Wow! I’m so late with this post it almost isn’t Monday anymore. We had another crazy multiple road trip kind of day but with the added fun of preschool screening at 8:30am for my youngest just to keep it interesting.

Last week I can’t tell you how much of a difference it made to have a menu. Dinner time went SO much more smoothly than usual. We ate by 6pm instead of 7:30pm. Clean up was done early so I was actually able to enjoy a little bit of my evening too in a comfortable, tidy living space. We tried a couple of new recipes last week I want to share also. They’ll be in the “continued” part of this post. Be sure and check.

I made my menus over the weekend and my shopping list based on them. I realized I’m a little out of practice as I missed a few ingredients. A few more weeks and I’m sure I’ll have it all worked into a fluid system.

So here’s this week:

Monday - Chili and white rice. We mixed kidney beans and black beans along with ground beef, steak, sausage, chunk tomatoes, onion, garlic, lots of chili powder and a little tobasco. Sometimes when I’m feeling adventurous I’ll add a little chili oil for some major heat.

Tuesday - Chicken cutlets. We like to use Panko bread crumbs to coat our boneless chicken breasts. Sides of long grain & wild rice and asparagus will round out this dish.

Wednesday - Ham Steaks with a maple mustard glaze, scalloped potatoes and corn. Pretty standard but also easy and tasty.

Thursday - Beef & Bean enchiladas. We love to make these with ground beef or turkey mixed with Old El Paso’s spicy fat free refried beans. We coat the burrito shells in enchilada sauce, put the filling in, roll them up and then cover the finished enchiladas with whatever sauce is left over. On top of that we put shredded cheddar, black olives and jalapeños. I also usually make homemade guacamole to go along with it. I love that stuff and could eat it every day!

Friday - Make-your-own-pizza party. Friday is my baby girl’s 4th birthday so we’re having homemade pizza, cake and ice cream. Yum - my favorite!

So how about you? What’s on your menu this week?

Don’t forget - recipes below the fold.

Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken

This is an easy dish that is quick to prepare ahead and looks really impressive. A great meal to serve to guests too, just increase the quantities as you need to. Goes well with roast garlic potatoes and grilled zucchini and red peppers.

time to make 35 min 15 min prep

4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 slices prosciutto
2 skinless chicken breasts

1. Preheat oven to 200 degree Celsius (I cooked mine at 400 degrees Fahrenheit).
2. Spread 2 teaspoons mustard over each chicken breast.
3. Wrap 2 slices prosciutto around each breast and secure with a toothpick if necessary.
4. Place chicken into a small baking dish and bake for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
5. Serve with mixed vegetables.

* One variation I did with this recipe is I cut a pocket into the chicken breast and stuffed it with swiss cheese. Delish!

Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe

You can make these pumpkin pancakes with a mix or with your favorite recipe. We used our Buttermilk Pancake mix so we had pumpkin buttermilk pancakes. We’re sure that these would be great with our Country Wheat Pancakes also.

The recipe that follows makes six large pancakes. If you are cooking for a family, double or triple the recipe.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups pancake mix
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 large egg
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 cup canned or pureed pumpkin
1 cup water, more or less

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix the pancake mix and spices together.
2. In another bowl, whisk the egg and the brown sugar together. Stir in the oil, the pumpkin, and most of the water.
3. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir with a spatula until just combined adding more water to obtain the right consistency.

Serve hot with maple syrup.