Monday, May 25, 2015

Menu for May 16 to May 22

Once again this menu planning was done with the mind to have plenty to share with my mom.  She is doing much better but as long as I can make a plethora of servings I'm going to.  This Tuesday is also my husband's birthday so there was peanut butter cake on the menu.  You can have your piece of cake and eat it too.  Just not the whole cake, ok?











Saturday:  Baked Herb Crusted Salmon, buffalo cauliflower, coleslaw, and salad.








Baked Herb Crusted Salmon

1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. dried dill
1 lb. salmon
Pam

Preheat oven to 450.  In a small bowl mix spices.  Spray a baking dish with Pam.  Place the fish in pan and spray the tops of the salmon with Pam as well.  Then sprinkle herbs evenly over fish.  Bake 10-12 minutes.  You can also place the fish close to the broiler after baking for a minute or two to crisp up the herbs a little more.

I was shopping the other day and in the freezer section I saw cauliflower with buffalo sauce.  I was immediately intrigued.  I love buffalo sauce and so naturally I bought a bag.  All you have to do is pop it in the microwave and nuke it according to package directions.  And it was good.  I figure you can make your own if you steam some cauliflower and then toss it in buffalo sauce.  I might have to try it that way so that I can control the spiciness.

And the recipe for coleslaw is 1 1/2 cups of tricolor coleslaw mix, with 1 tbsp. Kraft Creamy Poppy Seed dressing and the juice of one lemon or lime wedge.  I always keep salad ingredients prepped in the fridge that way I can make a side salad quickly.  http://harddoesnotequalimpossible.blogspot.com/2015/03/menu-planning-and-meal-prep.html 

Sunday:  Creamy Green Chicken Enchiladas, black beans, haricots verts.  What makes these enchiladas creamy is that I add a can of cream of chicken soup to the sauce!  Yummy!












Creamy Green Chicken Enchiladas

1 lb cooked skinless chicken breast, shredded
1 (19 oz.) can green enchilada sauce
1 (10 1/2 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
18  white corn tortilla

Preheat the oven to 350 °F. In a small bowl combine the enchilada sauce and the cream of chicken soup. In a large saucepan, over medium-low heat warm up the enchilada sauce mixture. In a 9x13" baking pan pour a little bit of the enchilada sauce, just enough to coat the bottom.  Layer 6 tortillas on the bottom of the baking pan, in a single layer. Add 1/2 of the cooked shredded chicken and sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese. Pour 1/3 of the enchilada sauce over the top.  For the second layer: Layer 6 more tortillas in a single layer. Sprinkle the remaining chicken. And then sprinkle on a 1/3 of the cheese. Pour 1/3 of the enchilada sauce on top.  Layer the last 6 tortillas on the top, pour remaining enchilada sauce on top and then top with remaining cheese.  Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Then uncover and bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

I also take a day to prep black beans.  I buy a can of No Salt Added whole black beans, not the refried ones.  Rinse them in a colander.  I take a medium size skillet add about 1/4 cup of water.  Heat over medium, and once the water is hot I add the beans.  Then I season them with garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, pepper, crushed red pepper, cumin, hot sauce, and 25% less sodium seasoned salt.  Stir it all up and then mash them.  You can add more water if you want them to be bit more runny.  And all the seasonings are to taste.  Just depends on your taste buds.  I cook them for about 5-7 minutes on low.  This is actually one of the foods that I prep on Sundays.  And then after they have cooled down I keep them in the fridge for tostadas, burritos, or just as a side.
 
Haricots verts are just a fancy name for green beans.  They are the frozen ones.  You just steam them right in the bag.  Once they are done I pour them into a mixing bowl, add the juice of 2 lemon wedges, pepper, Mrs. Dash, crushed red pepper, and 1 tsp. of light canola butter.

Monday:  Carnitas.  The awesome thing about this recipe is that it's made in the crockpot.  Then after you shred it you can use it so many ways.  In tacos, burritos, or even toss in some BBQ sauce and make pulled pork sandwiches.

http://wearychef.com/carnitas/2/




Slow Cooker Carnitas

3-4 pounds pork tenderloin roast
15 ounces green taco sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 sweet onion, sliced
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper or to taste
1 cup water (or beef broth)
1/2 cup milk (Do not add to crockpot.)

Cut roast into 3-4 large pieces. Pierce meat all over with a knife.  Stir together taco sauce, garlic, onion, chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt, cayenne, and water. Add pork pieces, and spoon liquid over the meat to coat all sides.  Cover crockpot and cook on high 6-8 hours or low 8-10 hours, until meat shreds easily.  When meat is done, preheat oven to 275 degrees. Take pork out of the slow cooker and shred on a large-rimmed baking sheet lined with foil or a baking mat to make cleanup easier. Discard any large pieces of fat. (Leave most of the onion behind, but it’s OK if some is incorporated with the meat.) Pour ½ cup of cooking liquid and ½ cup of milk over shredded pork. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes until brown and crispy. Remove meat for serving with tongs to leave excess fat behind.  Serve with tortillas, finely shredded cabbage, guacamole or avocado, and green salsa.


Tuesday:  Otherwise known as my husband's birthday!  Shepard's Pie, veggies, salad....and Peanut Butter Cake!  My husband's favorite cake is a peanut butter cake.  So the search was on to find the perfect recipe.  Lo and behold one day I opened up pinterest and there was a recipe.  It was fate.  And it was fantastic because the recipe was for one 9inch round cake. 



Shepherd's Pie

1 lb. 93/7 lean ground beef, browned and drained
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed tomato soup
1 (15.25 oz) can sweet whole kernel corn (no salt added), drained
1 (14.5 oz) can no salt added french style green beans, drained
2 cups mashed potatoes
1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
1/2 tsp basil

Spray a 3 1/2 to 5 quart slow cooker with Pam.  In a separate bowl, combine beef, tomato soup, corn beans and basil. Pour mixture into the slow cooker.  Spread mashed potatoes on top.  Cover and cook on low heat 5-6 hours. The last hour of cooking sprinkle cheese on top of potatoes.




Peanut Butter Cake

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup soft butter
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup finely chopped peanut butter cups mixed with 1 tbsp flour (the candy tends to sink at the bottom if you don't mix it with a little bit of flour)

To make the cake:  Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter one 9" cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.  In a mixing bowl cream butter, peanut butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. At low-speed, add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Combine the chopped peanut butter cups with one tablespoon of flour and add them to the batter. With a spatula mix until combined. Spoon batter in the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake cake until about 33 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool cake 5 minutes. Turn out onto racks, peel off parchment. Cool cake completely before frosting.

Peanut Butter Frosting:

1/2 cup soft butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cups powder sugar
1/3 to 1/2 cup heavy cream (depending on your peanut butter thickness)
Peanut Butter Cups / Hearts to decorate

To make the frosting:  In a mixing bowl add the butter, peanut butter and 1/3 cup heavy cream. Stir at low-speed until combined. Slowly add the powder sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. When all the sugar is added increase the speed and mix for 1 more minute. If needed, slowly add few more drops of heavy cream.  Frost the cake completely. Decorate with peanut butter cups/hearts.

Keep cake refrigerated. Serve at room temperature.

NOTE:  I just put about 1/2 of the frosting on top of the cake.  My husband is not a big fan of frosting or icing, and he asked me to frost it that way.  I just tossed the rest of the frosting.  Next time I will half the recipe.  And yes that is chocolate sauce that is drizzled on the cake.  Did I mention it's my husband's birthday as well as 1 year that he is smoke free?

Wednesday:  Leftovers...Which became Chicken Bacon Sandwich and cracker chips.  This recipe come from my prepped chicken post.  http://harddoesnotequalimpossible.blogspot.com/2015/04/recipes-for-prepped-chicken.html  To make this sandwich, I use sandwich thins.  They are 100 calories and come in different kinds.  Like whole wheat, multi-grain, and honey wheat.  All equally delicious, and all have about the same nutritional value so just pick the one you like best.  I use Laughing Cow cheese, mustard, spinach, a slice of tomato and a couple of pieces of bacon, and 4 to 5 ounces of chicken.   You can serve it with chips, sometimes I eat veggie straws, or just fresh vegetables and a side of hummus.  Today I had my Cheddar Cracker Chips.  If you don't like mustard you can use mayo.  I have one for my husband that is made with canola oil.  Or you can use hummus, or pesto.

Thursday: Fiesta Beef O'Brian Potatoes, veggies, black beans

http://www.julieseatsandtreats.com/2013/10/fiesta-nacho-cheese-beef-potatoes/#_a5y_p=3675560



Fiesta Beef O'Brian Potatoes

1 lb 93/7 lean ground beef
1 (1 oz) package 25% less sodium taco seasoning mix
1 (15.25) oz. can golden sweet whole kernel corn (no salt added), drained
1 (10 1/2 oz) can campbell's healthy request condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (10 1/2 oz) can campbell's cheddar cheese soup
2/3 cup low sodium beef broth
6 servings southern hash browns

In a microwave safe bowl place potatoes and water. Cover with saran wrap and microwave on high for 10 minutes, stirring twice, or until tender.  While potatoes are cooking prepare beef and taco seasoning according to directions on taco seasoning package.  In a small bowl whisk together soups and beef broth until well blended. Add to beef mixture and stir in corn and potatoes. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for 10 minutes or until heated through.

For the green beans.  They are the frozen ones.  You just steam them right in the bag.  Once they are done I pour them into a mixing bowl, add the juice of 2 lemon wedges, pepper, Mrs. Dash, crushed red pepper, and 1 tsp. of light canola butter.

I also take a day to prep black beans.  I buy a can of No Salt Added whole black beans, not the refried ones.  Rinse them in a colander.  I take a medium size skillet add about 1/4 cup of water.  Heat over medium, and once the water is hot I add the beans.  Then I season them with garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, pepper, crushed red pepper, cumin, hot sauce, and 25% less sodium seasoned salt.  Stir it all up and then mash them.  You can add more water if you want them to be bit more runny.  And all the seasonings are to taste.  Just depends on your taste buds.  I cook them for about 5-7 minutes on low.  This is actually one of the foods that I prep on Sundays.  And then after they have cooled down I keep them in the fridge for tostadas, burritos, or just as a side.
 
Friday:  Chicken Spaghetti, lemony green beans, side salad.  I was going to make a piece of garlic bread to go with my dinner but I decided to have a side salad instead.  This chicken spaghetti recipe is one of my husband's favorite dinners.  I don't make it very often and I'm hoping that one day he will let me switch the whole wheat spaghetti noodles for spaghetti squash.

Chicken Spaghetti

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
8 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 13.25 oz box whole wheat spaghetti
32 oz bag frozen broccoli florets, thawed
26 oz can cream of chicken soup
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/4 tsp dried basil leaves
1/4 tsp oregano leaves
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 tbsp canola oil

Boil spaghetti according to directions.  Meanwhile, cut chicken into 1" bite size pieces.  In a large pan, heat oil over medium-high heat cook chicken until no longer pink.  Add soup, broccoli, chicken broth, spices, and Velveeta. Lower heat to simmer and heat through. If the sauce is too thick for your liking, then add 1/4 cup water.  Once the pasta is done, pour chicken mixture over and stir to combine. Serve.
 
The green beans are the frozen ones.  You just steam them right in the bag.  Once they are done I pour them into a mixing bowl, add the juice of 2 lemon wedges, pepper, Mrs. Dash, crushed red pepper, and 1 tsp. of light canola butter.  I always keep salad ingredients prepped in the fridge that way I can make a side salad quickly.  http://harddoesnotequalimpossible.blogspot.com/2015/03/menu-planning-and-meal-prep.html

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