Confession: I hate to make dinner.
I know, I know, worst wife/mom ever, right? It’s just that I always put it off and never have any ideas and then I look at the clock between 4 & 5 PM and think, “Dang…what should I make for dinner?” No wonder it’s stressful! About a month ago I started making a meal plan menu for the week on Sunday nights. I’d grocery shop Monday morning for that week & be all prepared. No more waiting til the last minute to plan & prepare. Each morning I’d set out whatever I needed {thaw meat, put stuff in crockpot, cut & store veggies, etc.} and then the late afternoon/evening prep was much more enjoyable! What a surprise, right? I’ve got to be the first woman ever to have figured this concept out! (;
The last couple weeks were all thrown off because of the communicable disease that chose to run rampant in our home {ha!} and I got out of the habit. Last night I sat down & worked it out again though, so I thought I’d share. Enjoy!
{PS: Dinners around here consist of a lean & green friendly meal for myself & the same for the husband and kiddos, but with an added carb to theirs.}
Monday: Baked cilantro/lime Tilapia, {using this recipe, but subbing tilapia for shrimp} Green salad, baked sweet potato
Tuesday: Crockpot chicken, Asparagus, Wheat pasta
-Put all ingredients in crock pot, chicken broth until chicken is covered, add additional seasonings as desired. Cover & cook on high for 4 hours.
Wednesday: Ground Turkey boat with French bread
Thursday: Chicken & veggie stir fry, brown rice
Friday: Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce, corn
Saturday: Leftovers/Date Night
Sunday: Veggie &/or cheese Omelets & wheat toast
I’d LOVE to hear what’s on your menu for the week. Feel free to share your recipes, too!
Found this awesome resource for peeps who are using Take Shape for Life to lose their weight and become healthy. Lynn from “Escape from Obesity,” posts all sorts of Lean and Green friendly meals and they look delicious.
On our menu for tonight? Low Carb Cauliflower “Potato” Salad. I’ll let you know how it is. What are you eating for dinner?
2 and 2/3 cups steamed cauliflower
3 scallions (green onions), white and green parts, chopped
1/4 cup finely diced celery
1 hard boiled egg, chopped
3 Tbsp light mayonnaise
1/2 Tbsp yellow mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
sprinkle of dill
If you are starting with a head of fresh cauliflower, you can quarter it and steam it for about 15 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender. Texture is key here; you want it to be about the same texture as cooked potatoes would be for potato salad. Not too firm, and definitely NOT mushy. Use a fork to test it as it cooks. As soon as it is tender, remove from the heat and rinse in cold water for several minutes until the cauliflower is all cold. Then set on paper towels to drain, and pat dry if necessary. You don’t want it to be wet when you add ingredients.
Chop the cauliflower into small bites (like potatoes in potato salad). Place in a bowl with the scallions, celery, and eggs. Gently toss together. Then add the mayo, mustard, salt and pepper; fold together gently with a spatula until well combined. Sprinkle a little dill over the top. Cover and chill for at least an hour.
This recipe makes two very large ( 1 1/2 cup) servings or four smaller 3/4 cup servings.
One large serving (half the recipe) contains:
140 calories
11 g carbs
9 g fat
7 g protein
So, 1/4 recipe (3/4 cup) has 70 calories, 5.5 g carbs, 4.5 g fat, 3.5 g protein.
The breakdown for Medifast is:
1/2 recipe yields 1 full Green (3 veg servings), 1/6 Lean, and under 2 1/2 condiments.
*notes: I thought it could use a little more salt, maybe some onion powder; season to taste. If you can stand some extra calories/Lean serving, I think adding another hard boiled egg would be great! Whatever you use to season YOUR potato salad, you can use in this recipe; some ideas are Dijon mustard instead of yellow, chopped Dill pickles or pickle relish, paprika, or a slice of crumbled, crisp bacon. I actually needed some extra protein when I ate these as leftovers the next day, so I added another chopped egg and some chopped dill pickle and it was fabulous! Enjoy!
A friend shared this recipe with me & it will definitely become a regular in our dinner rotation.
-Beat 1 egg in a bowl
-Dip chicken or fish {I used tilapia} in egg & coat
-Roll in a mixture of Parmesan cheese & italian seasonings
-Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes
*Also good as leftovers the next day. Spray a pan with Pam or olive oil spray. Set stove to medium-low & put chicken/fish from the night before in the pan. Cover & let warm through. Spray occasionally with a calorie free butter spray. Flip & warm other side, spraying as well. Sprinkle fish with lemon juice. YUM!
Season 7 ounces tilapia to taste {I use lemon pepper or a combo of creole & herb seasonings}. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes on each side.
In a bowl, add 1 tsp. olive oil & 1 T. soy sauce. Add cut up veggies equaling 2 cups. {I use mushrooms, peppers, and zuchinni}. Pour into medium hot pan & cover with lid. Saute for 5-8 minutes.
