Week 35 Summary |
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Notes for this week |
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Day 1 |
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| Apple Cheddar Melts | Marinated Cucumber Salad | Potato Chips |
Day 2 |
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| Basil Lime Chicken | Grilled Corn with Garlic Soy Butter | Stir-Fried Squash & Bell Pepper with Garlic |
Day 3 |
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| Cheesy Baked Ziti | Caesar Salad | Garlic Bread |
Day 4 |
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| Beef Kabobs over Yellow Rice | Grilled Asparagus | |
Day 5 |
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| Burritos Mojados | Creamy Mexi-Corn Casserole | Green Salad |
🗓️ Day 1
- Apple Cheddar Melts
- Marinated Cucumber Salad
- Potato Chips
Apple Cheddar Melt
Enjoy the taste of fall with open-faced apple cheddar melts made with crisp apples, crunchy sunflower seeds, and gooey cheddar—a perfect fall lunch.
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp. mayonnaise
- 4 slices whole wheat bread
- 1 apple
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- 4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Toast the bread. While the bread is toasting, cut the apple into thin slices and mix the apple slices with lemon juice to keep them from browning.
- When the toast is ready, spread it with the mayonnaise and layer the apple slices on each piece.
- Sprinkle the sunflower seeds on top of the apple slices and top with a slice of cheddar.
- Toast until cheese is melted. Cut into triangles and serve immediately.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 406 calCarbohydrates: 22 gProtein: 14 gFat: 30 gSodium: 382 mgFiber: 4 gSugar: 7 g
Apple Cheddar Melt Permalink
Marinated Cucumber Salad
Marinated cucumber salad is a refreshingly light side dish that's easy to prepare.
Ingredients
- 1 large cucumber, washed and thinly sliced
- ½ small onion, thinly sliced
- 1-½ Tbsp. sugar
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1-2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Combine the sugar, vinegar, and salt and mix well.
- Pour vinegar mixture over sliced cucumber and onion. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Notes
- If the cucumber is large in diameter, slice it in half lengthwise before slicing crosswise.
- If you prefer, you can chop/dice the cucumber and onion rather than slice it for a different presentation.
- White vinegar can be substituted for apple cider vinegar.
- Keeps well in the refrigerator for several days.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 26 calCarbohydrates: 6 gProtein: 1 gFat: 1 gSodium: 196 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 5 g
Marinated Cucumber Salad Permalink
🗓️ Day 2
- Basil Lime Chicken
- Grilled Corn with Garlic Soy Butter
- Stir-Fried Squash & Bell Pepper with Garlic
Basil Lime Chicken
Tasty marinade with basil, lime, and dijon mustard is the base for delicious grilled Basil Lime Chicken. It's perfect for stocking your freezer with cooked chicken for quick meal prep. The chicken needs to marinate overnight, so be sure to plan ahead.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup lime juice
- ½ cup oil
- ½ cup Dijon mustard
- ½ cup Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup green onions, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped (or 1 ½ tablespoon dried basil)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients except chicken together thoroughly in a small bowl. Reserve ¼ cup for basting and ¼ cup separately for serving; refrigerate.
- Marinate chicken in remaining marinade overnight.
- Grill over medium heat about 5 minutes, basting occasionally with reserved marinade.
- Flip chicken and baste again. Continue to cook until juices run clear.
- Divide chicken and serve ¼ for the meal and chop ¾ for the freezer.
- Drizzle the marinade you reserved for dipping over the chicken you are serving, or just serve the marinade as a dipping sauce.
Notes
If your chicken breasts are thick, you may want to butterfly them by cutting them in half lengthwise like a filet, which allows for more even cooking.
Serve one pound of chicken for dinner and chop the remaining chicken and divide into 3 portions to stock your freezer.
Adapted from Basil Lime Chicken at GoodenessGracious.com.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 233 calCarbohydrates: 4 gProtein: 27 gFat: 12 gSodium: 779 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 1 g
Basil Lime Chicken Permalink
Grilled Corn With Garlic and Ginger Soy Butter
The garlic and ginger soy butter is the best dressing for grilled corn ever.
Ingredients
- 2 medium cloves garlic, minced on a Microplane grater (about 2 teaspoons)
- 1- inch knob fresh ginger, minced on a Microplane grater (about 2 teaspoons)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons softened butter
- 1 teaspoon juice from 1 lemon
- 8 ears corn, shucked
- ¼ cup finely sliced scallions
Notes
See the full recipe at Serious Eats for instructions. Note that a charcoal grill adds flavor but is not entirely necessary (I use a gas grill).
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 Tbsp. canola oil
- ¼ cup water
- 1 ½ tsp. minced garlic
- 1 tsp. 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
🗓️ Day 3
- Cheesy Baked Ziti
- Caesar Salad
- Garlic Bread
Cheesy Baked Ziti
Cheesy Baked Ziti is perfect for those nights when you might be tempted to order pizza or hit the drive thru. Preparation is minimal and in the 30 minutes while it is baking you can prepare a salad.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces box ziti or penne
- 50 ounces pasta sauce
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
- 1 egg
- 16 ounces container ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tablespoon parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Nonstick cooking spray
Instructions
- Spray a 3-quart baking dish. Cook pasta according to package directions but slightly undercooking; drain. In a medium bowl combine pasta sauce and Italian seasoning. Remove 2 cups and set aside. Stir remaining sauce into cooked pasta.
- Place half of the pasta mixture in baking dish. Sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese on top.
- In a medium bowl, beat egg and stir in ricotta, Parmesan, parsley, and salt until blended.
- Place over the mozzarella cheese by dolloping with a spoon and gently spread. Top with remaining pasta, then sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Spread remaining pasta sauce evenly to edges of dish, coating all pasta.
- Bake, uncovered, in a preheated 350°F oven for 30 minutes or until very hot in center and edges are bubbly.
- Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake 3 to 5 minutes longer or until cheese melts.
Notes
Cheesy Baked Ziti freezes well, so if you'd like you can double the recipe and put one in the freezer. Don't put the shredded cheese topping on before freezing—put it in a separate bag or container and place it under the wrapping so that it is handy when you are ready to bake the dish. Label with:
Cheesy Baked Ziti: Thaw. Bake uncovered in a preheated 350°F oven for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake 3 to 5 minutes longer or until cheese melts.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 446 calCarbohydrates: 44 gProtein: 25 gFat: 19 gSodium: 1446 mgFiber: 4 gSugar: 9 g
Cheesy Baked Ziti Permalink
🗓️ Day 4
- Beef Kabobs over Yellow Rice
- Grilled Asparagus
Beef Kabobs over Yellow Rice
Kabobs are a great meal for prepping in advance and grilling on a busy night. These colorful beef and vegetable kabobs are seasoned with soy garlic marinade and served over yellow rice for a burst of flavor.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. beef sirloin or round, cut into 2” pieces
- 3 bell peppers, any color, cleaned and cut into quarters
- 8 oz. whole mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed
- 2 red onions, quartered & separated into two layer pieces
- 10 oz. package yellow rice, prepared according to pkg. directions
- ½ recipe soy garlic beef marinade
Instructions
- Pour the prepared marinade over the beef in a sealable container and marinate for several hours in the refrigerator.
- Preheat grill to 350ºF.
- While grill is heating, alternate beef and vegetables on kabob skewers.
- Grill kabobs until beef is done to your preference.
Notes
The nutrition data assumes that only half of the marinade (¼ of the total recipe linked in the ingredients) will be absorbed and the rest will be discarded.
If you want to marinate the vegetables, you can prepare a full marinade recipe and divide it in half. About 15 minutes prior to grilling, marinate the vegetables since they don't take long to absorb the flavors of the marinade.
When choosing mushrooms, look for large whole mushrooms so that they are less likely to split when you put them on the skewers.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 401 calCarbohydrates: 48 gProtein: 32 gFat: 9 gSodium: 995 mgFiber: 3 gSugar: 9 g
Beef Kabobs over Yellow Rice Permalink
Beef Marinade
This sweet and tangy soy garlic beef marinade is perfect for beef and vegetable kabobs or meatball and pineapple kabobs.
Ingredients
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Combine marinade ingredients and mix well.
- Marinate meat for several hours and cook as directed in recipe.
Notes
Nutrition data is for entire recipe.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 682 calCarbohydrates: 94 gProtein: 14 gFat: 28 gSodium: 7591 mgFiber: 2 gSugar: 81 g
Beef Marinade Permalink
Grilled Asparagus
Grilling brings out the best in fresh, tender asparagus.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. fresh asparagus
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, or to taste
Instructions
- Wash asparagus and snap tough ends off.
- Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and marinate for 10 minutes.
- In order to keep the tips from burning, place a piece of foil under just the tip ends of the asparagus on the grill. Grill until tender, turning regularly, and serve immediately.
Notes
This recipe can also be cooked under a broiler, but reverse the foil to placing it on top of the tips instead of underneath.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 99 calCarbohydrates: 7 gProtein: 3 gFat: 7 gSodium: 6 mgFiber: 2 gSugar: 5 g
Grilled Asparagus Permalink
🗓️ Day 5
- Burritos Mojados
- Creamy Mexi-Corn Casserole
- Green Salad
Burritos Mojados
Burritos without sauce are simply called burritos, but burritos with sauce are called burritos mojados, or wet burritos. This recipe calls for our homemade enchilada sauce, which is quick and easy and is less expensive than canned enchilada sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry pinto beans, about 2-⅓ cups
- 4 quarts tap water
- 4 oz butter
- Adobo to taste
- 6 flour tortillas
- 2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 recipe homemade enchilada sauce
- Garnishes (cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream, olives, etc.)
Instructions
- Soak the beans in 2 quarts of cold water overnight. The next day, bring the beans to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for an hour. Add the butter and adobo to taste.
- Cover again and simmer for another 45 minutes to an hour. When the beans are tender, drain off liquid. Use half of the bean mixture for the burritos and freeze half or save it for leftovers.
- Place tortillas wrapped in foil in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes until warm. When tortillas are warm, assemble as burritos with beans and cheese. Serve covered with enchilada sauce and your choice of condiments.
Notes
Nutrition data does not include garnishes and is based on using half of the bean mixture.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 472 calCarbohydrates: 33 gProtein: 23 gFat: 27 gSodium: 857 mgFiber: 5 gSugar: 4 g
Burritos Mojados Permalink
Creamy Mexi-Corn Casserole
This delicious Mexi-corn casserole with a little bit of kick makes a delicious side dish for any Mexican-style main dish.
Ingredients
- 4 cups frozen corn, thawed
- 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
- 1 stick butter, softened
- ¼ cup milk
- 4 oz. can diced green chilies, diced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Mix cream cheese, butter, milk, and green chilies in bowl. Mix well. Add corn and mix thoroughly.
- Pour corn into a lightly sprayed baking dish. Bake 45 minutes or until casserole is fully heated.
Notes
Adapted from Frugal Mom’s Guide to Once a Month Cooking
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 288 calCarbohydrates: 22 gProtein: 5 gFat: 22 gSodium: 247 mgFiber: 3 gSugar: 2 g
Creamy Mexi-Corn Casserole Permalink
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