Menu Plan Monday ~ January 21, 2008

Last week didn't go as planned at all. My week was way too busy and things got pushed around and a few just didn't happen at all. I started off well; the Apple Dijon Pork Roast on Monday was delicious. My husband and I enjoyed it and my kids liked the pork without the sauce. Tuesday is our busy day and I was crazy to think I was going to pull off homemade lasagna. I pushed it to Wednesday and we had the Turkey Meatloaf instead. My kids didn't like it because it had green things (bell peppers) in it. I thought it was good and wouldn't mind eating it again. Wednesday didn't end up working for the lasagna either so I pushed it to Saturday, the birthday celebration day. Thursday we had the Chicken with Mushroom Sauce. I liked it. My husband thought it was missing something. My kids ate the chicken without the mushrooms. Friday I ended up grabbing tortellini and Alfredo sauce on the way home from taekwondo class because I forgot to get the slow cooker started. Saturday didn't work for the lasagna...again...because of a full day decorating and putting on my daughter's birthday party. My dad bought us KFC instead which is one of my daughter's favorites. Finally, today we had the lasagna and boy was it good. I follow the basic idea of a recipe on the pasta box only I double the cheese. WE LOVE CHEESE.

This week is easy. My husband is going out of town for four days so it's me and the kids and no Weight Watchers points. I'm just wanting to relax after over a month of stress and craziness.

Monday: Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches that I didn't make last week with oven fries.
Tuesday: Leftover Lasagna and a salad
Wednesday: Pancakes and Eggs
Thursday: Lasagna Rolls
Friday: Homemade Popcorn Chicken and Mashed Potatoes
Saturday: Steak (we have a couple of filet Mignon my dad bought us...yum!) and Baked Potatoes
Sunday: Jeannie-O Butter Herb Turkey Tenderloin with Wild Rice, a veggie, and salad

I cool thing about this menu is that I don't have to buy a single grocery item this week. I have literally everything we need already.

The lasagna rolls are simply a creation I made up using leftover lasagna ingredients that wouldn't fit in the pan. I took a cooked lasagna noodle and laid it flat. I placed about a tablespoon of ricotta cheese mixture (ricotta cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan, parsley, egg, salt mixed for the lasagna) on the noodle and spread it out. Then I sprinkled some mozzarella over the top of that...about a 1/4 cup each, maybe less...then I sprinkled a little Parmesan on top of that. Then I rolled them up and placed them in a pan seam side down. After I made them all, I ladled some spaghetti sauce on top of each and sprinkled some more mozzarella on top for garnish. Then I put the pan in the freezer for a later date...which ended up being just a few days from now. I'll let you know how they came out.

See more menus at Organizing Junkie.

Apple Dijon Pork & Steak Burritos

I've been participating in Menu Plan Monday hosted by Organizing Junkie to help me get organized with cooking dinner. I'm doing Weight Watchers and have found that if I don't preplan my meals, I don't lose weight. So, Menu Plan Monday is good for my weight loss efforts.

Because I'm doing Weight Watchers and because my typical cooking got me this way, I've been trying new recipes. Probably 5-6 meals each week are new to us until I get a list of things we like enough to keep. Each week, I'll update on how we liked the meals.

I got a request for a review on the Apple Dijon Pork Roast that was on my menu this week. We had it last night and it came out very well. My husband and I liked both the flavorful pork and the sweet and tangy sauce. My kids gave the meat a thumbs up without the sauce. I'll be making it again. I think I'll try browning the roast before putting it in the slow cooker to make it look nicer when it comes out though.

I also mentioned that the Steak Burritos from the week before were very good. I can't wait to have these again! Yum! I wanted to post a photo of that meal but I forgot so here it is. This whole plate full of food was 11 points.

Doesn't it look like it came from a restaurant? See you next Monday with another menu and more reviews.

Menu Plan Monday ~ January 14, 2008

I can't believe it! Last week I actually made every meal on my menu with one substitution; neither of the grocery stores I shop at had plain turkey tenderloin so I substituted a Jennie-O Lemon Herbed Tenderloin. They were on sale for half price too. It was very yummy and I'm glad I have another one in my freezer.

The steak burritoes were very simple to make with only a few ingredients and a crock pot. They were very good; I will be making them again soon.

The beef and beans ended up being too spicy for the kids so you ever make those, you may want to adjust the chili powder if you don't like spicy foods or have children.

Here's this week's menu. Weight Watchers points are in parenthesis and are based on the nutrition information provided with the recipe. I lost 3.8 pounds last week! Whoo hoo!

Monday (slow cooker): Apple Dijon Pork Roast (5) with 1/2 cup Stuffing (4) & 1 cup Green Beans (0) & Salad (1)

Tuesday: Lasagna with Homemade Garlic Bread & Salad (It's my daughter's birthday so I'm making her favorite food without regard for points. I'll be using my weekly points for this one.)

Wednesday: Terrific Turkey Meatloaf (5) with 1/2 cup Mashed Potatoes (3) and 1/2 cup Corn (1) & Salad (1)

Thursday (slow cooker): Barbeque Chicken Sandwiches (5) with 12 Oven Fries (3) & Salad (1)

Friday: Brown Rice Turkey Soup (5) with Sandwiches (7)

Saturday: Chicken Cutlets in Mushroom Sauce (3) with 1 cup Wild Rice (4) & 1/2 cup Peas (1)

Sunday: Leftover Buffet

Find more menu plans at Organizing Junkie.

Menu Plan Monday ~ January 7, 2008

I'm trying out slow cooker recipes this week because our new homeschool schedule has us away from home a big chunk of every Tuesday with only 2 hours home before the hubby and kids leave again for Awana. That's 2 hours to finish any school that didn't get done before we left, prepare dinner, get ready for Awana, and eat all while having a highly mobile crawler, almost toddler underfoot. I figure the only solution is the slow cooker doing most of the dinner work for me while I'm gone. So I'm trying out a bunch of recipes from the Taste of Home Slow Cooker Classics magazine that I picked up for my stocking. It'll still be in the newsstands until February 11th if you are interested.

I'm also trying to get back on track with Weight Watchers so I've listed the points for each item in parenthesis.

Monday: Turkey Spaghetti (7) with Salad (2) and Homemade Rolls (4)
Tuesday: Turkey in Cream Sauce (3) with Low Fat Mashed Potatoes (3) and Broccoli (0)
Wednesday: Chicken in Mushroom Sauce (8) over Egg Noddles (4) with Salad (2)
Thursday: Beef and Beans (5) over Rice (4)with Corn Bread (for hubby) (3) Homemade Rolls (for the kids and I) (4)
Friday: Homemade Sub Sandwiches on Homemade Bread (9) and Progresso Light Soup (0)
Saturday: Steak Burritos (7) with 1/2 cup Spanish Rice (3)
Sunday: Leftover Buffet

The Turkey Spaghetti is simply a jar of prepared spaghetti sauce with 1 pound of browned and seasoned ground turkey added and then served over 1 cup of spaghetti noodles.

The Homemade Sub Sandwiches are made using 2oz deli ham, 1oz cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, mustard, salt, and pepper. No mayo.

Find more menu plans at Organizing Junkie.

Menu Plan Monday ~ December 24

I've got so much going on right now I don't even want to think about menus. I've still got wrapping to do and my kids want to bake for Santa. I have to run out to the store for something I forgot and I need to get ready for my son's birthday next week. So, I really haven't thought this out much yet but I'll put something down in hopes I'll actually follow some of it. Visit Organizing Junkie for more menus!

Sunday: Steak Nachos

We love nachos here. Our nachos include refried beans, steak (usually ground beef but sometimes we do steak or chicken instead), cheddar cheese, chili con queso dip, fresh tomatoes, sour cream, fresh guacamole, and salsa. My husband adds olives and jalepenos if we have them.

Monday: Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy & Corn

Yum!

Tuesday: London Broil Steak with Baked Potatoes & veggie

It's just us...no family so I don't feel like doing a big feast. Besides I still have enough turkey leftovers to make about 6 more pots of soup. I'll be making an awesome Crab and Clam Dip for crackers to munch on during the day.

Wednesday: Turkey Noodle Soup with Homemade Bread

Made with leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

Thursday: Turkey Burgers using Homemade Rolls

I have lots of ground turkey I got marked down.

Friday: Leftover Buffet

Saturday: Not yet planned

Desserts: We'll be baking Chocolate Chip Cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve using Nestle's recipe. I'll be making Chocolate Lover's Cheesecake for Christmas.

Menu Plan Monday ~ December 17

This is my first Menu Plan Monday. I've been watching the fun over at Organized Junkie for a while now. I'm excited about participating if for no other reason than to give me motivation to actually plan out my menus. Now I just have to follow it! What usually happens when I plan my menus is that I don't feel like eating what I planned so I go out of order or one thing gets pushed back and pushed back and pushed back....My menu starts on Sunday because that is my shopping day. I like to bring home something easy or partially done (like hot roasted chicken from the deli). So this is the plan as it stands now:

Sunday - Roasted Chicken with Mac & Cheese and Corn

This is a very simple meal! Bring home hot chicken from the grocery store. Cook two boxes of Kraft Mac & Cheese so my kids love me forever and throw a can of whole kernal corn into the Mac & Cheese right before draining the water. People I know think I'm weird but I love corn in my mac and cheese.

Monday - BBQ Pork Rib Sandwiches on Homemade Wheat Rolls and Seasoned Oven Fries

You can't get easier on the ribs. Throw some pork ribs (with or without bones...it doesn't matter) into the crock pot and pour a bottle of barbeque sauce on them. Cook all day. Shred the pork and throw on some rolls with cheddar cheese. Yum! I'm using leftover ribs from last week.

Tuesday - Roasted Herbed Pork Tenderloin with Baked Potatoes & Broccoli & Salad

This is a YUMMY. I wish I could share this copyrighted recipe. Basically, it has garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, salt, oregano, and thyme as a dry rub on a olive oil covered tenderloin.
Wednesday - Chicken BLT Wrapwich with Pasta Salad and Fresh Fruit

When I get roasted chicken I use it for two recipes. I'm using Sunday's leftovers in this. Sounds good.
Thursday - Turkey Noodle Soup with Homemade Rolls & Salad

I buy a 20+ pound turkey for our family of 5 so I can put enough leftovers and turkey in the freezer for 5-7 batches of Turkey Noodle Soup. Buying a turkey drumstick is an inexpensive option. I like to add some salso to my noodle soups for flavor.
Friday - Spaghetti with Homemade Garlic Wheat French Bread and Salad
Saturday - I'll be blogging about this day's meal next Sunday.

Desserts - I'm also hoping to make these Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars this week. They are super easy, require no baking, and take only about 20 minutes. I think they are BY FAR the best chocolate peanut butter bar out there.