Meal Plan #1 : Swiss Steak, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Oven-Roasted Balsamic Carrots & Parsnips, Raspberry Lemonade

Easy Swiss Steak: (mod. from 101 Things To Do With A Slow Cooker)

Prep Time: approx. 15 min

Cook Time: 8-10 Hours

Makes 4-6 servings

1 ½ lb Round Steak, cut into bite sized pieces

1 Medium Onion, chopped

1 14.5oz can Italian Stewed Tomatoes with liquid

½ cup Sour Cream

1. Grease bottom of 3 ½ quart crock pot. Place steak evenly on bottom.

2. Mix stewed tomatoes and chopped onion together then pour into crock pot.

3. Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours.

4. Stir in sour cream ½ an hour before serving.

5. Ladle over mashed potatoes.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes: (mod. from BHG New Cookbook)

Start to Finish: about 20 min

Serves: 4

1 1/3 lb Potatoes*, washed, cubed – 1/2”

2 tbsp Butter

2-4 tbsp Milk

1tbsp minced Garlic

1 tsp dried Parsley

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Boil potatoes in salted water for 15 min. or until tender.

2. Add rest of ingredients & mash or whip.

*Any variety, including sweet, or cubed hash browns(about 3 2/3 cups)

Oven-Roasted* Balsamic Carrots & Parsnips: (mod. of recipe found on yummly.com)

Prep Time: 15 min

Bake time: 1 Hour/15-20 min

Serves: 4

½ lb carrots** (or baby carrots-no need to prepare)

½ lb parsnips**

2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 tbsp Butter, melted

1 tsp Sea Salt

½ Lemon – juice only

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease a 13 x 9 baking dish, set aside.

2. Peel or scrub root veggies and chop.

3. In a small bowl combine vinegar, butter and salt. Toss with veggies.

4. Bake for about an hour, tossing to coat every 15-20 min. Remove from oven & squeeze fresh lemon juice over veggies & toss to deglaze the pan.

*Optional Sautéing for Summertime – Cook veg. over medium heat with a small amount of water in a covered saucepan for 8-10 min. or until crisp-tender. Add next 3 ingredients, cook 2 more min. Toss with lemon juice to deglaze pan, then serve.

**2 ¼ cups chopped

Raspberry Lemonade Sangria

Easy Raspberry Lemonade