Menu May 30 to June 5

I menu plan on Thursdays, but in all truth I think about my dinner menu constantly.  You would think that come Thursday I would have the menu down. Not really though.  I am usually in a tizzy trying to figure out what the heck I am going to make.  I tackle my cookbooks, look through pinterest, and try to stick to my formula.  One day fish, one day pork, one day leftovers, try to incorporate chicken...so on and so forth.  Once you get into a pattern menu planning is not all that hard.

Saturday:  Chicken Curry, couscous, roasted asparagus, and a salad.  This curry is a gently spiced curry.  I had never had curry before so I wasn't very sure what to expect.  This is delish! Also if you want you can  sprinkle each serving with toasted almonds and cilantro and serve over rice or with warmed naan bread.

Mild Creamy Chicken Curry

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2-3 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp cumin

2 cups chicken stock

2/3 cup plain yogurt

3/4 cup lentils

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast

1 tbsp canola oil

Heat half the oil in a large non stick frying pan. Cook onion for 5 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and spices and cook for 2 minutes.  Add remaining oil and chicken and cook for 5-7 minutes, turning to coat the chicken in the spices and to seal it on all sides.  Add the stock and lentils and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken and lentils are cooked.  Stir in the yogurt and season with salt and pepper to taste, and heat through for 2 minutes until piping hot once more. Do not bring to boil after adding yogurt or the curry sauce may separate. Serve.   

Oven-Roasted Asparagus

1 bunch thin asparagus spears, trimmed

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1 clove garlic, minced (optional)

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)

Preheat an oven to 425.  Place the asparagus into a mixing bowl, and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss to coat the spears, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper. Arrange the asparagus onto a baking sheet in a single layer.  Bake in the preheated oven until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness. Sprinkle with lemon juice just before serving.

The couscous comes from a box. Just follow the directions.  I make mine with chicken broth.  

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: Spinach and Chicken Enchiladas, black beans, and mixed veggies.  I also made some guacamole.  These enchiladas are a twist on traditional green enchiladas, this time the green comes from spinach!

Spinach and Chicken Enchiladas

18 corn tortillas

1 1/2 lb skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded or cut into bite size pieces

1 12 oz. bag pictsweet all natural chopped spinach

1 16 oz container fat free sour cream

2 (10.5 oz) cans Campbell's healthy request cream of chicken soup

2 (4 oz) cans chopped green chiles

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350.  Cook spinach in about 1 1/2 cups water. Add soup and chilies. Put through blender or food processor. Add sour cream and mix well.  In a 9"x13" baking pan pour a little bit of the spinach 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 1/2 cup of cheese. Pour 1/3 of the spinach 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 1/2 cup of the cheese. Pour 1/3 of the spinach 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. 

The mixed vegetables are broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots, 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.

Guacamole

2 avocados

2 jalapeno peppers

1 medium tomato

1 clove garlic

1 lime

1 small onion

In a medium bowl, mash the avocados and juice the lime. Stir to combine.  Finely mince garlic. Seed and chop the jalapenos, chop the onion, and tomatoes. Add to the mashed avocados.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

  

Monday: Mini cheeseburger pies, black beans, green beans and guacamole with cracker chips.  I love recipes that have individually sized servings.  And this one has individually sized mini cheeseburgers.  A huge plus is that my daughter LOVES these!

Mini Cheeseburger Pies

1 lb lean ground beef

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup 1% fat milk

1/2 cup Bisquick original mix

2 eggs

1/2 tsp garlic salt

Heat oven to 375 °F. Spray 12 regular size muffin cups with cooking spray.  In a skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until no longer pink. Drain. Cool 5 minutes.  Stir in Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, and cheese.  In a medium bowl stir milk, egg, and Bisquick with whisk until blended.  Spoon 1 tablespoon Bisquick mixture into each muffin cup. Top with 1/4 cup burger mixture. Spoon 1 tablespoon Bisquick mixture onto burger mixture in each muffin cup.  Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, and muffins are golden brown. Cool 5 minutes.  With a thin knife loosen muffins from pan. Remove from pan and place on cooling rack. Cool for 10 more minutes. Serve.

 

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.

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 couldn't believe that there was still guacamole left over from yesterday!  Talk about lucky.  My husband loves guacamole but he left some for me to have for dinner. 

Tuesday:  Burrito Night.  For this dish I take a Flatout flatbread.  Those are 90 calories for the light ones.  And they also come in different flavors: original, Italian, and rosemary.  I get the original.  Spread Laughing Cow cheese, black beans, 4 ounces of warmed up chicken.  Throw some salsa on top.  Roll it up.  Top with sour cream, and even more salsa.  YUM!  For my husband's burritos, I cook lean ground beef.  Then for his toppings he like olives, onions, tomatoes, and cheese. 

Wednesday:  Leftovers. So tonight I decided to have: Buffalo Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza and sea salt cracker chips.  I was surfing good ole Pinterest and I came  across this recipe:
http://www.hungry-girl.com/chew/show/low-cal-bacon-chicken-pizza Of course I have a tendency to tweak recipes and that's what I did here.  Preheat toaster oven to 375.  In a small bowl, mix Laughing Cow cheese, 2 tsp. light sour cream, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, 1/4 tsp. dry ranch dip mix, and 1/8 tsp. Italian seasoning until smooth.  Spread it on top of a pita bread.  Sprinkle with crushed red pepper.  Take 1 tablespoon of buffalo chicken sauce and add 3 to 4 ounces of chopped chicken, stir to combine.  Then pour the chicken on top of the pita.  Sprinkle 1 tbsp. of mozzarella cheese, top with sliced cherry tomatoes and 2 slices of fully cooked bacon.  Bake in my toaster oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is nice a bubbly.  And then I topped it off with even more hot sauce.

Thursday:  Chili Verde Soup con Papas (potatoes), cornbread, salad.  All the flavors of chile verde in a soup, made in a crockpot.  I love my crockpot!

Chile Verde con Papas Soup

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp ground oregano

1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2" cubes

1 15 1/2 oz great northern beans

1 15 1/2 oz cannellini beans

7 oz chopped green chilies

3 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1" pieces

3 tbsp yellow corn meal

3/4 cup water

Spray a non stick skillet with Pam and cook pork over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, until browned. Add about a 1/4 cup of chicken broth to the pan to loosen the browned bits in the bottom of the pan. Place pork along with the chicken broth in a crockpot.  Add remaining ingredients, except the corn meal and water. Stir well.  Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. The last 30 minutes of cook time mix together the corn meal and water. Add to crockpot and stir.   Sprinkle cilantro over each serving, if desired. Serve.

The cornbread is from a mix.  Hey there is nothing wrong with taking a few short cuts.

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

 

Friday: Cilantro burgers w/ sriracha mayo, and veggie straws. Cilantro flavors these patties, and if you are a huge fan of the herb, you can try using cilantro sprigs in the place of lettuce.  By adding sriracha to mayo it gives it a sweet chili heat and a vinegar punch, perfect for these burgers.

Cilantro Burgers

1 1/2 lb lean ground beef

1/8 cup cilantro, chopped

1/4 tsp coarse kosher salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix just until combined.  Divide into 5 equal portions, gently shape each into a 1/2" thick patty (about 3" in diameter).  Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add patties to pan and grill 4 minutes. Carefully turn patties and grill 4 minutes or until desired degree of cooking.  Remove patties from pan and let rest for 1 minute. Serve on buns.  

Sriracha Mayo

3 tbsp. best foods canola mayonnaise

1 tbsp. sriracha sauce

Combine mayo and sriracha in a small bowl, stirring with whisk. Refrigerate until ready to use.