The first hub was so well received, here’s a second week of menus for you and your partner, a full 7 days of meals for around $40! Read on, and you will see that you can even afford yourself the occasional treat!

The following is a menu planned around chicken and ham. With a few additional ingredients, you are sure to be surprised how many varied and exciting dishes you will be able to create. Don’t forget, leftovers make great lunches too, so be sure to take advantage of the great next day options you can make with these ingredients.

One thing to remember: do not forget to store your meats and other partially used ingredients appropriately, so as to prevent spoilage. These foods need only last you one week, so food storage containers and Ziploc bags should serve you fine.

That said, here’s a menu of 7 dinner entrées, plus some lunch suggestions, that are sure to please you, your significant other, and your palate.

Sunday: Coq Au Vin

In a large bowl, mix 4 chicken thighs with ½ bottle red wine, 1 clove chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon dried thyme, and 1 tablespoon dried bay leaf. Cover and marinate for 24 hours in the refrigerator. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry, reserving marinade. Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, sear chicken on all sides in 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat until golden brown. Remove to a plate.

In the same pot add more oil, if needed, and sauté 1 cup frozen chopped onions until tender. Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste and cook until tomatoes turn a deep reddish brown color. Add 1 ½ tablespoons flour or biscuit mix and stir until incorporated then pour in reserved marinade. Stir and simmer until thickened about 10 minutes. Add chicken back to the pot and pour in enough chicken stock to just come up the sides of the chicken but not cover it completely. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook covered for about 1 hour or until the chicken falls off the bone. Bring a pot of water to boil, then cook 8 ounces pasta according to package instructions.

Gently remove chicken from pot and strain liquid from the solids, discarding the solids. Return chicken and strained liquid back to the Dutch oven and bring to a simmer. Heat a large saute pan with remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat and add ¼ pound of ham, chopped. Cook until crispy then add 6 ounces mushrooms. Continue to cook until tender and browned. Add mixture back to the pot with the chicken. Toss the noodles with butter. Place the noodles on a serving platter or individual plates and top with the chicken and serve. Serve yourselves each a glass of the remaining red wine. Cheers!

Monday: Ham and Spinach Quiche

Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray. Thaw and drain ½ package spinach. In a skillet, heat 6 ounces ham, ½ cup frozen chopped onions, and spinach over medium heat 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally; drain. Spice to taste with salt and pepper. Spread in pie plate. Sprinkle with 6 oz cheese. In small bowl, whisk together 2 cups biscuit mix with 1 cup of milk and 2 eggs until blended. Pour into pie plate. Bake about 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Feel free to add any spices you have on hand.

Tuesday: Crepes

Roast one chicken breast covered, for one hour at 350°F. In a large skillet, heat up 3 stalks green onion, chopped. Add minced garlic (or garlic powder) to taste. Add chicken. Mix in 4 ounces sour cream.

Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 6- or 7-inch skillet. Heat over medium heat. In a medium bowl mix 1 cup biscuit mix with ¾ cup of milk and 2 eggs. For each crepe, pour 2 tablespoons batter into hot skillet; rotate skillet until batter covers bottom. Cook until golden brown. Gently loosen edge with metal spatula; turn and cook other side until golden brown. Stack crepes, placing waxed paper between, as you remove them from skillet. Keep crepes covered to prevent them from drying out.

Spoon filling into crepes. Roll up crepes and place seam side down in an ungreased 11x7-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle 2 ounces shredded cheese over crepes. Bake uncovered for 10-12 minutes or until hot.

Wednesday: Hawaiian Pizza

Heat oven to 450°F. Prepare pizza crust by mixing 3 cups of biscuit mix with ¾ cups of water. Pat dough flat into a crust. Top with 1 ½ cup diced ham and can of pineapple, drained. Sprinkle 8 ounces cheese on top. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, until cheese is melted and browning.

Additions: Mix 4 tablespoons of tomato paste with 2 tablespoons water and use as a pizza sauce.

Thursday: Chicken and Dumplings

Roast one chicken breast covered, for one hour at 350°F.

In a mixing bowl, mix 2 cups biscuit mix, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and 2/3 cups of milk. Stir until just combined. Set aside.

In a medium pot, combine 2 cups stock, ½ tablespoon thyme, ½ tablespoon bay leaf, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. In a small dish, whisk 1 tablespoon flour with 2 tablespoons water and stir into chicken stock. Add chicken and 2/3 bag frozen mixed vegetables. Using a tablespoon or an ice cream scoop, drop dumpling batter into boiling stock. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Cover and cook an additional 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Friday: Tomato Crème Fettuccine

Cook 8 oz. pasta until al dente. Thaw and drain remaining spinach. In a saucepot on medium heat, combine remaining tomato paste with half as much water (1 tablespoon water for every 2 tablespoons paste). Add remaining mushrooms, sliced, and season to taste. Stir in 3 ounces of sour cream. Drain pasta and add to top with sauce and spinach.

Saturday: Monte Cristo Sandwiches and Veggie Soup

Assemble sandwiches: bread, Swiss cheese, ham (thinly sliced), Swiss cheese, bread. Spread mustard on bread if desired.
Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together to blend well. Add 1/3 cup water to one egg and mix in 1 ½ cups biscuit mix. Preheat oil in large pan to 360°. Dip each sandwich into the batter and deep-fry (oil must cover the sandwich) until golden brown.

Remove from oil and lay onto a few layers paper towels. If desired, sprinkle with the powdered sugar. Serve warm or room temperature.

Heat 16 ounces chicken broth, stir in 2 tablespoons tomato paste. Then add 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables. Heat through and serve.

Produce Stand

Mushrooms White Whole 8 OZ PKG $1.99/ EA $1.99

Onions Green Scallions 1 BUNCH $.89/ EA $.89

Meat & Seafood

Miller Poultry Chicken Breast Split All Natural - 2 ct APX 1.25 LB $1.99/ LB $2.49

Miller Poultry Chicken Thighs All Natural - 4-6 ct APX 2 LB $1.49/ LB $2.98

Our Family Ham Steaks Boneless Lean APX 1 LB $5.49/ LB $5.49

Deli

Land O' Lakes Deli Cheese Swiss (Regular Sliced) APX 1/4 LB $8.99/ LB $2.25

Dairy

Dean's Sour Cream 8 OZ TUB $.19/ OZ $1.49

Dutch Farms Rose Acre Eggs Grade A Medium 1 DOZ $1.19/ DOZ $1.19

Sargento Cheese Italian 6 Cheese Blend Shredded 8 OZ BAG $4.00/ LB $2.00

Sargento Cheese Mozzarella Chef Style Shredded 8 OZ BAG $4.00/ LB $2.00

Frozen Foods

Ore-Ida Onions Chopped 12 OZ BAG $.12/ OZ $.99

Our Family Spinach Chopped All Natural 10 OZ BOX $.15/ OZ $1.29

Our Family Vegetables Mixed All Natural 16 OZ BAG $.12/ OZ $1.79

Bread & Bakeshop

Cuisine de France Bread Italian 17.5 OZ PKG $.17/ OZ $2.59

Grains, Pasta & Side Dishes

Our Family Pasta Fettuccine 16 OZ BOX $.10/ OZ $1.29

Soups & Canned Goods

Dole Pineapple in Juice Chunks 8 OZ CAN $.14/ OZ $1.09

Our Family Tomato Sauce 16 OZ CAN $.07/ OZ $.89

Swanson Broth Chicken 99% Fat Free 32 OZ CTN $.09/ OZ $2.99

Baking Goods

Jiffy Baking Mix for Biscuits 40 OZ BOX $.07/ OZ $2.39

Other

Charles Shaw (Two-buck Chuck) Red Wine 750 ml BOTTLE $1.99

Total: $39.89

Tax: $ 0.88

Total: $40.77