Lunch: Snowball Peaches, Green Salad with Balsamic Salad Dressing, Papaya or Guava
Dinner: Hamburger Casserole or Beef Bake, Bell Pepper or Artichoke, Mint Iced Tea Cooler or Lemonade Slush
Balsamic Salad Dressing
Combine 3/4 cup of tomato juice, 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar, an envelope of Italian salad dressing mix, and 2 tsp of sugar in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well. Store in the fridge.
Salad suggestion: Leaf lettuce and red cabbage with carrots, grilled asparagus, a can of drained mandarin oranges, chopped or dropped cherries, and cranberries
Snowball Peaches
Beat 2 packages of softened cream cheese and 2 Tbsp of apricot preserves in a small mixing bowl until blended. Drain a can of pineapple tidbits. Stir 1 cup of pineapple into cream cheese. Drain 3 cans of peach halves and place peaches cut side up on a lettuce-lined serving platter. Fill with cream cheese mixture. Garnish with fresh mint.
Tortilla Beef Bake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook 1 1/2 lbs of ground beef over medium heat in a skillet. Drain. Stir in a can of cream of chicken soup. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups of crushed tortilla chips in a greased shallow baking dish. Top with beef mixture, a jar of salsa and 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese.
Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle with 1 more cup of crushed tortilla chips. Bake 3 minutes longer.
Hearty Hamburger Casserole
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook 1 lb of ground beef over medium heat in a skillet. Drain. Stir in a can of ready-to-serve chunky vegetable soup and set aside. Prepare stuffing mix according to package directions. Spoon half into a greased baking dish. Top with beef mixture, 1/2 cup of shredded cheese, and remaining stuffing. Bake, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes.
Mint Iced Tea Cooler
Steep 3 peppermint-flavored tea bags in 7 cups of boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Discard tea bags. Pour tea into a pitcher or large bowl. Stir in 1 cup of cranberry juice and 3/4 cup of pink lemonade concentrate. Cover and refrigerate overnight (so flavors can fully blend). Serve over ice.
Lemonade Slush
Combine 1 1/2 Tbsp of partially thawed lemonade concentrate, 2 Tbsp of milk, 1 1/2 Tbsp of water, 1/8 tsp of vanilla, and a drop of yellow food coloring in a blender. Cover and process. Crush 2 ice cubes. While liquid is processing, slowly add crushed ice. Process until slushy. Serve immediately. Enough for one serving.
SHOPPING LIST:
Cheddar cheese (8 oz)
2 pkgs of cream cheese
Leaf lettuce
Red cabbage
Carrot
Asparagus
3 bell peppers
2 artichokes
Cherries
Cranberries
3 guavas
Papaya
Fresh mint
Cranberry juice
Tomato juice
2 1/2 lbs of ground beef
2 lemonade concentrates (one pink and one yellow)
Can of ready-to-serve chunky vegetable soup (19 oz)
Can of condensed cream of chicken soup
Can of pineapple tidbits
Can of mandarin oranges
3 cans of peach halves (15 oz each)
Salsa (16 oz)
Apricot preserves
Package of instant stuffing mix (6 oz)
Peppermint-flavored tea
Italian salad dressing mix
Tortilla chips
Yellow food coloring
Balsamic vinegar
[Also needed: milk, vanilla extract, sugar]
