Week 5

Sunday Menu

• Butter Garlic Roasted Chicken with
• Parmesan Corn with a kick and
• Apple Walnut Salad

GET AHEAD – Go ahead and boil eggs for tomorrow’s salads.

Prep

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place your chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet. If you’re using very large chicken breasts, either butterfly them or pound them so they cook evenly and quickly. Melt 2 tbsp butter (per 4 breasts, do more as needed). Brush butter on each chicken breast and sprinkle with garlic powder, dried parsley, and salt & pepper to taste. No time to melt butter, just slap a pat on it, it’ll work. NOTE: Make enough chicken to use tomorrow. Pop chicken in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until done and juices run clear.
• While your chicken is cooking, mix up your salads. Place mixed greens of choice on a plate and top with chopped apples and walnuts (~1/3 of an apple and ~2 tbsp walnuts per salad). Top with your favorite dressing — I think a raspberry vinaigrette adds great flavor.
• Now using a microwave-safe glass dish with a lid, steam your corn with a few tbsp water until tender. It usually takes about 8 minutes. Drain and add butter (~2 tbsp/4 servings), Parmesan to taste, and a little hot pepper flakes if you want some kick. Dig in!

Grocery Items

• Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless, (2 meals)
• Butter
• Mixed Greens (2 meals)
• Apples
• Walnut pieces
• Corn, frozen
• Dressing of choice
• Spice: Garlic Powder, Dried Parsley, & Hot Pepper Flakes (optional)

Monday Menu

• Chicken Cobb Salad (using leftover chicken) with
• Brownie Bites

DINNER TRIVIA!-Did you know the Cobb salad was actually thrown together in a Hollywood restaurant and then named after its owner, Mr. Cobb? Yep. It wasn’t named after mini corncobs that people sometimes put on this salad.

TIP: Make extra boiled eggs for breakfast on the go, egg salad, or afternoon snacks.

Prep

• You can purchase brownies that are premade if you like or make your favorites. If you’re baking brownies start them now. Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix is my favorite–I use olive oil or coconut oil plus coffee instead of the water. I like to cut them into small pieces to serve on the side of this zesty salad. Yum.
• Now Cook your bacon. We tend to cook an entire pack of bacon at a time and store it in an airtight, paper towel lined container in the fridge so it’s almost always on hand. You can bake it, cook it in a pan, or even use precooked. Your bacon is up to you. 🙂 I use about 2 slices per salad.
• Go ahead and boil some eggs. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with water (at least 2 inches), then cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, keep covered and turn the burner off. Let eggs sit for 12-13 minutes. Then put eggs in an ice bath or ice-cold water to cool quickly. Peel and slice what you need for salads tonight.
• Get out your large salad bowls/plates. Layer with mixed greens, chopped tomatoes, chopped cucumbers, avocado slices, boiled egg slices, bacon, and blue cheese crumbles. Top with sliced leftover chicken from yesterday.
• This salad has so much flavor, I just use olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dress it. Use your preferred dressing.

Grocery Items

• Mixed Greens, if you need more
• Salad Veggies like:
  • Tomatoes
  • Cucumbers
  • Avocado
• Bacon of choice
• Eggs
• Blue Cheese Crumbles
• Brownies/Brownie Mix
• Dressing of choice

Tuesday Menu

• Spicy Spanish Shrimp with
• Rice and
• Sauteed Peppers & Onions

This quick shrimp dish is a crowd pleaser.

Did you know that Chorizo is a Spanish-style dry sausage like salami? It adds such amazing flavor to this dish.

Prep

• Get your rice cooking. Use brown or white- it’s up to you. Follow package instructions and use chicken stock instead of water for added flavor. NOTE: Make extra rice to use tomorrow.
• Now start chopping/slicing. Slice your onions and bell peppers. If you don’t have time, you can often find presliced onion/pepper blends in the frozen veggie section at the grocery
• Get your peppers and onions sautéed in a skillet with some butter. If you’re using frozen, you can cook them in the microwave, drain well, then add a bit of butter.
• Now for your shrimp & chorizo. If you can find precooked & sliced chorizo like Goya brand, it’s fast and tasty. Heat a large skillet to medium heat, add the chorizo and brown (~2 minutes). Now add the thawed shrimp and cook through (~2-3 more minutes). NOTE: Save just a bit of the chorizo for tomorrow night.
• Now add 1/4-1/2 c dry sherry cooking wine to the pan and deglaze (scrape all the tasty goodness off of the pan to make a sauce), then add ~1/4 tsp dried parsley per serving. NOTE: If you don’t want to use sherry, use chicken stock to deglaze the pan. AND I generally cook ~8 large shrimp per person.
• Now put it all together. Rice, then peppers & onions, and Spanish shrimp on top. Enjoy!

Grocery Items

• Large Shrimp, peeled & deveined (fresh or frozen)
• Chorizo sausage, fully cooked & sliced (1.5 meals)
• Onions
• Peppers
• Rice (2 meals)
• Dry Cooking Sherry (optional)
• Chicken Stock (2 meals)
• Spice: Dried Parsley

Wednesday Menu

• Buffalo Drummies with
• “Dirty Rice”(using leftover rice) and
• Carrots and Celery

Prep

• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken drumsticks (or thighs if you prefer) on a foil-lined baking sheet. I start with skin bottom side down so it finishes with the top more crisp. Drizzle with store-bought buffalo sauce of choice. Pepper as desired. Pop in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove, turn over, and drizzle with sauce again. Put back in the oven for 25 minutes or until done (internal temp of 165 degrees).
• Slice up carrots and celery for your veggie side.
• Dice up your leftover chorizo. Just before your chicken is finished cooking, warm the leftover rice with the chorizo in a skillet or in the microwave. If you have leftover peppers and onions, you can throw them in as well. Yum, dirty rice never tasted so nice!

Grocery Items

• Chicken Drumsticks
• Buffalo Sauce of choice
• Carrots
• Celery

Thursday Menu

• It’s Brinner Time with a Taco Twist! We’re having
• Breakfast Tacos and
• Yogurt Parfaits

SNACK TIP->Go ahead and make extra parfaits for some snacks if you’d like.

Prep

• Start by making your parfaits. A 1 c ramekin works great for this. I use about 1/2 c of Greek yogurt and then add ~1/3 c berries of choice (frozen berries are tasty and easy). Then I sprinkle with ~ 2 tbsp chopped nuts.
• Scramble 1-2 eggs per person and warm tortillas of choice. Add a handful or more of fresh spinach to the eggs just before they’re finished cooking.
• Put eggs and spinach in tortillas, sprinkle with cheese, and top with your preferred salsa. Sometimes I like a traditional salsa and sometimes I use a fruit-based salsa.
• Add your parfaits on the side and brinner is served!

Grocery Items

• Eggs
• Berries (fresh or frozen)
• Fresh Spinach, (2 meals)
• Tortillas
• Shredded Cheese (2 Meals)
• Fruit or Traditional Salsa
• Greek Yogurt
• Chopped nuts of choice

Friday Menu

• Baked Penne with
• Spinach & Mushrooms

This awesome all-in-one dish is so good, you may just have a repeat tomorrow.

This freezes well. If you want to split it into two dishes or even individual portions, just pop those in the freezer to cook up later.

Prep

• This requires about 20 minutes of prep and then about 30 minutes in the oven. It’s worth every little tasty step.
• Start boiling water for your noodles and preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
• Heat a medium skillet and add olive oil. Start sauteing your mushrooms. Stir frequently. Add salt, pepper, and dried oregano to taste.
• Now get your meat sauce started. It’s my standard sauce you’ve seen before, but we’re using it in a different way. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the meat for the sauce. You’ll use at least a pound of beef. I also add one pound ground Italian sausage.  If you don’t want to use the sausage, double your ground beef. You can freeze extra sauce to use later if you have too much.
• Once browned, add jarred spaghetti sauce of choice along with a can/box of diced tomatoes (if you don’t care for tomato chunks, you can leave them out).
• Put noodles in the water.
• Add several handfuls of spinach to your mushrooms and let it wilt down. Drain excess water.
• Now put it all together. Spray a casserole dish (like 9 x 13 or a little larger) with cooking spray. Layer like this… half your drained noodles, a layer of sauce, all your spinach and mushrooms, 2 cups shredded cheese of choice, the rest of your noodles, sauce, and 2 more cups of cheese. Sprinkle with dried oregano. Bake about 30 minutes or until cooked through and cheese is melted. Let it sit about 5 minutes before serving.

Grocery Items

• Ground Beef
• Ground Italian Sausage
• Diced Tomatoes
• Jarred Spaghetti Sauce of choice
• Fresh Spinach, if you need more
• Prewashed & Sliced Mushrooms
• Penne Pasta (12-16 oz box)
• Shredded Cheese (4 cups), if you need more
• Spices: Dried Oregano

Saturday Menu

• Slow-Cooker Green Curry Chicken

If you usually shy away from curry dishes, try this one!

Prep

• START in the morning with your slow cooker meal.
• Wash veggies and use as many as you like, but I’ll give you an idea of amounts to start with…
• Slice carrots (2), onion (1 small), and red/orange bell pepper (1) into large bite-sized pieces. Sugar snap peas will be used whole (2 cups).
• Slice 4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts into chunks (about 3 per breast). Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
• Now layer in the crock pot like this: olive oil, 2 tbsp green curry paste, all your chicken, onions, carrots, peppers, and sugar snap peas. Add 2 tbsp more green curry paste and pour 1 c of chicken stock over the mixture. Put the lid on.
• Cook on low 6-7 hours or until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender. The chicken should fall apart when you press it with a fork or tongs. NOW add one can of coconut milk and turn to low or warm.
• Just before the curry is finished cooking, prepare some quinoa or couscous to serve it over. Use cooking instructions on the package, substituting chicken stock for water. Enjoy!

Grocery Items

• Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless,
• Carrots
• Onions
• Bell Pepper
• Sugar Snap Peas, fresh
• Coconut Milk, 1 can
• Green Curry Paste
• Chicken Stock
• Quinoa/Couscous