Melissas Bargains

For those of you who may be doing Weight Watchers, I have included the points per serving calculations for each of my recipes this week. 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 (now $35) 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!

SUNDAY ~ Buttermilk “Fried” Chicken with Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes – I got this recipe from the latest Family Circle Magazine and it sounded yummy. It is more points than I like to use on a meal right now, so I’ll have to plan the rest of my meals on this day accordingly.

CHICKEN INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 c. buttermilk
2 T dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp Tabasco sauce
4 lbs chicken breasts (I will probably only use 2 given the size of my family)
5 c. cornflakes (I will probably half this also)
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp paprika
Pinch Cayenne pepper
2 tsp vegetable oil

POTATO INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (I will probably only use 1 lb)
1/2 c. skim milk
6 T reduced fat sour cream

In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, mustard, 3/4 tsp of the salt, 1/2 tsp of the garlic powder, 1/2 tsp of the pepper and the hot sauce. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Heat oven to 400. Coat a baking rack with nonstick cooking spray and place inside rimmed baking sheet.

Stir together crushed cornflakes, bread crumbs, remaining 3/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper, the poultry seasoning, paprika and cayenne. Stir in oil until blended. Remove chicken from marinade and dip in crumb mixture, pressing to adhere.

Place chicken on rack and bake at 400 for 55 minutes or until instant read thermometer registers 160 when inserted in the thickest part of the breast.

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and return to pan. Add milk and sour cream. Mash to desired consistency.

WW points per serving = 11 points (makes 4 servings)

MONDAY ~ Family function at church – we’re eating there

TUESDAY ~ Creamy Potatoes ‘n Kielbasa (slow cooker) – This is a new recipe for us from Taste of Home, and I was happy to find it because I have all of these ingredients on hand and I have some kielbasa that I neded to use up – I have yet to have a bad experience with a Taste of Home recipe, so I’m sure it will be great!

Ingredients:

• 1 package (28 ounces) frozen O’Brien potatoes
• 1 pound fully cooked kielbasa or Polish sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup water

Directions:

In a 3-qt. slow cooker, combine all ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the potatoes are tender. Yield: 4-6 servings.

WW points = 11 points/serving

WEDNESDAY ~ Beef Stew (slow cooker) – I got this recipe on orgjunkie.com last week and it sounded yummy!

Ingredients:
*2 pounds beef chuck or stew meat, cut in 1? cubes (or you can even buy stew meat already cut up)
*1/4 cup flour
*1 1/2 tsp salt
*1/2 tsp pepper
*1 1/2 cups beef broth
*1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
*1 clove garlic
*1 bay leaf
*1 tsp paprika
*4 carrots sliced
*2 cans of potatoes (I have a few potatoes that need to be used up, so I’m going to just cut them up and throw them in)
*2 onions, chopped
*1 stalk celery, sliced

Directions: Place meat in cooker (no need to brown first). Mix flour, salt and pepper and pour over meat; stir to coat meat with flour. Add remaining ingredients and stir to mix well. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours or high 4-6 hours. Stir stew thoroughly before serving.

WW points = 8 (I’m guessing 8 servings on this but I’ve never made it before, so I really don’t know)

THURSDAY ~ Ritzy chicken – Misty posted this recipe on a message board I belong to and several of the ladies that tried it have RAVED about it, so I can’t wait to check it out this week!

Ingredients:
1 cup sour cream (I use reduced fat)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons celery salt
1 teaspoons paprika
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
4 whole chicken breasts, skinned, boned and halved (I’m going to use boneless, skinless)
1½ cups crushed Ritz crackers
½ cup butter
top with poppy seeds (optional)

Combine sour cream, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, paprika, garlic, salt, and pepper, with chicken breasts. Marinate at least 15 minutes but up to 24 hours refrigerated. Remove the coated chicken from the mixture and roll in cracker crumbs. Arrange in a single layer baking pan. Melt butter and pour half over chicken. Bake uncovered 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Spoon remaining butter over the chicken, sprinkle with poppy seeds and cook 15 minutes.

WW points per serving = 8 (makes 4 servings)

FRIDAY ~ Stacked green enchiladas – This is a modified version of a recipe my dad makes

Ingredients:
1 can green enchilada sauce
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use 98% FF)
1 can Rotel (drained)
3-4 chicken breasts
corn tortillas (one dozen)
monterrey jack cheese

I place the chicken breasts, enchilada sauce, cream of chicken soup, and Rotel in the crockpot on low all day. When I get home, I shred the chicken and add it back to the mixture. Then, you can either do stacked enchiladas (pour some of the mixture on a corn tortilla/add cheese and repeat for as many layers as you would like) or do rolled enchiladas (place some of the mixture in the corn tortilla, roll, and place in a pan….repeat 9 times…then, pour the remaining sauce mixture over the top and top with cheese and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes).

WW points = 8 per serving (makes 4 servings)

SATURDAY ~ Melt in your mouth meatloaf (slow cooker) – I saw this posted last week on someone’s meal plan (sorry I can’t remember who or where) and it sounded yummy, so we decided to try it out!!

Ingredients:
2 eggs
3/4 c. milk (we use skim)
2/3 c. seasoned bread crumbs
2 tsp dried, minced onion
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp rubbed sage
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I’m going to try this with ground turkey instead)
1/4 c. ketchup
2 T brown sugar
1 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well (mixture will be moist.) Shape into a round loaf; place in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Spoon over the meat loaf. Cook 15 minutes longer or until heated through. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

WW points = 5 per serving (makes 6 servings according to the recipe, I haven’t tried this one yet)