Week 42 |
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Notes for this week |
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Day 1 |
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| Creamy Garlic Shrimp over Angel Hair Pasta | Sugar Snap Peas | Cucumber Salad |
Day 2 |
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| Beefy Bean Bake | Honey Nut Peaches | |
Day 3 |
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| Macaroni and Cheese | Green Beans | Chopped Apples & Pecans with Poppy Seed Dressing |
Day 4 |
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| Beef Kabobs over Yellow Rice | Grilled Asparagus | |
Day 5 |
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| Pesto Ravioli Bake | Green Salad | |
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Day 1 Dinner Menu
Allow time for the cucumbers to marinate.
- Creamy Garlic Shrimp over Angel Hair Pasta
- Sugar Snap Peas
- Marinated Cucumbers
Creamy Garlic Shrimp with Angel Hair Pasta
Creamy Garlic Shrimp only takes a quick sauté in a skillet and a jar of your favorite prepared garlic Alfredo sauce to make a flavorful meal in under 15 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp, thawed
- ½ tsp dill weed
- 15 oz Garlic Alfredo Sauce
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 8 oz. pkg. angel hair pasta
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare pasta according to package instructions.
- While pasta is cooking, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add shrimp and dill weed.
- Sauté, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes, or until shrimp turns pink.
- Add sauce and broth and continue cooking until sauce is heated through.
- Season, if desired, with salt and ground black pepper.
- Serve over cooked pasta and garnish, if desired, with grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
If you have more time, you can add a couple of cloves of minced and sautéed garlic to our homemade Alfredo sauce for a “from scratch” version of Creamy Garlic Shrimp.
Use half the amount of sauce to cut out a portion of the fat and calories. It isn’t as creamy, but the taste is still delicious.
Nutrition
Calories: 434kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 6g | Sodium: 1568mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Net Carbs: 46g
Creamy Garlic Shrimp with Angel Hair Pasta Permalink
Sautéed Sugar Snap Peas
A quick sauté in butter with a dash of sugar is all it takes to make perfect fresh sugar snap peas
Ingredients
- 8 oz sugar snap peas, raw
- 2 tsp butter
- 1 tsp sugar
Instructions
- Melt butter in a small fry pan.
- Add sugar snap peas and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently, until peas are covered with butter.
- Sprinkle with sugar and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until peas are tendercrisp and bright green.
Nutrition
Calories: 61kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 27mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Net Carbs: 5g
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 tsp 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
Calories: 26kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 196mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Net Carbs: 5g
Marinated Cucumber Salad Permalink
Day 2 Dinner Menu
If you have cooked ground beef and onions in the freezer, use these and skip the first step. If your freezer stock is depleted, this would be a good time to restock.
- Beefy Bean Bake
- Honey Nut Peaches
Beefy Bean Bake
Classic Mexican flavor makes this layered beef and cheese casserole a flavorful dish that only needs a salad to make a complete meal.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb. ground beef
- ½ small onion, chopped
- 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 16 oz. can diced tomatoes, zesty style
- 10 oz. can enchilada sauce
- 1 ½ tsp chili powder
- 1 ½ tsp cumin
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 4 oz. can diced green chilies, drained
- 6 flour tortillas
- 6 oz. tortilla chips, crumbled
- 8 oz. Mexican blend cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onions until beef is thoroughly cooked and onions are translucent.
- Add tomatoes, beans, enchilada sauce, and spices and heat through.
- On each flour tortilla, spread on ⅙ of cream cheese and ⅙ of green chilies; fold the flour tortilla in half.
- In a 9x13 baking dish, spread half of the meat mixture, then layer the folded tortillas over the meat mixture. Spread the remaining meat mixture over the tortillas. Bake, covered, for 20 minutes.
- Uncover and sprinkle crumbled tortilla chips over top of meat, followed by the cheese. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until cheese melts.
Notes
If you have cooked ground beef and onions in the freezer, use these and skip the first step. If your freezer stock is depleted, this would be a good time to restock.
Nutrition
Calories: 520kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 24g | Sodium: 1192mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 7g | Net Carbs: 36g
Beefy Bean Bake Permalink
Honey Nut Peaches
Dress up fresh fruit with this simple recipe. Peaches are in season mid-May to mid-August depending on your location, so summer is the perfect time to take advantage of juicy, ripe peaches.
Ingredients
- 3 small peaches, pitted and sliced
- 3 Tbsp chopped pecans
- 3 tsp honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to a low broil (if you can't adjust your broil level, plan to place your pan on a lower rack).
- Place prepared peaches on broiler pan and drizzle with honey.
- Sprinkle nuts over peaches and place pan in preheated oven for 5 minutes. Serve warm.
Notes
Choosing & storing peaches: Choose peaches by looking at the color near the stem, where the peach has not been exposed to as much sun. For yellow peaches, the yellow part should be a golden color; white peaches should be a cream color. There should be no green. Look for firm but not hard fruit unless you plan to eat it immediately (in that case, but soft but not mushy fruit). Store peaches at room temperature until ripe, then move them to the refrigerator to extend their life for a few days.
Nutrition
Calories: 112kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Sodium: 1mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 14g | Net Carbs: 14g
Honey Nut Peaches Permalink
Day 3 Dinner Menu
Since the Macaroni and Cheese is the main dish, double the recipe. There is no recipe for the apples & pecans, just mix the chopped apples and pecans in a proportion to your liking and toss with purchased poppy seed dressing.
- Macaroni and Cheese
- Green Beans
- Chopped Apples & Pecans with Poppy Seed Dressing
Macaroni and Cheese
Homemade macaroni and cheese is worth the effort for the comforting "welcome home" feeling it evokes. This version with a crushed crouton topping is the perfect blend of creamy and crunchy.
Ingredients
- ½ lb. elbow macaroni
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dry mustard powder
- 1 Tbsp hot/ warm water
- 3 cups grated cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup seasoned croutons, crushed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain thoroughly and return to pan.
- Stir in butter and egg; mix mustard and salt with water and add to macaroni.
- Add cheese, reserving ½ cup to sprinkle on the top.
- Pour into a greased 2 quart casserole dish. Pour milk over noodles and cheese – do not stir it in but distribute evenly. Sprinkle with cheese and croutons.
- Bake for about 45 minutes or until set and the top is brown.
Nutrition
Calories: 324kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 18g | Sodium: 602mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Net Carbs: 24g
Macaroni and Cheese Permalink
Day 4 Dinner Menu
Allow time for the beef to marinate. If you want to stock your freezer, you can double the amount of beef and use a full marinade recipe to freeze the extra beef in the marinade for later use.
- 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
Calories: 401kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 9g | Sodium: 995mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Net Carbs: 45g
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 tsp garlic powder
- 2 Tbsp 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
Calories: 682kcal | Carbohydrates: 94g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 28g | Sodium: 7591mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 81g | Net Carbs: 92g
Beef Marinade Permalink
Grilled Asparagus
Grilling brings out the best in fresh, tender asparagus.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. fresh asparagus
- 2 Tbsp 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
Calories: 99kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Sodium: 6mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Net Carbs: 5g
Grilled Asparagus Permalink
Day 5 Dinner Menu
- Pesto Ravioli Bake
- Green Salad
Pesto Ravioli
This easy casserole gives a delicious basil pesto flavor to what is essentially an easy version of lasagna. Switch up the flavors by using different ravioli fillings or even throw in some fresh baby spinach with the spaghetti sauce.
Ingredients
- 25 oz. fresh or frozen ravioli, flavor of your choice
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ½ cup prepared pesto sauce
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded (divided)
- ½ cup parmesan, shredded
- 24 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
Instructions
- Cook ravioli according to package directions; drain.
- While ravioli is cooking, mix together ricotta, pesto, 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, and ½ cup parmesan cheese in a large bowl until thoroughly blended.
- Add cooked ravioli and spaghetti sauce. Gently stir.
- Pour ravioli mixture into a lightly sprayed 9x13 casserole dish. Sprinkle with ½ cup mozzarella cheese and bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes until heated through and cheese has melted.
Notes
Beef ravioli used in nutrition data.
Nutrition
Calories: 440kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 28g | Sodium: 1608mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Net Carbs: 22g
Pesto Ravioli Permalink
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