Dinner Menu September 12 to September 18

Along this journey there are so many fears and doubts and insecurities that I think all of us have dealt with or are dealing with right now.  When I first started I afraid I would not lose weight.  And during the first few months when I didn't it was like my fear was being realized.  Don't give up.  That's what I told myself constantly.  And soon the weight did start coming off.  During the course of my weight loss there were days where I was super scared and doubtful about reaching my goal weight.  I figured that I would do something to derail my progress.  I had so much weight to lose that there were times where it seemed daunting.  But I took it one day at a time.  I tried to look at just losing 5 pounds at a time.  From 280 to 275 to 270, really just trying to focus on the last number 0s and 5s.  Don't pay any attention to the two hundred hiding behind the curtain.  Breaking the pounds up into smaller numbers really made a difference.  It makes it seem much more manageable.  And before I knew it, I had lost 50 pounds, then I was in the 1-derlands, and next thing I had made my goal weight.

Saturday: Pork Moo Shu, brown rice, and Asian veggies.  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

1/2 cup cashews (optional)

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, and red pepper flakes (and cashews if desired). 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.

For the Asian 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.

Sunday:   Crab cake, green beans, 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.




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, and crushed red pepper.  Then toss to coat and serve.

Monday:  Meat & Potato Casserole, black beans, and broccoli.  A dinner that my husband lovingly calls "The Most Perfect Dinner!" 

Meat and Potato Casserole

1 lb 93/7 lean ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 (10.5 oz) can Campbell's 98% fat free condensed cream of mushroom soup

1/2 tsp. Mrs. Dash

4 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/3 cup water

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with Pam.  In a frying pan, brown beef and onion together until beef is done. Stir Italian seasoning into beef mixture.  Lay a third of the potatoes on bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle potatoes with some of the Mrs. Dash and some pepper. Spread half the beef mixture on top.  Repeat layers, ending with potato layer.   Combine soup and water. Spread soup mixture over top. Cover and back 1 hour.

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 broccoli, 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.

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 Burrito and cracker chips.  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!

Thursday:  Salisbury Steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, and mixed veggies.  Maybe some day I'll be able to convince my husband to let me try mashed cauliflower in place of mashed potatoes.  Until that day I'll keep using low sodium chicken broth in the place of milk.  He doesn't even know the difference.

Salisbury Steak

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
salt
pepper

Spray a frying pan with Pam and heat to medium.  Combine all ingredients and form into 4 patties.  Cook 5-7 minutes and then flip and cook 5-7 minutes until done.

Garlic Ranch Mashed Potatoes

2 lbs white potatoes, peeled

3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

2 tbsp Land O'Lakes light butter with canola

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp Mrs. Dash

1/2 tsp ranch dry dips mix

1/2 tsp salt

1 Laughing Cow Light Swiss cheese wedge

Cut peeled potatoes into large chunks. Add potatoes and garlic to a large pot filled with water. Boil 18-20 minutes or until tender. Drain. Place the potatoes and garlic back into the empty pot. Add chicken broth, butter, cheese, salt, pepper, dry ranch mix and seasoning to the pot. Mash until desired consistency. Serve.

The gravy is made from a package.  Just follow the directions.

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.

Friday:  Chicken & Brown Rice Dinner, black beans, and mixed veggies.  A quick dinner for those busy nights. All you need to do is add a side vegetable and dinner is done in no time.  My husband really like this dinner.  He told me it reminded him of a chicken soup that he used to eat as a child.

Chicken and Brown Rice Dinner

1 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
1 1/4 cups water
1 (10.5 oz) can Campbell's Healthy Request cream of chicken soup
2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked

Spray a large skillet with Pam. And heat on medium high heat. Add chicken; cover. Cook 4-5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet, and cover to keep warm. Add water and soup to skillet. Stir in rice. Bring to boil reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir. Cover; let stand 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with fork. Top with chicken and serve.

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.