For those of you who may be doing Weight Watchers, I have included the points per serving calculations for most of my recipes this week (we had lots of family things going on this weekend, so I didn’t have time to calculate all the recipes – I will try to have the points added in for the others by the end of the day). I used the “Recipe Builder” feature on the WeightWatchers.com e-Tools program to input all of the ingredients and calculate the points, so it should be pretty accurate.

You can read more about my $40 weekly budget in this post here.

SUNDAY ~ Pizza (at my kids request) and banana pudding – the banana pudding is a family favorite and my husband told me last night that I never make it often enough. To be honest, I just forget about it, but we love it every time we have it!

INGREDIENTS

* 8 ounces sour cream (I use “light”)
* 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed (I use “light”)
* 1 (5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
* 2 cups whole milk (I use “skim”)
* 1 (16 ounce) package vanilla wafer cookies (I use “reduced fat”
* 4 bananas, peeled and sliced

DIRECTIONS

In large bowl combine sour cream, whipped topping, pudding mix and milk. Stir well. In the bottom of a trifle bowl or other glass serving dish, put a layer of cookies, then a layer of pudding mixture, then a layer of bananas. Repeat until all ingredients are used. Refrigerate until serving.

(After calculating the points, I think I realized WHY I hardly every make this – it’s 6 points per serving even with all the reduced fat stuff!  This makes 10 servings)

MONDAY ~ Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops – I found this recipe on Unfinished Mom, who posted it on Menu Planning Monday on orgjunkie.com last week.  It sounds yummy!

Here’s the recipe complete with the Unfinished Mom’s revisions:

Ingredients:

* 3/4 Cup grated Parmesan* (we use reduced fat)
* 2 large eggs, whisked
* 1 Cup Italian style bread crumbs**
* 4 porkchops (1/2 – 3/4″ thick) – bone-in or boneless***
* salt & pepper to taste
* 6 Tbsp olive oil (we’ll use 3)

Directions:

1. Lay out 3 pie plates (or other similar size container with sides). Place Parmesan cheese, whisked eggs and bread crumbs in 3 separate pie plates (one ingredient in each container).
2. Sprinkle pork chops with salt & pepper on both sides.
3. Coat pork chops with parmesan cheese on both sides; pat to adhere.
4. Dip chops into eggs, turn to coat both sides.
5. Dredge pork chops in bread crumbs; turn to coat both sides. Pat to adhere.
6. Heat 3 T oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add chops in batches if necessary; cook until golden brown and center reaches 150° (~6 minutes per side; longer for thicker chops). (DO NOT try to “hurry” this up by raising the heat; the pork chops will scorch on the outside and be underdone inside.)
7. Transfer to plate; serve.

Notes:
* The original recipe calls for freshly grated Parmesan, but I rarely use it because of the expense; the recipe is wonderful either way.

** Regular bread crumbs with 1 Tblsp Italian seasoning mixed in works fine.

*** I’ve used both bone-in and boneless pork chops with great success.

My digital probe thermometer and my long-handled tongs are essential tools for this recipe. The recipe is easily cut in half for our family. We find 2 pork chops is more than enough meat for 2 adults and 2 young children and often have about 1/2 pork chop for leftovers.

WW points = 9 points per serving (makes 4 servings), serve with green beans and cantaloupe slices

TUESDAY ~ French dip sandwiches (slow cooker) – This is a family favorite and I love it because it is SOOO easy to make!

Ingredients:
beef roast
2 cans beef broth
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
4-6 hoagie buns
(we also add some swiss or provolone cheese)

Place roast in a greased slow cooker. Pour broth over the top of the roast. Add spices. Cover and cook on low heat 8-10 hours (or high heat 5-7 hours). Remove roast and save extra juice. With a fork, break the meat apart and serve on hoagies. Use excess juice for dipping sandwiches.

WW points = 6 points per serving (this does not include the cheese or the buns)

WEDNESDAY ~ Taco salad – This is a pretty basic recipe that my mom used to make all of the time when I was a kid – it sounds a little bit strange, but when you mix it all together, it’s yummy!

Ingredients:
Iceberg lettuce, shredded
Tomatoes
1 can light red kidney beans, drained
Ground beef, browned (I use 1/2 lb and mix mine with a little bit of taco seasoning as I cook it, I use 93/7)
Corn tortilla chips (crushed)
Shredded cheddar cheese (8 oz bag)
Thousand Island salad dressing (chilled, we use the “light” variety)

Mix all ingredients together and serve.

WW points = 7 points per serving (makes 6-8 servings)

THURSDAY ~ Honey glazed “dump” chicken – I saw this posted on the Orgjunkie.com Menu Planning Monday last week (unfortunately, I can’t remember which blog it was posted on)

WW points = 7 points per serving (makes 4 servings)

FRIDAY ~ Black bean and chicken burritos (slow cooker) – This is another family favorite that is SUPER easy to make!

Ingredients:
1 taco/fajita seasoning packet
2 cans black beans, drained
2-3 chicken breasts
1 can green enchilada sauce

Place chicken breasts in bottom of the crockpot and then add remaining ingredients. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Shred chicken before serving and serve in tortillas. We add cheese, sour cream, etc. to the tortillas. We sometimes add rice (cooked rice to the mixture once we’re ready to serve, not in the crockpot!). This is also really good if you use beef instead of the chicken!

Side:  Cilantro Lime Rice (this recipe also comes from Marci’s blog!)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter (I use I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter)
1 1/2 cups rice
2 cups chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 large lime (juice and zest)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Directions:
In a skillet, melt butter and add rice. Let cook for 1-2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients (except cilantro) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 18-20 minutes. Add cilantro with a few minutes before done. Fluff with fork and serve.

WW points = 3 points per serving (makes 4 servings)

SATURDAY ~ Tator tot casserole

Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground beef
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 (14.5 ounce) can French style green beans
1/2 (32 ounce) package tater tots
shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large skillet over high heat, brown the ground beef and drain fat. Stir in condensed cream of mushroom soup, water, garlic salt, cheese, and green beans. Pour the mixture into a medium-sized casserole dish and layer with the tater tots. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until tater tots are browned and crispy.

WW points = 8 points per serving

For those of you who may be doing Weight Watchers, I have included the points per serving calculations for most of my recipes this week (we had lots of family things going on this weekend, so I didn’t have time to calculate all the recipes – I will try to have the points added in for the others by the end of the day). I used the “Recipe Builder” feature on the WeightWatchers.com e-Tools program to input all of the ingredients and calculate the points, so it should be pretty accurate.

You can read more about my $40 weekly budget in this post here.

SUNDAY ~ Creamy chicken enchiladas – Today is my daughter’s birthday and I let her pick what she wanted for her birthday dinner.  Of course, her first choice was macaroni and cheese (not the homemade stuff…just the standard “Kraft” out of the box).  I asked her if there was ANYTHING else she wanted, and she choose enchiladas, which are a family favorite.

Ingredients:
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use the 98% FF kind)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I use the 98% FF kind)
2 cans green enchilada sauce
1 8 oz-16 oz. tub of sour cream (depends how spicy you want the enchiladas)
2-3 chicken breasts, shredded (if I’m in a hurry, I use canned chicken)
8 oz cheese, shredded
1 dozen flour tortillas (you could use corn also)

Add cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, and enchilada sauce to a pan. Cook on medium low heat, stirring occasionally. When sauce is will mixed and starts to thin, add sour cream. Continue stirring occasionally until the sauce is well mixed and thinned out. Place a layer of the sauce along the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish. Fill each tortilla with the shredded chicken, sauce, and cheese. Roll and place in the baking dish. When you have filled all of the tortillas (this should make 1 dozen), pour the remain sauce over the top of the enchiladas and then cover with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is well melted.

WW points = 6 points per enchilada

MONDAY ~ Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells – I saw this recipe in the February issue of All You Magazine and decided to try it out.  My husband loves manicotti, but I don’t make it often because I hate stuffing the shells.  This is basically the same thing but SO much easier.  It was a hit with everyone and my daughter declared that “It’s a keeper.”

Ingredients
* 24 jumbo pasta shells
* 1 15-oz. container ricotta
* 2 cups shredded mozzarella
* 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
* 1 10-oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
* 1 large egg, lightly beaten
* Salt and pepper
* 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
* Pinch of ground nutmeg
* 1 26-oz. jar spaghetti sauce

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Mist a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Cook pasta shells according to package label directions; drain and set aside to cool. While pasta cooks, in a large bowl, stir together ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan, spinach, egg, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and nutmeg.

2. Spread 3/4 cup spaghetti sauce over bottom of baking dish. Stuff shells with cheese-and-spinach mixture and place in dish. Spoon remaining sauce over shells and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella.

3. Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake about 10 minutes longer, until bubbly and cheese begins to brown.

WW points = 11 points per serving (makes 6 servings)

Sides:  Marci’s Roasted Parmesan Asparagus and a green salad.

TUESDAY ~  Feta Pork Chop Skillet – I got this recipe from Marci’s blog and I have tried it once before and it was great.

Ingredients:
1 t crushed dried rosemary
1 t dried basil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pinch black pepper
1 T olive oil
4 pork chops (I used 3)
¼ c fresh lemon juice
2 oz (or more) crumbled feta cheese with basil and sun-dried tomatoes (I used 4 oz)
1-2 yellow summer squash or zucchini, remove seeds and slice (I have never removed seeds from them so I didn’t…I used 3 zucchini and 2 squash because I love them, but I did have to take the meat out at the end so I had more room for them all to finish cooking)

Directions:
In a small bowl, stir together rosemary, basil, garlic, and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip pork chops in lemon juice, and spread both sides with herb mixture.
Place pork chops in skillet, drizzle with some of remaining lemon juice, and sear both sides, about 7 minutes per side.
After a few minutes, add sliced squash to edges of pan. Reduce heat to low.
Sprinkle feta on top of chops; cover skillet, and cook until cheese begins to melt, about 5 minutes.

WW points = 7 points per serving (makes 4 servings), serve with green salad and angel hair pasta (add 2 points for 1/2 cup or 4 points for 1 cup)

WEDNESDAY ~ Cheese-stuffed meatloaf – This recipe was featured on last week’s Menu Planning Monday on orgjunkie.com and it sounds AWESOME!  It is a carryover from our menu last week, but we can’t wait to try it!

1 1/2 lbs ground beef (I use the 93/7)
1 egg
1/2 cup Italian or plain breadcrumbs
1 jar pasta sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup diced onion
1 Tbs. Parsley (optional)
Parmesan Cheese

In a large bowl combine ground beef, 1/3 cup pasta sauce, egg and bread crumbs. Line a 13×9 casserole dish with plastic wrap. Shape the beef mixture into a rectangle covering the bottom of the dish.  Cover with 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley(if desired).  Leave at 3/4 inch border around the edges.

Roll starting at long end jelly roll style. Use your plastic wrap to help you roll. Remove plastic as you roll it up.  Press all ends together.

Bake 350 degrees uncovered for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and drain as much grease off as you can. Pour remaining pasta sauce over meatloaf and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. Bake additional 15 minutes until sauce is hot and cheese is melted.

*It works well to roll it up, wrap tightly in the plastic wrap and place in the fridge for atleast 30 minutes. (Mine will be in the fridge for most of the day because I’ll make it before I go to work)

WW points = 9 per serving (6 servings)

THURSDAY ~  French dip sandwiches (slow cooker) – This is a family favorite and I love it because it is SOOO easy to make!

Ingredients:
beef roast
2 cans beef broth
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
4-6 hoagie buns
(we also add some swiss or provolone cheese)

Place roast in a greased slow cooker. Pour broth over the top of the roast. Add spices. Cover and cook on low heat 8-10 hours (or high heat 5-7 hours). Remove roast and save extra juice. With a fork, break the meat apart and serve on hoagies. Use excess juice for dipping sandwiches.

WW points = 6 points per serving (this does not include the cheese or the buns)

FRIDAY ~  Tator tot casserole

Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground beef
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 (14.5 ounce) can French style green beans
1/2 (32 ounce) package tater tots
shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large skillet over high heat, brown the ground beef and drain fat. Stir in condensed cream of mushroom soup, water, garlic salt, cheese, and green beans. Pour the mixture into a medium-sized casserole dish and layer with the tater tots. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until tater tots are browned and crispy.

WW points = 8 points per serving

SATURDAY ~  Cashew chicken – I found this recipe on The Sisters Cafe and it sounds yummy!

Ingredients:
4 chicken breast halves, cut into pieces
1 tsp sugar
4 Tb cornstarch, divided
½ tsp salt
¼ c. soy sauce
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 Tb oil
2 c. hot chicken broth
2 tsp lemon juice
½ c. cashews
cooked rice

Combine sugar, 2 Tb cornstarch, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Dredge chicken pieces in this mixture. Drain and save dredge; then stir fry chicken in hot oil in frying pan or wok until chicken is lightly brown and tender, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken from oil and drain excess oil from the pan. Add remaining cornstarch and the dredge drained from the chicken. Blend well, then add chicken stock to the pan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened. Add lemon juice; add chicken pieces and reheat. Do not boil. Taste to correct seasonings. Add cashews. Serve over hot rice. Makes 4-5 servings. You can stir fry some vegetables and add them to the mixture at the end.

WW points = 10 points per serving (makes 4 servings), add 2 points for 1/2 cup of rice and 4 points for 1 cup of rice

For those of you who may be doing Weight Watchers, I have included the points per serving calculations for most of my recipes this week (we had lots of family things going on this weekend, so I didn’t have time to calculate all the recipes – I will try to have the points added in for the others by the end of the day). I used the “Recipe Builder” feature on the WeightWatchers.com e-Tools program to input all of the ingredients and calculate the points, so it should be pretty accurate.

You can read more about my $40 weekly budget in this post here.

SUNDAY ~  I’m sharing multiple recipes for today!

Breakfast ~ Velveeta Breakfast Casserole – I got this recipe in an e-mail newsletter from Recipe Lion (if you haven’t downloaded their Free Copycat Recipe cookbook yet, it’s great!)  My husband and kids made this for me for breakfast and it was delicious!

Ingredients

* 1 pound frozen hash browns, thawed
* 1 pound pork sausage
* 1 pound Velveeta cheese, cubed
* 8 eggs
* 1/4 cup milk
* salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9×13″ dish. Brown sausage and drain excess fat.
2. Beat eggs. Add milk, salt and pepper.
3. In prepared dish, layer ingredients. Begin with half of hash browns, then half of sausage, then half of eggs.
4. Add half of cheese. Repeat layers with remaining half of ingredients. Bake for 45 minutes.

WW points = 9 (for 10 servings – this is pretty “rich” so a little goes a long way)

Dinner ~ Chili’s Margarita Grilled Chicken – when my husband and I go to Chili’s, their Margarita Grilled Chicken is our FAVORITE! I was so excited to find this ‘copycat’ recipe on the Frugal Novice blog.

Yield: 4 servings.
4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
1 C. Liquid Margarita Mix
Fresh Ground Black Pepper (to taste)
Pour margarita mix over chicken breast and let marinate for 2 hours in refrigerator.  When ready to prepare drain and dust with black pepper to taste.
If you do not have a grill use a iron skillet and bring to medium high temperature and spray an oil coating into pan and braise chicken breast until done on each side. Place chicken breast atop of black beans and serve with a serving of your favorite Mexican rice and a generous helping of Pico de Gallo.

WW points per serving = 4 (makes 4 servings)

Chipotle rice – This is another ‘copycat’ recipe and it’s what the poster on The Frugal Novice paired her Margarita Grilled Chicken with!

1 teaspoon vegetable oil or butter (I use I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter)
2 tsp. fresh cilantro coarsely chopped
2/3 cup white basmati rice
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Lime

In a 2-quart heavy saucepan, heat oil or butter over low heat, stirring occasionally until melted. Add rice and lime juice, stir for 1 minute. Add water and salt, bring to a full rolling boil. At boiling, cover, turn down to simmer over low heat until rice is tender and the water is absorbed, about 25 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork.  Before serving stir in cilantro.

WW points = 2 points per serving (makes 4 servings)

Serve with black beans as a side

MONDAY ~  Cheese-stuffed meatloaf – This recipe was featured on last week’s Menu Planning Monday on orgjunkie.com and it sounds AWESOME!  Can’t wait to try it!

1 1/2 lbs ground beef (I use the 93/7)
1 egg
1/2 cup Italian or plain breadcrumbs
1 jar pasta sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup diced onion
1 Tbs. Parsley (optional)
Parmesan Cheese

In a large bowl combine ground beef, 1/3 cup pasta sauce, egg and bread crumbs. Line a 13×9 casserole dish with plastic wrap. Shape the beef mixture into a rectangle covering the bottom of the dish.  Cover with 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley(if desired).  Leave at 3/4 inch border around the edges.

Roll starting at long end jelly roll style. Use your plastic wrap to help you roll. Remove plastic as you roll it up.  Press all ends together.

Bake 350 degrees uncovered for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and drain as much grease off as you can. Pour remaining pasta sauce over meatloaf and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. Bake additional 15 minutes until sauce is hot and cheese is melted.

*It works well to roll it up, wrap tightly in the plastic wrap and place in the fridge for atleast 30 minutes. (Mine will be in the fridge for most of the day because I’ll make it before I go to work)

WW points = 9 per serving (6 servings)

Serve w/ green beans and green salad

TUESDAY ~ Chicken & dumplings (slow cooker)

Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2-3 carrots, sliced
2-3 celery stalks, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 can chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use 98% fat free)
1 tsp salt, optional
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
paprika
2 pkg refrigerated biscuit dough, torn in pieces (I only use one)

Place chicken, vegetables, soups & seasonings in crockpot and fill with enough water to cover.  Cover with lid and cook on low 5-6 hours.  About 30 minutes before serving, place the torn biscuit dough into the crockpot.  Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.

NOTE:  If I don’t have time for the biscuits to cook in the slow cooker, I just cook them in the oven and then tear up the biscuits and add them.

WW points = 8 (makes 6 servings)

Serve w/ fruit salad (mixture of cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberries, and grapes)

WEDNESDAY ~ Taco bar (I asked my husband what for dinner ideas for the week and this is what he asked for – that’s easy enough for me!)

THURSDAY ~ Feta Pork Chop Skillet – I got this recipe from Marci’s blog and I have tried it once before and it was great.

Ingredients:
1 t crushed dried rosemary
1 t dried basil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pinch black pepper
1 T olive oil
4 pork chops (I used 3)
¼ c fresh lemon juice
2 oz (or more) crumbled feta cheese with basil and sun-dried tomatoes (I used 4 oz)
1-2 yellow summer squash or zucchini, remove seeds and slice (I have never removed seeds from them so I didn’t…I used 3 zucchini and 2 squash because I love them, but I did have to take the meat out at the end so I had more room for them all to finish cooking)

Directions:
In a small bowl, stir together rosemary, basil, garlic, and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip pork chops in lemon juice, and spread both sides with herb mixture.
Place pork chops in skillet, drizzle with some of remaining lemon juice, and sear both sides, about 7 minutes per side.
After a few minutes, add sliced squash to edges of pan. Reduce heat to low.
Sprinkle feta on top of chops; cover skillet, and cook until cheese begins to melt, about 5 minutes.

WW points = 7 points per serving (makes 4 servings), serve with green salad and angel hair pasta (add 2 points for 1/2 cup or 4 points for 1 cup)

FRIDAY ~  Hot dogs (I asked my kids what they wanted for dinner this week and I can’t say I was very surprised at their answer….it makes me laugh sometimes because I try so hard to put together “good” meals and this is always their favorite!)

SATURDAY ~ Date night!  (my son’s daycare provider offers a free night of babysitting every few months…this is our week and we’re excited for a date night!)

For those of you who may be doing Weight Watchers, I have included the points per serving calculations for most of my recipes this week (we had lots of family things going on this weekend, so I didn’t have time to calculate all the recipes – I will try to have the points added in for the others by the end of the day). I used the “Recipe Builder” feature on the WeightWatchers.com e-Tools program to input all of the ingredients and calculate the points, so it should be pretty accurate.

You can read more about my $40 weekly budget in this post here.

If you have blogged a menu plan for the week (or even just a favorite recipe), please feel free to comment and share your link. I’m always looking for new ideas and inspiration and will be happy to share a link to your blog if we try your recipe! Check out hundreds of other meal plans at orgjunkie.com!

SUNDAY ~ Texas Kielbasa skillet – I originally got this recipe from a freezer swap and it has become a big hit with our family

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) CREAM OF CELERY SOUP (I use whatever cream soup I have on hand)
1 1/2 cups WATER
1 Tablespoon BUTTER
¾ cup uncooked LONG GRAIN RICE
1 pound SMOKED KIELBASA SAUSAGE, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 pkg. (10 oz.) FROZEN PEAS
½ cup SLICED MUSHROOMS
1 cup SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE

Combine soup, water and butter substitute in a large skillet with a lid.  Bring to a boil. Add rice and sausage. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir in peas and mushrooms. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until rice is tender. Sprinkle with cheese and serve hot.

MONDAY ~ Ham & pasta bake – This recipe was also on orgjunkie.com’s menu last week.  It originally comes from Finding Joy in My Kitchen

Cheesy Ham and Pasta Bake – Inspired by Tiffanee at One Crazy Cookie

1 lb. whole wheat penne pasta
2 C extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 C diced ham
8oz. mushrooms, sliced
4 T white wheat flour
3 C milk* (divided)
1/4 tsp. pepper. 

Begin by boiling the pasta according to package directions.  Then, mix together 1 C milk and flour in a large measuring cup. Meanwhile, saute the mushrooms in a large skillet with a little olive oil, if necessary.  When mushrooms are cooked, remove from the pan and toss with diced ham. In the same skillet, pour the milk mixture into the pan. Stir constantly, adding additional milk to reach desired thickness (I ended up adding ~1C milk to the mixture) while warming the mixture so that it thickens. Simmer about 3 minutes.   Add in the ham and mushroom mix, and simmer until ham warms.  Then, add in 3/4 of the shredded cheese.  Spread the pasta into a 9×13 glass baking dish. Pour the cheesy sauce over the pasta.  Stir to coat. Then, sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Stick the dish into a warm oven… about 300 degrees, for 10 minutes, until the cheese on the top melts.

TUESDAY ~ Steak stroganoff (slow cooker) – This is a family favorite!

Ingredients:
2T flour
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 3/4 lb. boneless round steak
2 cans 10 3/4 oz cream of mushroom soup (I use 98% FF)
2 c. water (or 1 can 100% FF beef broth for more flavor)
1 envelope beef stew mix
4 oz can mushrooms, sliced and drained
1/2 c. sour cream
1 T minced parsley

Combine flour, garlic powder, pepper, and paprika in slow cooker. Cut meat into 1 1/2 inch strips. Place in flour mixture and toss until meat is well coated. Add soup, water, and stew mix. Stir until well blended. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours. Stir in mushrooms, sour cream, and parsley and then cook on high 10-15 minutes until heated through. Serve over egg noodles. (Depending on the consistency of the sauce, you may need to add cornstarch to thicken or add more water/broth to thin)

To freeze: Pour into gallon freezer bags (I used Ziploc containers for this one). Allow to cool before freezing.

To reheat: Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Warm on stove and serve over rice or egg noodles. (Add sour cream when warming if you left it out of the initial recipe)

WW points = 7 points/serving, 6-8 servings (add 2 points for 1/2 c. cooked pasta or 4 points for 1 cup)

WEDNESDAY ~ Enchilada casserole – This recipe was on Orgjunkie.com’s menu last week and I thought it sounded good.  It originally comes from Taste of Home.  Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Ingredients

* 1 pound ground beef (90% lean)
* 1 can (10 ounces) enchilada sauce
* 1 cup salsa
* 6 flour tortillas (10 inch) – I am sure you could use corn tortillas, too!
* 2 cups fresh or frozen corn
* 4 cups (16 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

* In a large skillet, cook ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in enchilada sauce and salsa; set aside.
* Place two tortillas, overlapping as necessary, in the bottom of a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Cover with one-third of the meat mixture; top with 1 cup corn; sprinkle with 1-1/3 cups cheese. Repeat layers once, then top with remaining tortillas, meat and cheese.
* Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Yield: 6-8 servings.

THURSDAY ~ BBQ Spare ribs (slow cooker) and baked beans (slow cooker) – these are both recipes from my mother in law and are yummy!

BBQ spare ribs

Ingredients:
Spare ribs
3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. catsup
1 med. can tomato sauce
1 to 2 teas. liquid smoke
1 1/2 T. dry mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in crock pot and stir…put meat in and turn the crock pot on low heat – I usually cook them for 8-9 hours and the meat is so tender that it is just falling off!

WW points = 10 points per serving (for 6 people) – this may be slightly off because the only “spare ribs” I could find in the catalog were Hormel Always Tender which may already be seasoned

Baked Beans

for each 1 lb. can baked beans (we use Bush) add:

2 T. brown sugar
1 T. syrup from pineapple juice
1 T. catsup
1 teas. prepared mustard
Add a small can of crushed pineapple or some tidbits drained
You can also add either bacon, hotdogs, or ham pieces.

I place all of this in the slow cooker on low and stir it occasionally until we are ready to serve.

WW points = 2 points per serving (for 6 people)

FRIDAY ~ Pasta carbonara – I found this recipe on the Babycenter Cooking for Your Family board (the original poster of the recipe was Elyselovesherboys)

Ingredients:
3 cups uncooked penne pasta
6 slices bacon, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 1/4 cups milk
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened & cubed
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp.
Remove to paper towels, reserve 3 Tablespoons drippings,
Sauté garlic and onion in drippings until tender.
Add the milk, cream cheese and butter; stir until smooth.
Stir in the Parmesan cheese and bacon; heat through.
Toss with pasta.
Serve.

SATURDAY ~ Teriyaki chicken (freezer meal) – if you are wanting to get started with freezer cooking, this is seriously the EASIEST freezer meal to put together and a great one to start with!

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup pineapple juice
4 chicken breasts

Directions:
Mix marinade ingredients together and throw in a freezer bag with the chicken breasts. If you use it as a freezer meal, just defrost and cook as you please when ready to eat!

For those of you who may be doing Weight Watchers, I have included the points per serving calculations for most of my recipes this week (we had lots of family things going on this weekend, so I didn’t have time to calculate all the recipes – I will try to have the points added in for the others by the end of the day). I used the “Recipe Builder” feature on the WeightWatchers.com e-Tools program to input all of the ingredients and calculate the points, so it should be pretty accurate.

You can read more about my $40 weekly budget in this post here.

If you have blogged a menu plan for the week (or even just a favorite recipe), please feel free to comment and share your link. I’m always looking for new ideas and inspiration and will be happy to share a link to your blog if we try your recipe! Check out hundreds of other meal plans at orgjunkie.com!

 

SUNDAY ~ I had good intentions, but I came home from church and took a long nap instead, and by the time I woke up, the kids informed me that “pizza” sounded good, so pizza is what we had.


MONDAY ~ Red Chicken Chili with Cornbread Muffies – This recipe was on our menu last week, but it got put on hold because we went out for dinner for my mom’s birthday.  I’m going to put all of the ingredients in my crockpot on low for the day.

Ingredients:
1 bag sliced white mushrooms
1 can (15.5 oz) light red kidney beans, rinse and drain
1 16 oz jar chipotle salsa
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
3 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup sour cream
6 oz American ale beer (I’m going to omit this)
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons minced garlic (not dried)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons flour

Boil chicken breasts in water for 40 minutes, shred with fork.

Combine all ingredients except flour. Mix flour with just enough hot water to make a paste. Add to ingredients. Bring to a simmer and continue for 1 hour. Cool for 15 minutes. Top with extra cheese and sour cream.

Notes:  Since I made mine in the crockpot, I didn’t do the “paste” part.  I just dumped everything in the crockpot (including the chicken breasts, which were frozen) and let it cook on low for the day.  I shredded the chicken, mixed it all together, and let it cook on low for about 15 minutes before serving.

WW points = 5 per serving (makes 4-6 servings)

TUESDAY ~ Aloha Chicken – I found this recipe on Monthly Menu Planner and it sounded good.  I was going to make just “plain old teriyaki chicken” until I found this recipe which sounded even better!

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 T flour (if you’re gluten free, you can substitute corn starch)
1 T oil
1 16 oz can pineapple chunks
1 tsp cornstarch
1 T honey
1 T teriyaki sauce
1 T soy sauce
1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:  Flatten chicken to 1/4″ thickness.  Place flour in resealable bag.  Add chicken and shake to coat.  Brown chicken in oil in skillet over medium heat for 3-5 minutes per side (until juices run clear).  Remove from skillet and keep warm.

Drain pineapple, reserving juice.  In small bowl, combine 1/4 c. juice and cornstarch until smooth.  Add to skillet.  Stir in honey, teriyaki, soy sauce, and pepper.  Boil 30 seconds or until thickened.  Add pineapple w/ remaining juice and chicken.  Heat through.

Serve on a bed of hot, cooked rice.

WEDNESDAY ~ BBQ Spare ribs (slow cooker) and baked beans (slow cooker) – these are both recipes from my mother in law and are yummy!

BBQ spare ribs

Ingredients:
Spare ribs
3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. catsup
1 med. can tomato sauce
1 to 2 teas. liquid smoke
1 1/2 T. dry mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in crock pot and stir…put meat in and turn the crock pot on low heat – I usually cook them for 8-9 hours and the meat is so tender that it is just falling off!

WW points = 10 points per serving (for 6 people) – this may be slightly off because the only “spare ribs” I could find in the catalog were Hormel Always Tender which may already be seasoned

Baked Beans

for each 1 lb. can baked beans (we use Bush) add:

2 T. brown sugar
1 T. syrup from pineapple juice
1 T. catsup
1 teas. prepared mustard
Add a small can of crushed pineapple or some tidbits drained
You can also add either bacon, hotdogs, or ham pieces.

I place all of this in the slow cooker on low and stir it occasionally until we are ready to serve.

WW points = 2 points per serving (for 6 people)

THURSDAY ~ Tangy ranch chicken – I saw this recipe posted on my Babycenter message board and having been meaning to try it for awhile.  I’m excited to try it this week (apparently it originated from a French’s coupon insert)

Ingredients:
2/3 c. Ranch dressing (I am using “light)
1/3 c. French’s classic yellow mustard
3 T brown sugar
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 T oil

Mix dressing, mustard, and sugar.  Reserve.  Heat oil in nonstick skillet.  Saute chicken until cooked through.  Stir in reserved sauce.  Cook, stirring for 3-5 minutes until chicken is glazed.

FRIDAY ~ Country Style Pork Loin (slow cooker)

Country-Style Pork Loin
Katie (Katiedid) from Taste of Home

1 boneless whole pork loin roast (3 pounds)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground mustard
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
Hot mashed potatoes, optional

Cut pork roast in half. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, onion powder and mustard. Add pork, one portion at a time, and shake to coat. In a large skillet, brown pork in oil over medium-high heat on all sides. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Pour broth over pork. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until tender. Remove pork and keep warm. For gravy, strain cooking juices and skim fat; pour 2-1/2 cups cooking juices into a large saucepan. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Slice pork; serve with gravy and mashed potatoes if desired. Yield: 8 servings.

*This recipe was SOOOO yummy! Even my kids loved it. It is definitely a keeper at our house!


SATURDAY ~ Peppered steak – this is a family recipe that came from my mother in law

Ingredients:
3 cups hot cooked rice
1 lb lean beef round steak (cut into 1/2 inch thick strips)
1 T Paprika
2 T butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 c. beef broth
1 cup sliced green onions
2 green peppers, cut in strips
2T cornstarch
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 lg tomatoes (cut in eighths)

Pound steak to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 1/4 inch wide strips. Sprinkle meat with paprika. Let stand. Brown meat in butter. Add garlic and brother. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in onions and green peppers. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Blend cornstarch, water and soy sauce. Stir into meat mixture. Cook, stirring until clear and thickened, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and stir gently. Serve over beds of fluffy rice.

WW points = 7 points/serving  (add an additional 2 points for 1/2 cup rice and 4 points for 1 cup rice), this makes 4 servings.