth. Add the next 5 ingredients. Separate crescent rolls into 4 rectangles. Spoon 1/2 cup of chicken mixture onto the center of each rectangle. Bring the 4 corners of dough to the center and twist slightly; seal the edges. Roll these in the remaining butter/margarine, and sprinkle with stuffing mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Serves 4.

Tilapia With Garlic Butter

2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
dash pepper
dash salt
pinch of dried dill weed or parsley
dash paprika
4 tilapia fillets

In saucepan, combine butter, garlic, pepper, salt, dill weed, and paprika. Heat over low heat until butter is melted and starts simmering. Remove from heat. Brush a little of the butter mixture in the bottom of a shallow baking dish (line baking dish with foil, if desired); then place tilapia fillets on the buttered area. Brush top of each tilapia fillet with the seasoned butter mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes, until tilapia flakes easily with a fork.

Serves 4.

For more recipes from my mom's box, visit here, here, here, or here!

Enjoy!

NOT ANOTHER SANDWICH!

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