Menu Plan Monday 6/4/-6/10/2012

For the last few months I have been compiling a list of recipes that I would like to try. Many of them come from your blogs so keep your heads up to see them posted. My goal for the month of June is to make something we have never had before. It could be that it’s the main dish or possibly a side dish that is new either way we will be trying something new each night at dinner. If this works as I have planned this will continue on throughout the summer. If you have a recipe that you really love please post it here or drop me an email so that we can give it a try. My only restriction is no eggplant because I am highly allergic to it. Email me at colie@colieskitchen.com

Week Day	Main Course	Vegetable	Side Dish
Monday	Pizza	Salad	Breadsticks
Tuesday	Southwest chopped Chicken Salad
Wednesday	Honey Sauced Chicken	Roasted Carrots	Steamed Brown Rice
Thursday	Mini Meatloafs	Corn on the Cob	Cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes
Friday	Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta	Green Beans
Saturday	Homemade Egg Rolls		Steamed Cabbage
Sunday	Mexican Chicken and Rice		Steamed Broccoli

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Day One Summer Sizzle Slimdown Challenge!! (Join Us!)

I decided I wanted a fresh weigh loss challenge start. Today is the first day of the Summer Sizzle Challenge over at Does this Blog Make My Butt Look Fat. Tomorrow will be my first day because I thought we started on Monday. I have been looking forward to starting this challenge. I participated in one last summer and had great success. If you are interested in joining it’s not too late just head over to the Summer Sizzle Post and leave your information so that everyone can follow you and help cheer you on. I don’t know about you but I can always use all the support I can get.

I am excited to be doing this one with my friend Alison from Under the big oak tree.  That always means a lot to me. Even if you only need to lose a few pounds please link up because we are all in this together and will help cheer you on to your goal.

What I am truly excited about is that the Summer Sizzle Challenge goes through the entire summer so you always have a constant go to for the summer time. September 2^nd would be your final weigh in for the challenge! Here are all the details to join

Goals this week:

1. Keep track of everything I eat on Myfitnesspal.com (User name: ReadytoShine Friend request me!!)
2. I am limiting myself to 1500 calories per day. Every bit of food I eat I will be measuring with my OXO 5lb scale.
3. 110 ounces of water per day using my Bubba cup
4. When I leave the house my Brita water bottle will be going with me
5. 1 hour (at least) of exercise per day
6. No eating out this week
7. My breakfast and lunches will all be low calorie because I will be preparing them just for me.
8. I will be weighing myself each Sunday morning and posting the results Sunday afternoon.
9. I will also be doing a midweek check in on Thursdays so look for all the good things to come there!!

*Although my Menu Plan Monday (posting tomorrow) will not show low calorie options, I will be eating small portions of what’s on the menu and incorporating a large salad with dinner. The rest of my family will be eating what’s on the menu (lucky bastards HAHHAA). I find that eating a giant salad and drinking a bottle of water helps me eat only a small portion of what’s on the menu for dinner. It’s amazing what a great filler a salad can be. Like a good restaurant my dinner will begin with a salad as a starter. *

Good Luck Everyone!!! Join in on the Sizzle and on MyfitnessPal!!!

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Philly Joe's

I LOVED this recipe! It’s easy, quick and oh so simple! I love Philly Cheese steak sandwiches! The problem with making them is if you are going to use a good piece of meat to make them up it can cost you a small bundle, also taking the time to cut the meat thin enough can be very time consuming! I don’t want to have to deal with either one of those problems so I knew there had to be a compromise!  

A lot of people use Steak-ums, but I saw the price on a box of those in the grocery store the other day and was utterly shocked. How it is that extra thin crappy meat can cost so much? I ended up buying a nice roast for cheaper and I got more for my money.

So anyway how do you come up with a Philly Joe? Well, a Philly Joe is the combination of a Philly cheese steak sandwich and a sloppy Joe = Philly Joe!  They are excellent and make a great week night meal. You can even make the meat ahead of time and freeze it!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion diced
• 1 bell pepper diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 4 oz. can of mushroom pieces drained
• ½ pack Lipton dry onion soup (if you can find it Beefy mushroom its even better)
• 8 slices of smoked provolone
• Salt and pepper
• 8 rolls or burger buns

Directions:

1. In a skillet brown ground beef and drain well of excess grease
2. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic cook until vegetables are tender
3. Add dry soup, and mushroom , then cook another 10-15 minutes on medium giving the soup time to season the meat well
4. Add salt and pepper as desired
5. Place a large spoon full on a bun and top with provolone

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Toasted Sesame Seed Salad Dressing

Lately I have been experimenting making my own salad dressings. It’s amazing how much better salad dressing is when you make it fresh. The bottled dressing is great and quick and easy, but you can certainly tell the difference when it’s homemade. I loved this dressing, but then again I like sesame seeds. Yummy! You don’t want to look at the calorie count, but it’s a great dressing!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 garlic cloves, minced very fine
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, coarsely ground
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon parsley, freeze-dried and crushed

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until all the ingredients are blended well. Chill and serve when ready!

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Pepper Jack Cheese Stuffed Jalapeños

Pepper Jack Cheese Stuffed Jalapeños

This is a guest post by Elana Birnbaum.

Cheese Stuffed Jalapeños are an easy appetizer or snack that will please picky palettes. Simple yet spicy, they can be prepared in about 25 minutes and provide friends, guests or yourself with a quick burst of flavor.

You will only need a few ingredients for this recipe and they are ¼ cup of plain dried breadcrumbs, ¼ cup of minced red bell pepper, 1 egg, 6 large jalepeno chili peppers between 2 and 3 inches long and 1 cup (4 oz.) of ChefStyle Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese.  This spicy cheese adds a kick to any dish and really livens up the stuffed jalapeños.

To prepare this recipe, begin by combining your cheese, your breadcrumbs, the bell pepper and the egg in a medium bowl and mix these ingredients well. Then, while wearing rubber gloves, cut each chili pepper in half lengthwise trough the stem. Discard the seeds and mound your cheese mixture evenly into the pepper halves.  Place the halves on a foil lined baking sheet and preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  When the oven is ready, put in your pepper halves and bake for 9 to 10 minutes or until the cheese mix is brown and bubbly.  This dish is best served warm, but room temperature will work as well. This recipe serves six, but if you’re making multiple plates for a party, you can prepare and stuff your pepper halves and refrigerate. When you’re ready to bake, put several pans in the oven and in less than fifteen minutes, you’re done.

These stuffed peppers are only about 100 calories per serving and you’ll get an entire day’s worth of calcium as well as additional vitamin A, vitamin C and Protein.  This filling recipe is versatile enough to be served at a sports party or a dinner party and anything in between. It looks and tastes special, but the bold flavor is much better than the standard chips and dip. It’s fun, fancy and a whole lot of flavor, so be prepared for these amazing, anything but mild munchies.

Meatball Nirvana

I have to say I love the name of these meatballs almost as much as I love these meatballs. They turned out fantastic! I was actually able to get 20 1oz meatballs out of this recipe. Yes, I measured them all on my scale! I am anal about a few things and things like this are when anal Colie takes over!  I wasn’t sure what to expect with these meatball but I loved them so much. Talk about easy I stuck everything in my KitchenAid Mixing bowl turned it on and BOOM they were ready to be rolled! LOVE that! I highly recommend giving these a try. The next time I make them I am going to make meatball subs with them. I know they will be fantastic!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound extra lean ground beef
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 dash hot pepper sauce, or to taste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Place the beef into a mixing bowl, and season with salt, onion, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, oregano, red pepper flakes, hot pepper sauce, and Worcestershire sauce; mix well. Add the milk, Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs. Mix until evenly blended, then form into 1 1/2-inch meatballs, and place onto a baking sheet.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. 
4. If you are making a sauce like I did just stick them in the sauce, but don't stir them for 20 minutes so that the meatballs can set (if you stir them before they start firming up they will break to pieces). After 20 minutes you can stir them, then they should be completely cooked within another 10-15 minutes.

Recipe Source 

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Happy Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day!! Thank you to all the current and former soldiers that have served our country. You are the reason for our freedoms. And a big special thank you to my husband, my Papa, Pawpaw Papaw, Uncle Floyd, Uncle Al, Uncle Carl, Kenneth, Colin, Scott, Stephenie, Janice, Chris, Eric, Josh for severing our country, and being our heroes! 


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Menu Plan Monday 5/28-6/3/2012

 

Week Day	Main Course	Vegetable	Side Dish
Monday	BBQ Brisket Sandwiches	Salad	Potato Salad
Tuesday	Southwest Chopped Chicken Salad		Beer Battered Onion Rings
Wednesday	Quaker Barley Chicken Chili		Cornbread
Thursday	Bacon Chopped Salad Wraps		Potato Patties
Friday	Jalopeno Popper Quiche	Salad
Saturday	Ranch Chicken	Steamed Carrots	Mac-n-cheese
Sunday	Mini Tamale Pies		Spanish Rice and Borracho beans

For More Menu Planning Ideas Visit www.OrgJunkie.com

Chicken Crescent Roll Casserole

We all really enjoyed this recipe. It’s very easy to make and would be easy to make ahead. The only complaint that I have read on this recipe is that some people said that the crescent rolls were too doughy. If you cook them long enough this will not be a problem. I cooked them for 40 minutes and they were perfect. I suggest watching for the rolls to rise up. When they have risen they are ready! Like I said this is a great recipe. The filling reminds me of chicken salad. If you have left over chicken salad this would be a great way to use it up!

Ingredients:

• 1 (8 ounce) cans Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
• 1/2 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 1/2 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of celery soup, undiluted
• 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup 18% table cream (or use whipping cream)

Filling:

• 2 ounces cream cheese (very soft)
• 2 tablespoons butter (very soft but not melted)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
• 1/3 cup onion, finely chopped (can use green onions)
• 1 small can of chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup finely grated cheddar cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise or whipping cream
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (for topping)

Directions:

1. Set oven to 350°F.
2. Butter a casserole dish (any size to hold crescent rolls).
3. In a saucepan, mix half and half cream, 3/4 cup grated cheese (can use more cheese if desired) and undiluted chicken soup (can season with black pepper if desired).
4. Heat just until the cheese melts (do not boil).
5. For the filling --- (make certain that the cream cheese and butter are very soft) in a bowl, mix the soft cream cheese with butter until very smooth, then add in garlic powder (if using).
6. Add in the chopped chicken, onion and cheddar cheese; mix well until combined.
7. Add in 2 tablespoons whipping cream or mayonnaise; mix to combine (add in a little more if the mixture seems too dry).
8. Season with seasoned salt or white and black pepper to taste.
9. Unroll the crescent rolls.
10. Place 1 heaping tablespoon chicken mixture (or a little more) on top of each crescent triangle, then roll up starting at the thicker end.
11. Drizzle a small amount of soup mixture on the bottom of the dish.
12. Then place the crescent rolls seam-side down on top of the creamed mixture in the casserole.
13. Drizzle the remaining sauce on top (you don't have to use the full amount of cream sauce, just use as much as desired) and sprinkle with 1 cup (or more) grated cheese, or amount desired.
14. Bake for about 30-40 minutes.

Recipe Source

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Mushroom Sugar Snap Peas

This recipe is delicious, very flavorful and so easy to make. It certainly makes a nice presentation because of the color! I have been trying and trying to find a good recipe that uses sugar snap peas. I found a recipe (see bottom) that sent my recipe juices flowing. My recipe is similar with a few (ok maybe a lot) changes. We all really enjoyed this and my sugar snap peas didn’t go to waste. I was afraid they would go bad before I could find a recipe to use them up in. 

Ingredients:

• 1 4oz can of sliced mushrooms
• 1 tbs. margarine
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/4 pound fresh or frozen sugar snaps peas
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

1. In a skillet Sauté sliced onion in margarine until onion becomes soft.
2. To the sautéed onion add drained can of mushrooms, sesame oil, sugar snap peas, water beef bouillon cube, garlic powder, salt and pepper
3. Cover your skillet and steam on a medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid has mostly evaporated and sugar snap peas are tender.

Adapted From Original Recipe

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