October 7th-October 11th
roast chicken with veggies & whole grain rice
taco salad
london broil with whole grain rice
chili
marinated chicken breast with sweet potato fries
just a reminder that each week i’ll make 1 meal that takes a little longer to prepare, followed by 4, 30-minute meals....
here we go, peeps!
roast chicken with veggies & whole grain rice
1 whole chicken (3 1/2-4 lbs)
kosher salt & pepper
sprigs of rosemary & sage (optional)
1 lemon (optional)
1/2 cup chicken broth
garlic (1-2 cloves depending on size)
carrots
onions
sweet potatoes
whole grain rice
if you’re using your crockpot, get it ready!
if you’re using a dutch oven, preheat the oven to 300
cut up your veggies, press your garlic, and chuck ‘em in the bottom of your pot.
season your chicken with the salt and pepper, and if using them, halve your lemon and place it with the herbs in the cavity of the chicken. place the chicken on top of the veggies and pour your chicken broth around the edges of the pot...just because i said so...not because there’s any science or miracle that results in actually doing it that way..
cook in the crockpot on low for 4-8 hours
or
put your dutch oven in the oven for 3-4 hours
(of course if you’re in a rush, you can preheat to 425 and cook for about an hour and a half, but i need time to take a gooooooood, loooooong, sunday nap...)
i used to be quite fond of my crock pot until HG got me a dutch oven for my birthday a couple years ago...(yes, i like those kind of presents...) now i’m hooked! it makes everything so juicy and tender...never dry...i highly recommend getting one.
after i awaken from my sunday slumber, i’ll then take the chicken out of the oven and just let it rest while i prepare the whole grain rice. (directions are on the bag, people.)
then it’s eatin’ time. i’ll eat the veggies, HG will eat the rice. we’ll both eat the chicken. happy sabbath to you all!
taco salad
every summer when i was growing up my mom would make a huge stainless steel bowl of taco salad for every family picnic...it was one of our favorite meals then and remains a favorite still. it’s also a “salad” that HG will actually eat....
romaine lettuce
approx.1 lb lean ground beef (don’t you hate how for some reason the grocery store just can’t bring themselves to package 1lb across the board??..it must be their own quiet little rebellion....meh.....just base it on how many people you’re making dinner for. we usually use about 3/4 of a pound for the 2 of us...but i’ll be using 1/2 venison, 1/2 beef. you could even try some ground turkey instead! )
taco seasoning
1 cup grated cheddar (optional...i’m going without the cheese, but HG might protest...then again, he might not notice...hmmm...just in case i’ll grate a little bit for him on the side.)
taco/corn chips (you just need a couple handfuls. 11 blue chips: 140 calories. 11 doritos: 150 calories. 15 baked doritos: 90 calories. gotta say, i’m kinda tempted to try the baked ones..hmm.)
2 tbsp light catalina dressing
2 tbsp taco sauce
toppings!: tomatoes, red onions, ff sour cream, black olive, fresh jalopeños....
go ahead and brown your ground beef in a skillet...while that’s cooking, chop up your romaine and throw it a big bowl.
once the meat is done cooking, drain the fat & add your taco seasoning. toss your cheese in with the lettuce (if you’re using it..) then add in the meat, your chips, crushing them in your hands as your add them, and your dressing.
yum!
add some tomatoes, if you prefer and maybe even a dollop of some lowfat/fat free sour cream or some black olives! or a fresh jalopeño! now we’re talking!! (HG will eat NONE of these things..but i certainly will!)
london broil with whole grain rice
our poor yellow lab, murphy loves london broil night...the smell is just too much for him. he’ll lay on the floor and lick his little black nose over and over again, with the sheer hope that maybe, just maybe, the smell will manifest itself into actual food...sorry murph, not gonna happen.
1/2 cup soy sauce (lately i’ve been using bragg liquid aminos instead. 0 calories vs 67 calories..)
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 clove garlic (minced or thinly sliced)
1 1/2 lbs top round london broil
whole grain brown rice
in a gallon ziplock bag, mix together the soy sauce, sugar and garlic until the sugar gets dissolved. rinse the meat, pat it dry and drop it in the bag. let it marinate for at least 20 minutes. i usually mix it all before i head out to work for the day..so anytime between 20 minutes and 7 hours is good..
when you’re ready, get your rice a’cookin..
adjust oven rack to the upper third of oven and turn on the broiler. transfer the meat to foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet. (save your marinade though..) sprinkle both sides of the london broil with ground pepper and kosher salt. broil on each side for 8-10 minutes depending on how well done you prefer your meat. let it rest for about 5 minutes on a cutting board before slicing it nice and thin.
in the meantime pour your marinade into a small sauce pan and bring it to a boil for a couple minutes til it thickens up a bit. then you can spoon a little bit of it over your rice and/or your meat..but definitely not over your dog’s food. sorry murph.
chili
i feel silly posting my chili recipe...it’s certainly not cook-off worthy, but it is simple. and it is yummy. and it is on the healthy side. and i can make it in the morning before i go to work which means that dinner’s ready when i come home from work. i like that.
4 8 oz cans tomato sauce (i love, love, love the publix greenwise brand. it has such good flavor to it!)
1 lb lean ground beef (again, i’ll be using half ground venison, half ground beef)
1 can (15 oz) red beans
chili powder
yup. that’s it.
be sure to season your beef first! i like a lot of chili powder. a lot. so i’ll start off with mixing in about 1 tablespoon (ok, 2..) of chili powder while i brown the beef. after that, drain the fat (there might not be much...with the venison, there’s hardly ever any fat, which is why i add the beef to keep it from getting dry...) pour in the tomato sauce, red beans and add more chili powder to taste. bring it to a boil and let it simmer as long as you can.
that’s it. fort pitt.
serve with some of your leftover baked doritos crunched on top....or a dollop of fat free sour cream.
marinated chicken breast with sweet potato fries & green beans
boneless, skinless chicken breasts (however many you need: i’m going with 2)
mojo marinade
sweet potato fries (we love the alexia “spicy sweet potato juilienne fries with chipotle seasoning”. 30 pieces: 130 calories)
green beans
again, let’s marinate! get out another gallon ziplock bag and pour in some mojo over your chicken breast (if i remember, i’ll pound out the chicken just a little before i drop it in the bag so that it cooks evenly later on the grill.) let it marinate either overnight, or before you head out the door in the morning.
once you’re ready, preheat the oven and throw the fries on a baking sheet.
get your grill ready. (i bought HG a grill pan for his birthday last year and we really love it! so that’s what i’m using.)
put your fries in the oven, get your chicken breast on the grill, and then you can toss some green beans into a sauté pan with a little evoo (extra virgin olive oil), maybe a minced garlic clove and a pinch of kosher salt...)
such a pretty plate!
and be sure to dip your fries in a little bit of honey for extra yum factor!
don’t know about you, but that’s what i’m eating this week!
happy cooking to you all! if you have questions, just leave them in the comment section.
No comments:
Post a Comment