Menu Plan Monday 10/1

As usual, I've done my menu planning on Sunday, so I'm posting this a little bit early! :)

NOTES FROM LAST WEEK: It was a good week in my kitchen- all the new recipes I tried were good! :) The Oriental Baked Chicken and Beef Meximelts were both wonderful. The Flaky Chicken Wraps were good- I was surprised at how much flavor they had with so few ingredients.

I didn't do all the Weight Watchers points this week as I'm still trying to clear out some of the pantry and freezer, and 99% of these meals come from there. So, until I use up what we've got on hand, I'll have to just watch my portion control.

• SUNDAY: kielbasa , corn, parslied noodles
• MONDAY: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans
• TUESDAY: new recipe: Quick Chicken Divan (Thanks for the recipe, Barb!) and biscuits. This meal was held over from last week-- we wound up eating out one night.
• WEDNESDAY (soccer night): Ham Steaks, Peas, & new recipe Baked Macaroni & Cheese with Stewed Tomatoes
• THURSDAY: family favorite: my Mom's Crockpot BBQ Ribs, with mini ears of corn on the cob and sugar-free applesauce
• FRIDAY: family favorite: crockpot Chicken for the Gods with wild rice and steamed broccoli
• SATURDAY: I always leave Saturday open for meals we skipped during the week.

Head on over to I'm An Organizing Junkie to share your menu or see what others are eating this week!

My blog is PINK for Breast Cancer Awareness month!

Broccoli Salad

I made this last week to go with our Flaky Chicken Wraps... yum! I might try Splenda next time to cut down on the sugar/ calories a bit more.

MARVELOUS BROCCOLI SALAD

Dressing:

1/2 cup mayo (I used fat-free)

1/4 cup sugar

1 TBSP red wine vinegar

Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup and set aside.

Combine the following in a large bowl:

1 bunch broccoli, washed and chopped

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (I used precooked)

1 cup grated cheddar cheese (I used the mixed cheese crumbles)

1 medium purple onion, chopped

Combine all of the above, then fold in dressing and stir well.

Chill before serving.

My husband and 4 year-old daughter both liked this one... I'll definitely be making it again! :)

Menu Plan Monday 9/23

OK, so I'm actually posting this Sunday afternoon... close enough! :)

No notes from last week, as we didn't eat much of anything that wasn't a heat-and-eat kind of meal... I definitely didn't feel like doing any cooking. We're back to feeling healthy this week, though, so I'll be doing "real" meals again! :)

Weight Watcher points are included when I have the nutritional info available to calculate them. Some of my meals are a little high on points this week, but I'm trying to avoid going to the grocery store, so I'm using up what's on hand.

SUNDAY: new recipe: Oriental Baked Chicken over white rice (4pts) with steamed broccoli (opts) and pineapple chunks (1pt) *Note: the points for the chicken as written would be 14! But, I'll be using half the chicken and making other adjustments to reduce points to less than half that amount.

MONDAY: new recipe: Copycat Taco Bell Meximelts (5pts each) with stewed tomatoes (0pts)

TUESDAY: new recipe: Flaky Chicken Wraps (8pts) and mini ears of corn on the cob (2pts)

WEDNESDAY (soccer game night): family favorite: meatball subs in the crockpot (10pts as written- I'll sub lean meat and less cheese to lower points) and chips

THURSDAY: new recipe: Quick Chicken Divan (Thanks for the recipe, Barb!) and biscuits

FRIDAY: pot roast in the crockpot with gravy, mashed potatoes (2pts) and green beans (opts)

Head on over to I'm An Organizing Junkie to share your menu

or see what others are eating this week!

Hot Soup

Around my house, this soup recipe of mine is simply called Hot Soup. Hot, as in a little spicy. It's developed from a "Six Can Soup" recipe I found years ago-- this is just my take on that. I serve it with some taquitos or sandwiches if we're having it for supper- for lunch it's enough to stand alone.

Amy's Hot Soup

• 1-2 cans chicken broth (OR water + chicken bouillon cubes, OR chicken rice soup)
• 1 can diced tomatoes with juice (or the kind that includes chili peppers, like Rotel)
• 1 large can cooked chicken with juice
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can corn with liquid
• leftover cooked rice there's any on hand
• several shakes of Hot Shot (red + black pepper combo)
• two shakes of Spicy Mrs. Dash
• about a tablespoon of dried cilantro
• about a teaspoon of garlic pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large pot on stovetop and simmer until heated through. From start to finish, this whole recipe probably takes about ten minutes.

I'll be making a pot of this for lunch today-- it's great for sore throats! :) Enjoy!