Week 44 Summary |
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Notes for this week |
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Day 1 |
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| Grilled Chicken with Garlic Soy Marinade | Instant Pot Mushroom Rice Pilaf | Banana Cake |
Day 2 |
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| Carne Guisada | Tortillas | |
Day 3 |
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| Chicken and Feta with Bow Tie Pasta | Green Peas with Butter | |
Day 4 |
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| Savory One-Pot Shrimp with Rice | Chinese Broccoli with Garlic Sauce | |
Day 5 |
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| 30 Minute Hash Brown Soup | Green Salad | |
🗓️ Day 1
- Grilled Chicken with Garlic Soy Marinade
- Instant Pot Mushroom Rice Pilaf
- Banana Cake
Grilled Chicken with Garlic Soy Marinade
This tender chicken is as delicious as it is easy to prepare. It is similar to our favorite grilled chicken and is a terrific recipe for cooking in bulk for the freezer. The extra flavor from marinating and grilling will enhance any casseroles, skillet meals, or soups that you add the chicken to.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 ½ Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- ½ Tsp dried oregano
- ¼ Tsp salt
- ¼ Tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except chicken in a large mixing bowl and whisk until the marinade is thoroughly combined.
- Add chicken to the bowl and stir until all chicken is coated in marinade; cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat grill to medium heat. Grill the chicken for 6-7 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until the chicken is cooked through (temperature of the thickest part of the chicken should register 165ºF).
- Remove from grill onto a platter and tent with foil. Let the chicken rest about five minutes before serving.
Notes
You can also bake the chicken at 350ºF for about 45 minutes or until temperature reaches 165ºF.
This is a good recipe for bulk cooking chicken for the freezer, so if your supply is low, plan to double or triple this recipe to restock.
This is a good recipe for bulk cooking chicken for the freezer, so if your supply is low, plan to double or triple this recipe to restock.
Nutrition
Calories: 283cal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 16g | Sodium: 524mg | Sugar: 1g | Net Carbs: 1g
Grilled Chicken with Garlic Soy Marinade Permalink
Instant Pot Mushroom Rice Pilaf
Looking for a tasty rice dish? Take a look at this easy mushroom rice recipe. A great one-pot recipe with lots of flavors and perfect fluffy rice. A quick, healthy meal you can make ahead! This Instant Pot mushroom rice pilaf is a cozy alternative to boring sandwiches for lunch and is delicious even the next day. A dish the whole family will enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup onions, finely chopped
- 10 oz Cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tsp Better Than Bouillon Mushroom Base or Vegetable Base
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped
- salt to taste
- 1 cup Basmati rice
- 1 cup water
Notes
Find the full recipe with instructions at The Belly Rules the Mind.
Nutrition
Calories: 271cal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 7g | Sodium: 388mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Net Carbs: 43g
Banana Cake
This rich, moist banana cake with cream cheese frosting starts with boxed yellow cake mix as a shortcut.
Ingredients
- 15 ounce box yellow cake mix
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 bananas, mashed
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup water
- butter or shortening, as needed to grease pan
- flour, as needed to flour greased pan
Frosting:
- 8 tablespoons butter (one stick), softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 pound powdered sugar or more as needed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
For the cake:
- Combine all cake ingredients and mix well with a mixer.
- Pour into 2 round greased and floured cake pans.
- Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool on a cooling rack.
- Cut the rounded top from each layer. (These photos are from a chocolate cake, but they help to illustrate the procedure.)
- Remove the rounded top. You won't use it in the recipe, so feel free to sample it.
- Frost and serve.
For the frosting:
- Combine all ingredients until frosting reaches a nice spreadable consistency. Frost cake before serving.
Notes
This cake is easy, but not quick. As with any cake, you'll need to wait for it to cool before you frost it. 2-3 hours is best, but you can speed that up using a cooling rack or the fridge.
The cream cheese and butter will need 30-45 minutes to soften, so don't forget to set those out before you're ready to make your frosting.
Tips:
Cooling the cake. To speed up the cooling process, place the cake pan on a cooling rack after removing it from the oven. The more cool air that can circulate around the pan, the faster the cake will cool. After 15-20 minutes, remove the cake from the pan to the cooling rack.
To avoid breakage, I like to put a cooling rack upside down on top of the cake pan and invert the whole thing onto the cooling rack. If you do not have two cooling racks you can do the same thing with a plate, but I recommend putting parchment paper on the plate so that after inverting, the cake ends up sitting on the parchment paper. Transfer the cake layer from the parchment paper to the cooling rack.
Cutting off the rounded top. To ensure a nice, flat finished cake, cut off the rounded top of each layer. I do this with a long serrated bread knife, gently sawing just the rounded top parallel to the counter surface.
Assembling the cake. For a prettier and perfectly even top, when assembling the cake I place the two shaved sides facing each other at the center of the cake (the means that one layer is right side up and the other is upside down on top of it with a layer of frosting in between the two). This method has the flat, even sides that were the bottom of each layer facing the bottom and top in the final cake assembly.
Nutrition
Calories: 536cal | Carbohydrates: 89g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 19g | Sodium: 587mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 68g | Net Carbs: 88g
Banana Cake Permalink
🗓️ Day 2
- Carne Guisada (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker)
- Tortillas
Carne Guisada for the Instant Pot
This flavorful Mexican beef stew is perfect for serving over rice or with tortillas.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup water
- 3-4 lbs beef stew meat
- salt and pepper to taste
- 20 oz diced tomatoes with green chilies or plain diced tomatoes, reserve juices
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 Tbsp flour
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp oregano
- 1 tsp chili powder
Garnishes:
- fresh cilantro
- grated cheese
- pico de gallo
- sour cream
Instructions
- Put water in Instant Pot 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 manual pressure (high if you have the option) for 25 minutes. NPR for 15 minutes, then release pressure and open lid. Add spices 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 cooked meat and stir to blend well. Cook on sauté mode for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, to thicken the sauce.
- Turn off Instant Pot to stop the hard boil, and let sit for 10 minutes. Turn back on to slow cooker mode to keep warm while serving.
- Garnish with cilantro, cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream, and serve with tortillas for dipping.
Notes
- If you prefer mild vs. spicy food, substitute the 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.
- These instructions are for making Carne Guisada in the Instant Pot; you can find the instructions for the slow cooker here.
- Nutrition data does not include garnishes.
- This recipe uses flour to thicken the gravy, but you could substitute a mixture of 2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch with the room temperature reserved juices instead (do not heat the liquid when using cornstarch) to make it gluten-free. Serve with corn tortillas or rice instead of flour tortillas.
Nutrition
Calories: 217cal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 6g | Sodium: 437mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Net Carbs: 5g
Carne Guisada for the Instant Pot Permalink
🗓️ Day 3
- Chicken and Feta with Bow Tie Pasta
- Green Peas with Butter
Chicken and Feta Bow Tie Pasta
Chicken with bow tie pasta and broccoli in a delicious lemony cream sauce come together in this easy weeknight meal that doesn't heat up the oven. It's a good recipe to use leftover chicken if you have it or to quickly sauté or grill it if you are starting from scratch.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless chicken breasts
- 2 cups bow tie pasta
- 12 oz frozen California blend vegetables
- 8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning, or to taste
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 1 ½ cups half and half
Instructions
- Season chicken with lemon-pepper and grill or broil it until done.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta and vegetables according to package directions.
- When the chicken is done, slice it into strips and set aside.
- Drain pasta and return to the cooking pot.
- Add the butter to the pasta and stir gently until melted.
- Add the half and half and turn stove on to low heat.
- Stir in feta cheese, vegetables, and chicken. Heat until everything is hot and the sauce is thickened to your preference.
Notes
Adaptations:
Gluten-free You can find a variety of gluten-free pastas in most grocery stores, or you could add more vegetables and omit the pasta. Vegetarian Like most stovetop pasta meals, it's easy to omit the chicken from this recipe and balance it out by adding additional vegetables or a can of rinsed and drained cannellini beans.Nutrition
Calories: 487cal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 30g | Sodium: 589mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Net Carbs: 24g
Chicken and Feta Bow Tie Pasta Permalink
🗓️ Day 4
- Savory One-Pot Shrimp with Rice
- Chinese Broccoli with Garlic Sauce
Savory One-Pot Shrimp with Rice
Shrimp and red bell peppers combine with garlic and onions to make a simple but satisfying one-pot meal.
Ingredients
- 1 onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 bell peppers, any color, sliced into thin strips
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil, or as needed
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 3 C chicken broth
- Salt-free seasoning to taste
- 1 ½ cups long grain white rice, uncooked
- 1 lb. raw shrimp, deveined, tail-off
- Monterey Jack cheese for garnish
Instructions
- Sauté the onions, garlic, and peppers in oil until the onion is cooked through. Add in the shrimp and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the tomatoes and chicken broth. Season to taste. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once it comes to a rapid boil, add the rice and stir.
- Cover and cook over low heat for about 20-25 minutes or until the rice is cooked through and the liquid is absorbed.
- Garnish with cheese before serving.
Notes
1 tbsp Monterey Jack cheese per serving used in nutrition calculation.
Nutrition
Calories: 506cal | Carbohydrates: 66.36g | Protein: 34.2g | Fat: 10.57g | Sodium: 1616.19mg | Fiber: 3.45g | Sugar: 5.48g | Net Carbs: 63g
Savory One-Pot Shrimp with Rice Permalink
Chinese Broccoli with Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Broccoli
- 2 Tablespoons Vegetable oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoons fresh minced ginger
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 1 ½ Tablespoons miso paste
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Notes
Visit The Gingered Whisk for the full recipe and instructions.
Nutrition
Calories: 126cal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 9g | Sodium: 527mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Net Carbs: 7g
🗓️ Day 5
- 30 Minute Hash Brown Soup
- Green Salad
Hash Brown Soup
Using frozen hash browns in this one pot meal is a super quick way to put potato soup on the table without a lot of fuss or mess.
Ingredients
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 3 14.5 oz. cans chicken broth
- 32 oz. bag frozen hash browns, diced, not shredded
- 10.5 oz. cream of celery soup
- 10.5 oz. cream of chicken soup
- 12 oz. evaporated milk
- 16 oz. cheddar cheese, divided
- green onions, chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Sauté onion in oil in soup pot.
- Add broth and bring to boil.
- Add hash browns and bring to boil.
- Add soups and evaporated milk, bring to a simmer.
- Add 3-½ cups cheddar cheese.
- Heat, stirring frequently, until cheese melts.
- Serve garnished with remaining shredded cheddar and green onions.
Notes
- If you have sautéed onions in the freezer, use the equivalent of 1 onion. If not, consider sautéing a whole bag of onions either while preparing this dish or later when you have more time and freezing them in 1 cup portions. Next time a recipe calls for a sautéed onion, you have it already prepared!
- For a vegetarian version of this soup, use vegetable stock in place of chicken broth, and use two cans of cream of celery soup and omit the cream of chicken soup.
Nutrition
Calories: 468cal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 29g | Sodium: 1460mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Net Carbs: 30g
Hash Brown Soup Permalink
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