Sorry, I was extraordinarily busy the last two weeks. This one looks like it will be a lot calmer. So, here we go.
Monday: Chicken Quesadillas & Broccoli
Tuesday: Shepherd's Pie
Wednesday: Banana Cake/Temple (take treat to babysitter)So my menu is pretty crappy (not literally) but I eat on campus once a day and usually I either have pop tarts for breakfast or I have a bagel. Then I go through the whole day and eat something at work (snack) and then go home and eat. My schedule leaves no time to eat. Hopefully I'll get a lot of weight loss from this forced diet. haha, i wish i had time to go home and cook. I envy you people that can cook.
Spinach Lasagna
Here's a folate-rich recipe that makes getting your Bs a simple matter.
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 ounces
1/3-less-fat cream cheese (about 1/3 cup)
1 (12-ounce) container 1% low-fat cottage cheese
1/3 cup low-fat sour cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
12 cooked lasagna noodles
1 (27.5-ounce) jar low-fat chunky mushroom pasta sauce
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
*I added ½ pound hamburger to ours. It turned out really well. Preheat oven to 350°.
Heat a medium nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion and mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Set aside.Beat the cream cheese at medium speed of a mixer until smooth; add the cottage cheese, sour cream, 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, and eggs, beating well. Add the onion mixture and spinach, and beat well.Spread 1/2 cup of the spinach mixture in the bottom of a 13 x9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over the spinach mixture; top with 1 cup of spinach mixture, 3/4 cup of pasta sauce, 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese, and 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese. Repeat the layers, ending with Parmesan cheese.Cover and bake at 350° for 50 minutes. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese; bake, uncovered, an additional 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.
So, I've only done this once before, but it worked out so well. I do two-week menus, so we only have to go shopping every two weeks. (I don't have a car on my own, and weekends are precious.) I'm not sure what days will be what meal, but here's the list:
Spinach & Potato Soup
Cashew Chicken
Taco Soup
Chicken and Wild Rice
Pasta w/meatballs
Ravioli (any good recipes?)
Tater-tot Casserole
Chef Salad
Kabobs
Beef Stroganoff
Hamburgers, Salad,
Chicken and Pasta Pesto
I figure if I throw in a few left-over nights, we'll be good for the next two weeks. Not as organized as I could be, but hey, I have a lot of time, so it's ok.
So, I ended up not making tuna casserole on Saturday. Instead we had barbeque chicken pizza. Yum! I made two so it lasted 'till lunch on Monday. Hmm...maybe you don't really care. Anyway, here's my menu.
Monday: Macaroni & Cheese w/tuna, celery, spinach, and onions. (Interesting. I didn't think it was too bad, but I don't think I'll ever try to make Derek eat it.)
Tuesday: Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs, beans
Wednesday: Fettuccine with chicken, spinach, and orange sauce
Thursday: Lasagna, salad
Friday: Lasagna, salad
Saturday: Hamburgers, chips, salad
Sunday: Leftovers
Monday: Breakfast--eggs (red pepper, green pepper, mushrooms, bacon), potatoes, biscuits
I got this recipe from Jenny, who got it from another food blog, Picky Palate. Anyway, here it is with her changes.
Closet Cooking's Sesame Chicken
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons pineapple juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons ginger (grated)
1 pound chicken (cut into bite sized pieces)
1 teaspoon peanut oil
4 servings cooked rice
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
green onions to garnish
Directions:
1. Mix the soy sauce, pineapple juice, honey, sugar, ginger and chicken in a ziplock bag and marinate in the fridge for about an hour.
2. Heat the oil in a pan.
3. Add the chicken and marinade to the pan and saute until the chicken is cooked and the sauce begins to thicken.
4. Serve on cooked rice and garnish with the sesame seeds and green onion.
I used fresh ginger for my first time ever and I think 2T. is too much for this recipe. I would put less in it since fresh ginger has such a strong flavor. And I used sesame oil instead of peanut oil. I also dipped the chicken (after taking it out of the marinade) in flour and fried it for a little bit in a little olive oil, then finished cooking it with some marinade to make a sauce.
So, last week we were hardly home (see my blog) and so I have a lot of repeats.
Monday: Fajitas, Applesauce
Tuesday: Burritos (with quinoa, blackbeans,and hamburger), salad
Wednesday: Sesame Chicken, rice, stirfry veggies (broccoli, carrots, celery)
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: San Francisco Pork Chops, Rice, Salad
Saturday: Tuna Casserole
Sunday: Grilled Chicken Salad (or leftovers)
