November 09 - November 15
For more menus, plans and recipes, check out I'm An Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.
Last week I had a major melt down. Pulled out the credit card (ACK!) and went out to eat about 4 times. Including a very nice (read: expensive) dinner out with Bear. It was wonderful and tasty and romantic and I will never regret the decision to go out. The pizza, Del Taco and pizza again- that I might regret. *snerk*
The 40 clove garlic chicken was an epic failure. I got so sick from the garlic (I spread it on bread and stuff- way too much and my tummy was not pleased). That's one that I'll have to delete from the Delicious link list. :(
One of my best friends has decided to go back on Weight Watchers. I've decided to join her- I signed up for the on-line service again, with the credit card, anticipating the tax refund I *should* see on Friday.
I will be attempting to make better dinners, points wise, but I will always have to consider both what Bear is willing to eat and the cost of food. I've been focusing on budget lately and that has led me to good tasting, frugal but less "healthy" (read: higher calories, fat, etc- but darn tasty!) food. I'm hoping to use the WW recipe tool to make some of our favorite recipes healthier.
This week will be odd- I have two writing meetings this weekend so I'll be on my own but will need food for Bear, as well as Xander's birthday party on Sunday.
February 09 - February 15
For more menus, plans and recipes, check out I'm An Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.
We did really well last week! I was incredibly excited about trying a few new recipes, so even though I was tired, I made sure to cook. I fumbled on Friday- Bear went up to North Hollywood with Xander and I was on my own.
I decided to take advantage of the weekend only sales at the grocery store on my way home but it took me a very long time- almost two hours- to visit the co-op, Vons and Albertsons. I saved over $100 on my groceries so I was happy about that but I was SO HUNGRY when I was done that I caved.
I stopped at Burger King (*sigh* epic fail) and spent more than I should on my favorite chicken sandwich. It didn't taste nearly as good as it should have and I felt guilty. I was, however, very good on Sunday- I had a long meeting with my critique group early in the morning and I knew I would have to stop and buy a cup of coffee. My weakness is fast food breakfasts and I was worried about my resolve. However, my frugal changes have started to affect me (this is a good thing!) and I made breakfast to take with me and just bought a coffee.
If Bear didn't loathe the scent of coffee with the fire of a thousand suns, I would have a coffee maker at home but his nose is really sensitive and he hates coffee- he always knows when I've made it, even the instant single serve kind. Coffee is becoming my one indulgence but I'm okay with that.
ANYWAY.
The plan for this week sounds exciting. Two new dishes, one of which is a home version of Bear's second favorite item on the Taco Bell menu- the chicken quesadillas. If this goes over well, this could be a really good thing.
Our other issue is that on the weekends, I'm finding myself just not in the mood to cook anything. Which is a problem. Previously this would lead to pizza or fast food. However, I have started to plan for this by purchasing easy foods to throw together- sandwich meats, hot dogs, etc- that Bear can cook on his own without burning the place down. Not the healthiest alternatives but at least we are eating at home.
My goal is to start to prepare foods for the freezer that can be thrown into the oven on the weekends and be better for us, easier to cook and add to the momentum that we've started to build up. My only snag is that we have such a small freezer and not a whole lot of room for a deep freeze at the moment. I am doing my research and if the tax refund is as large as I think it will be, we may be able to purchase a small but useful deep freeze later this year.
BUT ENOUGH RAMBLING! ON TO THE MENU!
You can check out more menus and plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday post.
Last week was going so well, until we hit the bump in the road that I knew was coming. Bear had all four wisdom teeth removed and he threw off our entire menu plan. I felt so bad for the poor guy- he was stuck with pudding and yogurt and potato soup. We never made plain mashed potatoes but the soup hit the spot in two seperate batches.
The other fun surprise was the apricot garlic chicken. This was a recipe (that I'll post later) from a co-worker that I wasn't so sure was going to work out well. However, it was very quick to put together and very tasty. It had a very "chinese food" flavor, like a sweet chicken dish, but without all the breading. The sauce was very tasty drizzled on the rice. This is one that passed Bear's test and will make another appearance on our table.
This week, we're trying to cook up the dishes that we didn't make because of Bear's teeth.
Monday - Potato Soup
Tuesday - Scrambled eggs and toast
Wednesday - Enchiladas
Thursday - Cannonball Chicken ; chips & salsa
Friday - Chicken Chimichangas
Saturday - Enchiladas
Sunday - Breakfast burritos
You can check out more menus and plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday post
You will need:
1 lb ground beef (we use extra lean)
½ onion, diced
1 can non-fat refried beans
1 can green chilies or jalapenos (depending on how hot you want it)
1 can green enchilada sauce (the medium sized can, not the HUGE one)
½ t. cumin
½ t. chili powder
12-15 tortillas (depends on how full you fill them)
1-2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sauté the onion in a little bit of olive oil in a skillet, till almost translucent
3. Add ground beef to skillet and brown. Drain if needed.
4. Add refried beans, chiles, cumin and chili powder and mix well. Heat through.
5. In a casserole dish or baking pan, cover the bottom with enchilada sauce. Don’t use more than half- you will need to pour the rest on top of the enchiladas.
6. Warm tortillas in whatever manner you prefer (we heat them in the microwave one at a time for about 10 seconds), wipe one side with water- this will be the outside.
7. Fill the tortilla with meat mixture to your linking, roll and place in baking pan. Repeat until meat is gone.
8. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top.
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and top with cheese. Return to oven for 5-7 minutes.
11. Serve as is or top with sour cream and salsa (my fav.)
This reheats very well and depending on the size of your family (we're just 2) it will give you lots of leftovers.
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