Menu Plan Monday

What a busy weekend and week!  I had a great weekend with family and friends.  Now on to this workweek....5 more days until I am off for 11 days straight!  This is the first year ever that my company is going to be closed from the 24th through the 2nd.  This is sort of groundbreaking.  It might not happen again so I'm going to cherish every bit of it!  But we have to get through this week first.  Here's our menu!

Saturday - Family Dinner!  We had chili, chicken fingers, and a variety of dips.  YUM!

Sunday - Friend Dinner!  I made dressing, ham, green bean casserole, and four layer delight pie.  Others brought mac & cheese, sweet potato casserole, corn casserole, and rolls.  It was so good!

Monday - Taco Soup

Tuesday - Chicken Noodle Soup

Wednesday - Out with friends

Thursday - Celebrating my Father-in-law's 50th Birthday with Lasagna and Salad

Friday - Nothing yet!  Shopping for the weekend!

For hundreds of menu plan ideas, check out Orgjunkie.com's Menu Plan Monday!

I love roasted vegetables

I love roasted vegetables. This week I roasted potatoes, zucchini, and squash with cajun seasoning (duh). So good and so flavorful!

Pretty

Oh Tony!

Completely delicious!

Menu Plan Monday

This is another healthy eating week for us. I'm so lucky to have a husband who is willing to try new things! Here's our menu:

Saturday - Snack and movie night. Ok so eating wasn't great.

Sunday - Homemade pizza - thin crust with green bell peppers and onions

Monday - Skillet bbq chicken and roasted vegetables

Tuesday - Turkey Nachos

Wednesday - Baked Chicken, Brown rice, green beans

Thursday - Large dinner salads Friday - Undecided. Maybe dinner and a movies to see The Hobbit!

Check out orgjunkie.com's Menu Plan Monday for hundreds of menu plans!

Cajun Wannabe

 

I'm really a lightweight but over the past couple of years I have fell in love with Cajun seasoning.  And Tony's is my favorite.  I'm convinced I should have been born in Louisiana.  I love it.  I should have been Cajun.

Hubs and I went on a cruise recently and the first night at dinner we were seated with three friends...within about 2 seconds of them speaking I knew where they were from and I wanted to go home with them!  Our "Cajun friends" were so nice and hysterical.  We saw them all over the ship.  I felt legit on the first night when one of them ordered fish and said it needed some "tonays" and I knew what she was talking about!  

I put Tony's on a lot of things but my favorite things are chicken breasts and squash. 

Sometimes I do squash by itself and sometimes I add zucchini and onions.  A zesty way to eat my veggies!

Pretty squash!

That might be a bit much....nah!

Beautiful!

Manic Monday

Today was crazy busy.  I have been in charge of coordinating the holiday activities at work and that means making cider everyday and setting out treats brought by coworkers.  I'm proud to say that I stayed away from the cider and sweet potato bread!

I ate really well and on my plan today.  And, while I was really hungry by dinnertime, I basically stayed satisfied all day!

 Breakfast
3 Egg Whites with Black Pepper, 2 Slices Sara Lee's 45 calorie Whole Wheat toast with lite butter, cinnamon, and a packet of Truvia

 Lunch

I had a small baked potato (but forgot the pic) and a 

Salad with lettuce, tomato, onions, and two slices turkey with light ranch dressing

Dinner

Taco Pasta

And for dessert?

Stats homework!  YAY!  It's sure to kill a few calories....when I throw the book against the wall.

Monday Menu Plan

It's healthy and clean eating this week! It is so much easier to plan healthy when Hubs is on board with it too. I'm lucky that he loves to try new things. Here is our menu plan!

Saturday - Hamburgers with the in-laws for the SEC Championship game. ROLL TIDE!

Sunday - Turkey Sloppy Joes with baked home fries

Monday - Taco Pasta

Tuesday - Cajun Chicken Breast, Sauteed Squash, Green Beans, and Roasted Potatoes

Wednesday - Taco Salad

Thursday - BBQ Chicken, mashed potatoes, broccoli and cheese

Friday - Movie Night with Hubs and K.  Favorite movie and foods!

Visit Orgjunkie.com's Menu Plan Monday for hundreds of menu ideas!

Trying Turkey

We bought ground turkey at Sam's this weekend. I was excited at how many meals I could make with it. One thing I love about using ground turkey is how little grease there is after scrambling it up. I don't feel so guilty having a comfort food like sloppy joes!



I love olive oil spray!!



Two of my favorite spices.  I'm boring.  A dish with my absolute flavor spice will come later this week.



Two 2.5lb packs of ground turkey was only $11 at Sam's!  Not bad at all!



I cheated and used a can sauce.  It was yummy!



I added some baked home fries and dinner was served!  I do feel a little guilty about not having any green!



A Different Frame of Mind

I have never been so inspired before.  Over the past 6 months, I have lost about 15lbs but I have a long way to go!  I have incorporated my weight loss blog and my recipe blog all here in my everyday blog.  I have too many blogs.  Through blogging and keeping a record of my food, I am working toward true success this time.  Ultimate goal - reach my weight loss goal and have my diagnosis of diabetes removed.  Here goes nothing!

I went to Sam's Club on Friday to stock up.  It was so different to change my frame of mind to healthy and filling foods instead of convenience foods.  I bought ground turkey, chicken breasts, lettuce, green bell peppers, eggs, milk, whole grain bread, and more.  Instead of making my normal menu plan for the week, I have a variety of meals to choose from.  It is a great feeling to open my fridge and pantry and see it stocked with vegetables and whole grains.

I have found several blogs that have provided a lot of inspiration and food ideas.  Definitely check out Undressed Skeleton for some amazing recipes.  I already have several items on my list to make!  My other new favorite site is Peanut Butter Fingers.  I plan on making one of her overnight oats recipes soon!!

Warm Bean Dip

This recipe is a great side dish to taco night or as an appetizer on its own. It is so creamy and completely delicious.

What you need:
2 cans Refried Beans
1 package Taco Seasoning
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 (8oz) package Cream Cheese (softened)
2 Cups Shredded Cheese

In a large bowl, mix softened cream cheese and sour cream.

Add both cans of beans and taco seasoning.  Mix well.

Cover with cheese and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Beautiful!

Chinese Chicken Salad

Several years ago, one of my childhood friends offered to make Chinese food. She made the most amazing salad and we have been addicted since. We generally make a meal off of this salad and fried rice. I am happy to share this super easy recipe so you can enjoy it too.

Note - it is not a healthy salad.:-)

 

 What you will need:

3 cups chopped chicken (cooked.  I boil mine)
3 cups (and sometimes more..I'll explain later) Shredded Cabbage
1 bunch green onions
2 packs Ramen Noodles (chicken flavor) and seasoning packets
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup oil (canola or any salad oil)
1 teaspoon Accent
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Pepper
6 tablespoons White Vinegar
4 tablespoons Sugar

 In a large bowl, add shredded cabbage.  I always buy pre-shredded to save time but you can shred your own.

 Next, add chopped onion tops (only the green).  If you aren't a big fan of green onion, you can add less.

Then add your spices.  But, don't add the white vinegar or oil yet.

 Meanwhile, in a pot melt the butter.  Crush the Ramen noodles and add them to the butter.

 Stir occasionally allowing the noodles to toast a bit.  The noodles add a nice crunch to the salad.

Then, add your cooked chicken and toasted noodles to the bowl. Add white vinegar and oil. Mix very well. Generally, I feel like mine is really oily so I had more cabbage (sometimes double what it calls for) but you can add or not just based on how you like it.

Taco Pasta

I found this recipe at one of my favorite recipe blogs - Emily Bites. I love her recipes. They are healthy alternatives but using real food and she even features Weight Watchers Points Plus. I adapted the recipe just a little bit to suit our taste and this recipe got the Hubs' seal of approval! Super easy and flavorful!

The ingredients:
Whole Wheat Pasta (we used penne but next time I'm using shells), Taco Seasoning, Rotel (actually 2 cans), Cheese, Light Sour Cream.  And of course I forgot to include the hamburger meat.

Brown about 1lb of hamburger meat.  Next time I am adding diced onions for more flavor.
When finished, drain and rinse.

Add 1 oz pack of taco seasoning, 1/4 cup water, and two cans of Rotel (I didn't drain for extra spice).

Add pasta.  Looks yummy already!

Add about 1 1/2 cups of your favor cheeses and allow to melt.  I used the Taco mix but suit your own tastes.
Add 1/4 cup of Sour Cream.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Full Recipe:

8 oz wheat pasta
1 lb 95% lean ground beef
1 oz packet reduced sodium taco seasoning
2 cans Rotel
½ c water
¼ c fat free sour cream
1 1/2 cups cheese
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1.    Cook pasta according to package instructions.

2.    While pasta is cooking, cook the ground beef until brown. When the beef is cooked, drain any grease from pan. Add the taco seasoning, rotel and water and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes or until pasta is done cooking.

3.    Once pasta is done, drain pasta and add it to the beef mixture. Add the sour cream, cheese, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cheese will be nice and melted.  Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Steak Sandwiches

Hubs came up with this idea after reading one of his favorite books. The main character ordered a steak sandwich and fries. This idea led to the creation of this sandwich. So flavorful!

 Ingredients:

 1-2 lbs Sirloin Steak (just use your favorite)

Yellow Onion - Sliced

Lawry's Seasoning Salt

Worcestershire Sauce

Black Pepper

Hoagie or Sub Rolls

First, use a little oil (we use EVOO) and cook up the steak.  Put about a tablespoon of Lawry's and Pepper on the steak as it cooks.

When the steak is done, set it aside on a plate to drain the grease.  Use the same pan and...

 

Sautee the onions until they are limp and semi-translucent.  Add more Lawry's and Pepper.

Add the steak back to the onions to simmer together.

Add 1/4 cup (or more!) of Worcestershire Sauce.

Let this simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Very flavorful!!

We also lightly toasted our buns in the steak/onion skillet.

There you have it.

 

Hubs and I used a little bit of mayo to "wet the bread" and these sandwiches were delicious!

Very hearty.  Very savory.  Very mouthwatering!

 

Savory Chicken and Rice

2 cups Minute Rice

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup

4 chicken breasts

12 ounces Sharp Cheddar Cheese (Sliced or Shredded)

1 Box Stove Top Stuffing Chicken Flavor (6 oz box)

1 cup Melted Butter

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.

In small bowl, mix soups together with rice.  Spoon into 9x13 baking pan and place chicken on top of rice.

Cover and bake for 40 minutes.

Take chicken and rice out of the oven.  Sprinkle (or place) cheese over chicken, covering as evenly as possible.

Sprinkle stuffing mix (dry) onto chicken, rice, and cheese.  Drizzle melted butter evenly over the top.

Bake for another 40 minutes, uncovered, until cheese is melted and stuff mix is browned at edges.

Fajitas with Homemade Seasoning

I love onions.

And I love green bell peppers.

Ingredients:
2-3 Green Bell Peppers
2-3 Onions
Fajita Mix (below)
Chicken or Steak Strips
 

Chop veggies into bit size pieces.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in skillet.  Add chicken and cool over medium-high heat until done. 
Add veggies.

Add fajita mix and a cup of water.
Heat over medium-high heat until veggies become soft.

Enjoy!

I love making homemade seasonings. I love a little extra kick! 

Homemade Fajita Mix
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Salt
1 Tbsp Paprika
1 Tbsp Sugar
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/4 Tsp Red Pepper