Dinner Ideas

Thought I’d post some dinner ideas for this week!

Meal 1: Roast
I’ve posted this recipe on my blog before.

Meal 2: Lasagna Bake
You will need box of penne pasta, jar of spaghetti sauce, 1 onion, 1 green paper, lb ground turkey, 16 oz. cottage cheese, 4 cups mozzerella cheese.
1. Cut the onion and green pepper in small dices.  Cook pasta in boiling water.
2. Saute the onion and green pepper in some oil till cooked through (onions are yellow).  Saute on medium heat. 
3. I like to set these aside while I cook the turkey.  Cook ground turkey till it is cooked through.  Add onion/green pepper into meat.  Add sauce (except for 3/4 cup) to the meat mixture and heat!
4. Try and have your cooked pasta set aside before now (drying) so that it doesn’t get watery in your lasagna bake.  The dryer the pasta the better.
5. Layer the 3/4 cup of sauce on the bottom of a glass casserole pan.  Layer 1/2 of the pasta, 1/2 of the meat mixutre, 1/2 od the cottage cheese, and 1/2 of the mozzerella cheese.  Repeat the layers with the other half.  My husband does not like cottage cheese, so I only put this on one side.  You can always use more or less of any ingredient. 
6. Put foil over the top and bake for about 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  Take the foil off and bake for another 5-10 minutes until the cheese is a little crispy to your liking. 
THIS IS A GREAT MEAL TO PREP A DAY BEFORE AND JUST POP IN THE OVEN THE NIGHT OF.  YOU CAN ALSO FREEZE IT A FEW DAYS BEFORE AND HEAT IT THE DAY OF. 
I’m sure you would have to add heating time to it.  If you freeze it, just place it in the fridge the morning of so it thaws a little, taking some heating time down. 

Meal 3: Chicken Quesadilla
You need tortillas, colby jack cheese (I’ve used mozzerella before and it’s really good), 2 chicken breasts, black beans, sour cream, salsa.
1. Cook your chicken in boiling water about 30 minutes till cooked all the way through.  Once it’s done, take it out and chop it up into small pieces. 
2. Throw that into a small skillet and add a little water (2 tbsp) and about 3/4 cup black beans (however much you like).  Add tsp or two of chili powder to the chicken/beans.  If you have a taco seasoning packet, you could add 2 tbsp of this instead.  Stir until heated.
3. Take 1 tortilla and add chicken/beans and cheese on 1 half of the tortilla.  Fold over so it’s closed.
4. Spray a skillet and place quesadilla on it.  If you have a tea kettle or something you can place on top of the tortilla, that would be ideal.  Flip over after a minute or two.  Quesadilla is done when it’s golden brown on both sides.  You can also do this in a quesadilla maker or George Foreman grill and you don’t have to flip it.  This is what I use.
5. Repeat this with other tortillas.  Not sure how many it will make, but should make about 6 or so if you have medium tortillas. 
6. Dip in sour cream or salsa. 

Meal 4: Chicken Salad and Baked Potato
You need 2 chicken breasts, chopped lettuce, half a quartered cucumber, 1 chopped tomato, your favorite salad dressing, and 2 potatoes.
1. Marinate chicken in some kind of marinade.  We use Lawry’s Honey Teryiaki.  You can do overnight or at least 30 minutes. 
2. Grill chicken outside if you can.  If not, just grill on a skillet inside.  So much better outside though.
3. Once chicken is grilled, chop into small bites.
4. Layer lettuce, cucumber, tomato, and chicken.  Add your dressing.  I use ranch.
5. Bake your potato at 450 in foil for an hour for a medium sized potato.  I like to wash my potato, then add oil and salt/pepper on the potato before I wrap it in the foil.  Makes it so good to eat the skin.  Do the potato BEFORE your salad since this takes longer.