Menu Plan Mondays

If I could share one valuable secret to loosing weight, staying healthy and staying on a budget, it would be meal planning.

It is so easy to do and keeps you right on track.

When you meal plan, all is right with the world.

You really achieve two things at once.

You know what you are cooking for the week and it makes it easy to grocery shop!

I meal plan for two weeks at a time so that makes my grocery shopping even easier.

I mostly stock pile now which means I have extra money for meats and fresh produce!

Some weeks I stick to the plan and some weeks I change things around.

• Monday – Malibu Chicken with skinny potato salad and macaroni salad
• Tuesday – Frito Pie
• Wednesday – Leftovers
• Thursday – Shredded Lime Chicken Tacos
• Friday – Leftovers
• Saturday – Chipotle Lime Chicken Sandwiches with Ranch potatoes

I also try to not cook everyday because it saves me time in the evening and gives me a few nights with extra time.

Have a great week!

Skinny Taco Salad

What do you do when your half bag of corn tortilla shells are broken and your half way done with the taco meat?

Taco salad is what you do!

I always have baked tortilla chips on hand so……

I crumbled up 15 or so chips on a plate, added the ground beef and topped it off with my famous guacamole, fat free sour cream, salsa and cheese!

I know I know, Taco salad – really. But oh yes even taco salad is healthy.

{Printable Link}

You will need:

• 1lb Lean ground beef
• 1/2 Taco seasoning packet (or just use your own seasonings if you prefer)
• 1/2 cup of your favorite salsa (mine is Tostitos Resturant style Salsa!)
• 1 bag Baked Tostitos Tortilla chips (15 chips per person)

Toppings

• A batch of guacamole already prepared – serving sizes added to your taste buds
• Fat Free Sour cream
• Shredded cheese

Directions:

1. Brown the ground beef.
2. Add in the half packet of taco seasonings
3. Crumble up the tortilla chips on a plate.
4. Top with guacamole, sour cream , salsa, and cheese. Or whatever your taste buds are craving for!

Get a fork and dig in!

Dreamy~creamy mashed potatoes

I haven't made homemade mashed potatoes in a while.
I'd rather not remember why.
I forgot as soon as I took a bite of these.
They were easier than I remembered!

{Printable Link}

What you'll need:
4 medium sized red potatoes
1 cup of 1% milk
1/4 cup butter
Salt and pepper to taste
A dash of garlic powder

Directions:
1. Wash and dry potatoes.
2. Dice up potatoes into nice size chunks, leaving skin on, and add to a large pot.
3. Cover with water and boil until you can poke them with a fork and they are tender.
4. Remove from heat and drain.
5. In a large mixing bowl add milk, butter, salt, pepper and garlic powder.
6. With an electric mixer, blend until creamy, adding extra milk to thin out to your preferred consistency.

Serve them up steaming hot! I made them with an ole time favorite of hamburger steaks with brown gravy sauce and some good ole fried cabbage. Mmmmm good!

Baked Fajitas

Yes baked and I challenge you to taste the difference!
I used to stop at a local Mexican store to buy the pre-cut/mixed fajitas and all I had to do was cook them.
I couldn’t tell the difference.
Wait….come to think of it I could tell the difference. These were so much better than that!
You will need:
{Printable Link}

• 2-lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips
• 1 Can of Rotel tomatoes
• 1/3 of a yellow pepper sliced into strips
• 1/3 of a red pepper sliced into strips
• 1/3 of a green pepper sliced into strips (so that all three of these make one whole pepper sliced)
• 1 small onion sliced into strips
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 10-12 Corn tortillas

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9 inch pan with non stick spray.
2. Mix together chicken, peppers, onions, and tomatoes into the pan.
3. Mix together the spices and the oil. Drizzle the mixture over the chicken & peppers and toss to coat.
4. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked all the way through and vegetables are tender.

Serve with toasted (broiled in oven) corn tortillas or soft fry them in olive oil.
I also made my favorite guacamole! Yum!
This recipe was adapted from Six Sister’s Stuff :)