Sorry I'm so slow posting these. They're not the "funnest" thing to type up,
so I've been kind of subconsciously putting it off... By the way, I've already noticed some effective changes I could make to the spreadsheet. When I make those if you want the "new and improved" version, just let me know.
Here you go!
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WEEK 2
Monday
Omelettes
Per person: 1 egg + egg substitute that is equal to 1 egg (I think it’s ¼ c.?)
Melt on each omelette 2 T. shredded cheddar cheese and top with salsa.
As far as Bacon goes, I tried turkey bacon because it’s so much healthier and I’ve gotta be honest: I hated it! I’d rather not have bacon than have that! But to each his own! However, when I put “bacon” on the spreadsheet, unless I specified turkey bacon, I meant pork bacon. Carnation makes a FF (Fat Free) Hot coco that is only 1 point. I like to add SF or FF creamer or syrup to add flavoring. (Obviously not the maple syrup. The kind of syrup you’d find for beverages down the tea/hot chocolate aisle.) Kind of spruces up the FF hot coco!
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Tuesday
Ham & Swiss Sandwiches
6 Points Each Sandwich
Makes 10 Sandwiches
2 tubes Pillsbury French Bread Loaf
Deli-Thin Sliced Ham Lunchmeat
Reduced Fat or Thinly-sliced Swiss Cheese
Dijon Mustard (optional)
Line a cookie sheet with tin foil. Spray with non-stick spray.
Open the tubes and place the 2 pieces of dough parallel in the cookie sheet. Flatten the dough as much as possible by pressing it down with your fists. Make “slice” marks (not cutting all the way through the dough…only about halfway through), dividing each dough roll into 5 equal pieces.
Bake @ the temperature indicated on the packaging. Unfortunately, I’ve never actually timed it—I just cook it until it looks done. It seems like this takes about 15-20 minutes.
Remove from oven (leave oven on) and let cool for a few minutes. Then you are going to use your “slice marks” to cut the dough into the 10 pieces. Now cut each piece across the middle (as you would to create a bun). Within each slice, place 2 pieces of cheese (one on top and one on bottom) and 5 pieces of lunchmeat. I also like to add a squirt of spicy mustard. Wrap each sandwich in its own piece of tinfoil and replace onto cookie sheet. Cook in oven until cheese is melted (about 10-15 minutes).
Applesauce
I just used canned or bottled. 1 c. = 1 point
Mixed Greens with Bacon Horseradish
When I 1st made the spreadsheet, I hadn't yet tried this recipe. I have since and honestly, we didn't love it. I don't think I'll make it again. But I'll include the recipe in case you want to try it. Maybe your tastes are different than ours.
1/6 of salad = 3 points
6 slices turkey bacon
½ c. nonfat buttermilk
2 Tbl. Nonfat mayo
1 t. prepared horseradish
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. freshly ground pepper
6 cups torn mixed salad greens
1 c. sliced fresh mushrooms
Place bacon on a microwave-safe plate lined with paper towels. Microwave 5 minutes. Crumble bacon.
Combine buttermilk and next 4 ingredients, stir well.
Combine salad greens and mushrooms. Spoon 2 Tbl. Buttermilk dressing over each 1/6 serving of salad. Sprinkle evenly with bacon and ground pepper.
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Wednesday
Rosemary Grilled Chicken
Serves 4
1 breast = 4 points
½ c. dry white wine
2 tbl. Lemon juice
1 ½ t. dried rosemary, crushed (or try fresh!)
½ t. pepper
¼ t. salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 small skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Combine all ingredients in lg. heavy-duty, zip-lock plastic bag. Seal bag and shake until chicken is well-coated. Marinate chicken in refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
Remove chicken from marinade, discarding marinade. Coat grill rack with pam. Place chicken on rack; Grill uncovered for 6 minutes on each side or until done.
Fruit & Yogurt Salad
I just mix FF Raspberry or Strawberry yogurt with a bowl of fruit, such as grapes, bite-size peeled apples, bananas, and strawberries or kiwi.
"Kid's Rice"
This is a packet of rice mix that you'd buy from the store. You know, the kind that come with the rice, the powdered spices/mix all inside a packet for like $1.00 that you mix up in a saucepan. My kids like the Chicken flavor or the Broccoli. We only feed this to the kids because it's HIGH in points and on our "no-no" list.
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Thursday
Cottage Cheese Pancakes
(Don't let the strange name fool you. These are good! I don't let my kids see me add Cottage Cheese, otherwise they probably wouldn't eat them. For their sake, I call them "Cinnamon Pancakes". They aren't big and fluffy like traditional pancakes, but other than that they are a super-low-point alternative and we love them!)
1 Point Each
1 c. old-fashioned oatmeal (instant doesn't cut it)
1/2 c. low-fat cottage cheese
4 eggs
dash salt
cinnamon
nutmeg
Blend all in blender until a good pancake consistancy. Then cook like a regular pancake. I love these with SF syrup, FF vanilla yogurt, or applesauce on top!
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Friday
Baked Potatoes with Fat Free Sour Cream
This is pretty self-explanatory, except Brett opts for FF Ranch dressing on his potato instead of sour cream. The kids like to have grated cheese.
Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 24. 2 Points per cupcake. These are sooooo moist and delicious!
1 Box of Any Instant Chocolate Cake Mix
14-oz. Pumpkin
1 T. Pumpkin Spice (Optional, depending on if you want a "pumpkin-y" flavor or not. I think it's better with.)
1 Egg White or 1 Egg-Substitute Egg
Mix all 3 ingredients until smooth. Fill Cupcake liners (trust me...these are kind of moist and sticky, so you WANT liners). Cook according to cake mix/cupcake directions (mine said 350 for 24 min). Let cool.
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Saturday
Kitchen is closed!
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Sunday
Sweet & Spicy Chicken
3 points per chicken breast
1/3 c. SF apricot jam
1 T. lime juice
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & finely chopped
1 dash green Tobasco (optional)
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 T. fresh chopped cilantro
Place jam in small bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds or until melted. Add lime juice & pepper, and if desired, tobasco. Whisk until well-blended. Set glaze aside.
Combine chili powder & salt. Flatten chicken to an even thickness with flat end of meat tenderizer. Rub garlic over chicken. Sprinkle evenly with chili powder mixture.
Heat large skillet* over med-high heat until hot. Lightly spray skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Add chicken to skillet. Cook 5-7 minutes; turn. Cook an additional 5-7 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Brush evenly with glaze during that final cooking time. Sprinkle cilantro over chicken.
*Word of warning: once you add the glaze to the chicken in the skillet the sugars from the glaze will "burn" onto the pan, thus preventing you from cooking any more fresh chicken breasts in that pan. The first time I made this I didn't use a pan large enough for all 4 chicken breasts, and as a result had to use 2 pans (a 2nd for the 2nd "batch" of chicken breasts). I have now learned my lesson and use my biggest pan. Or at least I go into it knowing I'm going to dirty a couple pans. But this recipe really is just soooo yummy & worth it!
Twice-Baked Potato Half
3 points per half
4 large baking potatoes, scrubbed
1 garlic bulb, whole
1/2 c. low-sodium chkn broth
1/2 c. FF sour cream
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 c. grated parmesan
Preheat oven to 425. Pierce potatoes with fork several times and place on baking sheet. Wrap garlic in foil and place alongside the potatoes. Bake until potatoes are tender and garlic is softened and brown (about 50-60 minutes). Let cool about 15 minutes until comfortable to handle.
Halve the potatoes lengthwise and scoop the pulp into a bowl leaving the skins intact.
Cut the garlic bulb in half. Squeeze out the pulp and add to the potato meat. Add broth, sour cream and pepper. Stir and mash with fork to desired consistency. Spoon mixture back into the potato skins and sprinkle with cheese.
Return to baking sheet and heat until warmed through (15 minutes).
Green Salad with Dressing
Self-Explanatory. Hopefully your green salads are better than mine!
No-Bake Cookies with Splenda
I had this listed on the spreadsheet before I tried it. Yeah...don't. They were yucky enough I'd rather go without them than eat them made with splenda, and I'm a big fan of Splenda! If you find a good way to make No-Bake cookies healthier, I'd love to hear it! Or if you need a recipe for non-healthy no-bake cookies, I've got one.
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Week 3
Monday
Try a New Recipe!
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Tuesday
Tacos or Taco Salad
-Homemade Salsa
(1 14-oz. can petite diced tomatoes, 1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes with chilies, 1 lime's juice, chopped white onion, 2 pressed garlic cloves, chopped cilantro)
-Homemade Guacamole
(3 ripe avocadoes, 1 lime's juice, 1 pressed garlic clove, optional: 1/4 c. very finely chopped red pepper)
-Browned Ground Turkey with Taco Seasoning, chopped onion, & 1 can black beans
-Chopped Lettuce
-Shredded Cheddar
-Baked Tostidos Tortilla Chips (for taco salad) or or the Wraps sold at Target (for the tacos--can't remember the brand at the moment, but they are only 1-point and they are HUGE. They are near the ice cream freezer)
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Wednesday
Chicken Divan
16-oz. frozen broccoli, cooked but firm, OR 2 large stalks of fresh broccoli (just the little "trees", steamed
3 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked & cut into pieces
1 can (10.75 ounces) lower fat cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup fat free mayo (we're Miracle Whip people)
1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1 cup prepared Stuffing mix (such as Stove Top)
Preheat oven to 350 º. Arrange stuffing in greased 9- by 13-inch pan. In bowl, mix broccoli, chicken pieces, soup, mayo, lemon juice, curry, and cheddar. Pour on top of stuffing. Top with breadcrumbs. Bake 30 minutes. Makes 8 servings. A 4 POINT meal for Weight Watchers.
Pears/Peaches
Anytime I use this term, I am referring to canned or bottled fruit.
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Thursday
Chicken Quesadillas
-More 1-point wraps from Target
-Grilled or Saute'd chicken breast, seasoned with garlic salt or marinated in a southwest marinade and cut into pieces
-Chopped onion & green pepper, saute'd with the chicken
-Cheese
-FF Sour Cream
-Leftover Salsa/Guacamole
On large cookie sheet, line with tin foil. Place 2-3 wraps/tortillas on the tin foil. Sprinkle 1/4 c. cheese onto each tortilla and place some chicken & onions/peppers onto tortilla. Sprinkle a little bit more cheese directly onto the chicken pieces. Top each tortilla with another tortilla. Place in oven and bake at 350 until cheese melts, most likely 5-10 minutes. Place each quesadilla on a plate and cut into sixths. At center of the circle, place a dallop of sour cream, salsa, and/or guacamole.
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Friday
Restaurant Cheese or Pepperoni Pizza
each slice is approximately 5 points
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Saturday
Peach French Toast Bake
The Morning Before (or "night before" if you're making this for breakfast rather than dinner):
Spray bottom of rectangular casserole dish with pam. Put down 6 or so pieces of bread (we use Granny's Delight Wheat). In a bowl, mix 4 egg whites and 4 whole eggs with 1 c. Skim Milk and 2 t. Vanilla. Pour over bread. Cover the bread with 1 bag frozen peaches, sliced (or I waited until baking time and used fresh peaches). Sprinkle a little brown sugar and cinnamon. Cover & put in fridge overnight.
40 Minutes Before Mealtime:
Bake it covered for 20 minutes at 350. Uncover and bake additional 20 minutes!
These are great with maple syrup or a little FF Vanilla yogurt, or FF Cool Whip.
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Sunday
Small Grilled Steaks
Self-Explanatory
Steamed Carrots
Self-Explanatory
Raspberry & Spinach Citrus Salad with Poppyseed Dressing
Serves about 8
1 “bag” baby spinach, washed & drained
1 small container raspberries, washed & drained
1 naval orange, each segment sliced into bite-size
triangles
½ red onion that has soaked in cold water
for ten minutes
2 heaping Teaspoons Crumbled goat cheese (optional)
Maple Grove Farms of Vermont FF Poppy Seed
Dressing (I found it at Albertsons)
Combine all ingredients except the dressing, adding the cheese and raspberries last. Let people serve themselves the dressing—coating the spinach ahead of time makes it soggy.
SF Key Lime Pie
1 Low-Fat Graham Cracker Pie Crust
1 C. Skim Milk
8 oz. FF Cream Cheese
1 small box of Sugar-Free Lime Jell-o
1 large container FF Cool Whip
a few packets Splenda (1-2.)
Whip up the cream cheese & milk until fluffy, then add the packet of gelatin (powder ONLY. Do not mix with water). Also add a few packets of splenda to suit your personal taste. Mixture will be very fluffy and green.
Next, carefully fold in 1/2 the container of softened whipped topping. Chill until set. Then top pie with remainder of topping. The juice of one real lime adds a distinctive taste, as does a t. of grated rind. Or you can garnish each slice of pie with a small slice of lime twisted into a "curl". Serves 8.
Wow! That took forever to type! Most of these recipes I just printed right off the recipe website, so with 3 or 4 exceptions, it's not like I have them in Word where I can just cut/paste or anything like that. At least I finally have them typed and hopefully you can get some use out of some of them. I'd love any feedback on recipes--which ones you felt were successul or any variations you'd have for suggestions.
So last week I was planting strawberries that were given to me by our sweet neighbor, Kami, who had received a bunch from her parents' yard and had extra. The box that they came from was full of dirt and...worms! I pointed this out to Halle, who immediately was drawn to the little critters. While I planted, she dug around in the dirt for a good hour, playing with her new "friends", as she called them. 
She played what she described "Worm Hide & Seek"...letting them crawl into the dirt and then she'd try to find them again. She loved feeling them crawl up her arm and watch them squirm in the palm of her hand, even though she had her gardening gloves on. She named them, too! It was so cute. I must admit a part of me felt kind of sad momentarily. In the neighboring yards I could hear kids playing with each other, chasing each other, laughing, etc. And yet here was my daughter, playing alone with her new pet worms. 
Then I had to remind myself that she seemed perfectly content and happy, and so it didn't matter who she played with, as long as she was having a good time! Here are some pictures of my "Worm Expert"! 
Brett's younger sister has a lead in the play, but she was in a different cast, so Brett went to cheer for Aunt Heidi on Tuesday night. He said Heidi did a great job and he thought she was definitely one of the best singers in the group! Halle gave a great performance last weekend and last night and has learned a lot in her theatre class. We may take a break from it next year and then go back another time, but whether we do or not, I'm sure she's got more "Rodgers" in her future! Way to go, sweetie!
I took some pictures and I wish they showed the "red" color more, but at least you can get a good idea. I took some shots from our bedroom window upstairs, too, so you can see from a bird's-eye-view...pardon the reflection of the blinds in those shots. I don't think we'll be able to afford any plants in our back yard this year (plant-wise we're focusing on the front) but at least things are coming together. We can't wait to entertain back there--anyone up for a BBQ?
