Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Cajun Chicken Pasta & French Bread

Tuesday: Taco Joes & Corn

Wednesday: Spaghetti alla Carbonara & Salad

Thursday:  Whole Wheat Buttery Crab Cakes & Potatoes

Friday: Taco Night

Saturday: General Tso's Chicken, Steamed Rice, & Egg Rolls

Sunday: Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Breakfast Extras:
*Cereal Yogurt Bars
*Steel Cut Oats 

Appetizer/Snack:
*Soft Pretzels

Old Posts Updated with Nutritional Information

Hi!  As I have been sharing with you, I am on a quest to shrink my waist-line.  Now, I LOVE to eat GOOD food, so I find it is best if I tweak old favorites and watch portion sizes.  I have update these 3 favorites with nutritional information that I ran through the Spark People recipe builder.  Hope this helps some of you that might have tight jeans, like me!

Penne alla Vodka

My Very Favorite Pizza Crust

BBQ Meatballs

Simple Sesame Chicken Noodle Bowl

So sorry I haven't been around much lately!  I have been trying to step up my exercising along with healthier eating and I seem to have let it cut into my blogging time.  Well, no more!  I will try to be better!  I think one of the most important ways to eat healthy is to cook your food yourself!  I have always been proud of the fact that I try hard to stay away from boxed and overly processed foods.

Now, when I say this is a healthy recipe, that doesn't mean it is fat-free and uses all non-fat fake ingredients (can you sense my bias??).  For me, healthy cooking means using GOOD stuff, in moderation.  I am not going to fill myself and my family full of chemicals instead of butter.  When I use bacon, I will use REAL pork bacon.  None of that turkey bacon (does anyone actually think that is a suitable replacement?).  In other words, I would rather eat a smaller portion of tasty food than fat-free cardboard or mystery food.

Without further ado, here is what you will need to get started:    

Simple Sesame Chicken Noodle Bowl

Serves 8

16 oz. Spaghetti Noodles

16 oz. Stir-Fry Vegetables, frozen

1 lb. Chicken Breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/4 c. Soy Sauce

2 Tbsp. Sugar

4 cloves Garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar

3 Tbsp. Pure Sesame Oil

1/2 tsp. Hot Chili Oil

4 Tbsp. Canola Oil, divided

2 Tbsp. Hot Pasta Water

4 Green Onions, thinly sliced

Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions.  During the last 3 minutes of cooking time, add the frozen vegetables.  Drain.

Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp. Canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Quickly saute the chicken until browned and cooked through.  

Combine the remaining ingredients, minus the green onions, to make the sauce (soy sauce, sugar, garlic, rice vinegar, sesame oil, chili oil, canola oil, & hot pasta water).

Combine the chicken with the noodles/veggie mixture in a large serving bowl.  Pour sauce over it and toss to coat.  Sprinkle with green onions and toss again.  

Serve in a bowl with chopsticks!

Nutritional Info Per Serving:

	Fat: 10.3g Carbohydrates: 50.4g Calories:387.5 Protein: 21.1g

Menu Plan Monday

Monday:  Simple Sesame Noodles, Chicken Breast, & Stir Fry Veggies

Tuesday:  BBQ Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes, & Green Beans

Wednesday:  Penne alla Vodka & Salad

Thursday:  Panko & Herb Crusted Tilapia,  Cheddar Brushetta, & Salad

Friday:  Homemade Pizzas

Saturday:  BWW Night & Onion Strings

Sunday:  ABC Meatball Soup

Italian Wedding Soup, Updated

Recently, it has been brought to my attention (by my evil bathroom scale) that I need to start being more attentive to the number of calories that I am ingesting.  Since I already exercise plenty, I know that I will need to cut back on my goodie eating for a bit.  Since I'm sure there are others out there in the same boat, I will post my recipes with nutritional information when I figure it out for myself.  I cannot guarantee that the nutritional information is accurate, but I do my best using the Spark People recipe calculator.

Tonight I made Italian Wedding Soup, which I put on my blog some time ago.  I did tweak the recipe a bit to make it more flavorful and healthy, and I think it was even better than last time I made it.  My entire family just adores this soup.  Give it a try!  

Easy Calzones

In the same forgotten file that I discovered the Pizza Rolls, were these delicious Calzones.  How could have I forgotten to post two recipes that my family enjoyed so much?  Well, I can tell you how, they were taken in the days leading up to the first day of school, so we were very busy.  This recipe comes from one of my best friends.  I also posted her recipe for Spinach & Artichoke Dip recently and I am starting to think I will have to create an entire category on here with her delicious recipes.  

Easy Calzones

1 can (11oz.) refrigerated thin-crust pizza dough

8 oz. ground Italian Sausage

1/2 c. pizza sauce

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/2 c. Green Pepper, chopped

1/2 c. Red Pepper, chopped

1/2 c. Red Onion, diced

4 oz. can Black Olives, sliced

1 c. Pizza Cheese, shredded

Place sausage, peppers, and onion in a large skillet, saute until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are crisp-tender.  Take the pizza dough our and spread it to fit cookie sheet.  Cut into 4 large rectangles.  Mix the pizza sauce and Italian herb mix with the meat/veggie mixture.  Divide the mixture amongst each dough rectangle, top each with 1/4 of the slice black olives and 1/4 c. of the shredded cheese.  Seal them shut and bake at 425 degrees for 12 minutes.   

Source: Jen

Menu Plan Monday

Monday:  Johnny Carino's Bowtie Festival, Olive Garden Breadsticks, & Side Salad

Tuesday:  Runzas & Veggie

Wednesday:  Italian Wedding Soup

Thursday:  Shrimp Pasta in a Foil Package & Veggie

Friday:  Taco Night

Saturday: Slow Cooker Buffalo Sandwiches & Veggie

Sunday:  Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup