Leftovers, Birthdays and Dinner Guests [[Menu Monday]]

Hopefully you have all read Saturday's post that explains why I'm off my blog schedule.  Well, let's face it.  I'm not that good at keeping a schedule, but I am trying. 

So it is Monday after all, which means it's time to figure out what I'm eating this week. 

The eating part isn't so hard.  I can do that sitting down.

The cooking part is a little more of a challenge. 

But here it is anyway.  A combination of stuff I didn't cook last week and stuff I can do without having to stand for an hour.

Menu

Monday - Chinese Take-Out

Because my Weight Watchers leader told me to eat out this week, that's why.

Tuesday - Scallop, Tomato & Corn

Wednesday - Slow Cooker Lasagna

Thursday - Hunter Style Chicken w/ Potatoes

Friday - Enchiladas

Saturday - Braised Pork Loin, Mashed Potatoes, Glazed Carrots & Homeade Rolls

Sunday - The Boy's Choice (Birthday Dinner)

In all honestly, Friday Saturday and Sunday are a bit questionable.  I don't know for sure which day we'll be celebrating, which meal our company would prefer on Friday, and which will be left for the other time slot.  So we'll take a post-it note approach to this week's menu and be happy with it!

 

Cooking from the Cupboard - My Menu

I've become one of those people.

The people that find a bargain at the grocery store and buy it.

As many of it as they will allow me to put in my cart.

And then it sits in my freezer/pantry/etc.

So this week I challenged myself to spend less than $20 on fresh produce and dairy and get everything else from what I already have. 

So far I've spent less than $10 of that, which is good because I think I need some veggies.

Menu

Monday - Retirement party

Tuesday - Cordon Bleu for Two, Garlic Couscous & Steamed Veggies

Wednesday - Beef & Noodles (with grandma's homemade noodles!) & Tossed Salad

Thursday - Scallop, Corn & Tomato Salad

Friday - Beer Soaked Beef, Peppers & Southwestern Corn

Saturday - Eating Out at Home (Mexican Night)

Sunday - Turkey, Roasted Winter Vegetables, Tossed Salad and Olive Bread

What's on your plate this week?

 

Recipe Review: Fennel-Crusted Sirloin Tips with Bell Peppers

Being in the beginning stages of getting my act together (on this blog anyway) I neglected to take a picture of this wonderful meal!

Here's the recipe as found at delish.com

Ingredients


8 ounce(s) sirloin steak, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 teaspoon(s) fennel seed, roughly chopped or coarsely ground in a spice grinder
1/2 teaspoon(s) kosher salt, divided
1 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon(s) minced garlic
3/4 cup(s) reduced-sodium beef broth, divided
1/4 cup(s) dry red wine
2 bell peppers, cut into 1-inch squares
Freshly ground pepper , to taste
1 tablespoon(s) all-purpose flour

Directions

Rub steak with fennel seed and 1/4 teaspoon salt, turning to coat on all sides. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steak in a single layer and cook, turning once, until browned on the outside and still pink in the middle, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Add garlic to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup broth and wine, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Add bell peppers, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the peppers are tender-crisp, 4 to 6 minutes.

Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup broth and flour in a small bowl. Add to the pepper mixture, increase heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Return the steak to the pan. Adjust heat to maintain a slow simmer and cook, turning the meat once, about 2 minutes for medium-rare.

The only change I made to this was adding about 1 cup of sliced mushrooms.  This recipe was very simple, provided opportunity for teamwork (thanks for doing the prep, honey!) and was raved about with every bite.  Even on the second day after for leftovers. 

Surviving the Super Bowl (in so many ways)

Good day sunshine! We finally have a sunny day here in eastern Iowa. The wind is still blowing around the bit of snow we received yesterday, and at last check the wind chill was below 0, but seeing that lemon-yellow ball in the sky makes it all more tolerable.
I had a great week last week staying on track. I even allowed myself to have some fun with the girls for a late evening get together where I shared some chips & salsa and light beer. Then the weekend came…

We’re a Vikings house. I don’t know if you heard, but there was a pretty big game for the Vikings over the weekend. Now I’m not here to talk about the disappointing performance (but if we hadn’t had 5 turnovers, and if the O-line hadn’t let Farve get hit something like 15 times, I think I’d be planning a Super Bowl Party), but I am here to talk about the food, drinks and full afternoon of couch potato state that I faced on Sunday. Basically, I’m talking about a Football Party gone wrong halfway right actually.

I had a variety of food that I prepared myself so I could keep track of the Points™ Value more accurately. Included in the fare were Chicken Drumsticks (in place of wings), homemade meatballs in BBQ sauce, Tortilla Chips (both baked and regular) with homemade salsa, make your own sandwiches, a vegetable platter and both Rice-Krispy treats and scotcharoos. I avoided snacking while cooking by sipping a glass of red wine and then water all afternoon. During the game, I alternated my light beer with water again, and stuck to the chicken, chips & salsa and veggies.

I’d like to share a couple of the recipes I used, including one of the dipping sauces for the chicken (the others were store bought BBQ & Hot Wing Sauce)


Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce:
Serves 4
Taken from the a recipe for Honey-Mustard Roasted Salmon Weight Watchers subscribers only)
POINTS™ Value: 1
1/4 cup(s) Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp dry mustard, hot-variety
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Whisk together all ingredients and serve over fish, chicken or pork or as a dipping sauce on the side.


(Light and) Tasty Baked MeatballsServes 6
Original recipe from AllRecipes.com
Original POINTS™:16
Lightened POINTS™:12

3 pounds extra-lean ground beef or turkey
1 1/2 cups Italian-seasoned dry bread crumbs
1 (10.5 ounce) can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup
3 eggs whites, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil and lightly grease.
2. Mix together the ground beef, bread crumbs, cream of mushroom soup, egg white, Parmesan cheese, and onion soup mix. Shape the mixture into balls about the size of a golf ball. Arrange on the prepared baking sheets.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

Yeilds approx. 36 meatballs.

I lightened the original recipe by using 93% lean or higher ground beef, reduced fat soup and egg whites over whole eggs. This recipe freezes well, so make a bunch. I thought I’d have some to freeze when I made over 100 meatballs, but we were left with just enough to fill a 2 cup container for leftovers this week (sandwiches boys!)
Finally, I’ve dug around my archives and found someone else’s advice on getting through big game days. I’m sure all of you who actually plan to celebrate the Super Bowl will find the information useful. I, on the other hand, will still be watching for the commercials so even though I may be less glued to the couch/television, I still may need a few tips of my own:

I like the tips for those hosting here: AssociatedContent and here: Fitness Magazine and for the guest here: eHow.com. There’s a great selection of more recipes here: eatingwell.com