Menu Plan Monday

I survived week one of Corey being gone - just two more long weeks to go. He is enjoying his class but says the workload is a lot - often 4 hours of homework each night. We are moving forward with our kitchen remodel. Eric has been removing the tile and countertops so the granite people can make the template this week. Hopefully we will be approving the granite on Tuesday.

I have to admit that I'm feeling like an old lady this week, and I'm being a bit of a whiner baby. I have to have gum graft surgery on Friday to repair some gum recessions I have. Yuck! Apparently, brushing your teeth too often and getting braces as an adult can be a bad thing for gums. Who knew? So much for brushing after each meal. The doctor took away my toothbrush, gave me a super soft one, and said I can only brush twice a day. Needless to say, my gum chewing habit has increased. If I can't brush, then I'm going to chew gum (sugarless, of course)! Anyway, starting Friday it's soft foods for me for a while. I'm actually quite nervous about the surgery as I watched my husband go through it a few years ago. It's not a fun process. I'll take any prayers of courage that you can spare. I'm such a wimp.

So, know that you know more about my gums than you ever wanted to know, here's the menu for the week. ;-) Ididn't get to the grilled chicken (went to my moms) and the chicken florentine (went to a friend's house for dinner) last week, so you will see those repeated this week. For more menu ideas, go to orgjunkie.com.

Sunday - Chinese take out (needed a lazy day - was feeling sorry for myself and freaking out about surgery)
Monday - Ultimate BBQ Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
Tuesday - Chicken Florentine Pasta Bake, Salad
Wednesday - Chicken Pockets, Broccoli, Salad, Peaches
Thursday - Spinach and Bacon Frittata, Hash Browns
Friday - French Leek Soup (won't be able to eat solid food), applesauce
Saturday - Leftovers

Spinach and Bacon Frittata

This is a wonderful frittata! It's easy to make, it's filling, and makes a great supper or breakfast!

Ingredients
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
8 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp salt and pepper, each
1/2 onion, sliced
1 tsp olive oil
about 3 cups fresh spinach
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I use 2% kind)

Directions
1. In bowl, whisk bacon crumbles, eggs, milk, salt and pepper.
2. In skillet, sauté onions in 1 tsp olive oil.
3. Once brown, add a few tsp of water and cook another 1-2 minutes.
4. Add spinach and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, until it wilts.
5. Pour egg mixture over the spinach and onions.
6. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the eggs have set around the edges.
7. Bake at 450 for 5 minutes.
8. Add shredded cheese to the top and bake another 1-2 minutes until cheese melts. (If you don't like cheese, you can leave it off and it will still be very tasty.)

Recipe source - $5 Dinners.com

Mashed Potato Salad

This is a recipe that I modified from one by my good friend, Charlotte. Her version calls for Hungry Man boxed mashed potatoes, and I make mine with real potatoes with the skin left on. I also lighten the recipe by using fat free sour cream and light Miracle Whip.



Ingredients:
6 yukon gold potatoes
4 eggs; boiled, shelled, and mashed with pastry cutter
¾ c Kraft Miracle Whip Light
¾ c. fat free sour cream
2-3 TBSP sweet pickle relish
¼ - ½ c chopped onion
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP white vinegar
1 TBSP sugar
1 tsp mustard

Directions:
Cut potatoes into large pieces and boil in large pot until done (leave skin on). Drain water and put potatoes in large mixing bowl. Add the Miracle Whip, sour cream, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, and mustard. Mix to desired mashed potato consistency. Stir in the relish, onion, and chopped eggs until well combined. Chill; overnight is best, but for at least 3-4 hours.

Number of Servings: 12
WW Points = 3

Menu Plan Monday

Sorry I'm a day late with the menu this week. We made a long trip to Chicago this weekend to take the boy to Northwestern, and I'm just now getting caught up on everything. Because the boy is gone, I'm taking advantage of being able to cook things with seafood and things with "chunks" as Corey would say (a.k.a. vegetables). I harvested my first zucchinis from the garden yesterday, so you will see them as an ingredient in a couple of the meals this week. For more menu ideas see orgjunkie.com. Here's the menu. Enjoy!

Sunday - Eat on the road on the way home from Chicago
Monday - BLTs, Pea Soup, Pineapple
Tuesday - Pasta with Zucchini and Tomatoes, Salad
Wednesday - Deluxe Divine Chicken Divan, Rice, Asparagus, Salad
Thursday - Chicken Florentine Pasta Bake, Salad, Peaches
Friday - Grilled Scallops with Lime and Cilantro, Grilled Zucchini
Saturday - Ultimate BBQ Chicken, Mashed Potato Salad, Green Beans

Pasta with Zucchini and Tomatoes

This is a dish I based on a Pioneer Woman recipe, but my version is much lighter (no cream and less oil, and mine has more veggies). This ended up being a fabulous dish! Even the meat-eating hubby loved this meatless dish and even took the leftovers for lunch!



WW Points - 3

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. pasta (penne or bowties would be good - I use Ronzoni Smart Taste Penne Rigate - my favorite brand)
2 medium zucchini, quartered
14 oz. diced tomatoes (fresh grape tomatoes or use a can of diced tomatoes)
8 oz. mushrooms, quartered
1/2 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T olive oil
1 cup white wine
salt and pepper, to taste
fresh chives and basil, to taste
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:
Start by chopping your vegetables. Cut the zucchini in quarters lengthwise, and then slice into pieces so you end up with “cubes”. Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise. Cut mushrooms into quarters, and dice the onion.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, heat 1 T of olive oil. Add the zucchini to the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sauté until brown (don’t let it get too mushy). Remove to a platter.
In the same pan, add the onions and garlic and cook until slightly brown.

Add the tomatoes and mushrooms to the pan. Pour in the cup of wine and cook until slightly reduced.

Return the zucchini to the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drain pasta, and mix vegetables and sauce with the cooked pasta. Add fresh chives and basil to taste. Top with parmesan cheese.

Chicken Florentine Pasta Bake

This one was a little bland for me. If I make it again, I would add a lot more of the spices and probably more spinach.

Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients
12 ounces farfalle (bowtie) pasta
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
pinch of basil, oregano, parsley
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I use 2 chicken breasts)
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
kosher salt and coarse ground pepper, to taste
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/4 grated Parmesan cheese, divided
3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and cook pasta as directed, to al dente. Drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-heat. Add the onions and cook 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add the chicken and herbs and red pepper flakes and cook until heated through. Remove from heat, set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and salt and pepper. Stir in the chicken mixture, Monterey Jack cheese, artichokes, half of the Parmesan, and cooked pasta.

Transfer to prepared baking dish(es). Bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes. In small bowl, combine remaining Parmesan, bread crumbs, paprika, and melted butter. Sprinkle mixture over pasta and continue baking, uncovered, 10 minutes more or until golden.

Recipe adapted from Cooking This and That

Deluxe Divine Chicken Divan

Ingredients
1 quart chicken stock
1 lemon, zested
2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups white rice
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds chicken breast cutlets (8 cutlets or 4 breasts)
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
2 tablespoons plus about 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided
1 T butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/3 pounds, a large bunch, asparagus spears, trimmed of tough ends
6 or 7 large button mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup fat free half-and-half
1 rounded tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons, a couple sprigs, fresh tarragon, leaves chopped
2 scallions, chopped

Directions

Bring 2 3/4 cups chicken stock, the zest of 1 lemon, and thyme sprigs to a boil in a medium pot with a tight fitting lid. Add rice to water, stir. Return the water to a boil then reduce heat to simmer and cove the pot. Cook 18 minutes or until tender, remove from heat. Remove the thyme sprigs, the leaves will have fallen off in the rice.

While the rice cooks, season chicken with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Dredge chicken in about half cup of flour then discard the rest. Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil to the large skillet. Add the cutlets and cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove the meat to a large platter and cover with foil to keep warm.

Bring an inch or 2 of water to a simmer in a shallow pan and season with salt. Add asparagus and cook 4 minutes until just tender but green. Remove and add to chicken platter to keep warm.

Return chicken skillet to the heat and add 1 tablespoon butter. Melt butter, add the mushrooms and saute for a couple of minutes. Whisk in 2 rounded tablespoons flour. Cook the flour 1 minute then whisk in 1/3 cup white wine. Cook off wine, 30 seconds, then whisk in 1 1/4 cups of chicken stock (remainder of the quart) then the half-and-half. When sauce bubbles, stir in mustard and tarragon and let sauce simmer and thicken 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir scallions into rice and fluff with fork. Make a bed of rice on each dinner plate. Top with a serving of steamed asparagus then 2 cutlets of chicken. Cover the chicken with the tarragon sauce, allowing the gravy to spill over edges into asparagus and rice.

7 WW points

Recipe adapted from Rachel Ray