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Home » Crystal Paine » This Week’s Menu Plan

This Week’s Menu Plan

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(Strawberry Smoothies I made for the children for breakfast recently. I’ve found I can hide all sorts of healthful things — like ground flax seeds and more! — in smoothies and the children just lap them up and ask for more!)

I set a goal for myself to try at least two new recipes every week. That might not seem like a lot to those of you who are really adventuresome in the kitchen, but for someone like me, who tends to get stuck in a rut, it’s been a good challenge.

And I’m finding that the more I branch out and try new things in the kitchen, the more I’m enjoying it!

Breakfasts:

Scones, Smoothies
Homemade Granola, Fruit
Raisin Toast, Scrambled Eggs, Fruit
Cold Cereal, Juice
Orange Cream Smoothies, English Muffins
Toasted Bagels, Fruit
Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls, Scrambled Eggs, Juice

Lunches:

Leftovers x 3
Macaroni & Cheese, carrots
Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, fruit
Cheese Quesadillas, frozen veggies
Seapak Frozen Fish, frozen veggies

Dinners:

Dinner Out
Tilapia, Toast, Frozen Veggies, Grapefruit
Brown Bag Burritos (from the freezer), Green Rice Casserole (from the freezer), Fruit
Turkey Chili Taco Soup,* Homemade Bread, Veggies
Whole Grain Chicken Soup With Rice,* Olive Garden Breadsticks,* Apple Slices
Homemade Pizza, Tossed Salad, Ice Cream
Dinner at Extended Family’s House

Extras:

Homemade Starbucks Peppermint Mocha* (I’m going to tweak the recipe some, per instructions that Beth from The Natural Mommy emailed me.)

*Denotes a new-to-me recipe. If any of these become winners, I’ll be sure to let you know. And I promise to post my Homemade Starbucks Peppermint Mocha recipe, as soon as I get it perfected.

By the way, I’m on a restaurant recipe knock-off kick, so if you have any incredible restaurant knock-off recipes (especially Starbucks, Panera or Olive Garden!), be sure to leave the link in the comments below so I can consider trying them.

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  1. JenK says

    Thanks for posting the links with your menu! We are sharing a lovely virus of some sort in our house, so I made a pot of the whole grain chicken soup with rice that you linked to. It was WONDERFUL! Even my husband, who would never be mistaken for a soup fan, happily had a second bowl of this!

  2. Jesus Girl H says

    I have a recipe for the Starbucks Peppermint Mocha, too! I go to WalMart and buy a tin of Steven’s Candy Cane Cocoa. I just add that to our coffee and it tastes awesome! 🙂

  3. AnneStrawberry says

    I have a great recipe for Cafe Rio pork. It uses adobo sauce and tastes amazing!

    http://annestrawberry.blogspot.com/2010/01/cafe-rio-pork-salad-and-burritos-with.html

    We also love the French Country Salad from Cheesecake Factory and make it for a lot cheaper-

    http://annestrawberry.blogspot.com/2008/03/french-country-salad.html

    I make the Paradise Bakery (Panera) black and white chocolate chipper cookies all the time. The secret is to underbake them!

    http://annestrawberry.blogspot.com/2010/05/chocolate-mint-chippers.html

    I’m excited to see try some of those Olive Garden recipes! Thank you!

  4. Martha Artyomenko says

    I have made some knock-off recipes…like Taco Bell hot sauce that was really good!
    I tried your cinnamon swirl bread….but changed it up a bit. I made a big batch in the Bosch and did some different things to it! It was great!
    4 c. warm water
    1 c. oil, butter
    1/2 c. honey
    1 T. salt
    9 c. whole wheat flour
    2 c. white flour
    2.5 T. instant yeast
    1 T. lecithin
    pinch of ginger

    Mix in mixer liquid ingredients. Add yeast, honey and lecithin, wait until bubbly. Add 8 c. whole wheat flour and pinch of ginger…mix for 4-5 minutes. Add remaining cup of whole wheat flour and the white flour and knead for 2-3 more minutes, until dough cleans bowl and feels right.

    Let rise until double. Divide into 4 pieces…..2 bigger and two smaller. This made two smaller long loaves and 2 big regular size loaves. I rolled it out and spread it with a little softened butter and drizzled with about 1-2 T of honey and sprinkle liberally with cinnamon and raisins if you like. Roll up and tuck in the ends so nothing drips out. Put in well greased pans.

    Let rise until double. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until well browned and sounds hollow when tapped on bottom.

  6. Natalie says

    I love trying 1 or 2 new things a week. And I started with the smoothies right after Christmas when I got sick. Every morning now, I share with my 2 year old – 1 cup of fresh spinach(you can’t taste it!), 1 orange, 1 frozen banana, and then either 1/2 c strawberries or blueberries or an apple or pear + 1 c almond milk. Sometimes I add in some oatmeal (uncooked) and flax too. I love it!

  7. Amy Hull says

    I received an e-book a couple years back that I keep forgetting to try. It’s the Insiders Recipes Master Edition for various brand name recipes to try at home. Still haven’t tried them, maybe now will be the time. I don’t have a link to it, but will email you a copy of what I have, if you’d like.

  10. theresa says

    Awesome post. I’m in love with their new pear and gorgonzola ravaioli with shrimp. Yum! And of course salad and breadsticks.

  15. shelly says

    Could someone share their smoothie recipe where you use spinach? I’ve never made smoothies before and am not quite sure where to start 🙂

    • Celia Husmann says

      Sure! I use two large handfuls of spinach, 2 cups of water (or you can use a mixture with apple juice or all juice… or even yogurt)! 2 cups of strawberries and 1 banana. 🙂 Blend it well and it will be a red strawberry smoothie! You can do 1 1/2 handfuls of spinach if scared but I promise you will NOT taste the spinach!

  18. ruthann says

    I didn’t take time to read all the comments- someone might have already given you this: Olive Garden’s Pasta Fajoli

    1lb ground turkey/beef
    1 lg onion, chopped
    1 lg carrot, halved, sliced
    2 lg celergy stalkds
    1 tsp crushed fresh garlic
    2 (14+ oz) cans Ital. flav’d tomatoes, crushed
    1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans, drained
    3 c. beef broth
    1 tsp dried basil
    1 tsp dried oregano
    1/4 tsp black pepper
    6 oz elbow/bowtie/whatever pasta you like (I use whole grain!)
    grated parmesan cheese

    from a submission in our Church’s cookbook!
    1

  23. Melissa says

    Here’s a wonderful knock-off recipe for Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars. Not healthy, but really, really yummy! 🙂
    1 cup butter
    1 cup brown sugar
    1/3 cup sugar
    3 large eggs
    2 T. orange juice, plus zest of an orange
    1 1/2 t. baking powder
    1 T. ground ginger
    1 c. craisins
    1 c. white chocolate chips
    Beat the sugars, eggs, and juice. Mix in dry ingredients, stir in fruit and chips. Bake in a greased 9 x 13 pan at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.
    For frosting, mix together 6 0z. cream cheese, 4 T. butter. Add 2 cups powdered sugar and more orange zest. Spread this on cooled bars and top with more craisins and white chocolate chips. Then, of course, cut them into triangles so they look like the real deal!
    (this is my variation of a recipe found on food.com)

  24. jennifer says

    We’ve successfully copied the olive garden potato soup recipe, the panera recipe, but the real question is: WHICH ONE OF YOU KNOW HOW TO MAKE THEM HEALTHY!??? 🙂

    • Lana says

      That is exactly the turnoff to restaurant knockoff recipes. I adore KFC coleslaw and then saw a knockoff recipe that called for 1/2 cup of SUGAR-no wonder I like it so much!!

  25. Becky says

    So I asked a waitress one time if you could just buy the salad dressing, and she said no. The only thing she knew was that she put 3T on each salad–that was the official “portion”. Rather than serving salad with various dressings, I added 2.5 T (I thought I had a little less salad in the bowl) of our favorite non-creamy ceasar, tossed it ahead of time, and I chilled the salad a bit before serving. The kids ate it up! Same dressing, restaurant presentation made a huge difference!

  26. n says

    I didn’t read through all 60+ comments to see if someone else mentioned this, but in the summer, put your smoothie mixtures in popsicle molds. 🙂 My poor children, they thought I went nuts when I was letting them eat 2 popsicles a day!! 😉

    • Lana says

      I love this idea! We love the whole fruit bars but they are so expensive that I only buy them occasionally.

  27. Heather Z says

    I often make a homemade version of OG’s Saussage and Peppers Rustica. Super easy… just get some Italian Saussage (we like sweet) precook then cut into chunks and brown a bit more if you want. Cut some green bell peppers into pretty large chunks and throw them in with the saussage. Throw your fav. red sauce in with them along with some sort of short pasta and enjoy!

    • Crystal says

      Well, most of the time, I just throw in frozen fruit, ground flax seeds, yogurt and liquid (juice, usually, though I sometimes use milk) and blend.

    • Emily says

      THANK YOU for commenting. I never knew they had some of their recipes on the website. I just searched for my favorite OG dish that they no longer serve, chicken gnocchi veronese, and they have it. Woo hoo!!

    • Julie C says

      Oh, this salad looks delicious! We make some with similar ingredients but I am going to enjoy this new combination; thank you for sharing your beautiful blog with us here.

  31. Nancy says

    For those who are lacctose intolerant here is a Frappucino recipe:
    1 cup dark chocolate almond milk
    1 heaping spoonful of instant coffee
    sugar or other sweetener to taste
    ice cubes
    Blend and enjoy!!
    My husband likes these better than Starbuck’s!

  34. Celia Husmann says

    My 3 year old loves strawberry/spinach smoothies. You can’t see or taste the spinach! There is a great book called Green for Life by Victoria Boutenko (I think that’s how you spell her last name)!

  35. Tina says

    What is your recipe for smoothies? I’ve been looking for one that I can make and have on my way to work!
    Thanks!

  37. Stephanie K says

    I have an email that I was sent a couple years ago with 400+pages of “top secret recipes”. If you email me, I will forward it to you. There is just way too much for me to share on here. I also have a “copycat” KFC fried chicken that is super yummy. The only change I make is Kosher salt in place of the Accent (msg doesn’t agree with me) and I prefer to make it with tenders instead of bone in chicken. Enjoy =)

    Copycat KFC Chicken

    Ingredients
    2-3 lbs of chicken (I like tenders)

    a quart of buttermilk
    2 cups of all purpose flour
    1 cup of instant pancake mix
    1 tsp baking powder

    2 tsp of black pepper
    2 tsp oregano
    2 tsp smoked paprika
    1 tsp Accent (I sub Kosher Salt)
    1 tablespoon Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
    2 tsp onion powder
    2 tsp garlic powder
    1 tsp cumin
    1 tsp dried rosemary
    1 tsp dried marjoram
    1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

    Vegetable Oil

    First, soak your chicken in the buttermilk for at least a few hours. All day is best. You can add some hot sauce to it if you like your chicken a little kickin’. When it’s time to cook, whisk together the flour, pancake mix & baking powder.

    Use a coffee grinder, food processor or mortar & pestle to grind the spices together.

    Whisk the spices into the flour mixture. Pour some leftover buttermilk into a dish
    Get a deep skillet on med-high heat. Add about 1/2″ of oil to it. Once the oil is hot, start to batter the chicken.

    You will remove the chicken from the buttermilk, give it a roll around in the flour/spice mixture. Dunk into the dish with buttermilk and then give it another roll in the flour/spice mixture. Yes, we are double battering.

    Then pop them into the oil. They should sizzle, if they don’t? Your oil isn’t hot enough. Cook about 4 minutes per side for the tenders. Longer if you are using dark meat or skin-on/bone-in chicken. They should be a dark golden brown when they are done. Don’t flip them around too much if you are using skinless chicken, because the breading will want to fall off.

    Drain on paper towels for a minute and then pop into a warm oven on a baking rack or sheet until the whole batch is done. That’s it!

  38. Terry says

    Is there any chance you can post your strawberry smoothie recipe? Also, I need some good book rec’s for smoothies – I need to sneak more healthy stuff into the kiddos and I know that smoothies are the perfect way to accomplish it! Any good books, websites, etc. would be GREAT!

  41. bethany says

    Here is a recipe for Olive Garden’s Minestrone – soo fab and tastes just like it!

    http://thebigredpot.blogspot.com/2010/03/minestrone-soup.html#

    Here is my potato soup that tastes like Panera’s to us:

    http://thebigredpot.blogspot.com/2010/12/creamy-potato-soup.html#

    We LOVE to make BBQ Chicken Pizza around here, it’s a great alternative to regular pizza and a great use for all of the cheap BBQ sauce we can get 🙂

    http://thebigredpot.blogspot.com/2010/07/bbq-chicken-pizza.html#

  42. Megan Camp says

    We went to the Cheesecake Factory and fell in love with one of their appetizers, the Buffalo Blasts. With all the free buffalo sauce we can get with coupons, THIS is what we love to make with it. This is one of my husband’s favorite recipes to make for our friends. It’s super delicious!! Chicken, hot sauce, cream cheese and cheddar cheese in a won-ton wrapper.

    http://everydaymealstoshare.blogspot.com/2010/07/cheesecake-factory-buffalo-blasts.html

    • Joy says

      Those sound delish! Someone always makes a buffalo wing dip no matter what party of family function we go to, but this sounds like a unique version of it.

  44. Julie C says

    Have you given up your high protein low/no sugar plan that you were using with the Wii Fit or was it another program–Hmmm?

    We love Panera Bread but not the cost for our family of 9 eating there now that we keep growing; now we make up their Turkey Artichoke Panini sandwiches at home using half of the breast of a $4 turkeys in the freezer from Thanksgiving. I buy 12 turkeys to enjoy low cal high protein turkey all year long.

    http://www.food.com/recipe/panera-breads-turkey-artichoke-panini-290060

  45. Erica @ Just Call Me Cheap says

    I have been trying to try new recipes too- some have been duds but a lot of the duds have taught me new cooking skills! Trying new recipes really has turned my old attitude of dreading dinner time into being excited about making dinner. My husband has also been loving the new things I have been making. He can be pretty picky so this has forced him to try new things and he has ended up realizing that he likes more foods than he thought!

    Our favorite breadstick recipe is a knock off of Olive Garden breadsticks and they are so good! My husband and kids scarf them down. Here is the link to the recipe:
    http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/almost-famous-breadsticks-recipe/index.html

  47. Tammy L says

    Oh, I hope you like the chicken soup with rice! 🙂 Joshua says it’s more of a ladies’ soup than a man’s soup. 😉 Oh well, we can’t always have chili! 😉

    You probably already know this, but I have a category for copycat recipes we’ve created: http://www.tammysrecipes.com/taxonomy/term/267

    I’ve done some yummy Papa Murphy’s pizzas (the garlic chicken one is amazing… just amazing, you really should try it!!) and the Olive Garden salad and dressing is here: http://www.tammysrecipes.com/olive_garden_salad_dressing I love making that for a fancy meal at home! 🙂

    I’ve wanted to create more restaurant copycat recipes but have trouble knowing where to even go and what to order… 🙂

      • Lydia says

        No problem! I’d love to know what your husband’s take on it is. So far, I’ve only gotten positive feedback. Hope it works out and that it helps you save some money. (You could even use the old Starbuck’s bottles to put the homemade stuff in.)

  50. TERESITA BABCOCK says

    I got this recipe from my SIL. It’s from a place called Costa Vida, many have compared it to a place called Cafe Rio, I think it’s way better than Cafe Rio, and we usually eat it with a quesadilla

    Crock pot sweet pork

    1 pork loin (about 2 1/2lbs)
    1 1/2 c brown sugar
    2 cans chopped green chilies
    3/4 bottle salsa
    pinch of dried onion
    1/2 c water

    Place pork in crockpot, pour ingredients in with water and salsa last. cook on high for 4 hours. Longer if frozen. Shred meat, cook for 1 more hour.

    Costa Vida Ranch Dressing
    You can use a packet of buttermilk ranch dressing — make as directed. I just buy a bottle of Kraft butter milk pour that into the blender.
    2 tomatillos
    1/2 bunch of cilantro
    1 clove garlic
    juice of one lime
    1 jalapeno (use seeds for spice)

    Blend well, pour back into bottle, and little cup since it makes more than the bottle can hold now!

    Costa Vida Rice

    4 1/2 c water
    4 tsp chicken bouillon
    1/2 bunch cilantro
    4 tsp minced garlic
    1 can green chillies
    3/4 tsp salt
    1 Tbs butter
    1/2 minced onion
    3 c rice

    Blend cilantro, green chilies, and onion together in blender (or food processor)
    bring water to a boil and add all ingredients, simmer covered 30 minutes.

  52. Nancy says

    I used a candy cane in a smoothie right after I tried a coffee shop peppermint milkshake – it was delicious! It really did give it a good peppermint flavor. I haven’t tried it in a regular blender, but I have a Ninja, NOT a VitaMix. It chopped it up great!

  55. TheApril says

    I’ve been on an insane smoothie kick. I use frozen fruit, almonds or walnuts, baby spinach and peach or strawberry flavored kefir. Amazing. Almost as good as having ice cream for breakfast. Almost. And it is good for you.

    Starbucks Iced Latte Quick Knockoff:
    Add one tablespoon of instant coffee to empty glass
    Splash some vanilla extract on top of coffee
    Two packs of Stevia
    Splash a little water on top of that…Swirl to mix
    Fill with milk
    Stir, add ice.

    Ok, it is not as good as Starbucks, but it takes 13 seconds and costs about 25 cents. It gets me by between Starbucks runs.

    • Teri Capshaw says

      Thanks so much for the Olive Garden soup recipe ladies! That soup is the only thing I crave there, but I really can’t stand paying those prices for pasta.

  58. Shantique says

    The starbucks recipe calls for cocoa but she uses ghiradelli. Starbucks sells their mocha powder too. Its the base they use to make mocha syrup.

  59. Shannon says

    I would love the scone recipe. I had tea a couple weeks ago at the Grand Floridian in Walt Disney World and they served scones. They were the best thing ever! Now I need to find out how to make them.

    • elizabeth says

      Not sure if this the reason, but I find that if I put a lot of milk in my smoothies they get bubbly/frothy. Usually I do all fruit with juice or water for the liquid. If I want a creamy milk type smoothie I use yogurt instead of milk.

    • Melissa says

      Soymilk is also an excellent substitute for milk and doesn’t
      froth the way milk tends to do. Plus it tastes great and adds a little sweetness to your smoothie.

  64. Angel B says

    I have a couple of .pdf cookbooks that are knockoffs. if you want it, just email me or FB me and let me know 🙂

    • Brenda says

      Yes, this is my favorite site for recipe knock-offs. Every one I’ve tried has been excellent & I’ve tried MANY.

  66. JRFrugalMom says

    The smoothies look fabulous! We had smoothies for dessert tonight.

    Our main meal tonight was a homemade version of one of our favorite take out meals: Grilled chicken from Pollo Tropical with rice/black beans and corns, semi-homemade salsa and tortillas. The restaurant version for a family of five would have been more than $20, but I was able to make it for $4.14.

    • Heather says

      The Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe from this site is amazing! It is a must-have for after Thanksgiving Dinner around here… 🙂

  69. Becky says

    I was wondering how your Olive Garden Breadsticks worked out? My husband and I love them but find it hard to make anything close…

      • CourtneyG says

        8 ounces Paul Newman’s Vinegar and Oil Dressing
        1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
        1/2 teaspoon dried basil
        1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
        1 Tbsp. sugar

        put in fridge overnight for best results 🙂
        now i just need some breadsticks to dip !

  75. Jessica says

    And these aren’t knock off dishes, but they are fairly unusual – I made them both because I didn’t believe they would taste good {weird motivation!!} but they were each delicious – Chicken Feta Florentine – http://www.jessicalynette.com/main/chicken-feta-florentine/ {I just remade it last week on our new “student budget” and used beans instead of chicken. Not quite as amazing, but worked and we ate it all up!} and Roasted Grape and Mascarpone Bruschetta. http://www.jessicalynette.com/uncategorized/roasted-grape-mascarpone-bruschetta/

  77. Jessica says

    Have you made “eggs in a basket” {one of many names given to the dish} – I saw that scrambled eggs are on your menu twice and thought you might like something new {or not… haha, we’ve been through 11 dozen eggs this week alone, with no baking. we eat them tons of different ways, but definitely repeat the same styles over and over…} anyways – for eggs in a basket you make a hole in the middle of a slice of bread, pour a bit of oil {Olive oil, coconut oil, butter, etc} in a frying pan, once hot put the bread in the pan and break an egg or two into the middle of the hole. Flip when bottom side is done and let cook on second side. Cook the ‘hole’ at the same time to make toasty. So yummy with a bit of sea salt and pepper sprinkled on top!