My Favorite Weeknight Meals

Thai Pesto Shrimp (has a link w/in the recipe to the coconut rice)

Beef Cheese and Noodle Bake

Tex Mex Pasta Salad

Spicy Yogurt Marinated Chicken Thighs (prepare the night before)

Herb Flounder with Lemon Vinaigrette (I use tilapia.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs


Farfalle with Creamy Wild Mushroom Sauce I use porcini (baby bellas) or a mixture of mushrooms. I've never bought the "exotic blend." You can get good prices on mushrooms at the asian markets.

Cornmeal-Battered Oven-Fried Catfish

Spaghetti Alla Norma

Shrimp Pad Thai

Pork Piccata

Slow-Cooker Veggie Chili

Mini Meat Loaves

Chicken and Basil Calzones (I use turkey.)

Chicken Supreme

Cajun Salmon Cakes with Lemon Garlic Aioli

Cajun Catfish (3 pts when you use 1 tsp butter)
Cajun Spiced Catfish Rub (I make a jar of this by increasing the amounts so I have it on hand)
for 4 Fillets
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp garlic powder

Combine all spices. Brush fish with oil or butter. Sprinkle on the spices. Cook on grill, broiler pan, George Foreman, etc.

Lentil Tacos (from the incomparable CarlaP)used for taco salad, tacos, burritos, etc.
(2oz baked chips 4pts, lettuce 0, tomatoes , red onion 0, 2% cheese 2pts, 1/2 cup lentils 4pts...10 POINTS TOTAL)


(see notes at end)

Ingredients

1 cup finely chopped onion (I've used frozen before)
1 garlic clove, minced (I use 1/2 tsp. ready-minced)
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 cup dry red lentils, rinsed (I use the brown/green)
1 Tbs. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
2-1/2 cups chicken broth (or beef broth) (you can use one can of Swanson's plus some water)
1 cup salsa (I skip this)
12 hard taco shells (we do soft)

Procedure:

In a large non-stick skillet (that has a lid), saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano; cook and
stir for 1 minute.

Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Uncover; cook for
6-8 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Stir in salsa.

(heat up your taco shells while doing the last part of the above)

Spoon about 1/4 cup into each taco shell and top with your favorite taco fixin's.

This taco filling heats up really well in the microwave the
next day and is just as delicious as the first night.

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Carla's comments:
**********************

I can never make this work with the red lentils so I use green/brown ones and cook longer w/ more liquid. You are better off w/ less liquid and adding more if they are
too crunchy after the cooking time.
I usually make this in the crock pot, with green lentils, using the amounts listed,
cooking on high until it's done....couple hours maybe?
When I do crock pot, I just dump everything in together at once. It actually works better for me in the crock pot.
I always make double and freeze 1/2
Add a little cayenne pepper if you like it spicy!
This makes great nacho topping too or base for taco salad too!

**Holly's comments** I prefer french green lentils for this (whole foods), but brown are good too. I usually add some chopped chipotles in adobo (from a can in the Mexican section. a little bit will do)I ALWAYS do the whole recipe in the crockpot - no sauteeing, etc. I just dump it all in and cook. But no oil, since that's for the sauteeing.

Lemon Pepper Chicken Breast - lemon pepper seasoning on a breast...grill...3points.

Alton Brown's Baked Brown Rice The best brown rice EVER. Also pointed out to me by CarlaP. I don't put the butter in.

My side dish staples on weeknights are...
steamed broccoli
fauxtatoes (mashed cauli with some smart balance and ff sour cream. i buy frozen cauli)
green beans - put some red onion slices on top, spray with cooking spray, broil a few minutes
grapes
arugula salad with cherry tomatoes and this dressing...
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp Dijon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Stir well with a whisk.

Gradually add 2 Tbsp olive oil to vinegar mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk.

Okra and Tomatoes - sack of frozen okra and a can of italian tomatoes. heat in skillet. voila.

new potatoes with lemon and dill

Green Rice - bake the brown rice above. Add one bunch chopped cilantro, 3 or so bunches chopped green onions, some lime juice, salt, and smart balance. Good with Mexican dishes.

Thai Pesto Shrimp with Coconut-Lime Rice

Recipe Link

This one is a keeper! We loved it. I started cooking at 5:05 and was finished by 5:50 - that's very fast around here! I used ready minced garlic and ginger. I served with a spinach salad and sourdough bread.

Since the recipe calls for 1.5 lbs of shrimp...but a typical bag has two pounds...I microwaved the extra .5 pound. Our boys ate that, since the pesto shrimp was a bit spicy. Worked out great...we had leftovers for our lunches today.

What's on the Menu Jan 12 - 15th

I ended up not making the eggplant dish last week - when I peeled the ones I bought, they were not fresh enough to be appetizing. So, I have no reviews to give. Honestly, right now I have lots of irons in the fire, so I don't think I'll be posting many of my gorgeous pictures. (haha) But I thought I'd put up a few menus and maybe review some new things that we try.

Here is this week's menu:

Mon: Cornflake-Crusted Halibut with Chili-Cilantro Aioli (new recipe) (8); Steamed Broccoli (0); Sliced Apples (1)

Tues: Smoky Chili Joes (new recipe) (7); Baked chips and salsa verde (2)

Wed: Pesto Lasagna with Spinach and Mushrooms (new recipe)(9); Green Salad (0); Fruit (1)

Thur: Pork Tenderloin with Paprika Spice Rub (new recipe) (4); Corn with Mustard Seeds (new recipe) (1?); Canned English Peas

New Year's Eve and Beyond menu

I'm including WW Points values b/c we are counting religiously right now.

New Year's Eve: Our favorite Turkey Burgers (7); Layered Lima Bean Dip and Crudites (2) Turkey burger on sugar-free bun with mustard and lettuce, tomato, etc

New Year's Day: Leo's birthday! He wants grilled chicken. 4 oz grilled Chicken (3); 1 cup brown rice (4); 1 cup black eyed peas (2); steamed kale (0) (hoppin jon for luck and kale for $!)

Friday: Shrimp Pad Thai (9); Green Salad with Wasabi Ginger Dressing (1)

Saturday: Baked Eggplant with Mushroom-and-Tomato Sauce (New Recipe) (2 serving for 6points); Steamed Broccoli (0); Breadsticks (2)

Sunday: Chili-Cheese Black Bean Enchiladas (8); Green Rice (4)

Monday: Cooking for a friend with a new baby Mini Meat Loaves (6); mashed new potatoes (2); okra and tomatoes

We tried the Mini Meat Loaves recipe a couple of weeks ago, and it is DELICIOUS! I don't really like meat loaf, but Todd does...so I tried it since it has so many great reviews. I loved it!

Chicken and Basil Calzones

Recipe Link

This is a great EASY (IMO!) recipe for a weeknight.

You start by just browning the meat (I used ground turkey instead of chicken) with a little garlic. Once it was browned, I drained the meat and then simmered with 3/4 cup prepared pizza sauce for 5 minutes. Then I sprinkled in a little dried basil. It calls for fresh, but I'm not paying for that right now, lol.

I rolled out the Pillsbury pizza dough right on the cookie sheet sprayed with pam. Then cut it into fourths and patted those into rectangles. Then put 1/4 of the turkey on and topped with 2 tbsp preshredded mozzarella. Folded over and crimped with a fork. Baked at 425 for 12 minutes.

They were YUMMY! I think we'll try them with taco turkey meat and black beans next. Very good and easy!


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Spicy Chicken Sandwiches with Cilantro Lime Mayo

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Homemade tortilla nuggets for the boys...


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Recipe Link

These little sandwiches are yummy! You start by marinating the chicken cutlets in egg, oregano, hot sauce, and salt for a few hours. I used the amount that of hot sauce that it called for, and it was plenty spicy for me. Then you just coat in crushed tortilla chips and pan fry. I added a little lime zest to the cilantro-lime mayo, and that made it really good. We highly recommend this one!

Breakfast Quesadillas

I've gotten really bored with steel cut oatmeal or whole grain toast lately, so I've been trying some other things. I like the Smart Ones frozen breakfast quesadillas, so I experimented with making my own. I just made them yesterday and haven't actually tried one yet...so I'll get back to you with my review. I think it will take several attempts to get the filling just right.

I used this recipe for a guide...but they're not very hard.

My ingredients were...

light tortillas
18 egg whites (scrambled)
onions, jalapeno, garlic, bell pepper (sauteed)
Soyrizo (cooked a little - do you have to cook this stuff to use it in a filling? I don't know)
can of black beans, drained and rinsed
lowfat cheddar
Pace Salsa Verde - our FAVORITE these days!

Here's the filling - I cooked what needed to be cooked and dumped it in a bowl. I let the hot stuff cool a bit.

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We love this salsa!

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I did quesadillas b/c burritos involve a lot of extra tortilla for wrapping. This is the smaller size light tortilla. I did filling (maybe a little over 1/4 cup?), salsa, and then cheese. I folded and then unfolded when I remembered to take the picture. Ever the wonderful photographer!

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Freezing! I ended up with a total of 15.

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