January 2011 Weekly Dinner Menus

[Speck333]

Each week I pick out 6 things to make for dinner (one night is what we call FFY, or fend for yourself, night). This weekly menu becomes the base for the shopping list. Shopping is usually on Sundays, so Monday starts my "menu week".
I start these menu threads every week and month so I have a record of what I fixed and to share to help others perform this sometimes tedious task. Whenever possible, I link to the recipes I use if they are posted online. A lot of the time, the recipes I use are not low carb on their own, so let it be known that any recipe I use is adapted to the LC and SF style.
Please share your weekly menus here, too, and ask for recipes.

2010 Menus (no longer linked, search for titles in the forum):
June Weekly Menus
July Weekly Menus
August Weekly Menus
September Weekly Dinner Menus
October Weekly Dinner Menus
November Weekly Dinner Menus
December Weekly Dinner Menus

~~~~~~~~
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Week of January 3-9
MON: Carnitas/guacamole/salad
TUE: Grilled steak/raw veg and dip
WED: Chili
THU: Almond Chicken Salad in LC pitas/raw veg and dip
FRI: Roasted whole Chicken/green beans
SAT: Beef Roast/whatever veg is around
SUN: FFY/leftovers

[WendyK1974]

I was gonna start the thread yesterday, but I didn't want to step on your toes.

In no particular order:

1. Santa Fe stuffed chicken
2. Cioppino (seafood stew)
3. Chicken cassoulet
4. Pork Stroganoff
5. Coney Island chili dog pie (Linda's)
6. Chicken Salisbury (Linda's)

[WendyK1974]

Think I should change my avatar? I just haven't found one I like yet.

[Speck333]

Originally Posted by WendyK1974

I was gonna start the thread yesterday, but I didn't want to step on your toes.

In no particular order:

1. Santa Fe stuffed chicken
2. Cioppino (seafood stew)
3. Chicken cassoulet
4. Pork Stroganoff
5. Coney Island chili dog pie (Linda's)
6. Chicken Salisbury (Linda's)

aw, thanks! DH was home yesterday and I just didn't get to it. Are you making real cassoulet? It's a major event isn't it?

Originally Posted by WendyK1974

Think I should change my avatar? I just haven't found one I like yet.

lol... yah, or you could just keep it until next Thanksgiving! I found a lot of neat pictures at Getty Images (just google it), most of them have a watermark which you can crop out easily.

[WendyK1974]

Re: the cassoulet, it is not the real version, but rather a quicker cooking one. I bought a South Beach cookbook (because I found it for $1). That is where I also got the Cioppino recipe. I made the Cioppino tonight and it came out great. So hopefully the cassoulet is good too.

[Its me - WENDALINA]

subbing

[WendyK1974]

There you are Wendy. I was wondering where you were.

[Its me - WENDALINA]

been trying to get set up for our budget this year... we are seriously gonna dump some debt (minivan and a lot on the house hopefully!). Whats funny is we bought the minivan cause we needed something to hold carseats for the triplets...now that Reagan is here (just in time to pay off the van) I swear we need to upgrade to a church van or something

Anyway, got my menu.... as always no particular order

Spinach stuffed cube steaks - not even sure what a good side would be?
Rubbed Ribs sweet potatoe fries collard greens
Crockpot Sticky Chicken brown rice and black beans
Tacos - my family would fall apart without our weekly taco night
Chicken Tenderloin Bacon Melts veg medly
Cubed Burrito Seasoned Beef Bites white bean mash
Steak fries and broccoli

p.s. I am all over that Cioppino recipe if you wanted to share

[Its me - WENDALINA]

on another note... I have read about once a month cooking, but do either of yall cook the bulk of your meat for the week on one day then just do the sides on the day you eat it? I was just wondering about ways to keep us from eating out more. I know I am going to use my crockpot a few times a week, and I will try to get DH to grill at least once. So I was just wondering about the other 3 or 4 nights. We have a VERY BAD habit of eating out on a whim... sooooo without further adooo the role of June Cleaver will now be played by ME!

[Speck333]

Originally Posted by WendyK1974

Re: the cassoulet, it is not the real version, but rather a quicker cooking one. I bought a South Beach cookbook (because I found it for $1). That is where I also got the Cioppino recipe. I made the Cioppino tonight and it came out great. So hopefully the cassoulet is good too.

Yah, why don't you share those recipes????

Originally Posted by Its me - WENDALINA

been trying to get set up for our budget this year... we are seriously gonna dump some debt (minivan and a lot on the house hopefully!). Whats funny is we bought the minivan cause we needed something to hold carseats for the triplets...now that Reagan is here (just in time to pay off the van) I swear we need to upgrade to a church van or something

Anyway, got my menu.... as always no particular order

Spinach stuffed cube steaks - not even sure what a good side would be?

A caprese salad would be nice with that.

Originally Posted by Its me - WENDALINA

on another note... I have read about once a month cooking, but do either of yall cook the bulk of your meat for the week on one day then just do the sides on the day you eat it? I was just wondering about ways to keep us from eating out more. I know I am going to use my crockpot a few times a week, and I will try to get DH to grill at least once. So I was just wondering about the other 3 or 4 nights. We have a VERY BAD habit of eating out on a whim... sooooo without further adooo the role of June Cleaver will now be played by ME!

No, I do not. I don't care for the flavor or texture of re-heated meat. I mean, I'll deal with it if it's lunch, but not dinner and not everyday. The closest I do is shop at Costco once a month and buy almost all my meat in bulk, then divy it up and freeze it into individual (family) portions. I've also tried chopping lettuce, veggies and shredding cheese on the weekend, but this practice never lasts. I love to use the crockpot whenever I can

[WendyK1974]

Cioppino

Olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
3 garlic gloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup dry red wine (I used Sherry because that it what I had.)
2 TBSP tomato paste
2 (28oz) cans chopped tomatoes
1 cup water
2 (6.5 oz) cans chopped clams with juices
pepper to taste (with all the canned stuff salt was not necessary)
1 pound mussels, scrubbed and debearded (I just threw frozen ready to go mussels in)
1 pound white fish cut into 1 inch chunks
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 TBSP chopped fresh basil

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and pepper flakes; cook until onions have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and cook 1 minute more.

Whisk together wine and tomato paste in a small bowl; add to onion mixture. Simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and water; cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Stir in clams and their juices. Season to taste with pepper. Add mussels, cover pan, and simmer 5 minutes. Add fish and shrimp; simmer until fish is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Discard any unopened mussels. Stir in basil just before serving.

---

I'll post the other recipe after I try it.

[WendyK1974]

Originally Posted by Its me - WENDALINA

on another note... I have read about once a month cooking, but do either of yall cook the bulk of your meat for the week on one day then just do the sides on the day you eat it? I was just wondering about ways to keep us from eating out more. I know I am going to use my crockpot a few times a week, and I will try to get DH to grill at least once. So I was just wondering about the other 3 or 4 nights. We have a VERY BAD habit of eating out on a whim... sooooo without further adooo the role of June Cleaver will now be played by ME!

No I don't think most meats stand up well to being cooked, frozen, and then reheated. You can get away with something like taco meat (make up the seasoned meat mixture, freeze, then thaw and heat when you need it). I have done that and it is fine. Also, fattier meats are better (pulled pork, etc.)

Sometimes I just make extra and eat the same thing 2 nights in a row. Luckily my husband doesn't complain.

I've tried some of the casserole/pie recipes on Linda's site and I think some of those could be made up ahead and frozen without problems. Soups can be made ahead and frozen. You can do double duty with some things (roast a chicken one night, use leftovers for something else another night).

[WendyK1974]

Originally Posted by WendyK1974

Cioppino

Olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
3 garlic gloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup dry red wine (I used Sherry because that it what I had.)
2 TBSP tomato paste
2 (28oz) cans chopped tomatoes
1 cup water
2 (6.5 oz) cans chopped clams with juices
pepper to taste (with all the canned stuff salt was not necessary)
1 pound mussels, scrubbed and debearded (I just threw frozen ready to go mussels in)
1 pound white fish cut into 1 inch chunks
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 TBSP chopped fresh basil

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and pepper flakes; cook until onions have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and cook 1 minute more.

Whisk together wine and tomato paste in a small bowl; add to onion mixture. Simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and water; cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Stir in clams and their juices. Season to taste with pepper. Add mussels, cover pan, and simmer 5 minutes. Add fish and shrimp; simmer until fish is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Discard any unopened mussels. Stir in basil just before serving.

---

I'll post the other recipe after I try it.

I just wanted to add that this dish is a bit high in carbs. I think it would be fairly easy to lower the carbs. I didn't add onions (I don't like them). You could use one can of the tomatoes and add more water (or some broth). You could even leave out the wine (maybe add some more seasoning). Or just add the wine and leave out the paste. The South Beach recipes seem to be higher in carbs than Atkin's or others. I allow about 60 grams per day, but there are many days I don't come close so it all works out.

[WendyK1974]

for Jan 8 through Jan 14th

Sat: steak for me, marinated chicken thighs for DH, and broccoli
Sun: mustard pork chops with crispy cabbage
Mon: mushroom jack fajitas (Linda's)
Tues: sausage mac skillet (Dreamfields)
Wed: garlic and herb roasted chicken, roasted root veggies
Thurs: leftover chicken
Friday: chili dog pie (Linda's)

[Speck333]

Wendy, how do you make crispy cabbage?

[WendyK1974]

Originally Posted by Speck333

Wendy, how do you make crispy cabbage?

Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes

I subscribe to Cook's Country so I actually did make this years ago when I saw it. It's delicious. It gives the cabbage a bit of a different taste.

[Speck333]

thanks, I think I'm going to make the exact same thing next week.

[WendyK1974]

I made that grilled chicken salisbury tonight (Linda's) and it was so good. It was very simple. I grilled the chicken on a grill pan. I don't really even like boneless skinless breast, but for whatever reason I loved this. Everyone liked it (and that rarely happens). I just left the spinach off for my 8 year old (God forbid something green should touch his plate).

[Speck333]

Originally Posted by WendyK1974

I made that grilled chicken salisbury tonight (Linda's) and it was so good. It was very simple. I grilled the chicken on a grill pan. I don't really even like boneless skinless breast, but for whatever reason I loved this. Everyone liked it (and that rarely happens). I just left the spinach off for my 8 year old (God forbid something green should touch his plate).

I'm totally ripping off your menu this week. I got a grill pan for Christmas, been asking for it for like 2 years, and I haven't used it yet.

[Speck333]

MON: Cheeseburger Soup/salad (soup recipe here: Cheeseburger Soup Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes, without the potatoes of course)
TUE: Grilled Chicken Salisbury (Linda)
WED: FFY
THU: Mustard Pork chops and "crispy" cabbage (Linda)
FRI: Tacos/Taco salad
SAT: Shrimp and artichokes with dreamfields (along these lines Artichoke Shrimp Linguine Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes)
SUN: Grilled Streak/Green beans

[WendyK1974]

Originally Posted by Speck333

I'm totally ripping off your menu this week. I got a grill pan for Christmas, been asking for it for like 2 years, and I haven't used it yet.

Awesome. My biggest problem is just coming up with ideas.

[LLC]

Originally Posted by Its me - WENDALINA

been trying to get set up for our budget this year... we are seriously gonna dump some debt (minivan and a lot on the house hopefully!). Whats funny is we bought the minivan cause we needed something to hold carseats for the triplets...now that Reagan is here (just in time to pay off the van) I swear we need to upgrade to a church van or something

Anyway, got my menu.... as always no particular order

Spinach stuffed cube steaks - not even sure what a good side would be?Rubbed Ribs sweet potatoe fries collard greens
Crockpot Sticky Chicken brown rice and black beans
Tacos - my family would fall apart without our weekly taco night
Chicken Tenderloin Bacon Melts veg medly
Cubed Burrito Seasoned Beef Bites white bean mash
Steak fries and broccoli

p.s. I am all over that Cioppino recipe if you wanted to share

Thats sounds delicious. How do you prepare it? TIA

[Michelle23464]

Hello I am new here. My name is Michelle. I have been low carbing since the 90's. My husband and myself are both on Low Carb diets. My major problem is my husband does not eat veggies unless they are pureed in his food. And I mean none. It makes it hard to find things to fix but I do what I can.

I have tried in the past to plan out for the entire month per flylady but have not really kept up with it. So I am once again going to try to plan a menu out for the entire month and I just started with a brand new calendar that I have the sticky strips of paper like you see when you have to sign papers it marks the spots you have to sign. I put the names of the recipes on the strips and placed them on my calendar so that if we like a new recipe I can move it to the next month or discard it if the family says yuck. This I hope will make planning for next month even easier and it can be posted in the kitchen for the family to see what to expect for dinner.


My menu for the week of Jan 10-16th.

Monday - Crock Pot Hot Wing Chicken ( new recipe ) / buffalo chicken pizza
Tuesday - Crock Pot LC Orange Chicken ( new recipe)
Wednesday - Meatloaf
Thursday - FFY ( kids ) Rib night for hubby and I
Friday - Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore ( new recipe )
Saturday - LC Mac n Cheese with Ham/beef, bacon bits
Sunday- Chicken Nachos/taco salad

My menu for the week of Jan 17 - 23rd

Monday - Beef Skewers ( new recipe )
Tuesday - Crock Pot Ribs ( new recipe)
Wednesday - Pork Curry over Cauliflower/ Rice
Thursday- Ginger Chicken
Friday - Burgers
Saturday - Chicken Adobo ( new recipe )
Sunday- Crock Pot chicken wings ( new recipe)

[Its me - WENDALINA]

Originally Posted by LLC

Thats sounds delicious. How do you prepare it? TIA

I usually soak the cube steaks in evaporated milk all day to tenderize (and also cause I usually use venison cube steaks and it takes the gamey taste out) then I mix up some spinach and ricotta cheese with a squirt of lemon juice and a little crushed garlic in it. Mix together and slather on the steaks. Roll them up and secure with a toothpick. I then brown them in a skillet and put em in the oven to finish off. Sometimes I drizzle them with a little more spinach and some grated mozz cheese.

Not the most exact precise measurements I realize but I make this one with the same ingredients but a little different each time. You really cant screw it up. I hope this helps a little bit.

[Speck333]

Michelle, welcome aboard! I used to do two weeks at a time, but it was too much. Good luck with monthly! I hope the system works for you. I love flylady, too!

[Michelle23464]

Thanks for the Welcome!

I actually have the entire month planned out now. I spent a lot of time yesterday planning and looking up recipes. Going over my old calendars I had done in the past.

I think since they are on sticky notes it will be easier as I can just move them from one month to the next. So my next month "should" kinda plan itself except for a few spots that we didn't really like the recipe that day. I have lots of new ones and a standby of cooked taco chicken meat in the freezer for mexican pizzas or chicken and cheese wraps. I am hoping to have a few extra sticky notes with new ideas or old ones to use as I go that I can swap out on the calendar but as of now I have a different recipe on the calendar for each day.

Michelle

[WendyK1974]

That's great Michelle. I managed 2 weeks this time. Sometimes I cannot even manage one. LOL I'm trying to be more organized with it.

[Its me - WENDALINA]

ok... this has nothing to do with my menu really but.... We have snow AGAIN today! We got about 3 inches of snow last night and now 1 inch of ice on top of that and it is still sleeting! what in the world is going on here in HOTlanta

[Speck333]

Originally Posted by Its me - WENDALINA

ok... this has nothing to do with my menu really but.... We have snow AGAIN today! We got about 3 inches of snow last night and now 1 inch of ice on top of that and it is still sleeting! what in the world is going on here in HOTlanta

Global Warming sorry. Had to!

[Its me - WENDALINA]

yeah, I put on my Al Gore sunblock and went sledding!