Dinner Diva Menu Week of 7/18

Sunday: Chicken Ceasar Salad (so simple, in fact, it comes from real simple magazine!)

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1044814

Homemade Croutons:

I often bake bread, but homemade bread doesn't last long. I take the leftovers and grind them up in my food processor for fresh breadcrumbs, which I freeze, or I cube them and make my own croutons, which I also freeze. Homemade croutons are healthier than storebought because you can control the amount of fat and sodium that go into them. They're also, obviously, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly because they don't require as much packaging or fuel to ship them from factory to store and from store to your home. Plus they're really yummy!

Cube day old bread. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Dust with garlic powder. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until golden. Cool.



Monday: Carne Esada, pico de gallo, whole wheat tortillas


http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/carne_asada/


Tuesday: Chicken Caesar Wraps (use leftovers from Sunday)



Wednesday: Cheesy Tuna Noodle Casserole, Pillsbury Biscuits


http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/cheesy-tuna-noodle-casserole-75570.aspx

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Teriyaki-Ginger Pork Tenderloin, rice, commercial cheese rangoons

1 1lb pork tenderloin

cooking spray

1 1/2 T. teriyaki sauce

1 1/2 t. cornstarch

1 15 oz can pineapple chunks in own juice

Trim fat from pork. Slice tenderloin into 1/2 inch thick slices; flatten slices with palm of hand. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over med-high heat until hot. Add pork, and cook 3 min on each side or until browned.

Combine teriyaki sauce and remaining 3 ingredients, stirring well. Add to pork in skillet. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes.

Put pork on a bed of rice on each plate. Spoon sauce over pork.

Saturday: homemade deep dish pizza, salad, breadsticks (storebought, canned, or homemade)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/chicago-style-italian-sausage-and-pepper-deep-dish-pizza-recipe/index.html

Vegetarians, I'm sorry I didn't include you this week, but feel free to substitute tofu for the chicken in the Chicken Caesar Salad and in the wraps, and also Pizza is easy to make vegetarian.