Tuesday, November 23, 2010

11-21 Meal Plan MK

We are travelling to Cleveland on Thursday and hosting lunch on Friday, so I am not planning much. I made 27 cabbage rolls on Sunday and 10 pounds of mashed potatoes to share with the family for the early part of the week. Neal mashed the potatoes with some butter and sour cream and they came out delicious. I will post my stuffed cabbage recipe. Friday I am making kielbasi and saurkraut and I have a honey ham. I am guessing the weekend will be filled with left overs.

Spicy Quinoa, Cucumber and Tomato Salad - SS

This refreshing summer salad can sit in the refrigerator for a few hours without deteriorating, so it makes a great choice for bringing to work or to a summer picnic.


3 cups water

Salt to taste

2 cups diced cucumber

1 small red onion, finely minced (optional)

2 cups finely diced tomatoes

1 to 2 jalapeño or serrano peppers (to taste), seeded if desired and finely chopped

1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus several sprigs for garnish

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 avocado, sliced, for garnish

1. Place the quinoa in a bowl, and cover with cold water. Let sit for five minutes. Drain through a strainer, and rinse until the water runs clear. Bring the 3 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add salt (1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon) and the quinoa. Bring back to a boil, and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until the quinoa is tender and translucent; each grain should have a little thread. Drain off the water in the pan through a strainer, and return the quinoa to the pan. Cover the pan with a clean dishtowel, replace the lid and allow to sit for 10 minutes. If making for the freezer, uncover and allow to cool, then place in plastic bags. Flatten the bags and seal.

2. Meanwhile, place the finely diced cucumber in a colander, and sprinkle with salt. Toss and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Rinse the cucumber with cold water, and drain on paper towels. If using the onion, place in a bowl and cover with cold water. Let sit for five minutes, then drain, rinse with cold water and drain on paper towels.

3. Combine the tomatoes, chiles, cilantro, vinegar, lime juice and olive oil in a bowl. Add the cucumber and onion, season to taste with salt, and add the quinoa and cilantro. Toss together, and taste and adjust seasonings. Serve garnished with sliced avocado and cilantro sprigs.

Yield: Serves six.

Advance preparation: The quinoa freezes well, and the assembled salad will keep for a day in the refrigerator. The leftovers will be good for a couple of days.

Nutritional information per serving: 236 calories; 14 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 25 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 12 milligrams sodium (does not include salt added during cooking); 6 grams protein

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/health/nutrition/13recipehealth.html?_r=2

Chicken Tortilla Pie - JG

Chicken-Tortilla Pie

The fresh salsa called for here has a natural low-sodium advantage over bottled commercial salsa. A rotisserie chicken with the skin removed can be used for the shredded chicken breast, but keep in mind that this will increase the amount of sodium in the dish.

Prep: 13 minutes; Cook: 10 minutes


Prep Time: 18 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)


Ingredients
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1/4 cup Fresh Salsa
1 cup spicy black bean dip (such as Guiltless Gourmet)
4 (8-inch) multigrain flour tortillas (such as Tumaro's)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) reduced-fat shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Cooking spray
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Combine chicken and salsa in a medium bowl.

3. Spread 1/4 cup black bean dip over each tortilla. Top each evenly with chicken mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese. Stack tortillas in bottom of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated and cheese melts. Remove sides of pan. Cut pie into 4 wedges. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information
Calories:380 (26% from fat)
Fat:11g (sat 4.3g,mono 4.4g,poly 1.4g)
Protein:39.9g
Carbohydrate:28.7g
Fiber:12.2g
Cholesterol:80mg
Iron:0.8mg
Sodium:660mg
Calcium:215mg

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001896093

Chicken and Kielbasi - MK

This is a new recipe I tried last week. Neal said it was the most flavorful thing I have made in a long time.


Cassoulet-Style Chicken Thighs
EatingWell:  February/March 2006, 6 servings

Active Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients

2 15-ounce cans white beans, rinsed (I forgot to drain and rinse so I cut out the broth)
3/4 cup fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs, (see Tip)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into thirds
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary (I did not have dried, so I used fresh)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth (did not use, kielbasi and beans are salty enough)
1/2 cup water
1/2 pound low-fat turkey kielbasa, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Preparation

1. Put 1/2 cup beans in a small bowl and mash with a fork. Add the remaining beans and set aside.
2. Toss breadcrumbs with 1 tablespoon oil in a small bowl. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring often, until golden and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
3. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add chicken in a single layer and cook until browned, turning once, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
4. Add onion and garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add rosemary, thyme and pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine, increase heat to high and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits, until the wine has reduced by about half, 1 to 2 minutes. Add broth, water, kielbasa, the reserved beans and chicken; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Top with the toasted breadcrumbs and parsley.

Tips & Notes

Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Tip: To make fresh breadcrumbs: Trim crusts from firm sandwich bread. Tear bread into pieces and process in a food processor into coarse crumbs. One slice of bread makes about 1/3 cup crumbs.

Nutrition

Per serving: 370 calories; 13 g fat (3 g sat, 6 g mono); 68 mg cholesterol; 40 g carbohydrates; 29 g protein; 10 g fiber; 749 mg sodium; 631 mg potassium.




http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/cassoulet_style_chicken_thighs.html

Monday, November 15, 2010

11-14 Meal Plan DO

I'm going to start prepping for Thanksgiving dinner so I have gone with mostly prep ahead dinners that I made this weekend. That way i have time to get things ready and start my holiday cookie baking (hopefully).

Meals:
1. vegetarian chili
2. lasagna rolls with meatballs, garlic bread and salad
3. grilled chicken breast with mashed potatoes and fresh green beans
4. Honey-Pecan (cornflake) chicken (http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000000222927), french french fries and steamed cauliflower
5. apple/sausage stuffing stuffed pork chops with gravy, mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli


Desserts:
Carrot cookies with Pineapple Mango frosting
pumpkin maple pecan cheesecake *new recipe but it looked great on TV* (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-thornton/pumpkin-maple-pecan-cheesecake-recipe/index.html)

11-14 Meal Plan MK

This week I am going to try to cook more during the week. It is always a good idea, but never quite works out.

Lasagna rolls, salad and garlic bread (My recipe is below, but it was kinda bland. I am up for any suggestions. I did add ground beef to my mixture, maybe that is where I went wrong)

Chicken quarters and homemade fries (Chicken is already seasoned, freezes great and usually goes on sale fo $.99 a pound at Kroger)

Chicken thigh, beans and kielbasi casserole (new recipe that I will share it it turns out any good)

I have some frozen chicken and pork chops in the freezer, so depending on the amount of leftovers I can throw together some sort of meal.


Lasagna Rolls

http://mealplanningmommies.blogspot.com/

Ingredients:
1 pkg. manicotti or lasagna noodles, cooked drained and cooling in water
1 cup cottage or ricotta cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 egg
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 cup spaghetti sauce

Directions:
If you are using lasagna noodles, get those cooking first. (My opinion: I think you should either use half of the box of lasagna noodles, or you should double the cheese mixture if you are using a whole box. I had quite a bit of noodles left over when my cheese mixture was all used up)
Once they are cooked, use tongs to take them out of the boiling water and put them in a bowl of ice water so they can chill enough to touch them.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together cheeses with egg and Italian seasoning.
Stuff manicotti or lasagna noodles rolled up.
Place stuffed pasta in large baking dish. Top with spaghetti sauce and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Another blog

Yes I am a blog addict. I use these blogs more for my own records than anything else. After multiple conversations with friends I discovered we were all in a food rut. It all started about 2 months ago. I decided I needed to cut my grocery budget. This was our only spending which I truly believed was out of control. I started by meal planning, going to the store with a list and watching coupons and meat sales. I started with a budget of $125 a week and have been able to reduce that to $100. I hope to be able to reduce that even further. It took me a couple of weeks to stock up on staple items when they were on sale. Four weeks in and I saw progress, however I was bored. This blog will be a central database for tips and recipes. I hope to post my meal plan along with others and the best recipes available. We are a wide range of women, some staying home, some working, some with children, some without, but we all have one goal....

Save money and provide our families with healthy and affordable food!

Monday, November 8, 2010

11-8 Meal Plan DO

This week we are having:

1. Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and steamed cauliflower

2. Grilled hamburgers with french fries

3. Italian dressing marinated pork tenderloin (grilled) with grilled asparagus and roasted potatoes

4. Margarita chicken tacos with guac/salsa and chips (RECIPE BELOW)



Margarita chicken tacos (from Weber’s Big Book of Grilling):

Marinade:

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup EVOO

2 tablespoons tequila (optional)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon grated lime zest

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

(4 boneless chicken breasts about 6oz each)



Whisk together marinade and marinade chicken about 1hr in fridge and grill.

11-8 Meal Plan MK

Quinoa stuffed bell peppers (recipe below)

Mashed potato casserole

Pork shoulder (you could also use a pork butt, cover with olive oil and garlic or other season and cook at 325 until reaches 170, depends on how big how long)

Chicken breast – either shredded barbeque chicken or parm chicken tenders

Tuna noodle casserole

Chicken paprikash from my mom



Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

Adapted from Vegetarian Times

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 ribs celery, finely chopped

1 8-oz. pkg. mushrooms, stems removed and saved for another use and caps sliced very thin

1/2 of a poblano pepper, diced (FORGOT TO BUY THIS)

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 – 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved

1 – 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

3/4 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cups grated carrot

1 1/2 cups grated reduced-fat pepper Jack cheese, divided (FORGOT THIS SO USED MONTEREY)

4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed

Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and poblano pepper and cook 5 minutes, or until soft. Add cumin and garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in mushrooms and drained tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.

Stir in quinoa, carrots, and 1 3/4 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Combine quinoa and carrots with black beans, 1 cup of cheese, and the onion mixture from the first step, . Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking dish.

Fill each bell pepper half with heaping 3/4-cup quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake 40 minutes. Uncover, and sprinkle each pepper with 1 tablespoon of remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before serving.












Here is another menu that was submitted! This includes both last week and this week.



Last week I made:

1. Asparagus carbonara with grilled italian dressing marinated chicken breast (http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/dinner-for-10-dollars-or-less-recipes/Asparagus-Carbonara)

2. beef pot roast (McCormick seasoning packets) with potatoes and carrots

3. turkey taco burgers (http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=1315)







This week we are having:

1. Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and steamed cauliflower

2. Grilled hamburgers with french fries

3. Italian dressing marinated pork tenderloin (grilled) with grilled asparagus and roasted potatoes

4. Margarita chicken tacos with guac/salsa and chips (RECIPE BELOW)







Margarita chicken tacos (from Weber’s Big Book of Grilling):

Marinade:

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup EVOO

2 tablespoons tequila (optional)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon grated lime zest

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper



(4 boneless chicken breasts about 6oz each)



Whisk together marinade and marinade chicken about 1hr in fridge and grill.