Weekly Meal Plan Week 14

I started this blog because my cooking was pretty sketchy.  I ran through fast food at least a few days a week because I had no idea what to cook.  So this year I decided that I will plan a weekly menu.  It was going great until I got bored.  So I decided to keep me going, I will add a cookbook to the mix.  For the next six weeks or so, I will add at least a recipe per week from the cookbook below.  You can get a copy new, or they also have used ones that are pretty cheap.  I figured the price of this cookbook is less than one fast food meal for the family, and they eat a lot more nutritiously when I cook than when I buy fast food.

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 The cook books is The Best and Lightest from Food Network Magazine.  So far I'm loving it.  The food is good, but simple.  I've tried a lot of different recipes from it and it's a keeper.


So Here is my menu plan:

Stacked Enchiladas - If you are in a hurry, you can buy the pre-fried tortillas, then you only need assemble the stacks.  My kids eat 2 each and I serve them with rice.

Healthy Chinese Chicken Breasts - we love these.  If you cant find hoison sauce or if it's expensive, buy it on amazon.  The amazon price is about half my local grocery.  Again I serve this one with rice and green beans.



Rigatoni with Spicy Shrimp- page 228 of the cookbook.  Shallots add a depth of flavor above what onion would, and the red pepper gives the shrimp a kick, but it's not too spicy.  It was good.   I served it with a green salad.

Pork and Wild Rice Salad- page 149 of the cookbook.  There is just a little bit of yogurt in this that adds a little zip, and the cranberries add sweetness.  It was so easy to make and because it contains the rice, salad and meat, I did not have to make anything else.

Turkey Cutlet with Plum Sauce - I sub'd chicken breast.  I just didnt have time to run to the store for turkey breast and I had chicken breast on hand.  It was still really good.  Plums and lemon go really well together.  This recipe has a salad with it, so that was what I served.


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Weekly Meal Plan Week 13

I started this blog because my cooking was pretty sketchy.  I ran through fast food at least a few days a week because I had no idea what to cook.  So this year I decided that I will plan a weekly menu.  It was going great until I got bored.  So I decided to keep me going, I will add a cookbook to the mix.  For the next six weeks or so, I will add at least a recipe per week from the cookbook below.  You can get a copy new, or they also have used ones that are pretty cheap.  I figured the price of this cookbook is less than one fast food meal for the family, and they eat a lot more nutritiously when I cook than when I buy fast food.

Don't forget to Join US ON FACEBOOK for more recipes and household fun.


 The cook books is The Best and Lightest from Food Network Magazine.  So far I'm loving it.  The food is good, but simple.  I've tried a lot of different recipes from it and it's a keeper.


So Here is my menu plan:


American Goulash, salad   - Everyone in my family loves pasta, and this one is easy and does not contain nearly as much sugar as the jar sauces.

Grilled Chicken with Roasted Kale- Page 94 of the cookbook.  When I first saw this recipe I thought there was no way my family would eat KALE...but it's tossed with tomato, potato and cheese, and they loved it.  I was surprised.

Sirloin with Teriyaki Broth -  Page 126 of the cookbook.  This steak is served with a light broth that makes it so juicy.  The recipe calls for sweet potatoes but I added carrots as well because they are a family favorite.  They all ate it.  I didnt think the radishes would go over very well, but they are thinly sliced and they add a peppery bite to the soup.  YUM!

Baked Fish and Chips-  Page 192 of the Book.  A lighter version of fried fish and chips.  It uses rice cereal as a topping and is light and delicious.  The homemade fries have become a lunch favorite too.
Teriyaki Chicken Bowls - Grilled Pineapple is so good and since the weather has grown warmer, cooking outside is a welcome change.  This recipe is easy to change up to add your family favorite veggies.



 


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Free Motivation- Free Or Nearly Free Books On Decluttering

If you are a KonMarie fan, did you know you can already pre-order her next book? It's due out in June and if you pre-order, it comes in the mail. I got my last book on the release date and I didn't even have to put on shoes to go get it! I can't wait to read this one.



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Even if you dont have a kindle, you can get these free books. First go to the link below and download the free kindle reader for your computer. It's FREE!!! Amazon.com - Read eBooks using the FREE Kindle Reading App on Most Devices




Next check out the books below.  The books change often, so I will try to keep these updated, but If one stops being free, there are others you can buy.

When you want to buy a book for free, simply click the "buy now with 1 click" button and tell it to send it to your kindle or your kindle app, then you can open it and read it.  It does not require you to have kindle unlimited.

So why do people give their books away?  They would like you to review them.  They cannot require you to review them though, so they offer them for free hoping you will.  Some books are only free for a short time though, so grab it when you see it!


Here are some I found:

Dash Diet Books for Free Or Nearly Free

You can get free or nearly free cookbooks for the dash diet on amazon and you don’t have to have a kindle!
First, you will need to download the free kindle reading app for your computer. You can find it here:
Amazon.com - Read eBooks using the FREE Kindle Reading App on Most Devices
Next, check out the cool books below. At the time I wrote this, they are all 99 cents or free. If they pop up in price it is because the publisher was running a promotion for a limited time. Why do publishers give away free books? They would like you to review them once you have read them. They can’t require you to review them though, so they just offer some free hoping you will review them.
When you find a book you want, click “buy now with 1 click” and use the pulldown box to say where you want it sent. Your book will arrive and you can read it. You do NOT need kindle unlimited. Amazon wants people to buy kindle unlimited, so they make that the first choice when downloading the book, the “buy now with 1 click” button is just below it. Slim pickings this week...
Here are the bargains I found today:

Carrot Soup with potato, lentils and leeks

I am bad. I hide good things in soup so my family will eat them. My only problem with this is hubby who says that soup is not food, but if I cook soups for lunch, they get eaten. I serve this with white rice.


 Ingredients:
 - 1 onion, diced
 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
 - 1 leek, thinly sliced
 - 2 cups carrots, thinly sliced
- 2 potatoes, thinly sliced
- 1 cup red lentils, rinsed
- Herbs & spices: 1 tsp tumeric, 1/2 tbsp curry powder, 1/2 tbsp rosemary, 1 tsp cumin, black pepper - 2 stock cubes, melted in water


 Method:
 1. Fry onion, garlic & leek for 2-3 minutes 2. Add in remaining ingredients except water. Cook for 2 minutes 3. Add in enough water to cover the ingredients, bring to the boil then cook covered on low heat for 40 minutes. 4. For a chunky soup, simply use a potato masher to mash up the ingredients. For a smooth soup, blend using a stick blender. 5. Serve with rice/crusty bread and enjoy.



 Some people in my family do not care for the taste of indian spices, so if I am making the soup for them, I add 1 tsp ginger, salt and pepper instead. I like it both ways.


Recipe Index Here:  http://emmafrancisisathome.blogspot.com/p/recipe-index.html

Week 12 Weekly Meal Plan.

Last week in the Skinny Taste Cookbook!

My goal this year is to cook more for my family.   We are very busy and as a result, we eat out a LOT.  This year, I want to serve food at home that is fast, easy and nutritious.  No frozen dinners high in sodium, I want real food.

I would love for you to join us on our facebook group here:  FACEBOOK
The first 2 months, I looked online at blogs and found recipes.  I want to try something different though.  I want to try out different cookbooks.  Each month, I will cook recipes from a different cookbook.  It could be a side, main dish or dessert, but I will try to incorporate new dinners into our rotation.  So far the family is loving it.


This month, I am cooking out of this book:






This is in addition to our typical meal plans.    On Saturday nights, we have a family pizza night, and sometimes one other night per week we do not eat at home (usually at a friends house, we rotate).  This means 5 to 6 meals per week I need to plan.

Please note that some of my meals may seem a little heavy.  I am feeding three teen boys, so I cook to fill them up.  Some people may omit the starch from the meal and be just fine with the meal plan.

This week's meal plan:

Not Your Mama's Chicken and Rice  So good.

Grilled Salmon with Favorite Greenbeans

American Goulash and salad

Teriyaki Glazed Pork Chops with Pineapple Salsa page 198 of the cookbook.

Skinny Salisbury Steak and Mushroom Gravy.  page 201 of the cookbook.


I hope you have enjoyed cooking out of the skinny cookbook with me.  We are definately keeping some of the recipes in our rotation.  My family loved the chicken pasta, the mongolian beef, the buttermilk "fried" chicken and the pork chops best.



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Weekly Meal Plan Week 11

My goal this year is to cook more for my family.   We are very busy and as a result, we eat out a LOT.  This year, I want to serve food at home that is fast, easy and nutritious.  No frozen dinners high in sodium, I want real food.

I would love for you to join us on our facebook group here:  FACEBOOK
The first 2 months, I looked online at blogs and found recipes.  I want to try something different though.  I want to try out different cookbooks.  Each month, I will cook recipes from a different cookbook.  It could be a side, main dish or dessert, but I will try to incorporate new dinners into our rotation.  So far the family is loving it.


This month, I am cooking out of this book:






This is in addition to our typical meal plans.    On Saturday nights, we have a family pizza night, and sometimes one other night per week we do not eat at home (usually at a friends house, we rotate).  This means 5 to 6 meals per week I need to plan.

Please note that some of my meals may seem a little heavy.  I am feeding three teen boys, so I cook to fill them up.  Some people may omit the starch from the meal and be just fine with the meal plan.

This week's meal plan:


Spaghetti with Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce  Salad

Mahogany Chicken with Rice   You really have to try this one.  It's my version of a hard to make prize winning recipe.  It taste really good.   If you cant find  hoison sauce at your grocery try here:





Tex Mex Chicken Casserole  I make this ahead and head it, then add the tomato and lettuce.


Naked Persian Turkey Burgers pg 156 of the cookbook.  These are bunless and the salad recipe is included.  Looks really good.

Chicken Pasta Caprese  pg 184 of the cookbook.  Normally I dont care for pasta dishes with vegetables, but this one looks really good with chicken, cheese and tomato.  Nothing difficult.