Menu Plan Monday

Once again we are joining Laura over at Orgjunkie.com for Menu Plan Monday. I am on a quest to stick to a menu plan for an entire week without straying. Wish me luck! Here's what we're having this week.


Monday
    Baked Potato Bar with all the fixins
Tuesday
    Salisbury Steak, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans
Wednesday
    Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie served over homemade biscuits
Thursday
    Fried Chicken Salad and Garlic Bread Sticks
Friday
    Tex Mex Stir Fry and Cheesy Quesadillas
Saturday
    Tuna Broccoli Roll-ups


Several of the items listed on my menu require a few items I hate to buy. I refuse to buy cream soup in a can, any soup I can make myself, and any package mixes I can make myself. 


Our first mix recipe is for Tuesday's Salisbury Steak recipe. It calls for a can of French Onion Soup. Instead of using a can of French onion soup, I will be substituting this recipe ( which makes an equivalent to one package of dried Lipton Onion Soup when mixed with 2 cups of water.


French Onion Soup Mix

8 tsp dried onion flakes
4 tsp beef stock powder (I use Barry Farms Beef Broth Powder)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp celery salt
pinch sugar
pinch of pepper

Mix ingredients together thoroughly and store in an airtight container or foil package. Keeps for up to 6 months. It is the equivalent of 1 packet of soup mix. 


Next on the list is Crock Pot Wednesday's Chicken Pot Pie. This recipe calls for the good old standby - cream of chicken soup. I have a soup base recipe that I can make any kind of cream soup out of and I will be using it for this recipe as well as my mother-in-law's Tuna Broccoli Roll-ups on Saturday. It's much cheaper and quite easy to make.

Cream of "Anything" Soup Mix 

4 c. powdered milk
1 1/2 c. cornstarch
1/2 c. instant chicken bouillon granules ( I use Barry Farms Chicken Broth Powder)
4 tsp. dried onion flakes
2 tsp. dried thyme
2 tsp basil - crushed dried
1 tsp. pepper

Measure all ingredients into a Ziploc Bag. Shake well, transfer to vacuum seal bag, seal and store up to a year.(Be sure to put a date on your bag!)

To Use:

1/3 C mix

1 C water

Cook over low/med heat until thickened.

Variations: add 1/2 c. minced or chopped *_________*

*Choose One*:

Onions, Mushrooms, Asparagus, Broccoli, Celery, Cooked Chicken, Diced Potatoes, Tomato, Cooked Shrimp, etc.

Use as you would in any Cream of "Anything" Recipe 

(This recipe courtesy of Budget101.com)

This next mix saves a ton of money and is easily adjustable. On Friday, we are going back to our old tradition of mexican food. The following mix recipe is a great replacement for taco seasoning packets.

Taco Seasoning Blend

1 tbsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. paprika
1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cornstarch

Mix all of the above ingredients together. Add to browned ground beef or cooked chicken with 3/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil then simmer until thickened.

Those are the mix recipes I use most often in my kitchen. I found some great recipes for mixes at various sites - including Budget101.com and Allrecipes.com. Cooking is one of my favorite hobbies and its a great way to bless your family. Be sure to visit my Allrecipes Giveaway post and share your favorite recipe sites with me for a chance to win a 2 year supporting membership at Allrecipes.com! Have a great week!


Disclosure: Links to Barry Farms food products in this post are Amazon Affiliate links. Should you choose to visit Amazon and purchase one of these products through my links, I would benefit through our affiliate agreement. I personally  purchase these Barry Food products through Amazon and love the rich flavors they provide. I am certain you would too, which is why I choose to share them.