Menu Planning Monday: My menu for the week of 5/1

This week, my life is about to get 10 times crazier. The end of the school year is always crazy for me, but with my kids now being involved in swim team (with every day practices), soccer, and ballet, I’ve got my hands full. I also need to have quick fixes for meal times so we don’t end up eating out every night because most nights I won’t get home until 6 and I know by then, my kids will be STARVING! So, our menu this week either consists of quick fixes or items that can mainly be prepared in the slower cooker and most of the meals are tried and true recipes. I’m not ready to experiment with new things when I’ve been gone from the house for most of the day and I’m as tired and cranky as the kids most likely!

The plan listed here just includes our dinner menu and recipes. I have calculated some Weight Watchers points values using the e-tools Recipe Builder, and points values this week are based on the new Points Plus program! Both kids eat breakfast at home, but my son eats lunch at daycare, my daughter eats lunch at

If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, then you know that for the past two years, I have done a $40 weekly budget. With the changes to our eating habits, I’m going to increase our budget to $50 per week and I’m really going to try to stick to that, but I’m not even sure that will be enough. This will be a trial and error experience, so stay tuned!

If you’re new to menu planning or would like tips for getting started, check out this post here. You can also view hundreds of meal plans each week at Orgjunkie.com.

SUNDAY: Fajitas ~ one of our local grocery stores has pre-marinated fajita meat that is SOO yummy and relatively inexpensive, too! So, we had fajitas and fixings last night (including homemade guacamole).

MONDAY: Cream cheese chicken (slow cooker) – this is a family favorite

Ingredients:
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper (to taste)
2 pkg. dry Ranch or Italian dressing mix (we usually only use one)
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz. cream cheese – cut into cubes (I use the 1/3 less fat kind)
½ c. chicken broth

Directions: Brush chicken with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in crock pot and sprinkle 1 pkg. dry mix over all. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours. About 45 minutes before serving, add soup, second packet of dry dressing mix, cream cheese, and chicken broth. Cook until smooth.
Serve over rice or pasta.

WW points = 8 points per serving (add 3 points for 1/2 cup rice or pasta or 5 points for 1 cup rice or pasta)
Side = green salad and sliced cantaloupe

TUESDAY: Sweet & sour chicken – This recipe was posted on Hip2Save a few weeks ago and I’ve been wanting to try it. It looks simple enough and my plan is to do the “prep” work before I leave for work in the morning, so it’s just a matter of throwing everything together and cooking it when I get home.

Ingredients:
* 6-8 Skinless, Boneless chicken breast halves (cut into 1 inch cubes)
* Vegetable Oil
* 2 Eggs
* 1 cup Flour
* 3/4 cup Sugar
* 1/2 cup Pineapple Juice
* 1 20 oz. can Pineapple Chunks
* 1/4 cup White Vinegar
* 3/4 cup Ketchup
* 1 1/2 tsp salt
* 1 T Soy Sauce

Directions:

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

(2) Sprinkle chicken breasts with garlic salt.

(3) In a frying pan on medium-high heat, add 1/2-inch vegetable oil. In a bowl, beat 2 eggs. Place flour in a shallow bowl. Dunk pieces of chicken in the egg, and allow excess to drain. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour coating thoroughly. Drop pieces into the hot oil and cook until deep golden brown. Turn as necessary to cook evenly on all sides.

(4) While chicken is cooking, combine the following in a saucepan over medium-low heat: sugar, pineapple juice, white vinegar, ketchup, salt and soy sauce. Stir mixture occasionally until it comes to a low boil and then reduce heat just enough to keep the sauce warm.

(5) Place cooked chicken pieces and pineapple chunks in a 9×13 pan. Pour warm sweet and sour sauce over the top.

(6) Bake in oven for 30-45 minutes, and serve over rice or egg noodles.

WEDNESDAY: Steak stroganoff (slow cooker) – This is a family favorite and yet it’s been pushed from our menu several times over the past month because I keep forgetting to defrost the meat! Hopefully this week will be better!

Ingredients:
2T flour
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 3/4 lb. boneless round steak
2 cans 10 3/4 oz cream of mushroom soup (I use 98% FF)
2 c. water (or 1 can 100% FF beef broth for more flavor)
1 envelope beef stew mix
4 oz can mushrooms, sliced and drained
1/2 c. sour cream
1 T minced parsley

Combine flour, garlic powder, pepper, and paprika in slow cooker. Cut meat into 1 1/2 inch strips. Place in flour mixture and toss until meat is well coated. Add soup, water, and stew mix. Stir until well blended. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours. Stir in mushrooms, sour cream, and parsley and then cook on high 10-15 minutes until heated through. Serve over egg noodles. (Depending on the consistency of the sauce, you may need to add cornstarch to thicken or add more water/broth to thin)

To freeze: Pour into gallon freezer bags (I used Ziploc containers for this one). Allow to cool before freezing.

To reheat: Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Warm on stove and serve over rice or egg noodles. (Add sour cream when warming if you left it out of the initial recipe)

WW points = 7 points/serving, 6-8 servings (add 3 points for 1/2 c. cooked pasta or 5 points for 1 cup)
Sides = green beans and green salad

THURSDAY: Shredded lime chicken tacos – Happy Cinco Day Mayo! This is a recipe from Marci’s On My Menu blog. It’s family friendly and easy to make since you cook the meat in the slow cooker!

Ingredients:
* 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast meat – cubed
* 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
* 1/2 lime, juiced
* 1 teaspoon white sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
* 1/2 white onion, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:
Mix together vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper, onion, garlic and cilantro. Put in crock pot with chicken and cook on low 6 hours. Shred chicken apart with forks and serve in tacos with toppings of choice

FRIDAY: BBQ chicken – does it get any easier than that? I love my grill at this time of the year!

SATURDAY: Spaghetti – it’s not at all exciting, but it’s quick and easy to make and a family favorite, too!