meal planning

Yes, I am a meal planner. Not only that, we try new things all the time (which is a good thing only half the time). When I plan my week, I am very conscious of the nutrition facts in my meals, however I have at least one meal where we make something that we really like and ignore how bad it is for us. Where do I get my recipes? I go to Cooking Light Magazines, the Biggest Loser Cookbook, Everyday Food magazines, a few other cookbooks, old recipes and anyplace else I come across great stuff. But I don't use recipes unless they have the nutrition facts at the bottom, just so I know what we are getting and so I can keep my portions sized right. So important!

So below is an example of a week's worth of meals. I plan 5 meals per week and the other two days are either something out of the pantry or we go out!

Monday: Chili Mac

Tuesday: Chicken Cacciatore w/ Mushrooms

Wednesday: Pasta Primavera

Thursday: Grilled Chicken w/ Green Beans & Tomatoes

Friday: Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

I have a ton of recipes so there are never two weeks in a row where we have to have the same thing! 

Two of the meals above have links to the recipes that I have already blogged about. The other three recipes are below!

Chili Mac

from Cooking Light Five Star Recipes

Yield

8 servings (serving size: 1 cup beef mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese)

Ingredients

• 1  pound  ground round
• 1/2  cup  chopped onion
• 1/2  cup  chopped green bell pepper
• 3  garlic cloves, minced
• 2  cups  cooked elbow macaroni (about 4 ounces uncooked)
• 1/2  cup  water
• 1  tablespoon  chili powder
• 1  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• 1  (14.5-ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
• 1  (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained
• 1  (8 3/4-ounce) can whole-kernel corn, drained
• 1  (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1  (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1  cup  (4 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preparation

1. Cook first 4 ingredients in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble beef. 

2. Drain well; wipe drippings from pan with paper towels. Return beef mixture to pan; stir in macaroni and next 9 ingredients (macaroni through tomato paste). Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon onto each of 8 plates; top with cheese

Grilled Chicken with Green Beans & Tomatoes

from Real Simple Magazine

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 1  clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 3 teaspoons olive oil
• 4  6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
•   kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 pound green beans
• 4  plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise

Directions

1. Heat grill to medium-high. In a small bowl, combine the cilantro, garlic, lime juice, sugar, and 1 tablespoon of the oil.

2. Rub the chicken with 1 teaspoon of the oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In a large bowl, toss the green beans and tomatoes with the remaining oil and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.

3. Grill the chicken until cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Grill the green beans and tomatoes, turning the green beans often and the tomatoes once, until tender and charred, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve with the vinaigrette.




Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
from the back of the Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix

2- lb. boneless beef chuck steak, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
10 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 envelope Lipton® Recipe Secrets® Beefy Onion Soup Mix
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 container (8 oz.) sour cream

Toss beef with flour in slow cooker. Stir in remaining ingredients except sour cream. Cook covered on LOW 8 to 10 hours or HIGH 4 to 6 hours until meat is tender. Stir in sour cream. Serve, if desired, over hot cooked noodles.