Now that I've lost 50 lbs and am almost to my goal, people ask me how I cook. I am busy because well - life is just like that. Now that I've started a part time job with Weight Watchers I have to be prepared even more than usual. Here's how I do it.
Every day of the week has a theme. I meal plan around that theme. It helps give me direction to my meals or I'm just overwhelmed with the options. Many meals I choose can be used for more than 1 night. That's fine. I mix stuff up all the time. It's just a guideline to help me plan, not a rule.
Monday - Ethnic (Mexican, Italian, Chinese... etc)
Tuesday (my busiest day) - Chicken/crockpot or pork. It can be either or both.
Wednesday - Meatless or breakfast
Thursday (my other busiest day) - Chicken/crockpot or pork. Whatever I chose on Tuesday I do the other on Thursday.
Friday - Ground meat (I use turkey)
Saturday - Leftovers/fast meals
Sunday - Homestyle
I plan 2 weeks at a time. It works best with my schedule and paycheck. I try to do all the shopping the weekend before but sometimes it takes me longer to get everything I need. Here are some examples of what my menus might include. (This is my current 2 week menu).
Ethnic - Chili, tacos, spaghetti, stir fry. This week we had
Colorful mango chicken salad lettuce wraps. Well, I had the lettuce wrap. My kids ate it in a tortilla. Delicious! I was going to be training for work so I wasn't home for dinner. I prepared it in advance and had it waiting for the family when they got home and were ready to eat. 5 p+ per serving. I had two servings. Mmmmm!
Next Monday we're having
weight watchers points plus taco casserole. at 7 p+ it seems like a great family meal that my kids and I will like. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Chicken/crockpot - I won't be home at all after 5 pm tonight so I'm making this
slow cooker lemon garlic chicken. It looks like something the kids will like and the lemon garlic sauce should only add a small amount of points if any. The p+ will depend on how big your chicken portion will be. But for 3 oz - it's 3 p+, 5 oz is 5 p+. I'll add a point for the sauce unless I have extra sauce and then I'll add more points. We'll I'll have some quinoa/brown rice or noodles for them to eat it with and veggies.
Next week I'm making
lime and coconut chicken. Again, not a lot of points added for just the chicken but you should add points if you are going to eat much of the sauce. It's a quick cooking chicken (you pound it out) so I"ll either cook it in the afternoon and then keep it warm in the crockpot or have it all ready and cook it when we're done with our paper route and have a later dinner.
Meatless/breakfast - Our meatless meals will be
heart shaped chocolate chip banana pancakes. We've had these before and they are so yummy! 5 p+ for 2 pancakes. I'll probably not bother making them heart shaped since it's not for a special occasion.
Our other meatless meal will probably be baked potatoes. The kids love it and it's easy to make. Baked potatoes are very Weight Watchers friendly - or can be if you make good portion and topping choices. I usually skip the butter and have steamed broccoli, salsa, low fat or fat free sour cream, salt and pepper, and sometimes chili.
Chicken/Pork - I will start working my normal shift this week which means I'll be gone again after 5 pm. I have to have a crockpot meal ready. We'll be having
slow cooker cream cheese chicken chili. Oh man, when you see the picture you'll see how great it looks. It is 7 p+ if you divide the recipe into 6 servings. 5 out of 5 for sure!
We'll round out week 2 with
sweet and fiery pork tenderloin with mango salsa. 6 p+ per serving.
Ground meat - NOTE: I use ground turkey (93% fat free) for all ground beef or hamburger. Points are calculated based on that. I'm excited to try this Cheesy Chili-Mac on the WW website. Here's the recipe.
Cheesy Chili-Mac (from WW website)
Cooking spray
2/3 pound uncooked lean ground beef
2 medium uncooked onions, chopped
29 oz canned stewed tomatoes, mexican style (undrained)
2 1/2 c. canned tomato juice
4 oz canned green chili peppers, diced, drained
2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 servings uncooked macaroni, elbow size
31 oz canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 c. low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
Cook beef and onion until meat is browned, stirring and breaking up meat with a spoon as it cooks, about 10 minutes. Drain off fat.
Stir in undrained tomatoes and their juice, tomato juice, chili peppers, and chili powder. Bring mixture to a boil.
Stir in macaroni and beans; return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until macaroni is tender, about 15 minutes. Spoon chili into bowls and sprinkle with cheese. Yields about 1 cup chili and 1 TB cheese per serving.
7 p+ per serving. Serves 8
We'll probably have
Bowser's Green Chili Stew the next week. Here's the recipe.
2 lbs hamburger, drained
8 med potatoes, diced
2 cans beef broth
1/2 med onion, chopped
1 green or red pepper, chopped
green chilies to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Simmer together until potatoes are done.
8 large servings at 9p+ per serving.
Homestyle - Our favorite Sunday dinners.
Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry (from WW website)
1 1/2 TB cornstarch, divided
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 pound uncooked lean trimmed sirloin beef, thinly sliced against the grain
2 tsp canola oil
1 c reduced sodium chicken broth, divided
5 c. uncooked broccoli florets
1 TB ginger root, fresh, minced
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/4 c. low sodium soy sauce
1/2 c. water
On a plate combine cornstarch and salt. Add beef and toss to coat.
Heat oil in a large nonstick wok or large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and stir-fry until lightly browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
Add 1/2 c. broth to same pan. Stir to loosen any bits of food on bottom of pan. Add broccoli; cover and cook, tossing occasionally and sprinkling with a tablespoon of water if needed until broccoli is almost crisp - tender, about 3 minutes. Uncover pan and add ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes; stir fry until fragrant, about 1 minute.
In a cup stir together soy sauce, remaining 1/2 c. broth, remaining 1/2 TB cornstarch and water until blended. Stir into pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and bring to a simmer; simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
Return beef and accumulated juices to pan. toss to coat. Serve
1 1/4 c. per serving 5 p+
We had a family dinner at my parents last Sunday so I only have one meal. However, I cooked a couple fabulous side dishes that turned out great.
Kale with Bacon and Cannellini Beans (from WW website)
3 slices of uncooked reduced fat bacon (can use regular bacon too - will not affect p+ values)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (a little much for me. I'd go easy on the pepper flakes)
1 c. uncooked onion, diced
1 lb uncooked kale, stemmed, roughly chopped
1 c. canned chicken broth, or beef broth
15 oz canned canneliini beans, rinsed and drained (I used great northern)
1 tsp salt
1 TB balsamic vinegar
1 tsp sugar
Cook bacon in a large pot or skillet until desired crispness. Remove from pot and set aside. Leave drippings in pot.
Add garlic and red pepper flakes to bacon drippings; cook, stirring, until garlic becomes fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add kale; cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to wilt, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add broth; cover and simmer over low heat until kale is just tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add beans; simmer, uncovered, until liquid is almost evaporated, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in salt, vinegar and sugar. Sprinkle with crumpled bacon and serve immediately. Yields about 1 1/4 c. per serving.
The other side I made was
quinoa mac n cheese. Very mild and a little dry. I'll add more milk next time. I'll probably use sharp cheese too to make it more cheesy tasting. But very good 4.5 out of 5.
I have some other meal plans stored. I'll post them when I get a few minutes again. Here's a start for some of you - even if it's just to get a few ideas. Planning is key! YOU can do it!
