Menu Plan 1/27/13 - 2/2/13

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Sunday

spaghetti squash alfredo*

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Monday
key west grilled chicken*
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Tuesday

taco dinner tuesday for hubby and the kids
leftovers for me

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Wednesday

breakfast for dinner
eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, toast and my favorite; egg & veggie frittata

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Thursday
outback steakhouse alice springs chicken*, green beans
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Friday
Leftover Buffet

if there are no leftovers, we'll order take out
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Saturday
skinny greek chicken yogurt*, steamed veggies
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*first time making recipe

For more menu planning ideas, head on over to orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan 1/20/13 - 1/26/13

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Sunday

Photo from: http://hdwpapers.com

Go Pats!!!

teriyaki chicken wings, vegetarian chili

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Monday
easy garlic chicken* (bumped from last week), green beans
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Tuesday

taco dinner tuesday for hubby and the kids
leftovers for me  

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Wednesday
breakfast for dinner
Eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, toast and my favorite; egg & veggie frittata
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Thursday
skinny chicken pesto bake*, mixed greens with fresh fruit
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Friday
Leftover Buffet

If there are no leftovers, we'll order pizza and salad. 
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Saturday
chicken enchilada stuffed zucchini boats*, mixed greens with fresh fruit
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*first time making recipe

For more menu planning ideas, head on over to orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan - 1/13/13 - 1/19/13

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Sunday
breakfast: crockpot hashbrown casserole* 

dinner party family is sick - dinner party cancelled
zucchini lasagna*

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Monday
shelley's mini mexican meatloaf*
mixed green salad with fresh fruit
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Tuesday

taco dinner tuesday for hubby and the kids
leftovers and salad for me

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Wednesday
teriyaki pork tenderloin, mixed veggies
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Thursday
easy garlic chicken*, green beans
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Friday
Leftover Buffet

if there are no leftovers, we'll order take out
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Saturday
slow cooked sweet barbacoa pork*, black beans
fixings: shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes
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*first time making recipe

For more menu planning ideas, head on over to orgjunkie.com

Recipe Reviews

In last week's menu plan I had a few new recipes that I was going to try out.  Here's what my family and I thought about them.

On Wednesday I made ham and cauliflower casserole au gratin.  My kids didn't eat it because they were napping during dinnertime.  It was the first day back to school after winter break and they were both so exhausted.  Later in the evening they ended up having sandwiches.  This recipe was a great way to use up some of the spiral ham that we had on New Year's Day .  It does make a lot, so I took some for work the next day and still had some for Leftover Friday.

The verdict: It was pretty good.  It tasted just a tad bit bland.  Next time I will add some garlic or Rotel tomatoes for a little kick.  My husband is not a cauliflower fan at all.  He was hesitant to even try this dish, cut he ended up liking it.

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On Thursday I made crockpot honey apple pork.  When I make a slow cooker meal I like to do as much prep the night before as possible.  If I can, I will put some of the ingredients in the crockpot the night before then store it in the fridge.  That way I am able to just pull out the crockpot from the fridge, pop it on the crockpot base, press a few buttons and presto, dinner is cooking.      For this meal I seared the pork on the stove (which was not suggested in the recipe) then put it in the crockpot and in the fridge.  I didn't want to put the apple in it or any of the other ingredients because I was concerned that the apple slices would oxidize so I waited until Thursday morning to finish putting the recipe together.  The recipe also did not call for any liquid (i.e. water or broth...etc).  I decided to put a cup of apple cider in the crockpot.  I didn't want to risk the chance that the pork would dry out, plus I was hoping to add some extra flavor.

The verdict:  It was delicious.  The pork was very moist.  The house smelled wonderful when i came in from work.  My husband and kids liked it.  One of their friends was over the house and had dinner with us and he even liked it.  I will definitely be making this again.

Served with: a mixed green salad, chopped apples, cucumber, green scallions, diced red and green peppers topped with goat cheese and drizzles with fat free raspberry vinaigrette.

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On Saturday I was planning on making Shelly's Bacon and Onion Mini Cheeseburger Meatloaf.  I was excited to use one of my Christmas gifts from my DH; Mini Loaf Pan.  Unfortunately, we didn't end up making these.  We veered off from our menu plan and went out to dinner.  I still want to try them, but they will have to wait for another week.

Spiked Apple Cider

Servings: 1

Calories: 154

Ingredients

6oz Apple Cider

1oz Vodka

Directions:

Mix and enjoy chilled.

This tasted pretty good.  Vodka doesn't have too much of a taste so it doesn't overpower the flavor of the apple cider.  This would be a great drink in the fall.  I think I'll try it heated for a hot apple cider sometime.

Trader Joe's Snack

Photo from Trader Joe's website.

During our weekly trip to Trader Joe's they were sampling their Reduced-Guilt Chunky Guacamole.  I love guacamole but it is usually high in calories.  This delicious find is only 30 calories for 2 tablespoons versus 60 calories for 2 tablespoons of traditional store-bought guacamole.  

It would be delicious with tortilla chips, Pop Chips, Trader Joe's Crunchy Green Beans, but for an even healthier option I had it with some fresh veggies.  I think I'll be making this a regular snack.

Crockpot Vegetarian Chili

This is one of my favorite recipes to because it is so easy make and there is minimal prep.  I cheat and use store brought already cut up onions and peppers.  The only thing I do is cut up the celery.  For the beans, you can use any combination of your favorite, I just happened to have black eyed peas on hand.

Celery stalks missing from photo.

Ingredients:

1 bag Morning Star - Veggie Crumbles

2 packets Taco Seasoning Mix, mild

2 cans Blackeyed Peas (15.8oz each) (or two cans of any of your favorite beans)

Diced Tomatoes - Basil, Garlic & Oregano - No Salt Added

1 – 29oz can Tomato Sauce

3 Medium Celery Stalks, diced

½ c Onions, diced

½ c Red Peppers, diced

½ c Green Peppers, diced
2c Water

Optional Ingredients:
Tortilla Chips
Shredded cheese
Sour Cream
Guacamole
Diced green onions
Rice
Bread Bowl

Directions:
Place all of the ingredients in the crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.  

Serve with optional ingredients.

Menu Plan 1/6/13 - 1/12/13

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Sunday

crockpot vegetarian chili, fresh fruit

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Monday
breakfast for dinner
Eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, toast and my favorite; egg & veggie frittata
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Tuesday

Taco Dinner Tuesday for hubby and the kids.
Leftovers from Monday night's dinner (egg & veggie frittata) for me and a nice salad.

Not only do I work full time, but I also go to college at night.  I had a nice few weeks off for Christmas break.  Tonight I start another term.  Since tacos aren't really in my diet plan, it gets saved for Tuesdays for hubby and the kids.  Plus, hubby coaches our daughter's basketball team and Tuesday night they have practice so it's a quick easy meal for him to put together.  

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Wednesday
grilled chicken over mixed greens and fresh fruit
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Thursday
chile lime chicken burgers from trader joe's, spinach salad
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Friday
Leftover Buffet

If there are no leftovers, we'll order pizza and salad. 
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Saturday
slow cooker shredded chicken lettuce wraps*, fresh fruit 
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*first time making recipe

For more menu planning ideas, head on over to orgjunkie.com

Trader Joe's Snack

Today we went to Trader Joe's and I picked up a package of Trader Joe-San Crunchy Green Beans.  I was surfing the web the other day and came across a blog post at Operation Lunch Box about them and decided I had to try them.  They were pretty good.  They have a nice crunch to them and are just a tad bit sweet.  My DH tried one and wasn't all that impressed, but then he had another and another and well....you get the picture.  They do have a little bit of sugar in them, so if you have problems with sugar, then you might want to  stay away from them.  I had a few dipped in Trader Joe's Reduced-Guilt Chunky Guacamole....YUMMY!  I will create another post soon about my new found love of their guacamole.

Happy Crunching!

New Favorite Hot Beverage

Calories: 220 • Fat: 6 • Protein: 11 

I've never been a big fan of Starbucks, but I was having a rough start to my morning and decided I deserved a treat.  I wanted to try something new and I choose a Sugar Free Vanilla Soy Latte....yummy!!!  The calories are a bit steep for me to make this an everyday treat but once in a while wouldn't be too bad.

I've found a new favorite at Starbucks!

Shedding The Past

During 2012 I lost a total of 107lbs.  Above is a picture I took today of clothes from my closet that I am donating because they no longer fit.  It's pretty exciting having to buy new clothes because of my weight loss, but it also feels great to declutter all of the clothes that don't fit anymore.  I am only keeping one pair of "fat pants" as a comparison.

I have about 66lbs left to lose before I hit my ideal weight, so I anticipate having to do lots more decluttering of clothes in 2013!