Menu Planning Monday: My menu for the week of 10/3

Most of my recipes are new this week and I haven’t had a chance yet to calculate points per serving. For those of you who may be doing Weight Watchers, I have included the points per serving calculations for some of my recipes this week. I used the “Recipe Builder” feature on the WeightWatchers.com e-Tools program to input all of the ingredients and calculate the points, so it should be pretty accurate.

You can read more about my $40 weekly budget in this post here.

If you’re new to menu planning, check out my post about how I do my menu planning.

On weekdays, my posts don’t include lunches. My son eats lunch at daycare, most days I take lunch or eat a Lean Cuisine/Smart Ones/Healthy Choice meal, I pack a lunch for my daughter, and my husband fends for himself!

SUNDAY: Perfect Enchiladas – I asked my husband what he wanted for dinner on Father’s Day and was surprised when this is what he chose. Don’t get me wrong – these are yummy. But, his “favorite” has always been my creamy chicken enchiladas. The basis for this recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman, but she uses ground beef and I’m going to use chicken (I’ve used pork before and that was yummy, too!) Marci posted the recipe on her blog awhile back and we have tried ti several times now and love it!

Our “filling” – I’m going to put 2 frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot on low with a can of enchilada sauce (red) and some taco seasoning. I’ll shred the taco meat and that and some cheese will become our “filling”

The sauce (from Marci’s blog)
1 T. canola oil
1 T. flour/cornstarch
1 large (28 oz) can enchilada/red sauce
2 c. chicken broth
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper
2 T. chopped cilantro

-In a large saucepan over med. heat, add oil and flour and whisk together to make a paste, cooking for 1 min.
-Pour in the red sauce, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and cilantro, and bring to boil.
-Reduce heat and simmer 30-45 min.

I’m going to use 1 dozen flour tortillas. Whenever I make enchiladas, I always put a little bit of sauce along the bottom of the pan to keep the enchiladas from stocking to the pan. I’ll fill each tortilla with the shredded chicken breast and cheese, roll it, and place it in a 9X13 Pyrex baking dish. Then, I’ll cover the rolled enchiladas with the sauce and some cheese and bake it in the oven for 20-30 minutes at 350 until the cheese is melted.

WW points = 9 per serving for 2 enchiladas

MONDAY: French dip sandwiches (slow cooker) – This is a family favorite and I love it because it is SOOO easy to make!

Ingredients:
beef roast
2 cans beef broth
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
4-6 hoagie buns
(we also add some swiss or provolone cheese)

Place roast in a greased slow cooker. Pour broth over the top of the roast. Add spices. Cover and cook on low heat 8-10 hours (or high heat 5-7 hours). Remove roast and save extra juice. With a fork, break the meat apart and serve on hoagies. Use excess juice for dipping sandwiches.

WW points = 6 points per serving (this does not include the cheese or the buns)

TUESDAY: Cheesy Chicken biscuit bake ~ I found this recipe on Mom’s Plan last week. I think it will be a hit with my kids, who have been especially picky lately!

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter (.25 cents)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (.10 cents)
2 1/2 cups whole milk (.50 cents)
2 heaping teaspoons mustard (more if desired) (.02 cents)
1 egg, beaten (.10 cents)
1 cup of cheese, grated (.50 cents)
1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
8 oz. frozen mixed veggies (.50 cents)
2 large chicken breasts, cooked (1.99)
1 container large biscuits (1.49 for a tube of 8, but only used 4–.75)

Directions:
4 tablespoons butter (.25 cents)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (.10 cents)
2 1/2 cups whole milk (.50 cents)
2 heaping teaspoons mustard (more if desired) (.02 cents)
1 egg, beaten (.10 cents)
1 cup of cheese, grated (.50 cents)
1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
8 oz. frozen mixed veggies (.50 cents)
2 large chicken breasts, cooked (1.99)
1 container large biscuits (1.49 for a tube of 8, but only used 4–.75)

Cook frozen veggies as instructed on package. (I boiled mine for 3 minutes and then drained.)

In a small bowl, beat egg. In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn. Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth. Add in cheese and stir to melt.Add salt. Taste sauce and add more salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.

Shred cooked chicken and put in cheese sauce along with cooked veggies. Stir together and place in a 2 qt. pan coated with non stick cooking spray.
Cook in the oven at 375 for 15 minutes. The refrigerated biscuits can cook right along side on a baking sheet.

Scoop up and put a biscuit on top. (You could cook the biscuits right on top of the chicken mixture, but they tend to get soggy this way, and we don’t like soggy biscuits.)

WEDNESDAY: Cowboy casserole – We have left over roast beef from our french dip sandwiches, so I’m going to use that in place of the ground beef. I’m also going to substitute Ranch style beans for baked beans.

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef (we use 93/7)
1 can (16 oz) baked beans
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
2/3 c. milk
2 c. Bisquick
1 T butter or margarine, softened
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Heat over to 425. In 10-inch skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally until thoroughly cooked. Drain beef. Stir baked beans and BBQ sauce into beef. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Pour into ungreased 2 quart casserole.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, milk, and butter until soft dough forms. Drop dough by 12 spoonfuls onto beef mixture. Bake uncovered 18-22 minutes (or until topping is golden brown). Sprinkle with cheese. Bake about 3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

WW points = 10 points/serving (we’ll serve with a green salad and green beans)

THURSDAY: Parmesan Sage Pork Chops ~ I found this recipe on Food on the Table last week and it sounded yummy. We can’t wait to try it!

Ingredients:
2 T all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp rubbed sage
1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
1 egg. lightly beaten
bone in pork chops (we are using 4)
1 T olive oil
1 T butter

Directions:
1. In a shallow dish, combine the flour, salt and pepper. In another shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, sage and lemon peel. Place egg in shallow bowl. Coat pork chops with flour mixture, dip in egg, then coat with bread crumb mixture.
2. 2In a skillet, brown chops in oil and butter for 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a greased 11 x 7 x 2 inch baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees F (218 degrees C) for 10-15 minutes or until juices run clear and a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F (71 degrees C).

FRIDAY: Creamy chicken, bacon, and mushroom – I got this e-mail from a Spark People recipe.

Ingredients:
8 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (2 lbs) – we’re only going to use 4
1 pkg turkey bacon
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
8 oz. sour cream (light)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (fat free)

Directions:
Wrap bacon around chicken breasts. Place in well greased 9 x13 pan. Put mushrooms over chicken. Mix sour cream and cream of mushroom soup together and put over chicken breasts and mushrooms. Put in preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 60 minutes or until chicken is tender. Can place in crock pot and cook for 6 hours on low or 4 hours on high. (I’m using the crock pot, of course!)

SATURDAY: Buttermilk “Fried” Chicken with Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes – I got this recipe from the latest Family Circle Magazine and it sounded yummy. It is more points than I like to use on a meal right now, so I’ll have to plan the rest of my meals on this day accordingly.

CHICKEN INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 c. buttermilk
2 T dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp Tabasco sauce
4 lbs chicken breasts (I will probably only use 2 given the size of my family)
5 c. cornflakes (I will probably half this also)
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp paprika
Pinch Cayenne pepper
2 tsp vegetable oil

POTATO INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (I will probably only use 1 lb)
1/2 c. skim milk
6 T reduced fat sour cream

In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, mustard, 3/4 tsp of the salt, 1/2 tsp of the garlic powder, 1/2 tsp of the pepper and the hot sauce. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Heat oven to 400. Coat a baking rack with nonstick cooking spray and place inside rimmed baking sheet.

Stir together crushed cornflakes, bread crumbs, remaining 3/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper, the poultry seasoning, paprika and cayenne. Stir in oil until blended. Remove chicken from marinade and dip in crumb mixture, pressing to adhere.

Place chicken on rack and bake at 400 for 55 minutes or until instant read thermometer registers 160 when inserted in the thickest part of the breast.

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and return to pan. Add milk and sour cream. Mash to desired consistency.

WW points per serving = 11 points (makes 4 servings)