I find if I wash, chop and dry Romaine lettuce in the salad spinner it keeps wonderfully for 5 days or so in zip lock bags with a few paper towel. This can make the weeknight meal prep shorter. Just add tomatoes, cucumber, onion and dressing and you don’t have to lug out the salad spinner midweek!

Roasted vegetables keep well when make ahead and stored in sealed container in the refrigerator.

Most foods can be prepped ahead of time. Chop onions, garlic, ginger, green onions, asparagus, etc on the weekend to use during the week. You can even chop fresh tomatoes and keep them in a covered container. I’ve never heard that you can’t pre chop cucumbers and carrots and I do it all the time. I have a container that I fill up with carrot and celery sticks, sliced cucumbers and grape tomatoes. We can easily grab some veggies to munch on or to use for a fast salad.

I happen to like roast chicken, but you could easily roast a turkey breast or a beef roast or a pork shoulder to use during the week in place of my chicken.

Next weekend make a big pot of spaghetti sauce and use it for lasagna and chicken parmesan. These are just a few ideas to give you a head start.

Menu For The Week

Sunday – Mediterranean Roast Chicken with Potatoes, Olives and Spinach

Monday – Tuscan Beef Stew; Italian Bread

Tuesday – Spinach Chicken Salad; Italian Bread

Wednesday – Italian Pork Roast with Fennel and Onions; Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan

Thursday – Pasta with Beef Stew; Roasted Broccoli Salad

Friday – Italian Grilled Pork Panini; Coleslaw; Pickles

Recipes for the Week

On Sunday cook the chicken and pork in the oven and the beef stew on top of the stove. Prep ingredients for Tuesday’s salad and make the dressing. Cut up the broccoli for roasting on Wednesday.

Italian Seasoning

I use this seasoning often in my recipes. You can buy it in the store or make your own. My recipe can be found in a post here

Italian Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Mix vinegar, Italian seasoning, sugar and sea salt in a small bowl with a wire whisk. Gradually add oil, whisking until well blended. Cover.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. Whisk dressing before drizzling over salad greens.

Mediterranean Roast Chicken with Potatoes, Olives and Spinach

Serve this dinner on Sunday

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning , divided
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 whole chicken, about 4 pounds
• 2 lemons, cut in half
• 1 large red onion, cut into thin wedges
• 12 Yukon gold potatoes, each cut into wedges
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, coarse grind
• 12 ounces fresh spinach leaves
• 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled and divided

Directions

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Mix 2 tablespoons of the dried seasoning with the butter. Rub 3/4 of butter mixture under the chicken skin (breasts and legs) and remaining mixture on the outside of the chicken. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the Italian seasoning over the outside of the chicken.

Stuff 3 lemon halves inside the chicken cavity. Place chicken in large roasting pan.

Mix potatoes, oil and the remaining 1 tablespoon dried seasoning. Arrange potatoes around the chicken in the roasting pan.

Roast 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from oven to a platter. Let stand 10 minutes.

Transfer vegetables to large skillet. Add olives, salt and pepper; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes on low heat. Add spinach; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until leaves just begin to wilt. Remove from the heat.

Set aside half of the mixture in a covered bowl for Wednesday’s dinner and refrigerate the dish.

Gently stir in 2 oz feta and juice of 1/2 lemon into the remaining vegetable mixture in the skillet. Reserve the remaining 2 oz feta for Wednesday’s dinner.

Remove the vegetables to large platter. Carve enough chicken needed for dinner and serve with the vegetables.

Dice the remaining chicken and reserve half for Wednesday’s dinner and the other half for chicken salad for lunch.

Tuscan Beef Stew

Serve half the stew with some great bread and a salad using the vinaigrette and prepped salad ingredients for Monday’s dinner.

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 pounds cubed chuck roast
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup carrot, sliced into ½ ­inch chunks
• 1 onion, cut into wedges
• 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 1/2 cups beef stock
• 1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, drained

Directions

Heat oil in a 5 ­quart Dutch oven on medium ­high heat. Add beef in batches; cook until browned on all sides. Return all of the beef to Dutch oven. Sprinkle with flour; mix well. Stir in carrots, onion, tomatoes, stock and Italian Seasoning. Mix until well blended.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium­ low; cover and simmer 1 hour or until beef is tender, stirring occasionally.

Stir in beans. Simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes.

Serve half the recipe for dinner and reserve the remaining stew for Thursday’s dinner.

Spinach Chicken Salad

Serve this on Tuesday.
Place the reserved spinach, olive, potato mixture in a shallow salad bowl. Add reserved feta cheese and drizzle with a little of the Italian vinaigrette. Add diced chicken and mix. Heat up the leftover bread from Monday’s dinner and serve additional vinaigrette on the side.

Italian Pork Roast with Fennel and Onions

Serve this pork dinner on Wednesday.

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2 boneless pork tenderloins or 1 pork loin roast, trimmed (about 2 to 2 1/4 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning , divided
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 medium fennel bulbs, tops and cores removed, and bulbs cut into 1/4­inch thick slices
• 1 medium red onion, cut into 1/4 ­inch thick slices
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

Place pork roast in 6­ quart shallow Dutch oven.

Mix 1 1/2 tablespoons of the dried Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon of the oil, lemon peel, fennel seed and sea salt in small bowl. Rub evenly over the pork. Toss fennel, onion, remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining 1/2 tablespoon dried seasoning in large bowl. Place vegetable mixture around the pork.

Roast 40-45 minutes or until thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the pork reaches 145°F, stirring vegetables occasionally. Transfer pork to a cutting board. Let stand 15 minutes before slicing. Then, layer in a shallow casserole dish (9×13).

Place Dutch oven with vegetables on medium­ low heat. Stir in stock and lemon juice. Simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half, stirring occasionally. Pour over the pork slices in the casserole dish. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate until Wednesday.

Use some of the leftovers to make Italian Pork Panini sandwiches for Friday.

Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan

Place the pork dish in the oven to heat while the broccoli roasts on Wednesday.

Ingredients

• 1 large head of broccoli (1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1 1/2-inch florets, stems peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

On a large baking sheet, toss the broccoli florets and stems with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the broccoli in the oven for about 30 minutes, tossing halfway through, until browned and tender. Serve half for dinner with the 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese.

Add some of the Italian vinaigrette to the remaining broccoli and refrigerate to serve with Thursday’s dinner.

Pappardelle with Beef Stew

Serve this dinner on Thursday.

Cook 8 oz pappardelle pasta (wide noodles) in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain.

While the pasta is cooking heat remaining beef stew.

Serve over noodles and garnish with grated Parmesan. Serve with reserved broccoli salad.

Grilled Pork Panini

Serve with pickles and coleslaw on Friday.

Ingredients

• Leftover pork slices and vegetables
• 8 slices Italian bread
• 1/2 cup store-bought or homemade basil pesto
• 4 one ounce slices provolone cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, for brushing

Directions

Spread 1 tablespoon pesto on each slice of bread. Top four slices of bread with pork slices, fennel, onion and cheese; top each sandwich with remaining bread.

Lightly brush the outer surface of the sandwiches with olive oil; grill in a medium-hot skillet or in a sandwich press until toasted on each side.

Easy Coleslaw

You can make this the night before.

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) bag coleslaw mix
• 2/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Combine all ingredients except coleslaw mix in a large bowl and combine well.

Add the coleslaw, mix and toss to coat.

Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight to allow flavors to blend.

Posted by Jovina Coughlin in Beans, Beef, broccoli, cannellini, Cheese, Chicken, Coleslaw, Dinner, fennel, Italian Cuisine, Olives, onion, oven-roasted, Panini, Pasta, Pork, potatoes, Salad, Salad Dressing, Seasonings, spinach, Stew, Vegetables