Menu Plan Monday 1/16/2012

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We’re still trying to eat healthy! Notice I said “trying.”  It’s hard breaking the bad habits of the holidays, but we’re doing better.   If you’re looking for a chili recipe, check out Turkey Chili with Beans & Zucchini.

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Monday: Leftover Chicken Tortilla Soup  & salad
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Tuesday:  Bacon-Spinach Turkey Meat Loaf with Tomato Jam  from “Eat Better America,” veggies

Wednesday:  Leftovers from Tuesday

Thursday:   Salmon, corn, green beans

Friday:  Chicken Parmesan Rollatini from “Food Network,” green beans, salad (We still haven’t made this!)

Menu Plan Monday 1/9/2012

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We are still wanting to eat healthy!    There are three “healthified” recipes in our menu this week that are new and sound tasty.  Last week, we had a new chili recipe that I modified.  If you’re looking for a chili recipe, check out Turkey Chili with Beans & Zucchini.

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Monday:  Easy Beef Enchiladas, black beans, avocado slices
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Tuesday:   Slow Cooker Mediterranean Minestrone Casserole  from “Eat Better America”

Wednesday:   Lemon Chicken Oregano  from “Eat Better America,” squash & onion medley

Thursday:    Chick-Fil-A using calendar coupons  (I’m moving into a brand new classroom at school and this will be a busy day!)

Friday:   Chicken Parmesan Rollatini from “Food Network,” green beans, salad  (we didn’t make this after all last week, so we’ll try again this week)

Update on Last Year’s New Year’s Resolution

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Last year, I had only one resolution:  “This year, I’m keeping it simple with just one resolution which is to read my Daily Bible through in one year….My main goal through reading the Bible is to have an even deeper relationship with God and to deepen my faith!”

So, how am I doing?  Well, I didn’t make it anywhere near the whole Bible.  In fact, I’m on page 984 out of 1,688 pages, but you know what?  I’m OK with that.  I’m 984 pages closer to my goal of reading the whole Bible.   Several years, I’ve made that resolution but never succeeded in reading the Bible in its entirety.   For this year, my one and only resolution is to continue what I started last year and finish the Bible this year.  I’m over half way there!

Now, how am I doing on the second part, the reason why I’m wanting to read the Bible?  I can answer wholeheartedly that I do have an even deeper relationship with God than I did a year ago.  And a year from now I want to have an even deeper relationship.  Every year until I die, I want to continue growing closer and closer to God.

If there’s anyone who’s wanting to read the Bible in a year, or anyone who’s never read it and is just simply curious about what’s in it,  I highly recommend the Daily Bible.

The Daily Bible: New International Version: With Devotional Insights to Guide You Through God’s Word

It’s “National Oatmeal Month”

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If you’re like our family, we’re so ready to eat healthy after eating too many rich, sweet, and decadent foods!  We’re back to low-fat, lots of veggies, salads, and fresh fruit.  Lean meats and healthy foods such as home-made soups with lots of veggies make up the majority of our menu plans.  But we don’t completely eliminate desserts!  Instead, we try to have healthier options in moderation.  That’s one great thing about it being “National Oatmeal Month.”  Oatmeal makes so many foods healthier, even cookies!

When we were at my mother-in-law’s over the holidays, we made the oatmeal cookies you see pictured below.  True, they had oatmeal and raisins in them which are both healthy, but they had too much butter for my taste.  Besides, I’m wanting to lose the five pounds I gained during December, and recipes with a lot of butter are not going to make that happen.  So check back during the month for healthier options to the traditional oatmeal cookie recipe..

Ground Turkey Chili with Beans

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Here’s a healthy, low-fat recipe I adapted from Eat Better America.  I substituted ground turkey for ground chicken and made a few other changes.  We also added salt, reduced the broth to one can which is two cups (instead of the three cups), and used a mix of cheeses.  Last, we added crumbled-up tortilla chips on top with the shredded cheese.  Very good!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1/2 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1  14.5 ounce can chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 – 2 teaspoons oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 medium size zucchini, chopped
  • 1 can cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
  • 1 can great northern beans, drained & rinsed
  • 1  4.5 oz can chopped green chiles
  • Shredded Colby & Monterey Jack Cheese
  • Tortilla chips, crumbled

Cook the turkey, onion, and garlic for a few minutes.  Stir several times until the turkey is done.  Stir in the rest of the ingredients, except the cheese and tortilla chips.  Heat to boiling, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for at least 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Top with cheese and crumbled chips before serving.

Taking Care of Business Online

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My view of online transactions has changed a whole lot from what it was ten years ago.  I was skeptical about doing anything dealing with finances online.  Now my views are completely different!  I really like how convenient it is to make electronic payments, order gifts online, and even order vitamins online.  It’s such a time saver and the safeguards that are in place have taken away my skepticism.

Menu Plan Monday 1/2/12

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I have probably eaten more pie, cookies, candy and desserts the past two weeks than I have eaten the past several months.  We are so ready to eat healthy!  In fact, our college-age son mentioned that he wants to eat lean and healthy this week.  So…here are some recipes that sound healthy and very tasty:

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Monday: Stir-Fry with Chicken, zucchini & yellow squash, and onions
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Tuesday:  White Chicken Chili from “Eat Better America”

Wednesday:  Feta-Topped Chicken from “Eat Better America,” green beans, salad

Thursday:  Chicken Parmesan Rollatini from “Food Network,” salad

Friday:  Spicy Chicken Pizza, salad

Heated Swimming Pools

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It’s cold here today, and swimming is the last thing I want to do right now. However, if the pool had an electric pool heater then that would be nice, but I still wouldn’t go swimming unless it was an indoor pool. When I was in high school, though, it was a different story. There was an outdoor heated pool where my friends and I went swimming one time when the temperature was in the 30’s. It was nice as long as we were in the pool, but it was freezing when we got out! I guess that experience is why I would only want to swim in an indoor pool.

So Busy!

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This time of year can get so busy that it’s crazy. I’m trying to cut out what’s not really necessary to do or postpone things that can be done after the holidays. For example, I won’t be getting any term life insurance quotes, etc., this week.  You know the old saying, “Stop and smell the roses.”  That’s especially important this time of year when people can get so busy that they overlook what’s most important.

Recipe for Baked Gouda in Crescent Roll

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Here is a simple and delicious recipe from Becky, a teacher friend of mine. I wondered about the combination of ingredients and was pleasantly surprised how good this is. Becky said that her sons do not even like pears, yet she has to make a double batch of this because they like it so much. It actually has a gourmet quality to it and would be pretty to make it in a colored dish for the holidays.  I used a pie plate, but I think next time I will use a larger dish.

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INGREDIENTS:

  • Gouda Cheese, 8 oz or so
  • 1 can Crescent Rolls
  • 1 can sliced pears with syrup
  • 1/4 – 1/3 cup brown sugar

Unroll crescent roll pieces and place in a pinwheel fashion around the pie plate with the thin piece of the roll in the middle of the plate.  Place cheese in the center of the plate and then fold up the pieces of the rolls to cover the cheese.  Pinch the seams together, pour the whole can of sliced pears over the rolls and then sprinkle the top with the brown sugar.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until the cheese is starting to ooze out a little.  Serve warm.  Crackers are optional, however, we didn’t eat crackers with it.

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Menu Plan Monday & Fun Desserts for Christmas Parties

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Less than a week until Christmas!  We celebrated Christmas early with our daughter and her family and had turkey breast dinner Friday night, Mexican food for lunch, and then a roast & veggies cooked in the crock pot for Saturday night.  Fortunately, we have enough leftovers so I won’t have to cook much this week.  Plus, it will be such a busy week that we’ll probably have some fast food meals while we’re out and about.   So, our menu for this week is leftovers and fast food or carry out.

Hope everyone can slow down, remember the reason for the season, and not stress over details that people won’t notice anyway.  Make a priority list and do the things that really make a difference.  Simplify where you can!

One last thing, here’s a cute idea to take to a party or potluck this week.

“Melting Snowmen” made by Brandi, a co-worker of mine:

I realized that I forgot to ask her how she made them, but I thought an easy way to do it would be to get Chocolate Cake Donut Holes and dip in melted white chocolate.  Place snowman head in a puddle of melted white chocolate.  Use chow mein noodles for the arms and decorate with colored icing, sprinkles and colored sugar.  Here’s another recipe I found which is probably what my co-worker used:  Melted Snowmen Cookie Balls.
And if you want to see some more really cute ideas, visit our daughter’s blog, Frugal Novice, for 10 Creative & Easy Christmas Desserts (did I mention fun?).