Dinner Menu September 5 to September 11

Here is a question that I get asked often, "What do you eat?"  Usually with a look on their face that says, "You must not eat anything." No, I don't starve myself.  I tried that many times in the past.  It doesn't work.  Well it works, but only until you get really freaking hungry.  So maybe it worked for about a week, and then I ate everything in sight.  To answer the question of what I eat...I eat all kinds of stuff.  The difference is that I try to eat the right amount.  It's not about eating less but eating RIGHT.  Before I changed to a healthy lifestyle, I would skip breakfast, some days I would skip lunch.  Then for dinner I would pig out on whatever was in sight, usually fast food.  Oh let's not forget about eating dessert, because chocolate cake is the perfect thing to help wash down a double quarter pounder.  And lastly I would eat a bunch of junk food before bed.  So I had to relearn how to eat.  I stopped drinking sodas, sweet teas, Kool-aid, all those sugary drinks.  I cut out all junk food.  Now I try to get 2-3 servings of fruit and 3-5 serving of vegetables a day.  I had to force myself to get used to eating breakfast.  Incorporate a healthy lunch.  Learn how to snack properly, and start cooking healthier dinners.  I'm also part of fatsecret.com where I enter in my meals and keep an eye on my calories.

Saturday:  Crab cake, asparagus, and fries.  My mom bought a box of frozen crab cakes and she gave them to me to fix for dinner.  It was super simple all I had to do was bake them.   I had the option to deep fry them or microwave them, but baking is best.

Today I used fresh asparagus.  I have Ziploc Steamer bags that let you steam your veggies in the microwave!  What a wonderful invention.  

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!

Sunday:  Out of town.  My husband works out in the oil field, and after almost 3 months without a day off he finally got some down time.  So naturally he wanted to take a day trip to Odessa.  And if we go to Odessa you better believe we are going to hit The Orange Leaf for dinner.  Have I mentioned how much I LOVE The Orange Leaf?  For those who don't know of this wondrous place its a frozen yogurt joint that has lot of different flavors to choose from.  They have different topping to pick from as well.  It's so yummy! And we always have fun at the photo booth.

Monday:  Carne Molida, black beans, and squash.  I remember this dish from my childhood. My grandma, who we all called Mother, would make this and it was one of my favorite things to eat.  After she passed away I regretted never getting the recipe from her.  One day I was shopping and I really wanted to make carne molida con papas.  One of my friends said to google the recipe.  I told him that I didn't need Google, I would ask my mom.  And she gave me the recipe.  The original recipe calls for homemade salsa but I substituted Rotel, and it's just as good.

Carne Molida con Papas (Gound Beef with Potatoes)

1 lb lean ground beef

1 can Rotel

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 cups low sodium beef broth

3 medium potatoes, peeled, cut into strips

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

In a large skillet over medium-high heat brown the ground beef, drain. To the meat in the skillet, sprinkle flour, add the potatoes and seasonings. Cook for 8-10 minutes. Add the beef broth and tomatoes and green chilies. Bring to boil, and then lower heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. 

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 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, and pepper.  Then toss to coat and serve.

Tuesday:  Roasted Chicken, roasted potatoes, and green beans.  A delicious dinner and all you need to do is a side and dinner is yum and done!

Herb Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. rosemary (dried)
1/2 tsp. leaves thyme (dried)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 (1.5 lb) bag Melissa's Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes
1/2 tsp. Lawry's 25% less sodium seasoned salt

Place chicken in a glass bowl. In a small bowl combine lemon juice, oil, rosemary, thyme, and pepper. Reserve 1/3 cup of the mixture and pour remainder over chicken; toss to coat well. Cover and let stand at room temp. for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400. Cut potatoes into wedges; and toss with the reserved 1/3 cup marinade. Spray a 9x13 in. baking dish with Pam and place chicken in prepared dish. Arrange potatoes and then pour remaining marinade around the edge of the pan. Sprinkle everything with salt.  Place dish in oven and bake 40-45 minutes or until chicken and potatoes are done.

For the 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, and pepper.  Then toss to coat and serve.

Wednesday:  Leftovers.  Chicken Bacon Pizza.  I was surfing good ole Pinterest and I came across this recipe: http://www.hungry-girl.com/chew/show/low-cal-bacon-chicken-pizza It's a chicken bacon pizza.  And I thought to myself there's another use for my trusty chicken.  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, and 1/8 tsp. Italian seasoning until smooth.  Spread it on top of a pita bread.  Sprinkle with crushed red pepper.  Add 3 to 4 ounces of chopped chicken.  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.

Thursday:  Au Gratin Sausage Skillet, black beans, and asparagus. This dinner comes together fairly quickly when you're short on time.  You don't have to slave away all day to make dinner.  Most of these recipes can come together in no time.

Au Gratin Sausage Skillet

1 pkg. smoked sausage, halved and sliced

1 (4.7 oz) box Betty Crocker Au Gratin Cheesy Potatoes

2 1/2 cups water

2 (12 oz) bags Birds Eye Steamfresh broccoli, cauliflower & carrots

In a large skillet sprayed with Pam, cook sausage until lightly browned; drain. Add potatoes with contents of sauce mix and water. Cover and cook over medium heat for 18-20 minutes or until the potatoes are almost tender, stirring occasionally.  Add vegetables; cover and cook for 8-10 minutes or until potatoes and vegetables are tender. Remove from heat; cover and let stand for 2 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.

Because the asparagus was such a huge success the other night, I repeated the side dish.  If you can find these Ziploc steamer bags get them!  They are wonderful.  All you have to do is add the veggies to the bag and pop it in the microwave.  And it had the times for whatever kind of veggies you want to steam right on the bag.

Friday:  Spaghetti squash and mixed veggies. I roast my spaghetti squash in the oven for 45 minutes at 375.  Once it's done.  I will add 2 cups of the roasted spaghetti squash to the bowl.  I like to add vegetables as well.  I used frozen mixed veggies and made them according to the package directions, but you can use any kind of vegetables you want.  Also you can use a spaghetti sauce, an Alfredo sauce, or even pesto in place of the vegetables (I don't use any sauce I like just having the veggies).  Then cooked boneless, skinless chicken, slice it and warm it up in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds.  Place it on top of everything.  Sprinkle the whole shebang with crushed red pepper and enjoy!  You won't miss the pasta I promise!