Mommy Menu Savers - Week 1

My tricks for making this week's menus (shown on sidebar) quickly and easily.

• Steak, for the salad and Enchiladas, is from Costco in the refrigerated section. It is pre-cooked, sliced and $10 for a bag. I use a little less than half the bag for these 2 menus and freeze the other half.
• Pre-cooked grilled chicken strips (1 cup thawed in the microwave and diced) from Costco or the grocery store, along with canned mandarin oranges make the Asian salad a breeze. A good asian dressing is the key.
• Enchiladas are cooked with frozen sliced tri-color peppers. I cook the peppers, sliced red onion and warm the meat in Sprite (about 1/3 can) instead of oil with my spices. For condiments I use pre-shredded cheese, half a can of black beans, and leftover tomatoes and lettuce from the salads, and leftover sour cream from the pork chops. My picky kids can go with a meal that is as simple as a bean enchilada from all the same prep.
• The beans that go along with the crock pot pork get a boost of flavor by first sauteeing a handful of diced pre-cooked bacon (thank you Macey's) to render out a little fat, then tossing in a bag of frozen french green beans and clamping down the lid until tender stirring occasionally.

If you have any questions or want full recipes, let me know!