Monday, January 31, 2011

Easy Mac & Cheese

Courtesy of Heavenly Homemakers



This macaroni & cheese recipe wasn't the creamiest I've ever had (maybe I cooked the noodles too long?), but it certainly was a very easy one with so few ingredients! I'll keep this one on hand.  Enjoy!

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pasta
3 cups whole milk
1/2 t. sea salt
1 cup shredded cheese (I use white cheddar)

Mix pasta, milk and salt in a large sauce pan.  Cook over medium-high heat STIRRING ALMOST CONSTANTLY until the pasta is tender (10-15 minutes).  Remove from heat.  Add cheese and stir until melted.  Serve immediately.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Menu Plan - Week of 1-31-11


Monday - Tuscan Chicken Pizza Sandwich
Tuesday - Cheeseburgers, Sauteed mushrooms
Wednesday - Chicken and Cheese Taquitos
Thursday - Steak, caprese salad
Friday - Out of town

Friday, January 28, 2011

Gnarly Head Old Vine Zin

Gnarly Head Old Vine Zin



Just right for a Zin. I paid $10.59 for this at our local IGA.

3 stars out of 5

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Menu Plan - Week of 1-24-11


My husband is still kicking some serious diet ass!  He is down another 5 pounds this week.  As for me... let's not discuss that! My plan hasn't exactly been regimented as closely as his, and on top of that I was in Atlanta for two days on a work trip this past week - not exactly diet friendly to be eating out every meal! 

So here we go. I listed my meals, and my husband's meals will consist of chicken, hamburger, steak, or roast - with asparagus or mushrooms as a side. Or some other kind of vegetable. My little guy is easy to please, with grilled cheese and green beans, or something along those lines. Let's get this weight loss started again!

Monday -  Penne with diced tomatoes
Tuesday - Baked potato, broccoli
Wednesday - Mac & Cheese, chicken breast, green beans
Thursday - Baked potato, broccoli
Friday - Sirloin Steak, Caprese salad

Groceries to buy this week:
Veggies for DH:  mushrooms, asparagus, ??
(3) yogurt
White Cheddar
Cheddar
Real Mozz Cheese
Milk
Basil
Roma Tomatoes
Triscuits
Crackers for Calvin
Oatmeal
Cantalope
Blueberries

(edited for links & veggies and grocery list)

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Menu Plan - Week of 1-17-11



So my husband is down 7 more pounds for a grand total of 19... me, nothing!  So this week it has to begin again. 

Monday - Roast, Sauteed Mushrooms (Lunch: turkey/swiss on whole grain, clementines)
Tuesday - Laughing Cow Chicken (Lunch: leftover chicken chili, cantaloupe cubes)
Wednesday - Cheeseburgers, Green Beans (Lunch: travelling)
Thursday - Sirloin, Roasted Asparagus (Lunch: travelling)
Friday - Red Wine Mushroom and Artichoke Chicken (Lunch: turkey/swiss on whole grain, clementines)

...Edit... Let's add some more fruits/veggies/snacks so I can more accurately plan out my meals and help my weight loss goals!  Also, I found out I will be travelling for work Wednesday returning Thursday, so I need two days that I should prep ahead of time.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Menu Plan - Week of 1-10-11


Monday comes again so quickly.  If I wasn't on the current diet, I'd be looking into this way of eating - savoring delicious food the French way!

As it is, I need to get through this low-cal eating to get to the point I want to be.  This is week 3.  Week 1, I lost the 5 pounds I gained over the holidays.  Week 2, nothing so far but holding steady. This week, I need to begin to lose a "normal" 1-2 pounds a week.  Let's hear it for weight loss in the New Year!

Monday - Cheeseburgers
Tuesday - Chicken Gyros
Wednesday - Sirloin Steak bites (seared in olive oil)
Thursday - White bean chicken chili
Friday - Crockpot roast

Monday, January 3, 2011

Roast Beef


From Gina's Skinny Recipes
This meal went perfectly with both of our diets. Rump roast is on the list of acceptable foods.  I didn't let the meat rest nearly as long as I should have, which meant that the meat turned out fairly bloody... next time I'm adding at least 20 minutes instead of the 5 I did this time!  We served this with roasted asparagus.

Ingredients:
Any size rump roast, fat removed
Olive Oil
Salt and fresh pepper

Remove roast from refrigerator 1 hour before cooking so that it reaches room temperature. Trim all the fat off the meat to keep it lean. Rub the meat with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Place in a pan and set your oven anywhere between 300° to 350°. (I started at 325, then upped it to 350)

Roast until the thermometer reads 130° for rare, 140° for medium rare, 150° for medium, and 155-160° for well done. Remove the roast from the oven and let it rest 10-20 minutes before you cut it so that the juices are distributed evenly. I always remove my roast beef from the oven when it is 135° for medium rare. The temperature will rise an additional 5 degrees as it sits.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Menu Plan - Week of 1-3-11


Hello!  Time again for menu planning.  Still sticking with our diets, so here goes!

Monday - Vegetarian Bean Chili
Tuesday - Cheeseburgers (no bun except the little guy), veggies
Wednesday - Provencal Chicken
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Cambells French Dip, Veggies