Menu Planning Monday

Another part of my organization plan is to be better prepared for the week's meals. We've been food shopping quite a bit. And while we have scored some major deals, we are quickly running out of storage space in our pantry (that's a whole different post!).

Without further adieu, here are this week's picks:

Monday: Rachael Ray's Thick Chicken Noodle Soup (below)

Tuesday: Spaghetti

Wednesday: Black Bean Enchiladas

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Pizza

Weekend: Free-for-all depending on what we feel like (we usually plan on Friday night over pizza :) )

We'll also be prepping everything for Thanksgiving next weekend, too. It will be our first time hosting a major holiday. Any tips on how to execute everything?!

Thick Chicken Noodle Soup

From RachaelRay.com

Ingredients

• 1 pound wide egg noodles
• 2 tablespoons butter
  
• 1 tablespoon (about a palmful) flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1 large onion, cut into small dice
• 2 to 3 ribs celery from the heart, cut into small dice
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into small dice
• 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into small dice
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons fresh sage, finely chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas

Preparation:

Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente according to package directions. Drain thoroughly, return it to the pot and toss with 1 tablespoon butter and parsley. Set to the side.

While the pasta is cooking, place a large skillet over medium-high heat with one turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Add chicken to the pan, season with salt and pepper and lightly brown. Remove chicken from the pan and add onion, celery, carrot, parsnips and bay leaf. Cook until tender, about 3-4 minutes.

Scoot all the veggies to one side to create some space on the bottom of the pan. Melt 1 tablespoon butter and stir in flour. Cook about 1 minute then stir in Dijon mustard and chicken broth and bring up to a bubble. Add in sage, peas and toss the browned chicken back in. Cook until chicken is cooked through and broth is thickened, about 3-4 minutes.