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.
