Meals September 14-21st

Meals September 14-21st
Meals this week once again are focused on eating low carb. I am trying to make them very veggie heavy, but still be packed with protein. I am not a happy person not eating the bad carbs. It has definitely taken a toll on me this week and weekend. I just like having a little sugar everyday. I am hoping all this no carb business is worth it and I start see it in the way my clothes fit or ideally hang off my body, or even better when my pre-pregnancy clothes fit. I have not worn my beautiful clothes in three years now. I so miss my clothes. Anyways, back to the subject at hand. Here is our family menu for the week. The kids get plenty of carbs throughout the day so don’t worry about them, plus they usually always have a side of some kind of fruit with each meal. For breakfast they usually have carbs in the form of a oatmeal, a multigrain waffle or whole wheat English Muffin. They also snack on high carbs food too, so they are not being deprived of any food group that they need.

Meal Plan
Sunday: Spinach Salad with mushrooms, ground turkey, cheese (very little), olives, green bell pepper and black beans
Monday: Spinach, squash, mushroom, ground turkey hearty stew
Tuesday: Grilled Salmon, veggies (kids can have rice)
Wednesday: Beef salad of some sort
Thursday: White bean chili with chicken or turkey meat
Friday: BBQ Cheeseburgers (WO buns), grilled veggies
Saturday: Leftovers

Table Cloth Skirt and Dinner Party Top GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Oh how I love this little number! Have you ever seen something so little girl, but yet so elegant before? I would love this outfit for Big A. It is just perfect for a dinner party or for pictures. I love the colors. I would love to have Big A's picture taken in this outfit. Well as I wipe the drool from my chin go check out this fabulous outfit at the grosgrain blog. :)


Table Cloth Skirt and Dinner Party Top GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Sleepytime Bear Nightgown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Checkout this darling nightgown from the talented grosgrain designer. Wow! I can just picture Big A wearing this. I love the crocheted trim on it. A lot of her creations seem to go back to a simpler time. I like that. What a great Christmas present for a little girl in your life or enter to win the nightgown for my little girl. :)

Sleepytime Bear Nightgown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Menu Plan Monday: September 7-14th

Well this is our second week back at work. We will see if things go a little smoother this week. It was okay last week, nothing crazy, but I think the whole family is adjusting to a new routine. The kids have done well at the sitter’s house, but have been a little extra needy at home. This weekend has been a little challenging as both kiddos have been extra, extra, extra needy, overly tired and both kids have a runny nose (this started on Thursday afternoon). I hope that we start to get into a nice groove here soon and things just start to flow nicely.

This week’s menu is a little different. The hubby and I are cutting out sugar and limiting the bad carbs to see if that helps us to feel better (and I hope it will help me lose some of this baby weight I am still carrying.) I was not one of the lucky many that lost the baby weight right away. My size four and size six clothes have not been worn in three years now (pre-pregnancy). I don’t know why I still hold onto them…maybe just to keep some hope alive. The kids will still have plenty of fruit and carbs, but the hubby and I will try to stick to very few. It is only for two weeks, it should be alright. We are mostly following the South Beach Diet Phase I plan. We will see. We tried once before, but I had to quite because I started to lose my milk supply. This of course was back when I was nursing. I didn’t see any results then, but I hope that I will see more results this time.

Menu Plan This Week

Sunday: Grilled Asian Salmon, Broccoli and rice (for kids only)

Monday: Grilled Chicken, Veggies (fruit and chicken rice for the kids)

Tuesday: Southwestern Chicken Salad (some variation of this for the kiddos) See recipe below

Wednesday: Pan Roasted Steak and onions (see recipe, pasta for the kiddos) with some sort of veggie side dish

Thursday: Egg Oven Omelet full of veggies, a little cheese and some sort of meat

Friday: Southwestern White Chicken Chili (some variation of the recipe below)

Saturday: Some sort of Salad

Southwestern Grilled Chicken Salad

Four main-dish servings. A Healthy Living recipe from www.kraftfoods.com. Total Time 20 min. A good main-dish dinner salad.

8 cups torn mixed salad greens

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast halves, grilled, cut into strips

1 large tomato, cut into wedges

1/2 cup canned black beans, drained, rinsed

1/4 cup sliced green onions

1/2 cup KRAFT Four Cheese Mexican Style Shredded Cheese

Kraft Light Done Right Ranch Reduced Fat Dressing

Taco Bell Home Originals Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

Cover large serving platter with salad greens. Top with chicken, tomato, beans and onions; sprinkle with cheese.

Serve with dressing and salsa. (Mixing the ranch and salsa together gave it a kick.)

Take a Shortcut: Prepare as directed, substituting 1 pkg. (9 oz.) LOUIS RICH Grilled or Southwestern Seasoned Chicken Breast Strips for the grilled fresh chicken strips.

Southwest White Chicken Chili

Two main-dish servings. From www.mccormick.com: “A special spice blend, chicken, Cannelleni beans, and Monterey Jack cheese make this Southwest Chili “white.” Prep time 10 minutes, cook time 25 minutes.

1 teaspoon McCormick garlic powder

1 teaspoon McCormick ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon McCormick oregano leaves

1/2 teaspoon McCormick cilantro leaves

1/8 teaspoon McCormick ground red pepper (cayenne)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 medium-sized boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/4 cup chopped onion (I use 1/2 cup)

1 can (or 2 cups) chicken broth

1 can (4.5 ounces) chopped green chilies

1 can (15 ounces) white kidney beans (Cannellini) drained and rinsed

Shredded Monterey Jack cheese and sliced green onions for garnish (optional)

Combine garlic powder, cumin, oregano, cilantro, and red pepper in a small dish and stir until well blended. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken cubes and stir-fry from 5 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Add onions and continue cooking for a few minutes, until onion is translucent. Stir in chicken broth, chilies, and spices. Simmer over low heat 15 minutes.

Stir in beans and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. If soup is too thick, add 1/2 cup to 1 cup water to desired consistency. Pour into serving bowls and top with cheese and sliced green onions.

Pan-Roasted Steak and Onions

Four servings. From allrecipes.com.

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound flank steak

1 tablespoon cracked black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup fat-free chicken broth

1 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch thick rings

In a large non-aluminum baking dish, combine the oil, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and garlic. Add the steak; turn to coat. Cover; refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight, turning once.

Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Place over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the steak with the pepper and salt. Brown for 2 minutes per side. Add 1/2 cup of the broth; cook, turning once, for 5 to 6 minutes per side (for medium-rare). Remove the steak from the skillet; cover the steak loosely to keep it warm. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion slices to the skillet and cook until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Add the remaining broth as needed to prevent the onions from sticking.

Thinly slice the steak across the grain; serve with the onions.

Meal Plan: Back to School Week

Oops the day got away from me and I am posting this menu plan a little late.

The first day of school is Wednesday so I need this week’s menu to be fairly simple. I am hoping to use a few freezer meals. I also have a lot of extra stuff this week to attend. I have stamp club on Thursday night and Friday morning I have a MOPS steering meeting. I have a lot going on with going back to work, volunteering in MOPS and of course taking care of my kiddos and hubby. I am hopeful that the week goes well and I am pleasantly surprised at how things turn out. It has been easier than I thought to go back to work. I miss my kids, but things are a little hectic this time of year at school, so I don't have a lot of extra time to ponder missing them. Well moving onto the subject of this post...the menu.

Menu for September 1-7th

Sunday: Chicken sandwiches, leftover black bean salad and mango salad
Monday: Chicken Enchilada's in white sauce and a side salad, mango for the kids
Tuesday: Potato Veggie Frittata
Wednesday: Chinese Chicken Salad
Thursday Night: Freezer Meal (Stamp Club)
Friday: Crock-pot White Chicken Chili
Saturday: BBQ (we have to enjoy all the BBQ we can before it gets too cold in the Pacific Northwest to BBQ)

Enjoy your week!