A Meaty Menu

For this week's Menu Monday (with Organizing Junkie) I asked the input of our five year old daughter on what she'd like for dinner this week.

So, for the most part, this is her menu plan that we'll be following for this week.

Sunday - Steak and veggies (done in the oven)
Monday - Turkey sausage, eggs, and biscuits
Tuesday - Beef roast in rotisserie, scalloped potatoes, and corn
Wednesday - Chicken legs with garlic green beans
Thursday - Leftover buffet (this is NOT our normal day to do this!) 
Friday - Homemade clam chowder (a variation of my potato soup)
Saturday - Pork roast in the rotisserie and veggies in the oven

Here is my basic recipe for potato soup (substitutions are listed in red for a lower calorie count)

• 1 large onion diced
• 8 medium potatoes pealed and diced
• 1 tsp butter (1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil)
• 2-3 c whole milk (same amount just use 2% or FF milk)
• plain instant potato flakes
• each of the following to taste: pepper, celery salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and chicken flavoring

Peal and dice your onion. In large pot melt butter (heat olive oil). Gently saute diced onion while you peal and dice your potatoes. Consistency is NOT necessary for potato size. Remove pot from heat and add diced potatoes. Add enough water to cover. Add seasonings, at this point it's better to go with less than more, and cover pot. Bring contents to a rapid boil and then turn down to medium. Let simmer on medium for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. When potato pieces can be "cut" with the side of stirring spoon it's time to add your milk. Let pot come back up to a simmer and then add potato flakes until your soup is the desired thickness, make sure to allow all potato flakes added dissolve before adding more. Taste to see if you need to add more seasonings at this point. If so then add more little by little until you reach the flavor you like. Simmer for another five to ten minutes.

* Can be served with a sprinkle of cheese if you wish (lower fat cheese shreds sometimes don't melt so well) and a sprinkle of small, precooked, chopped bacon (or turkey bacon).

** This is the first week I'll be attempting to make the clam chowder with this soup recipe as the base. I'll let you know how it turned out and what I did to change it next week.

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