Monday Menu Planning

The next couple of weeks will be unusual here at the Castle as we have Beren's girls for two weeks solid! This will be the first time they've stayed with us for such an extended period of time and while I'm certainly looking forward to it, it does present a few challenges.

I've mentioned before that they are rather picky eaters and, unlike the rest of us, not fans of vegetables but also don't eat meat so cooking for them is a bit difficult! They eat lots of pasta at home so I'll be focusing on that and will sneak some veggies in where I can. *wink*

Meatless Monday ~ Cheryl's Spinach Cheesy Pasta
Take-Out Tuesday ~ Pizza Night
Weight Watchin' Wednesday ~ Shepherd's Pie (vegetarian)
Thrifty Thursday ~ I have all of these ingredients on hand making this Mexican Vegetarian Casserole a cheap and easy meal!
Fishy Friday ~ Ack! Neither of them eat fish so it's going to be Clean Out Refrigerator Night, am sure there will be enough leftovers to go around
Social Saturday ~ Family BBQ - burgers, veggie dogs, the usual fare
Slow Mo' Sunday ~ Crockpot Veggie Soup

On My Hearth: Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken Barbecue

A slight variation to the weekly menu as I have a package of plain boneless chicken breasts that I need to cook. This simple crockpot recipe will be perfect today, especially with the original author's option of serving over potatoes since they happened to be on sale this week. I cut down on the fat & calories even further by using fat-free Italian dressing.

P.S. This meal was a HUGE hit at my house! We had impromptu dinner guests, was a quick and easy dish to serve poolside while enjoying the lovely weather. Everyone raved about it, will definitely make it again.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken Barbecue

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
12 ounces barbecue sauce
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Place chicken in a slow cooker. In a bowl, mix the barbeque sauce, Italian salad dressing, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over the chicken.

Cover, and cook 3 to 4 hours on High or 6 to 8 hours on Low.

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 291 Calories; 12g Fat (37.6% calories from fat); 28g Protein; 16g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 68mg Cholesterol; 744mg Sodium. Exchanges: 4 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 2 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.


Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0

On My Hearth: Slow Mo' Saturday

We're supposed to be sailing today but apparently Mother Nature has other ideas as it's been raining for hours. I'm hoping that the skies clear up a bit and we're able to continue on with our plan, but this easy slow cooker chicken will be perfect after a day out on the water or a cozy day at home.

I'm using boneless chicken breasts because that's what I have on hand, and fresh basil from my garden instead of dried.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Chicken and Noodles

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Main Dish

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 celery stalks -- cut up
2 carrots -- cut up
1 large onion -- sliced
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
4 cups uncooked noodles
1 chicken

Place the veggies on the bottom of the pot, put the chicken on top, followed by the seasonings. Pour 3 cups of water over. Set it on low and cook for 8-10 hrs. Take chicken out (carefully, because it will come off the bones) and put noodles in the broth, turning it up to high. Let the noodles cook for 45 minutes, while you take the meat off the bones. Mix the meat in. This is like a very thick chicken soup and the basil makes this delicious!

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 241 Calories; 9g Fat (34.9% calories from fat); 31g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 89mg Cholesterol; 1209mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 4 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fat.

On My Hearth: Slo-Mo Saturday

Beren and I have a busy day planned, errands and castlekeeping and visiting Mom. I'm going to do the prep work for this and put it in the slowcooker on low, don't want the seafood to overcook. I'll be stopping by my favorite French bakery for a nice baguette to accompany this soup, can't wait for dinnertime!


Tomato Seafood Soup

From Simple & Delicious

SERVINGS: 8
CATEGORY: Lower Fat
METHOD: Stovetop - One-Dish
TIME: Prep: 10 min. Cook: 35 min.

INGREDIENTS

* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
* 1 jar (14 ounces) spaghetti sauce
* 1 cup salsa
* 3/4 cup chicken broth
* 1/2 cup white wine or additional chicken broth
* 3 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
* 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
* 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 1 package (12 ounces) frozen uncooked shrimp, thawed, peeled and deveined
* 1 package (8 ounces) imitation crabmeat, chopped or 2 cans (6 ounces each) crabmeat, drained, flaked and cartilage removed
* 1 can (6-1/2 ounces) minced clams, undrained

DIRECTIONS

In a Dutch oven, saute the onion, green pepper and garlic in oil until onion is tender. Stir in the tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, salsa, broth, wine or additional broth and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the shrimp, crab and clams. Cover and simmer for 5-7 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Yield: 8 servings (2 quarts).