Menu Planning Monday: My menu for the week of 8/28

Last week was a bit of a cooking fail for me. I’m having a hard time getting back into a routine and finding a way to balance working full time, kid activities, and my mom was in the hospital, too! Hopefully this week will be better!

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! (I will update with points values on the others as we have the meals)

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: Bourbon chicken – Keli shared this recipe awhile back in a Menu Planning Monday post on her blog. Our family loves it and it’s fairly easy to make!

Ingredients:
1 1/2-2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite size pieces)
1-2 T olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 tsp ginger
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 c. apple juice (in the comments section on Recipezaar, some people substituted pineapple juice or orange juice)
1/3 c. light brown sugar
2 T ketchup
1 T cider vinegar (in the comments section on Recipezaar, some people substituted balsamic vinger or did half and half)
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. soy sauce

Directions:
Heat oil in a large skillet. Add chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned. Remove chicken. Add remaining ingredients, heating over medium heat until well dissolved. Add chicken and bring to a hard boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve over hot rice.

NOTES: On Recipezaar, some people mixed cornstarch and water and added it at the end to thicken the sauce.

Sides: steamed broccoli

MONDAY: Steak stroganoff (slow cooker) – This is a family favorite and I love it because I can throw it in the slow cooker all day and all I have to do when I get home is make some noodles or rice!

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

TUESDAY: Chicken & dumplings (slow cooker)

Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2-3 carrots, sliced
2-3 celery stalks, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 can chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use 98% fat free)
1 tsp salt, optional
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
paprika
2 pkg refrigerated biscuit dough, torn in pieces (I only use one)

Place chicken, vegetables, soups & seasonings in crockpot and fill with enough water to cover. Cover with lid and cook on low 5-6 hours. About 30 minutes before serving, place the torn biscuit dough into the crockpot. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.
NOTE: If I don’t have time for the biscuits to cook in the slow cooker, I just cook them in the oven and then tear up the biscuits and add them.

WEDNESDAY: Black bean and chicken burritos (slow cooker)– This is another family favorite that is SUPER easy to make! You can cook all day and it’s ready to serve (all you have to do is shred the chicken) when you get home!

Ingredients:
1 taco/fajita seasoning packet
2 cans black beans, drained
2-3 chicken breasts
1 can green enchilada sauce

Place chicken breasts in bottom of the crockpot and then add remaining ingredients. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Shred chicken before serving and serve in tortillas. We add cheese, sour cream, etc. to the tortillas. We sometimes add rice (cooked rice to the mixture once we’re ready to serve, not in the crockpot!). This is also really good if you use beef instead of the chicken!
WW points = 6 points Per serving (does not include the tortillas)

THURSDAY: Melt in your mouth meatloaf (slow cooker) – I’ve made this several times now for our family. It’s easy to make, very kid friendly, and yummy!Ingredients:
2 eggs
3/4 c. milk (we use skim)
2/3 c. seasoned bread crumbs
2 tsp dried, minced onion
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp rubbed sage
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (we always make this with ground turkey instead and it’s yummy!)
1/4 c. ketchup
2 T brown sugar
1 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well (mixture will be moist.) Shape into a round loaf; place in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Spoon over the meat loaf. Cook 15 minutes longer or until heated through. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

WW points = 5 per serving with the ground turkey, ground beef may be more (makes 6 servings)
Sides – Sour cream mashed potatoes (4 pts) and green beans (0 pts)

FRIDAY: Swiss chicken – I found this recipe on “Mommy Meals” – it was a hit and very easy to throw together!!

Ingredients:
4 – large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 – tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted (I’m going to cut this)
8 – slices Swiss cheese
1 – 10 3/4-oz can condensed cream of chicken soup (I will use 98% FF)
1/4 – cup white wine (I will substitute chicken broth)
1/4 – cup sour cream ( will use reduced fat)
1 Tbs. of olive oil
10 oz. fresh cut mushrooms
1 1/2 – cups Pepperidge farm stuffing mix, crushed, I used savory cornbread
kosher salt and fresh black pepper, to taste

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Season Chicken to taste
3. In a large frying pan with a tablespoon of olive oil brown chicken(about 2-3 minutes per side). Meanwhile in a medium bowl, add the soup, sour cream and the wine.
4. Add the chicken to a shallow baking dish that has been spared with non stick spray.
5. Then in the frying pan cook mushrooms until golden brown. Layer the mushroom over the
6. Top chicken with cheese slices.
7. Pour soup mix over the cheese.
8. Sprinkle stuffing mix on top and drizzle with melted butter. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

SATURDAY: Chicken Taco Rice– I got this recipe from a freezer swap awhile ago – it’s easy to make and everyone loves it!

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
3 cups Chicken broth
8 oz. Tomato sauce
1 pkg. Taco seasoning mix
1-1/2 Brown rice, uncooked
1/2 cup Red or Green Pepper
1 can of corn
On Hand:
Shredded cheddar cheese
Optional Ingredients:
Tortilla chips, flour tortillas, tomatoes, lettuce, salsa, etc.
Assembly Directions:
Mix everything in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until rice is done (about 40-50 minutes). Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Freezing Directions:
Allow rice mixture to cool. Place in appropriate sized containers. Seal, label and freeze.

Serving Directions:
Thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat in microwave until warm. You can also reheat it in a saucepan if you add a little bit of water before heating. Sprinkle cheese on top and serve with tortilla chips.