Week 2 |
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Notes for this week |
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Day 1 |
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| Crockpot Chicken Drumsticks | Mashed Potatoes | Stir-fried Squash and Bell Pepper with Garlic |
Day 2 |
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| Barley Lentil Soup | Garlic Bread | |
Day 3 |
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| Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya | Green Salad | |
Day 4 |
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| Citrus Caper Tilapia | Sweet Potato Fries | Cole Slaw |
Day 5 |
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| Carne Guisada | Tortillas | Southwestern-style Green Salad |
🗓️ Day 1
- Crockpot Chicken Drumsticks
- Mashed Potatoes
- Stir Fried Squash and Bell Pepper with Garlic
Crockpot Chicken Drumsticks
With prep time of under 5 minutes, this tender and delicious sweet garlic chicken is a cinch to put on the table on a busy night. Add a salad and potatoes for a low stress meal, or dress it up with fresh vegetables and garlic bread.
Ingredients
- 3 ½ lbs. chicken drumsticks, skin removed
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 oz can tomato sauce
Instructions
- Place drumsticks in a crockpot.
- In a medium bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and tomato sauce. Pour sauce over chicken.
- Cover and cook on low for 6- 8 hours or until done.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 358 calCarbohydrates: 10 gProtein: 37 gFat: 19 gSodium: 1167 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 8 g
Crockpot Chicken Drumsticks Permalink
Stir Fried Squash & Bell Pepper with Garlic
Squash and bell peppers sautéed with onions, bell pepper, and garlic make a delicious fresh side that is quick and easy to prepare.
Ingredients
- 3 cups yellow or zucchini squash, sliced
- ½ onion, sliced
- 1 bell pepper, sliced
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- ¼ cup water
- 1 ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon basil or Italian seasonings
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large skillet, sauté the squash, onion, peppers in oil for 4-5 minutes or until tender-crisp.
- Add other ingredients. Reduce heat and cook uncovered for 3-4 more minutes until veggies are tender.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 64 calCarbohydrates: 7 gProtein: 2 gFat: 4 gSodium: 5 mgFiber: 2 gSugar: 4 g
Stir Fried Squash & Bell Pepper with Garlic Permalink
Homemade Mashed Potatoes
Whether you prefer creamy potatoes or potatoes with some body to them, homemade mashed potatoes are worth the effort.
Ingredients
- 5 lbs. potatoes, cleaned and peeled (see note below)
- 6 tablespoon butter, divided
- ¼ cup skim milk, or more as needed
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- paprika, for garnish
Instructions
- Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Boil until potatoes are fork tender; drain and return to pot.
- Add 4 tablespoon butter, salt, and pepper to pot and mix; adding enough milk while mixing to reach desired consistency.
- Transfer mashed potatoes to a serving bowl, top with 2 tablespoon butter, and garnish with paprika.
Notes
Russet potatoes are a good choice for mashed potatoes, but if you prefer to not peel your potatoes, Yukon Gold is perfect for mashing with the skin on.
If you need to speed up the cooking process, try chopping your potatoes before boiling.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 193 calCarbohydrates: 28.52 gProtein: 6.11 gFat: 7.04 gSodium: 434.05 mgFiber: 5.67 gSugar: 0.32 g
🗓️ Day 2
- Barley Lentil Soup
- Garlic Bread
Barley Lentil Soup
This hearty legume soup with fresh vegetables is a comforting and delicious cool weather meal.
Ingredients
- 8 sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated, drained, and chopped
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 4 celery stalks, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon oregano, dried and crumbled
- 70 oz. vegetable broth, plus more for thinning as desired
- 28 oz. can whole tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 1 cup lentils
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent.
- Add next 7 ingredients and cook until bell pepper just softens (about 6 minutes).
- Mix in the broth, tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, stir in barley and lentils.
- Reduce heat and simmer until barley and lentils are tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 ½ hours.
- Thin soup to desired consistency with additional broth, and season with salt and pepper before serving.
Nutrition per serving
Serving: 1 BowlCalories: 290 calCarbohydrates: 46 gProtein: 14 gFat: 7 gSodium: 1125 mgFiber: 14 gSugar: 7 g
Barley Lentil Soup Permalink
🗓️ Day 3
- Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
- Green Salad
Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
Using chopped cooked chicken, onions, and peppers from the freezer along with a box mix puts Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya on the table in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 10 oz Rotel tomatoes and green chilies
- 15.5 oz black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
- 1 chopped and sautéed onion
- 8 oz box jambalaya rice mix
- 13 oz turkey kielbasa, cooked and cut in half lengthwise then cut into ½" slices
- 1 chopped and sautéed green bell pepper
Instructions
- Chop and sauté the onion and pepper.
- Bring water and Rotel tomatoes and green chilies to a boil in a large pot.
- Add black beans, cooked chicken, sautéed onions and peppers, and rice mix. Cover and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes.
- In a skillet, sauté the sliced kielbasa until browned. Drain off grease and add kielbasa slices to the rice mixture, stirring gently. Continue cooking until the 20 minutes is up and the rice is tender. Serve immediately.
Notes
Notes: To reduce the amount of fat, drain the kielbasa in a colander and rinse with hot water before adding to the rice.
If you have chopped and sautéed onion and pepper stocked in your freezer, use those to save time.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 438 calCarbohydrates: 52 gProtein: 25 gFat: 13 gSodium: 1129 mgFiber: 8 gSugar: 4 g
Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya Permalink
🗓️ Day 4
- Citrus Caper Tilapia
- Sweet Potato Fries
- Cole Slaw
Citrus Caper Tilapia
Orange and lemon combined with capers give tilapia a fresh, bright taste in this easy stovetop recipe.
Ingredients
- 4 tilapia fillets, patted dry
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 orange
- 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon capers, drained
- ½ cup white cooking wine
- 2 tablespoon butter, melted
Notes
See the full recipe and instructions at SteamyKitchen.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 294 calCarbohydrates: 7 gProtein: 35 gFat: 12 gSodium: 491 mgFiber: 2 gSugar: 4 g
Citrus Caper Tilapia Permalink
🗓️ Day 5
- Carne Guisada
- Tortillas
- Southwestern-style Green Salad
Carne Guisada for the Slow Cooker
Slow Cooker Carne Guisada is a flavorful Mexican beef stew that is perfect for serving over rice or with tortillas.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup water
- 4 lbs beef stew meat
- salt and pepper to taste
- 28 oz canned diced tomatoes with green chilies or plain diced tomatoes, reserve juices
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 T. flour
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
Garnishes:
- fresh cilantro
- grated cheese
- pico de gallo
- sour cream
Instructions
- Put water in slow cooker and add meat. Salt and pepper as desired.
- Drain juice from tomatoes with green chilies into a 2 cup measuring cup and place tomatoes with green chilies over meat. Add garlic, onion, and green pepper. Cook on high for about 30 minutes.
- Add spices to slow cooker and stir. Add enough water to the reserved juice from tomatoes with green chilies to make 1-½ cups liquid.
- Heat liquid in microwave or on stovetop. Add flour to liquid and mix well. Add flour mixture to slow cooker and stir to blend well.
- Cook on low for 3-4 hours until sauce is thickened and meat is tender.
Notes
- These instructions are for making Carne Guisada in the slow cooker; you can find the instructions for the Instant Pot here.
- If you prefer mild vs. spicy food, substitute canned tomatoes for the tomatoes with green chilies.
- Leftovers from Carne Guisada can be used to make beef enchiladas, Tex-Mex Beef Casserole, or burritos.
- Garnishes not included in nutrition data.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 178 calCarbohydrates: 4 gProtein: 26 gFat: 6 gSodium: 72 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 2 g
Carne Guisada for the Slow Cooker Permalink
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