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The kids and I are leaving town for a few days for a little getaway (yay!), so our menu plan this week will be cut short!
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!
NOTE: I sometimes get e-mails expressing “concern” that there are no fruits and vegetables included in our meal plan. I typically only include our “main dish” items and not our “side/snack” items unless there is a really yummy recipe that I want to share. If you want to know more about what my $40 weekly grocery budget includes, check out this post.
WEDNESDAY: we’re returning home today, so breakfast will be at our hotel before we check-out (love those free breakfasts!) and lunch will be “on the road”
Dinner ~ Rice meatballs – This is a recipe from my mother in law. I picked it for today because I knew that we had all of the ingredients “on hand” and that it would be easy to make!
Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked minute rice
1 lb ground beef (I use 93/7)
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 t. grated onion
2 t. salt (I cut this in half)
1/8 t marjoram
dash pepper
2 1/2 cups tomato juice (or two 8 oz cans tomato sauce mixed with 1/2 cup water)
1/2 t sugar
Combine rice and all other ingredients except tomato juice and sugar. Form balls and arrange in skillet. Pour tomato juice & sugar over meatballs. Bring to boil. Reduce heat & simmer uncovered 15 minutes.
WW points = 7 points/serving
THURSDAY:
Breakfast ~ Cereal
Lunch ~ Turkey-cheese roll-ups
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 (if you are putting frozen chicken breasts in your slow cooker, drain your tomatoes – I learned that the hard way!)
1 can tomato sauce (I use an 8 oz can)
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.
FRIDAY:
Breakfast ~ Pop Up Pancakes – This is a “new” recipe for us that I took from Make & Takes (I love this blog!) – we were going to try it last week, but it didn’t happen, so we’ll try again this week!
Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
6 eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
dash salt
Preheat oven at 400*. Blend all ingredients in blender. Grease muffin tins. Bake for 15 minutes or until puffy and golden on top. Use a knife to “pop” them out. Add desired toppings.
Lunch ~ It’s a free zoo day in our area, so hopefully, we’ll be having lunch “out”
Dinner ~ Steak stroganoff (slow cooker) – This is a family favorite!
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 2 points for 1/2 c. cooked pasta or 4 points for 1 cup)
SATURDAY:
Breakfast ~ Waffles
Lunch ~ Tuna sandwiches
Dinner ~ Teriyaki Turkey Burgers – This is a Taste of Home recipe that I saw on Mommy Meals! menu last week and decided to try out. I started using ground turkey for the first time about a year ago and now we’re hooked. I’m excited to try out this recipe!
Ingredients:
1 egg
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
3 green onions, chopped
4 tablespoons teriyaki sauce, divided
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 pound ground turkey (I use 93/7)
1 can (8 ounces) sliced pineapple, drained
4 hamburger buns, split and toasted
In a large bowl, combine the egg, bread crumbs, onions, 2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce and onion powder. Crumble turkey over mixture and mix well. Shape into four 3/4-in. thick patties. Using long-handled tongs, dip a paper towel in cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack. Grill patties, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 165° and juices run clear. Brush with remaining teriyaki sauce during the last 5 minutes. Grill or broil pineapple slices for 3-4 minutes on each side or until heated through. Serve burgers and pineapple on buns. Yield: 4 servings.
WW points = 8 per serving (including factoring in 3 points for the bun)
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