Weekly Meal Plan

Its been a while since I posted a weekly meal plan.

My life has been a little chaotic

My shoes have gotten a little worn out

My calendar has gotten a little full…. you get the picture right?

Well to help get me back on track I tried a menu this week and so far its going pretty good.

Sunday ~ Chicken Cordon Bleu with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans

Monday ~ Eggplant Rollatini

Tuesday ~ Beef enchiladas

Wednesday ~ Sweet and Tangy fish with veggie

Thursday ~ Lemon herb Zucchini fettuccini

Friday ~ Grilled Stuffed burgers and onion roasted potatoes

Saturday ~ Buffalo Chicken wraps with chips

Its nice to get back to some type of normal routine.

Hopefully now I can start trying new recipes again.

My camera is feeling so deprived!

Have a great week!

Lemon or Lime

Sometimes life gives you lemons

Sometimes it gives you limes

and sometimes it gives you a good kick in the ~woohoo~!

I haven’t been blogging (or cooking) much lately :~(

I know lemons and limes have nothing to do with this recipe

I just always wanted to say life gave me lemons lol and I made lemonade HA!

Make chimichangas for dinner tonight and your limes will rejoice!

{Printable Link}

You will need:

1/2 lb shredded chicken breast or lean ground beef 

1 onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

2 tablespoons mild green chilies, chopped

1/3 cup reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded

4 (8 inch) fat free tortillas, flour

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Spray a nonstick baking sheet with nonstick spray; set aside.
3. Spray a medium nonstick skillet with nonstick spray; set over medium-high heat.
4. Add the turkey, onion, garlic, chili powder, oregano, and cumin.
5. Cook chicken and shred or brown ground beef, whichever you decide to use.
6. Stir in the tomato sauce and the chilies; bring to a boil.
7. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the flavors are blended and the mixture thickens, slightly, about 5 minutes.
8. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheddar cheese.
9. Meanwhile, wrap the tortillas in foil and place in the oven to warm for 10 minutes.
10. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the filling into the center of each tortilla.
11. Fold in the sides, then roll to enclose the filling.
12. Place the chimichangas, seam-side down, on the baking sheet.
13. Lightly spray the tops of the tortillas with nonstick spray.
14. Bake until golden and crisp, about 20 minutes.
15. Do not turn.

Top with low fat shredded cheese if you wish

Serve with fat free refried beans and homemade salsa and chips.

For an extra appetizer try some homemade guacamole dip too!

Guacamole dip recipe from www.skinnytaste.com.

Bowtie Lasagna

Last night I made this recipe again.

I really like this recipe and it is very easy to make.

It is a great recipe for leftovers too!

This time I did decide to use fresh mozzarella instead of shredded mozzarella.

The change was a change for the greater good of the cheese community!

If you need a great recipe for dinner tonight or a family gathering, give this a try!

{Printable Link}

You will need:

1lb Lean ground beef

5 cups of bow tie noodles

3 cups pasta sauce ( I used a fire roasted sauce, mmm)

1 TBS Olive oil

1 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Italian Seasonings (or add more to your liking)

1/2 cup Fat Free Mozzarella Cheese (or use fresh mozzarella like I did this time!)

1/2 cup Fat Free Sour Cream

Directions:

1. Brown the ground beef.

2. Add seasonings and pasta sauce and let simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Boil pasta according to directions.

4. When pasta is finished drain and toss in olive oil. Mix the pasta and meat sauce together.

5. Add your cheese and sour cream and fold over and stir until all is melted and combined.

Serve with Salad and a vegetable. Enjoy!

Eggplant Rollatini

I found a fabulous Eggplant recipe on Julia’s Healthy Blog!

This is fabulous because I’ve only had eggplant once in my life prior to making this.

This recent one time encounter is what sparked my interest in making this recipe!

I would probably use more sauce next time but other than that  ~ YUM!

You will need:

{Printable Link}

1-2 large eggplants, top(s) removed and sliced to 1/3 - 1/2 inch slices long ways, salted to taste1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup olive oil

For the filling you'll need:
Ricotta, 2 cups part skim
Mozzarella, 1 cup shredded low fat
Grated cheese 1/2 cup
2 eggs
Parsley, 1/2 cup chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

For the topping, you'll need:
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup shredded low fat mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. In a shallow dish pour oil, in a second shallow dish pour breadcrumbs. 
2. Dredge* eggplant through oil on each side lightly then bread with crumbs lightly.
3. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.
4. In a 400 degree oven, bake the eggplant on a lightly oiled sheet for 30 minutes. Set aside.
5. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta, grated cheese, egg, parsley, salt and pepper to taste.
6. Take a slice of baked eggplant and add a heaping tablespoon full of the ricotta mix.
7. Roll the eggplant and place the seam on the bottom. 
8. In a baking tray add 1/2 cup of tomato sauce to bottom and smooth it out. 
9. Place rolled eggplant in saucy baking tray.
10. Continue with the remaining eggplant until all are filled.
11. Spoon 2 tablespoons of sauce over each rollatini.
12. Sprinkle each rollatini with mozzarella cheese, I used a generous pinch. 
13. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

**Side note from Julia’s blog: If you put the eggplant in the oil it will soak it all up, so be sure to pass it through lightly and use your fingers to spread out the oil all over the eggplant. Also, you don't want to put much breadcrumb on this, just a light coating.
When baking these, they need to be slightly thicker than when fried so they don't dry out, so 1/3 to 1/2 inch slices are best.

Enjoy this for your next meal!