Dinner August 1 to August 7

One of the biggest steps to getting healthy is nutrition.  You have to get your eating going in the right direction if you want to get results.  Believe me you can't work off a bad diet.  It's not possible, I know I've tried it. On Thursdays I sit down and plan what we are going to be having for dinner the following week. And then I'm not scrambling around, throwing hands up in the air and going to McDonalds.  I try to make a variety of different dinners.  Fish and lean pork at least once a week.  Switch between lean ground beef (93/7) or ground turkey, and of course lots of chicken.  A good stir fry with plenty of veggies is always good too.  Wednesdays are leftover day.  Fridays I do my grocery shopping.

Saturday:  Homemade Pizza, mixed veggies, and salad.  My daughter requested to have pizza sometime this week.  And she would actually prefer homemade pizza to Pizza Hut.  I think the main reason she likes my pizza is that I control how much sauce goes on it.  She usually doesn't like a lot of sauce on her pizza and even when I ask Pizza Hut to go light on the sauce they seem to put too much for her.  Also I use big, huge pepperonis.  She and I pretty much like the same toppings on our pizzas.  Pepperoni and hamburger, but I substitute turkey and it comes out just as good.  My husband likes to have different things on his and I'll talk about that in a bit.  First up though mine and my daughter's favorite.

Homemade Pepperoni and Turkey Pizza

1/4 cup Contadina pizza squeeze pizza sauce

1/8 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese

1/2 cup cooked ground turkey

12 deli slices of pepperoni

1 ( 13.8 oz.) tube pizza crust dough

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 425.  Spray a cookie sheet with Pam.  Roll out dough on the cookie sheet. Spread pizza sauce over dough. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese evenly over sauce. Place pepperonis in a single layer over Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle turkey on top. Then top with mozzarella.  Bake 14 - 16 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  Slice into 12 even slices and serve!

My husband's favorite pizza

1/2 cup Contadina pizza squeeze pizza sauce
1/8 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
1 cup cook ground turkey
2.25 oz can sliced olives, drained
4 oz can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 small jar artichoke hearts, drained
1 (13.8 oz.) tube pizza crust dough
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 425.  Spray a cookie sheet with Pam.  Roll out dough on the cookie sheet. Spread pizza sauce over dough. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese evenly over sauce. Place olives, mushrooms, artichokes, and turkey over Parmesan cheese. Then top with mozzarella.  Bake 14 - 16 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  Slice into 12 even slices and serve!

For the mixed veggies, they are the frozen ones.  You can steam them right in the bag.  Just follow the directions on the package.  Once they are done, I'll pour them into a mixing bowl.  Add 1/2 tsp. butter, Mrs. Dash, pepper, and crushed red pepper.  Then toss to coat and serve.

In my fridge I have two baskets one is a fruit basket and the other one is a veggie basket.  All the vegges are prepped and ready to go either as a snack or into salad.  Right now I have baby carrots, cucumbers, celery, yellow bell peppers (those are my favorite color, but you can use red or green or orange), radishes, cherry tomatoes, a couple limes, and a lemon.  It makes putting a salad together a snap.   If you want to know more about my baskets follow this link to one of my first blog posts:  http://harddoesnotequalimpossible.blogspot.com/2015/03/menu-planning-and-meal-prep.html

Sunday:  Lemon Pepper Cod, dilly fries, and green beans.  I love baking fish.  You eliminate the batter, the oil, and so many bad calories.  All you have is beautiful fish.  I just wish they sold fresh fish here in the middle of the desert...that's not catfish...catfish I HATE!!!




Lemon Pepper Cod

2 lbs. cod
lemon pepper seasoning
2 tbsp. butter
juice of 1 lime

Heat oven to 450.  Spray oven safe pan with Pam.  Place cod in pan.  Sprinkle the cod with lemon pepper seasoning, to your taste.  Roast 5-7 minutes until opaque.  Melt butter in a small sauce saucepan.  Add lime juice and cook for 1 minute more.  Before serving drizzle butter mixture over cod.

The french fries were a single serving tray that you can just pop in the microwave.  Follow the directions.  When they are done I like to pour them into a bowl, sprinkle with Mrs. Dash, pepper and dried dill.  Toss to coat and then serve!

For the green beans, they are the frozen ones.  You can steam them right in the bag.  Just follow the directions on the package.  Once they are done, I'll pour them into a mixing bowl.  Add 1/2 tsp. butter, Mrs. Dash, pepper, crushed red pepper, and the juice from 1 wedge of lemon.  Then toss to coat and serve.
 

Monday:  Burrito Night. I like to have cooked chicken in my fridge, one day out of the week I cook a whole bunch of chicken.  First I trim all the fat off of boneless skinless chicken breasts.  Then I cut them in half, and with a meat mallet, I pound them all to an equal thickness.  Put them in a Ziploc baggy pour in some lemon pepper marinade, and refrigerate about 6 hours.  When I get ready to cook the chicken.  I spray a frying pan with Pam, and heat on medium.  Then I take the chicken sprinkle it with lemon pepper seasoning and place them in the pan.  Cook for about 6 or 7 minutes.  Flip them over and continue to cook for 6 to 7 minutes.  Take them out of the pan and place in a baking dish to cool down.  Cover with foil and refrigerate until ready to use.  On burrito night 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, serve with a side of cracker chips and YUM!  For more of my ideas for using the chicken I prep follow this link:  http://harddoesnotequalimpossible.blogspot.com/2015/04/recipes-for-prepped-chicken.html

Tuesday:  Chicken Fajita Stuffed Peppers, black beans, and mixed veggies.  I love chicken fajitas and stuffed peppers this recipe combines the two into one delicious dinner.

Chicken Fajita Stuffed Peppers

3/4 cup dry instant brown rice

5 medium bell peppers

1 1/2 cups chopped onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tbsp. canola oil

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 3/4 inch pieces

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp paprika

1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes & green chilies

1 cup no salt added black beans rinsed and drained

1 cup frozen whole kernel golden corn

1/8 cup chopped cilantro

1 tbsp. fresh lime juice

Preheat oven to 375. Cook rice according to package directions. Cut the peppers in half top to bottom, seed and devein peppers. Set aside.  Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and saute until golden, about 5 minutes, then add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer, add chicken, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. cumin, paprika, and season with salt and pepper. Cook stirring occasionally, until cook through, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low, add tomatoes with diced chilies, black beans, corn, cooked brown rice, remaining 1/2 tsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. cumin, cilantro, lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until just heated through. Add a heaping 1/2 cup of the mixture to each pepper half and slightly press filling to fit. Pour enough water into bottom of baking dish to reach 1/8 inch height, careful not to pour it into the peppers. Cover with foil and bake 30-35 minutes, until peppers are soft.  Serve warm topped with more cilantro, sour cream and hot sauce if desired.

What I did was made two trays of stuffed peppers, baked one dish of the stuffed peppers and the other baking dish I put in the freezer for later, minus the water.  When I get ready to use it.  I take the dish out of the freezer, let it thaw in the fridge and then follow the same direction for baking.
 

I always have black beans in my fridge.  It's one of the foods that I prep along with chicken.  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.

For the mixed veggies, they are the frozen ones.  You can steam them right in the bag.  Just follow the directions on the package.  Once they are done, I'll pour them into a mixing bowl.  Add 1/2 tsp. butter, Mrs. Dash, pepper, and crushed red pepper.  Then toss to coat and serve.

Wednesday:  Leftovers. Chicken Bacon Sandwich and cracker chips. For the sandwich I use a Hungry Girl Foldit Flat bread, a slice of Swiss cheese, mustard, 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.  If you don't like mustard you can use mayo.  I don't like mayo but I do have one that is made with canola oil that my husband uses.  Or you can use hummus, or pesto.

Thursday:  Shepard's Pie, black beans, and squash.  My family loves Shepard's Pie.  It's a pretty simple dish and you can either cook it in a slow cooker or in the oven.

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.  *To make this dish in the oven.  Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 9X13 baking dish with Pam.  Follow the same directions to putting the food in the baking dish.  BUT then cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and sprinkle with cheese and bake for 5 more minutes.

I always have black beans in my fridge.  It's one of the foods that I prep along with chicken.  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.

For the squash, they are the frozen ones.  They are not the kind you can steam in the bag.  Just follow the directions on the package.  Once they are done, I'll pour them into a mixing bowl.  Add 1/2 tsp. butter, Mrs. Dash, and pepper.  Then toss to coat and serve.

Friday:  Pork Moo shu, veggies, and brown rice. This is one of my favorite ways to make stir fry!  I actually found this recipe in my daughter's Disney Princess Cook book.  I was pleasantly surprised at how easy and delicious it was. And seeing as how it was in her cook book it's also a recipe you can do with your kids.  That way you get them into the kitchen and helping to make dinner.  Usually I bake spring rolls to go with Moo shu but today I opted for veggies.

Pork Moo Shu

1 tbsp canola oil

1 tsp ground ginger

5 cups broccoli slaw

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

1/2 tbsp less sodium soy sauce

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 cups baked tenderloin pork, diced

Heat oil in a large, nonstick frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add ginger powder and stir for 1 minute.  Add the broccoli slaw to the pan, and turn up the heat a little. Stir-fry the vegetables for 4 to 5 minutes. Cook them long enough to darken in color without losing their crunchiness.  Turn the heat down to medium, and stir in the pork, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, red pepper flakes and cashews. Continue cooking moo shu for another 2 minutes to heat through. Serve over rice.

Brown rice is a boil in the bag kind.  Just make it according to package directions.  I like to toss a cube of chicken broth into the water to flavor the rice.  When it's done, I season the rice with Mrs. Dash, a splash of less sodium soy sauce, and 1/2 tsp. Land O'Lakes Light Butter with Canola.

The vegetable mix is an Asian stir fry style and is the frozen kind.  They are not the kind steam them in the bag.  I just followed the directions on the bag on how to microwave them.   Once they are done I pour them into a mixing bowl, add 1/2 tbsp. sriracha, 1/2 tbsp. less sodium soy sauce, and 1 tsp. light canola butter.  Stir well to combine and serve.  And you can use as much sriracha or as little depending on how much heat you can take.  I like it hot, but my husband doesn't that's why after I plate dinner I sprinkle extra dried chile flakes on my plate!