Meal plan coming up

Hal bought me the "Biggest Loser" cookbook for Christmas and I love it! Now before some of you get offended you have to realize that Hal and I faithfully watch the show and I've often commented on recipes for healthier meals and loved some of the ones they've come up with.

Hal knows I struggle with food, specifically Carb cravings from PCOS. The cookbook gives you lots of great recipes for all meals, snacks and YES even desserts!

I will be meal planning for this week using a lot of recipes from the cookbook. I'm not vouching for how good or bad they will be as this is the first time using them but will post any recipes that any of you would like to try.

Take care and Bon apetit!

Meal Plan Monday

This week's meals:

Monday - Taco Pie for Mexican Night

Tuesday - Pork Butt steaks, grilled veggies and rice

Wednesday - Neil's going away party (dinner at the Keg)

Thursday - Chicken kabobs, greek salad, whole wheat pita

Friday - Swiss steak, mashed potatoes and carrots

Saturday - THANKSGIVING DINNER YUMMY!!

Sunday - Leftovers

That's is for this week - what are you having? Check out Laura's page to see what others are having. MEAL PLAN MONDAY LINK

Meal Plan Monday

Here's this weeks meal plan and it's hopefully a bit healthier so I can reach the March 7 lb goal....3 down 4 to go although drinking this weekend will no doubt have me gain one or two.
Visit OrgJunkie for other menu ideas and recipes.

Monday: Grilled chicken, spinach salad and pasta primavera
Tuesday: Pork kebabs (peppers/mushroom/onion) with brown & wild rice
Wednesday: Steak, baked potato (with salsa) and a garden salad
Thursday: Spaghetti with turkey meatballs in veggie tomato sauce & whole grain garlic toast
Friday: Homemade pizza on whole grain crust, low fat cheeses, greek salad
Saturday: Chicken fajitas and salad (need to find a complementary salad...any suggestions?)
Sunday: Roast beef, mashed potato, broccoli and carrots

Wow, better get shopping tomorrow and Bon Appetit all!!

MEAL PLAN MONDAY

SUNDAY - PIZZA, WINGS AND CUP OF EVERYTHING COOKIES

MONDAY - STEAK, TWICE BAKED POTATO, CEASAR SALAD

TUESDAY - TURKEY SPAGHETTI, VEGGIE KEBABS, WHOLE GRAIN GARLIC BREAD

WEDNESDAY - CHICKEN FAJITAS WITH GARDEN SALAD

THURSDAY - STEAMED FISH, RICE AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH LEMON PEPPER

FRIDAY - GLAZED BALSAMIC CHICKEN , ASIAN NOODLES AND VEGGIE CHOP SUEY

SATURDAY - SWEDISH MEATBALLS, RICE AND BAKED BROWN BEANS


Recipe for Glazed Balsamic Chicken:

This juicy chicken, with its sweet and sour glaze, from the May 2004 issue of Canadian Living ("Yes, Have Chicken Tonight!") is so simple that you can make it from start to finish in 15 minutes. Serve with mashed potatoes or noodles.

1/4 cup (50 mL) all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp (1 mL) each salt and pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 lb/750 g)
2 tbsp (25 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp (2 mL) crumbled dried sage or rosemary
1 cup (250 mL) chicken stock
2 tbsp (25 mL) balsamic vinegar
2 tsp (10 mL) liquid honey
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:
In shallow dish or plastic bag, combine flour, salt and pepper. Add chicken and turn or shake to coat.

In large nonstick skillet, heat half of the oil over medium heat; fry chicken, turning once, until no longer pink inside, 12 minutes. Remove to plate and keep warm.

Add remaining oil to pan; cook garlic and sage just until golden, about 1 minute.
Sprinkle with any remaining flour; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.

Stir in stock, vinegar and honey; cook until thickened enough to coat back of spoon.

Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pan, turning to coat; cook until chicken is glazed, about 1 minute.

Sprinkle with parsley.

Meal Plan Monday

Back to healthy eating as Hal and I have fallen off the wagon!!

Pork Souvlaki, Greek Salad and Rice
Grilled veggies, lean steak and oven roasted potatoes
Salmon, Rice Pilaf and asparagus
Ravioli Marinara with zucchini and mushrooms, broiled seasoned chicken and garlic toast (recipe below)
Hal's night: Hamburger Helper with garden salad
Tomato soup with Ham and Cheese sandwiches
Beef Stew with dumplings

For the most part it's healthy. A lot of it comes down to how we prepare it...bon appetit!!

Marinara Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 to 3 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 (14-ounce) cans plum (Roma) tomatoes, hand crushed, hard cores removed

1/2 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves, chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until onions are softened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cook over medium heat, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, add the basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes about 4 cups.

Meal Plan Monday

This week in no particular order:

Greek Salad, Chicken souvlaki, rice and pita
Roast beef, mashed potatoes, carrots and yorkshires
Pork Stir fry and chow mein
Gramma's Swedish meatballs, rice and brown beans
Shake n' bake chicken, spaghetti and ceasar salad
Garden Salad, steak and garlic roasted potatoes

Meals this week...

Back to meal planning as it makes cooking so much easier and Hal knows what to start while i'm at work.

In no particular order:

Pork buttons in a sticky garlic glaze, garden salad and rice
Pasta with turkey sausage and tomato sauce, spinach salad and garlic toast
Pot roast, potatoes and steamed peas
BBQ chicken burgers, greek salad and pita bread

That's it for this week as we'll be in Vancouver from Friday until Sunday.

Back to Blogging...Meal Plan Monday

and going to start with Meal Plan Monday! I really miss blogging and now am going to make time to Blog as I found it's not just a place for others to read but for me to release stuff that I otherwise tend to keep inside.

I'm going to make a concerted effort to check in on other blogs as well, it may not be everyones blog every day but at least once or twice a week.

Onwards and UpWORDS (hopefully lotsa words)!



Pork Souvlaki, rice and greek salad

Grilled chicken, ceasar salad and potatoes

Mushroom, swiss Turkey burger, garden salad and home fries *not deep fried but baked*

Beef kabobs, rice and grilled vegetables

Homemade pizza and hot wings with assorted cold veggies and low fat ranch dip

Spicy Italian turkey sausage and veggie penne, foccacia bread and spinach salad

That's this weeks menu....look forward to seeing everyone elses!!

Meal Plan Monday

Hal received some news regarding his health last week that left him a little shaken. Needless to say the changes that are required for his health will only benefit both of us. This weeks menu is heart healthy and actually should taste really yummy! If someone has any recipes that are heart healthy or know of a link or two please let us know, it would be so appreciated.

This weeks menu plan:

Sirloin Grillades, mashed potatoes and a salad *not sure yet what kind*

Chicken Pot-au Feu (has mushrooms, green onion, carrots, red pepper in it) served with brown rice

Whole wheat Rotini with vegetable stuffed tomato sauce and spicy turkey sausage with whole wheat foccacia

Souvlaki, greek salad, rice pilaf and whole wheat pita

Beef fajitas on whole wheat shells, salad *again, not sure what kind*

Meal Plan Monday

Hi all,
I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend. We had the most delicious dinner at Shari and Dougs and we even took the remains home to make soup with. It's nice to have such good friends to spend the holidays with, especially when your families live so far away. Good food, great company and a variety of conversations, lol.
So this week it's my turn to feel under the weather so this week's menu will be very basic and simple. Sometimes it's good to just go back to the basics.

Seasoned pork steak, roasted potatoes and corn
Homemade turkey soup *Thanks Shari and Doug for the delicious dinner
Penz Pepperoni and Feta pizza, ceasar salad and hot wings
Hot n' Spicy chili with Rice and rolls
Garlicky sticky ribs, rice and grilled veggies (we didn't get to have these last week and they're so good!)

We'll be away for a couple of dinners so that's it for this week.

MEAL PLAN MONDAY!

I think this week will have a few meals from last week as Hal was so sick with the flu we ended up eating a lot of homemade soups....most were good but the Tomato Ravioli was a bust :-(

In no particular order:

Beef Souvlaki, Rice Pilaf, Greek salad Beef Souvlaki recipe

Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and mixed veggies

Garlicky ribs, sticky rice and grilled veggies

Ginger sesame chicken, spinach salad and chow mein

Poached Salmon, grilled sage potatoes and carrots (on a night Hal works late as he's not a fish eater)

Burgers, garden salad and fries

Easter dinner at Shari's (Yummy!!)

MEAL PLAN MONDAY

Sausages, Pancakes and fruit salad (tonights dinner..I love breakfast for dinner)

Pork chops in mushroom sauce, mashed potatoes and carrots

Pepperoni, onion, feta cheese pizza with ceasar salad

Chicken quesadillas, spinach salad

Chicken Broccoli Fettucine (we didn't have this last week as Hal was sick)

Beef Souvlaki, Greek salad and Rice Pilaf

Homemade burgers, tomato salad and fries


.

Meal Plan Monday

Head on over to Laura's and check out Meal Plan Monday if you're new to it. Hal and I find that it's definitely saving on groceries as we only by what we need, it's awesome!!

This week we'll be having:

Roast Chicken, stuffing, mashed potatoes, steamed carrots and gravy

Homemade chicken soup, salad (going to look up some new ones) and buns

BBQ Pork, chow mein and stir fried veggies

Beef Stew, fresh dinner rolls and salad - Any one have a suggestion for this one??

Lasagne, ceasar salad and bruschetta

Chicken, Broccoli Fettucine, mixed greens salad and garlic toast

Not guaranteeing everything will get cooked but we're going to try this week....and what are you planning for your meals?

Take care,
Pen


Thanks for the Spinach Salad suggestion. I will definitely try that one plus I did a google search and found this one, which Hal seemed open to try, lol:

Baby Spinach Salad with Tomato and Mozzarella Recipe

Ingredients:
5 ounces baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves -- cut in thin strips
1 beefsteak tomato -- cut thinly crosswise
1/4 pound part-skim mozzarella -- diced
2 teaspoons fresh oregano -- chopped fine
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper to Taste

Directions:
Alternate layers of spinach and tomato across plate.
Top with basil, mozzarella, and oregano.
Dress with oil and vinegar. Season to taste. Serve.

South Beach Diet Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3 Per Serving (excluding unknown items):
122 Calories; 14g Fat (97.8% calories from fat); trace Protein; 1g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; trace Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Fruit; 2 1/2 Fat.
This recipe for Baby Spinach Salad with Tomato and Mozzarella serves/makes 2

Meal Plan Monday

BBQ burgers with garden salad

Chicken Broccoli fettucine, garlic toast and ceasar salad
(whew talk about carb overload on this one!)

Potato corn chowder with biscuits

BBQ pork sticks, chow mein and steamed veggies

Steak, twice baked potatoes and garden salad

Chicken stir fry and rice

Meal Plan Monday

Seeing's how last week we didn't have a single one of these meals but they're all good we are going to try again this week. Looking forward to seeing other menu plans too!

BBQ back ribs, rice pilaf and beans

Roast beef, mashed potatoes and steamed carrots

Beef Dip (leftover roast beef), fries and salad

Tandoori chicken, rice and grilled veggies

Hamburgers and ceasar salad

BBQ pork sticks, chow mein and steamed veggies

Steak, twice baked potatoes and garden salad

Meal Plan Monday

This weeks meals will include:

BBQ back ribs, mashed potatoes and beans

Roast beef, mashed potatoes and steamed carrots

Beef Dip (leftover roast beef), fries and salad

Tandoori chicken, rice and grilled veggies

Hamburgers and ceasar salad

BBQ pork sticks, mashed potatoes and steamed veggies

Steak, twice baked potatoes and garden salad

A mixed set of meals but variety is good! I'm going to have to surf the cookbooks for more interesting meals though. Something new and fun!!

Have a wonderful week all,

Pen

Meal Plan Monday

Hi all, back from Vancouver and feeling exhausted now, lol. Here in no particular order is our meal plan for this week.

Ginger Sesame Chicken with Oriental Chicken Salad

Beef Stew with crescent rolls

Grilled pork with veggie shiskabobs and new potatoes

Ceasar salad, homemade pepperoni and feta pizza

Garlicky ribs, sticky rice, steamed peas and carrots (Had this tonight and it was yummy, my hunny makes the best garlicky, sticky ribs!)

Dinner in/from Terrace (Tomorrow night as we're going shopping in Terrace for bathroom fixtures)

Warm spinach salad, grilled chicken and garlic toast

Okay, so last week I found it really difficult to have the meals on the days I had selected so this week i'm just posting what the meals will be. There were a couple meals we didn't even get to try so this week we'll give it a second go around.

Ground beef Stroganoff, mashed potatoes and corn

Ginger Sesame Chicken with baby sage potatoes and asparagus

Sweet and Sour pork, chow mein and stir fry veggies and or oriental salad

Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes and carrots and garden salad

Poached salmon, steamed rice and broccoli

Homemade pizza and ceasar salad

Jenny, this is the one i'm going to try (cutting it in half for Hal and I):

CHICKEN CHOW MEIN

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 c. sliced Chinese cabbage

3 c. thinly sliced celery

1 (1 lb.) can bean sprouts, drained

1 (4 oz.) can water chestnuts, sliced

2 tsp. sugar

2 c. chicken broth or water

2 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch

1/4 c. cold water

1/4 c. soy sauce

2 c. sliced cooked chicken, cut in slivers

Chow mein noodles

Heat oil, salt and pepper in deep skillet. Add cabbage, celery, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, and sugar.

Stir in chicken broth; cook about 10 minutes.

Blend cornstarch, water and soy sauce. Add to vegetable mixture and stir until mixture thickens.

Add chicken. Heat through. Serve over hot chow mein noodles.

Yield: 4-6 servings.

Meal Planning - Week 3

Saturday - baked chicken with cream and spinach sauce served with rice and steamed carrots
I had to come back and post how absolutely fabulous this meal was!!! Hal's raving about it and wants it added to our 'Favourites'!!!

Sunday - Tacos and garden salad

Monday - Grilled steak, ceasar salad and mushrooms/zucchini veggies

Tuesday - GINGER SESAME CHICKEN WITH BABY SAGE POTATOES (i'm posting the recipe for this one too!)

Wednesday - Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes and carrots

Thursday - Beef stew and homemade bread

Friday - Homemade pizza, hot wings and garden salad


GINGER SESAME CHICKEN WITH BABY SAGE POTATOES

Marinade:
1/4 cup wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil

Chicken and Potatoes:
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 cup Paul Newman's Own Low-Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing
3 cloves garlic,
minced1 shallot, chopped (optional)
sea salt and pepper, to taste
olive oil spray
6 baby potatoes
rubbed sage

Marinate chicken in refrigerator for 30-60 minutes in wine vinegar, olive oil and soy sauce. Discard marinade.

Place chicken in an ovenproof baking dish and brush generously with 1/2 cup Newman's Own Low-Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing.
Sprinkle with minced garlic and shallot.
Scrub baby potatoes and remove eyes.
Quarter or cut into halves (depending on size) and spray with olive oil spray,
then sprinkle with a light dusting of rubbed sage, sea salt and pepper.

Arrange potatoes around chicken in baking pan.

Spray potatoes with additional olive oil spray during cooking if they become dry.

Roast at 325°F for 20 minutes, then baste with remaining Sesame Ginger Dressing;
turn oven to 375°F and continue to cook until juices run clear, about 10-15 minutes more (depending on size of chicken pieces).
Submitted by: CM