Menu Planning Monday: My menu for the week of 6/20

Yay for vacations!  This week, I’ll be off the hook for cooking three days (plus, I’m looking forward to a little getaway).  If you throw my anniversary into the mix, it means I get even more time off!

For those of you who may be doing Weight Watchers, I have included the points per serving calculations for most 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.

Get more inspiration by checking out the hundreds of menu plans posted every week at orgjunkie.com!

SUNDAY:

Breakfast ~ Sausage breakfast casserole

Lunch ~ Bagel bites for the kids (salad for me)

Dinner ~ 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:

Breakfast ~ Waffles

Lunch ~ Grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup

Dinner ~ Peppered steak (carryover from last week) – this is a family recipe that came from my mother in law

Ingredients:
3 cups hot cooked rice
1 lb lean beef round steak (cut into 1/2 inch thick strips)
1 T Paprika
2 T butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 c. beef broth
1 cup sliced green onions
2 green peppers, cut in strips
2T cornstarch
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 lg tomatoes (cut in eighths)

Pound steak to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 1/4 inch wide strips. Sprinkle meat with paprika. Let stand. Brown meat in butter. Add garlic and brother. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in onions and green peppers. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Blend cornstarch, water and soy sauce. Stir into meat mixture. Cook, stirring until clear and thickened, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and stir gently. Serve over beds of fluffy rice.

WW points = 7 points/serving  (add an additional 2 points for 1/2 cup rice and 4 points for 1 cup rice), this makes 4 servings.

TUESDAY:

Breakfast ~ Cereal

Lunch ~ Shells & cheese

Dinner ~ I’m hoping for dinner out since it’s my 8th wedding anniversary! 🙂

WEDNESDAY:

Breakfast ~ Monkey bread

Lunch ~ Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches for the kids (salad for me)

Dinner ~ Balsamic Chicken (slow cooker) – This recipe was posted by Holly on the Simply Clean Living blog.  We’ve tried it a few times now and it is a hit with our family.

Ingredients:
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Halves – approx. 1.5 to 2 lbs.
½ C. Olive Oil
½ – 1 C. Balsamic Vinegar – depending on how tangy you like the recipe
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
3-4 cloves of garlic minced or pressed
2 t. crushed dry oregano

Combine all ingredients in Crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken with a fork and serve chicken and sauce over rice or angel hair pasta. The consistency and taste of the sauce is sweet and tangy like an Italian barbeque sauce.

WW points = 11 per serving (add 2 points for 1/2 cup pasta or rice or 4 points for 1 cup pasta or rice); NOTE:  cut the olive oil to 2 Tablespoons and it cuts this recipe to 5 points per serving!

Side:
Baked Asparagus with Balsamic Butter Sauce – I got this recipe from Marci’s On My Menu blog recently and we loved it!

Ingredients:
1 bunch fresh asparagus
cooking spray
salt and pepper to taste
2 T. butter
1 T. soy sauce
1 t. Balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Snap ends off of washed asparagus and place on baking sheet. Coat with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 12 minutes or until tender. Melt the butter in a sauce pan or in the microwave. Stir in soy sauce and Balsamic vinegar. Pour over baked asparagus and serve.

THURSDAY:

Breakfast ~ Waffles

The rest of the week we’ll be on the go – no more cooking for me!