July 17, 2010
Weekly meal plan ~ July 11th - 17th
This was a good week in meals!! They all came out well...and Josh even ate them (that says something!) I got pretty much all of these ingredients at Trader Joe's - and the grocery bill for the week (including dinners and kids' food, milk, fruit, etc) was $127.00.
Sunday ~ July 11th:
Mixed greens salad with warmed goat cheese medallions
Leftover marinated bean & corn salad with brown rice
This is how I made the cheese:
1 - 8 oz. log Chevre goat cheese, sliced (see notes below)
1 egg white, beaten
1/2 cup Just Almond Meal
2 T olive oil
Dip each cheese round in egg white, then into almond meal. It's a good idea to do this ahead of time, then put the coated rounds back into the fridge to get them cold & firm (less melting when adding to the hot pan). Heat olive oil in non-stick pan over medium heat. Fry for one minute or so on each side, careful not to let them melt, and remove promptly from heat. (Pour a light balsamic or fruit infused vinaigrette over mixed greens, toss, then top with 2 cheese rounds).
* note re: the cheese - I later learned that I could buy the single medallions and it would have saved me some trouble with slicing. As it was, I had to place the log in the freezer for about ten minutes so it would slice more easily - but it still got a little crumbly. Next time, I am getting the individually wrapped medallions, for sure.
Monday ~ July 12th:
Enchilada Casserole served with salad
Enchilada Casserole:
I am posting the way I made it
* 1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
(chicken was for Josh - I made one casserole for him and one, meatless, for me)
(chicken was for Josh - I made one casserole for him and one, meatless, for me)
* 3.5 small, light whole wheat tortillas (45 cal each)
* 1 - 15 oz. can black beans (I used about 2/3 can)
* 1 jar chunky salsa (I used a natural, fire roasted salsa - about 3/4 jar)
* 1/2 cup lowfat, plain greek yogurt (in place of sour cream in recipe)
* 1 cup chopped tomatoes
* approx. 2/3 cup light shredded Mexican blend cheese
(I used 1/4 cup for me, the rest for Josh)
(I used 1/4 cup for me, the rest for Josh)
* chopped cilantro
Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease small casserole dish. Mix salsa & yogurt (sour cream) in bowl. Spread a few spoonfuls into casserole dish. Arrange a layer of tortilla pieces (I cut mine into quarters so they would not overlap too much). Top with half of the chicken (if using), 1/2 of the beans, and 1/2 of the salsa mixture. Create one more layer in that order. Spread chopped tomatoes on top then sprinkle with cheese.
Bake 20-25 minutes, remove from oven and sprinkle with cilantro.
This was SO SO good!! I totally recommend this meal. It was very easy to make.
I estimated the calorie count in my serving to be around 325 total (per MyFitnessPal calculations) - that's including the salad and light balsamic dressing!
I estimated the calorie count in my serving to be around 325 total (per MyFitnessPal calculations) - that's including the salad and light balsamic dressing!
Tuesday ~ July 13th:
Leftovers! Fiery Mango Mahi Mahi ala fish taco style, marinated bean & corn salad, endive with sliced beets and feta cheese. Basically I took 2 light, whole wheat tortillas from Trader Joe's (45 cal each), added lettuce, chopped mahi mahi and a light sprinkle of feta cheese. I also took three endive leaves, sliced one beet and divided it among the three leaves, and sprinkled with feta cheese. I had about 1/2 cup of the marinated bean & corn salad. The whole dinner was around 411 calories. No stinkin' salad plate for me - this was a real deal dinner plate!Wednesday ~ July 14th
Life is a Bowl of Cherries SaladThis list is for one serving:
* Few handfuls of Organic Baby Spinach
* 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
* 1/4 cup dried Montmorency cherries * 1/2 oz. (or a small handful) chopped pecans
* 1T TJ's cranberry, walnut & gorgonzola dressing
Toss it all together! YUM! This was around 255 calories.
Thursday ~ July 15th
Spinach & Feta Stuffed Mushrooms, Pan Toasted Brussels Sprouts, Corn on the Cob
Stuffed Mushrooms:One package baby bella mushrooms
2 cups frozen organic spinach
1T EVOO
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup organic whole wheat bread crumbs
1/3 cup feta cheese
Preheat oven to 400. Clean mushrooms, remove stems. Chop stems & set aside. Thaw spinach and thoroughly squeeze out all water (will look like 1/2 cup after water is removed). Place in mixing bowl. Heat oil in skillet and add chopped stems & onion. Saute for a few minutes. Drain off any juices, then add to bowl with spinach. Add bread crumbs and mix well. Gently stir in feta. Stuff caps and place in shallow baking dish. Cook for about ten minutes or until tops are lightly browned. Remove from oven before juices start running out into the pan.
Pan toasted Brussels Sprouts:
1 - 12 oz. pkg Brussels Sprouts
2 tsp. EVOO
1/2 cup vegetable broth
grated or shredded parmesan cheese
Heat oil in pan. Cut sprouts in half and place cut side down in pan. Add broth. When it comes to a boil, cover and let cook 5 minutes. Remove lid & cook until liquid evaporates and sprouts are browned. Remove from heat and sprinkle with cheese.
Friday ~ July 16th
Strawberry & Apricot Spinach Salad
Pear & Gorgonzola Quesadillas
Salad (this is for one serving):
* Large handful Organic baby spinach
* 2 medium strawberries, sliced
* raspberries
* 1/2 handful pecans, chopped
* 1T crumbled feta cheese
* 1T cranberry, walnut, gorgonzola dressing
Quesadillas (this is for my serving - Josh's had more cheese):
* 2 small low carb, whole wheat torillas
* 2T crumbled gorgonzola cheese
* 1/4 pear, thinly sliced
(optional chopped walnuts & pear sauce - I omitted)
Add crumbled cheese (1T each) to one side of each tortilla. Add sliced pears on top of cheese. Fold tortilla in half and add to hot grill pan. Grill on both sides until warm and slightly crispy. Cut into wedges. Makes 6 wedges. (This is a salad plate in the picture).
Calories: 202 in the salad; 220 in quesadillas (422 total calories for dinner!)
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