Dinner Menu October 24 to October 30

What weighs more a ton of bricks or a ton of feathers...they weigh the same!  I know you're thinking but bricks are way heavier than feathers.  A ton is a ton doesn't matter if it's bricks or feathers.  So where am I going with this...what weighs more a pound of fat or a pound of muscle?  They weigh the same, a pound is pound doesn't matter if it's fat or muscle.  I hear a lot of people say that muscle weighs more than fat.  Actually muscle is denser than fat.  A pound of fat takes up WAY more space on your body than a pound of muscle.  Just like the bricks and the feathers.  You would need less bricks to make up a ton, and you would need a shitload of feathers to make up the same weight.  Bricks=muscle and feathers=fat.

Saturday: Broiled Tilapia, fries, and green beans.  You don't have to fry fish.   Fish is so good for you don't take way from it's healthiness by battering it and deep frying it in oil.
  

Broiled Tilapia

4-5oz tilapia fillets
1/2 tsp. salt, or less to taste
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. garlic herb seasoning.

Preheat broiler.  Pray a shallow roasting dish with PAM.  Season both side of fish with salt and pepper.  Transfer fish to prepared pan and drizzle with lemon juice; sprinkle garlic herb seasoning over top.  Broil until fish is fork tender 5-6 minutes.

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.

Sunday:  Chicken w/ basil cream sauce, black beans, mixed veggies.  Don't be intimidated to make your own sauce.  This is a really simple recipe and while the chicken is baking, make the sauce.  Easy and delicious!

Chicken with Basil Cream Sauce

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
3/4 tsp. dried basil
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. paprika
1 tbsp. land o'lakes light butter with canola oil
1 1/2 lb. or 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2/3 cup 1% milk
1 tbsp. flour
3/4 tsp. chicken bouillon granules

Preheat oven to 400. In a small bowl stir together bread crumbs, 1/2 tsp. basil, pepper, and paprika. Add melted butter; toss to coat. Arrange chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle chicken with crumb mixture, pressing onto chicken to coat. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Meanwhile in a small sauce pan stir together milk, flour, bouillon granules, and remaining 1/4 tsp. of basil until combined. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Serve over chicken.

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 to 1/2 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.  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.

Monday:  Easy Beef Casserole, black beans, and green beans.  A quick easy casserole, and you can change up the mixed vegetables to your own tastebuds.

Easy Beef Casserole

1 lb lean ground beef
1/4 tsp. salt
1 (16 oz) bag Great Value California Style Mixed Vegetables
1 (10.5 oz.) can Campbell's Healthy Request Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 of a 32 oz pkg of Great Value Southren Hash Browns, thawed

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with Pam. Cook ground beef and salt in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Spoon ground beef into the baking dish. Layer frozen vegetables, soup, and cheese over ground beef. Top with hash browns.  Bake casserole for 30 minutes or until hash browns are golden.

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 to 1/2 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.  And then after they have cooled down I keep them in the fridge for tostadas, burritos, or just as a side.
 
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.

Tuesday:  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.

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.

Wednesday:  Leftovers.  Chicken Spinach Salad.   I always have cooked boneless skinless chicken breast in my fridge.  I usually have this salad for lunch.  But tonight I had a late dinner so I just decided to have a salad for dinner.  So what I do is throw all my salad ingredients into a large bowl.  Slice about 3 ounces of cold chicken, or you can warm it up in the microwave for 20 seconds if you prefer, add it to the top.  Add salad dressing, fresh lemon juice, I know some people like cottage cheese. What is great about salad is that you can make it the way you like it.  It's great way to get in all your vegetables, dark leafy greens, and some protein.  And if you prep all your salad ingredients this is a very nutritious and quick lunch or dinner to throw together.

Thursday:  Carne Molida con Papas, black beans, and broccoli.  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 Rotel. 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 to 1/2 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.  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.

Friday:  Chicken w/ cherry tomatoes, black beans, and mixed veggies.  The simple topping of delightfully tangy red cherry tomatoes makes this meal perfect.

Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes

1 1/2 lb. or 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. olive oil
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/8 cup water
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar

Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 tsp. of salt and 1/8 tsp. of pepper. In a large nonstick skillet heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken; cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink turning once. Transfer chicken to a serving platter; cover and keep warm.  Drain fat from skillet. Add tomato, water, parsley, vinegar, remaining 1/4 tsp. of salt, and remaining 1/8 tsp. of pepper to skillet.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered for 3 to 4 minutes or until tomatoes begin to soften, stirring occasionally. Serve tomato mixture over chicken.

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 to 1/2 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.  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.