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Menu Planning Monday: My Menu Plan for the week of 10/6

October 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Last week was a total bust in terms of menu planning.  My entire family ended up with the stomach flu which was NO FUN! This week I’m hoping to get back on track and experimenting with cutting fat and calories from some of my family’s favorite recipes!

See my menu plans from previous weeks here–> Menu Planning Monday

You can also view hundreds of meal plans each week at Orgjunkie.com

Do you like what you see here?  Make sure you also check out my favorite recipes board on Pinterest:

Melissa’s Bargains favorite recipes on Pinterest

– See more at: http://www.melissasbargains.com/category/menu-planning-monday/#sthash.BBAgR9lU.dpuf

creamy-chicken-enchiladas

SUNDAY:  Creamy Chicken Enchiladas – My brother and his family are in town right now and this is always a family favorite!  I used reduced fat ingredients for everything, including the cheese, and even used whole wheat tortillas.

MONDAY:  Broccoli Chicken Casserole – This recipe has been on my “to try” list for two weeks now.  It reminds me of a chicken divan recipe my mom used to make when we were little.  I can’t wait to try it out and to see what everyone thinks.

slow-cooker-steak-stroganoff

TUESDAY:  Steak Stroganoff  – Here’s another family favorite and it’s been quite awhile since we had it.

WEDNESDAY:  Baked Orange Chicken – I love orange chicken and I’ve been missing it.  I found this baked version and can’t wait to check it out.

 

 

slow-cooker-beef-tips

THURSDAY:  Slow Cooker Beef Tips – This is an easy and yummy slow cooker recipe and perfect for the fall!

 

baked-spaghetti

FRIDAY:  Baked Spaghetti – I made this for my family a few weeks ago and it was a huge hit!  We’ll be making it with whole wheat noodles and turkey pepperoni.

SATURDAY:  Slow Cooker Turkey Chili – We have a chili cook-off at church.  I’ll be making slow cooker turkey chili and trying out one of my new Mrs. Dash seasoning packets!

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Menu Planning Monday: my menu plan for the week of 9/29

September 30, 2013 by Leave a Comment

I completed my Advocare 24 Day Challenge last week and I lost 10 pounds!  I’m going to continue to following the Advocare plan and I’ll be working on modifying some of my family’s favorite recipes as we adjust to this lifestyle change!

See my menu plans from previous weeks here–> Menu Planning Monday

You can also view hundreds of meal plans each week at Orgjunkie.com

Do you like what you see here?  Make sure you also check out my favorite recipes board on Pinterest:

Melissa’s Bargains favorite recipes on Pinterest

country-style-macaroni-and-cheese

SUNDAY:  Country Style Macaroni & Cheese – My family LOVES this.  I made modifications using whole wheat pasta, fat free sour cream, and reduced fat cheese, and they loved it just as much!

easy-chicken-enchilada-casserole

MONDAY:  Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole – If you need a Mexican Food fix, this is easy to make and my family loves it!

TUESDAY:  Broccoli Chicken Casserole – I am not sure how my family will feel about this one because my husband and kids are not broccoli fans, but it looks yummy, so I figured we’d give it a shot!

slow-cooker-beef-tips

WEDNESDAY:  Slow Cooker Beef Tips – This is an easy and yummy slow cooker recipe and perfect for the fall!

sweet-potato-foil-pack-tacos

THURSDAY:  Sweet Potato Foil Packs – This is a “carryover” from last week.  I’ll be making it with ground turkey instead of ground beef.

baked-spaghetti

FRIDAY:  Baked Spaghetti – I made this for my family a few weeks ago and it was a huge hit!  We’ll be making it with whole wheat noodles and turkey pepperoni.

SATURDAY:  Baked Orange Chicken – I love orange chicken and I’ve been missing it.  I found this baked version and can’t wait to check it out.
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Menu Planning Monday: My menu plan for the week of 9/15

September 16, 2013 by Leave a Comment

This week I had to put a LOT of planning into my meal planning.  I’m starting the Advocare 24 Day Challenge  You can find out more about that here-> Join me in the Advocare 24 Day Challenge

Screen Shot 2013-09-02 at 7.41.02 AM

I’ve learned that one of the biggest things that will make or break weight loss is being PREPARED!  So, I planned out my breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and even snacks for the whole week!  You can see my full menu here-> Advocare 24 Day Challenge Menu Week 3

See last week’s menu here–> Advocare 24 Day Challenge Menu Week 2 (yes, there are some similarities with breakfast and lunch)

See the previous week’s menu here–> Advocare 24 Day Challenge Menu (yes, there are some similarities with breakfast and lunch)

See my menu plans from previous weeks here–> Menu Planning Monday

You can also view hundreds of meal plans each week at Orgjunkie.com

Do you like what you see here?  Make sure you also check out my favorite recipes board on Pinterest:

Melissa’s Bargains favorite recipes on Pinterest

chicken-tortilla-soup

SUNDAY:  Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla soup – I got hit hard by my first sinus infection of the season and all I wanted was SOUP.  I really wanted chicken noodle soup, but I figured with all of the noodles that probably wasn’t the best bet.  When I figured out the calories per serving for this soup using My Fitness Pal, I was surprised to find out that it’s only 119 calories per serving!  I used low fat and low sodium chicken broth and cream of chicken.  I skipped the cheese that I’m used to adding, but did treat myself to one spoonful of sour cream (it was reduced fat and only 20 calories) and 3 tortilla chips!  It hit the spot!

MONDAY: Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken and Spring Vegetables – This is a new recipe for me, but it sounds yummy.  I can’t wait to see how it turns out!  I’ll be serving it with a side of brown rice.

TUESDAY:  Chicken Spinach Parm – This is another new recipe.  It sounds yummy to me.  I’m not sure my husband or son will be crazy about it, but we will see.

WEDNESDAY:  Slow cooker shredded lime tacos – I first discovered these on a friend’s blog.  They are easy to throw together and yummy, too!

Cheesy-Baked-Ravioli

THURSDAY:  Baked Ravioli – This is totally NOT on my diet, but it’s something I can throw together before I leave and my husband can heat it up and feed it to the kids.  I’ll be at a blogging conference.

country-style-macaroni-and-cheese

FRIDAY:  Country Style Macaroni – My kids and husband will be able to enjoy all of their favorites while I’m at a conference this weekend!  I will also make this before I leave for the day and my husband can just throw it in the oven and feed the kids when they all get home.

SATURDAY:  Baked Orange Chicken – I love orange chicken and I’ve been missing it.  I found this baked version and can’t wait to check it out.

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Menu Planning Monday: starting my Advocare 24 Day Challenge!

September 2, 2013 by 3 Comments

This week I had to put a LOT of planning into my meal planning.  I’m starting the Advocare 24 Day Challenge  You can find out more about that here-> Join me in the Advocare 24 Day Challenge

Screen Shot 2013-09-02 at 7.41.02 AM

I’ve learned that one of the biggest things that will make or break weight loss is being PREPARED!  So, I planned out my breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and even snacks for the whole week!  You can see my full menu here-> Advocare 24 Day Challenge Menu

See my menu plans from previous weeks here–> Menu Planning Monday

You can also view hundreds of meal plans each week at Orgjunkie.com

Do you like what you see here?  Make sure you also check out my favorite recipes board on Pinterest:

Melissa’s Bargains favorite recipes on Pinterest

MONDAY:  Lasagne – This is one of my favorite foods and is not “holiday” or BBQ related at all, but it’s what I wanted as my last mean so to speak before I start the 24 Day Challenge!  I just use the recipe on the back of the Barilla Oven Ready noodles.

italian-green-bean-and-chicken-bake

TUESDAY:  Italian Green Beans & Chicken Bake – I’m modifying this and using Fat Free Zesty Italian dressing instead of a dry seasoning packet and butter and I’m also using sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes

WEDNESDAY:  Balsamic Chicken with Green beans – I found this when I was searching for Advocare friendly 24 Day Challenge recipes

melt-in-your-mouth-meatloaf

THURSDAY:  Slow Cooker Melt in Your Mouth Meatloaf – I’m going to modify this and use oats instead of bread crumbs and Splenda brown sugar for the sauce.  We always use turkey already!

FRIDAY:  Turkey Meatballs – I have actually tried this recipe before and it’s yummy!

SATURDAY:  Fajitas – It’s my birthday and I wanted something yummy and figured this was a safe bet!  I’ll have lots of veggies and/or a great salad with it!  I also found some 50 calorie whole wheat tortillas if I decide I want to splurge and have a tortilla!

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Menu Planning Monday: my menu plan for the week of 8/25

August 26, 2013 by Leave a Comment

This is my kids first week of school.  I’ve been back to work for two weeks now, but still trying to get into a “groove”  This week’s menu plan is all tried and true recipes and many of them are “quick fix” recipes, too!

See my menu plans from previous weeks here–> Menu Planning Monday

You can also view hundreds of meal plans each week at Orgjunkie.com

Do you like what you see here?  Make sure you also check out my favorite recipes board on Pinterest:

Melissa’s Bargains favorite recipes on Pinterest

country-style-macaroni-and-cheese
SUNDAY: Country Style Macaroni and Cheese – If I had to pick the one meal my kids love the most, I think it would be this one. It has been their top pick for our Back to School Dinner for several years now and it has even been a pick for birthday dinners a few times! It’s SUPER easy to make, which is an added bonus for me!

Cheesy-Baked-Ravioli
MONDAY: Cheesy Baked Ravioli – It’s the first day of school here and between getting up well before the crack of dawn this morning, getting kids ready for the first day, and experiencing the first day of school myself since I work in education, I know I’m going to be beat. This is a family favorite and a quick fix, too! How can you go wrong?

fabulous-baked-chicken-chimichangas

TUESDAY:  Fabulous Baked Chicken Chimichangas – I made these for the first time a few weeks ago and they were a hit!  My kids have been begging me to make them again and the slow cooker does most of the work, it’s totally “doable” for me, even on a school night!

melt-in-your-mouth-meatloaf

WEDNESDAY:  Slow Cooker Melt in Your Mouth Meatloaf – I know you may be thinking kids and meatloaf don’t mix, but you’re thinking wrong. My kids love this meatloaf recipe and it’s super easy to throw together!  Your slow cooker does all the work!

sweet-sour-pork

THURSDAY: Easy Sweet & Sour Pork – I’m all about doing what’s EASY this week and this sweet & sour pork recipe is super easy!

FRIDAY:  Dinner out  – I figure after a long week of work, taking the night off from cooking has been earned!  Plus, we’re starting a new chore chart and rewards system with my kids and if they get all of their points this week, they get to choose where we eat!

sweet-potato-foil-pack-tacos

SATURDAY:  Sweet Potato Foil Pack Tacos – Before discovering this recipe, when I would hear “sweet potatoes” I thought of Thanksgiving or baby food and neither one was a very pleasant image.  This recipe is SO good, though, and my kids love it, too!  You’ve got to give it a chance!

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