Weekly Menu || Number Eight

My weekly menu from the third week in May. 

I'm changing the name of my weekly plans to "Weekly Menu", I think meal plan sounds like a diet and if you've followed any of my posts you defiantly know we are not dieters. I like simple delicious foods, I do a lot homemade but will use boxed or other options if it tastes good! We have a monthly food budget of $300, so all my weekly menus fall within that dollar range. Majority of the recipes are not mine, I'm not a chef, I just love food and love to cook and bake; I'm an excellent recipe follower! I'll link to all recipe that are a must try, so you can make them too!

Weekly Menu || Number Eight 

_____

>> Monday >>

Veggie Rice Bowls 

Veggie rice bowls
{30 minute meal, hot weather eats}

As far as meatless goes, this is one of my favorites and super easy. I made white sticky rice, but you could use whatever you want; then add veggies or anything else from the fridge or cupboards. This week I added mini sweet peppers, cashews, and pineapple (pineapple is leftover from last weeks Calzone). Warmed the peppers, cashews, and pineapple in a med-high skillet with sauce; pour over rice. The husband had sauce, broccoli, peppers, and cashews. Top it off with rice sprinkle! 

Loves: 

Sauce - Panda Express Mandarin Sauce, Walmart (This is a staple in our fridge. Try mixing with ranch for a dressing!)

Rice Sprinkle - I buy the black sesame seeds and flaky salt separate and mix it to the ratios I like, it's amazing. I sprinkle it on any rice dishes, roll-ups, fruit, salad....a lot of stuff! 

_____

>> Tuesday >>

Scramble - Canadian Bacon, sweet peppers, and Pepper Jack cheese 
{30 minute meal, hot weather eats}

I used the rest of the Canadian Bacon from the Calzone we had last week.

_____

>> Wednesday >>

Buffalo Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps 

Buffalo Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps
Side - Sliced fruit
{30 minute meal, hot weather eats, rotisserie chicken leftover}

This is one of my favorites, I wait all winter to have this again, we eat a lot of chicken salad during the warm months. Buffalo sauce is so tasty! You can serve this however you like on lettuce, Ritz, Fritos, by the spoon full, whatever. There's my sprinkle again!

Loves:
Buffalo Sauce - Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce 

{Here's my recipe}

Buffalo Chicken Salad 

Ingredients

• 2 cups chicken cooked and chopped
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sauce
• 1 carrot chopped
• Wash Park Seasoning (Savory Spice Shop) to taste
• Celery Salt to taste
• Paprika to taste
• whatever you want for serving the chicken salad, see ideas below

Directions

1. Chicken salad is one of my favorite hot weather meals. I use leftover chicken either from grilling or have rotisserie chicken from Costco one night for dinner and any leftover chicken I take off the bones and make chicken salad.
2. Dice up chicken into the size pieces you like, put into a large bowl.
3. Add mayonnaise, Buffalo Sauce, chopped carrot, seasoning (if you don't have Wash Park Seasoning, you also can substitute salt & pepper), start off small you can always add more; stir.
4. Taste add more of any of the above ingredients to suit your taste buds.
5. Let sit for 10 minutes for the flavors to mix, I put it in the fridge because I like it really cold.
6. Get together whatever you are serving it with/in. Ideas - on top of a bed of lettuce with ranch dressing, with lettuce as a lettuce wrap, on crackers, on Frito scoops, whatever you like!!
7. If you're making as a lettuce wrap, I like to mix ranch and buffalo sauce for a dip.
8. ENJOY!

_____

>> Thursday >>

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
topped with a Mini Dark Chocolate Brown Butter Cookie
drizzled with Dark Chocolate and sprinkled with Coarse
Sea Salt and Cream Cheese Frosting topped with Walnuts 

Man friendly version, more like a sandwich. 

My honey's mom birthday, we went out to eat and then had dessert at our house after. I made these, yum!  I also made a man friendly version for the hubby to take to work the next day.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes - Box, as long as you follow the directions and don't over bake, box mixes are perfect for most flavors of cake...in my opinion. 

Mini Dark Chocolate Chip Cookie - Recipe: Joy the Baker The Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (Changes - I made mini, subbed dark chocolate, after cooled I drizzled with melted dark chocolate and sprinkled with the sea salt, I did not add sea salt before baking.) 

Cream Cheese Frosting - Recipe: Cook's County Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting 

_____

>> Friday >>

Italian Sausage Hoagies with Onions and Bell Peppers
Side - Raw carrots
{30 minute meal, warm weather eats}

I love these! 

Recipe: Cook's Country Skillet Sausage and Peppers (changes I sub water for the white wine)

Loves: 

Balsamic Vinegar -  Venice Olive Oil 18 Year Old Balsamic Vinegar oh it's amazing!

_____

Happy Menu Planning!

xoxojolleen
{you are beautiful and wonderfully made}