The 2020 week 40 menu plan has been created around a new format. I have decided to do a dinner rotation a new way to make it easier to plan ahead. Initially it will be planned in the following way: Burger Night, Ethnic Night, Surf or Turf Night, Chix Fix Night, Family Favs Night, Comfort Food Night, and Family Night. Family night my daughter does the cooking or we have dinner with our son’s family. Occasionally I will include an eat again meal. Hopefully this format will make developing a weekly plan much easier. Easier is always good.
Breakfast
The breakfasts planned for 2020 week 40 rely heavily on E meals. Since most mornings the ‘Ole Buckeye is ready for breakfast before I am, I plan E meals. By making them ahead they can be easily reheated making it easy for us to eat when we are ready. In an effort to have at least one E meal per day, I find morning offerings relatively painless to prepare. Two new recipes are planned along with the peach cobbler, a favorite.
Lunch
I am serving several leftover dinners for lunch since their portions are too small to support an evening meal. The end of the week will feature two new salads, the quinoa salad and the taco salad. Previously the quinoa salad was on the menu plan, but I didn’t have all of the ingredients on hand.
Dinner
The 2020 week 40 dinner plans include three new recipes. The Caesar chicken looks super easy, as does the Barrimundi. The turkey burger recipe from Anne Burrell is quite different, but has great reviews. Luckily I have enough meat loaf available for an additional dinner. The others are proven.
3 Ingredient Baked Caesar Chicken
Lemon, Garlic, and White Wine Baked Barrimundi
Million Dollar Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Hits
Breakfast
Oh My! May I just say that I am forever grateful that I constantly search for new and intriguing recipes. I normally concentrate on main dishes and sides, since so many breads and desserts have been disappointing. Not this one. These muffins may be some of the best muffins I have ever made…hands down. What makes it even better? They are packed with protein and sugar free.
Cran-Apple Holiday Breakfast Muffins
All time…all around favorite. Great for breakfast, as a snack and for dessert. Love BAM (Bust-a-Myth Banana) cake!
I can’t believe I have never tried these pancakes. In fact I have tried so many recipes and am nearly always disappointed. These pancakes were great and quite simple to whip up. Even the ‘Ole Buckeye (a pancake critic) gave them a thumbs up! Additionally, I have found a great keto syrup that I actually enjoy, Lakanto maple flavored syrup.
(Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook page 223)
Lunch
Once again I have come across a delicious soup. Not only did I serve it for lunch, but we had a bowl with our jalapeño burgers as well. Keeper.
Dinner
We started last week with a one skillet recipe that had loads of vegetables and great spicy ginger flavors. I served it with cauliflower rice.
Cashew Chicken
(page 65 Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook)
I have made this Tuscan chicken in the past and even noted in my cookbook that my daughter and the ‘Ole Buckeye enjoyed it. That was a long time ago and definitely worth a revisit. In fact this is a great cook once/eat again chicken dish.
Tuscan Cream Chicken
(page 72 Trim Healthy Table)
If you want steak house worthy creamed spinach…this is it.
I have had the THM cookbook for years and I continually go back to it for new recipes and then ask myself why I have waited so long to try one. I get gourmet Jalapeño burgers at Harris Teeter frequently. Not anymore. This burger is outstanding. I made half a recipe for four large burgers. The only thing I will change for the next time is a little less cumin and a little more jalapeño. The ‘Ole Buckeye grilled them to perfection.
Jalapeno Onion Burger
(page 178 Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook)
I served a refreshing salad with the burgers. It was a recipe that my sister recommended. I normally make our family favorite Greek salad, but I didn’t have peppers on hand. This proved to be a good backup.
I have a variety of great meatloaf recipes, but wanted to try the THM version that is very similar to my mom’s. I questioned part of the instructions, but this recipe was very good. The only revision I made was to add chopped green pepper which was always in my mom’s meatloaf.
Misses
I seldom experience a miss. I don’t know if it is because I thoroughly research each recipe or just plain luck. However I did have a miss last week. We were disappointed in the easy Pizza Casserole. The biggest problem…it made a huge casserole. I will not serve this again as an evening meal. It now appears for lunch until it is gone!
Easy Pizza Casserole
(page 157 Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook)
Food for Thought
We already know that broccoli is a healthy vegetable. But did you know that broccoli has a great deal of protein? In fact calorie for calorie, there is more protein in broccoli than steak. Additionally broccoli does not come with all of the saturated and trans fats.
Recap
What a great week of eating. Unfortunately many of the recipes are only available to those having memberships with Trim Healthy Mama. The upcoming week is filled with healthy food and a variety of easily prepared meals. We continue with our commitment to healthy eating. Bon Appetit!
I’m thrilled that one of my recipe recommendations got mentioned and approved! 🙂