The week 2 of 2019 menu plan took advantage of some great grocery specials as well as meals left from the past week.  When the ‘Ole Buckeye prepares his own breakfasts and lunches (mostly off plan) the meals that I prepare go much further.  I often freeze individual portions so that I can “grab and go” as needed.  That has come in really handy these past weeks as we spend much more time with our grand daughter.  She remains at home recuperating and although she is fairly self sufficient on her crutches, we prefer not to leave her alone.

I am having difficulty dropping the pounds that I put on over the past month.  I have decided to spend some time reviewing the guidelines of the THM plan and studying a Quick Start Guide Quick Start Guide to get remotivated and back on track.  I have also come to the conclusion that stress is the quiet enemy of weight loss.

The breakfast plan for week 2 has several new recipes some of which are single serve.  The ‘Ole Buckeye will be relieved to find that there will be a weekend of his favorites…bacon and eggs, and Greek eggs.  I have not been doing well on breakfasts for him.  He has been living on cereal for weeks.

Banana Creme Cake   THM E

Volcano Mudslide Muffin   THM S

Berry Oat Breakfast Cake   THM E

I am making a huge pot of Zuppa Toscana (family favorite) for lunches during week 2.  It goes a long way and will be especially good during the cold week ahead.   The frittata squares have proven to be very handy over the past week, not only as a cook once/eat again, but also because they are great for breakfast or lunch.  We even provided them for our grand daughter on the morning that the ‘Ole Buckeye was staying with her.  I also subbed the Slow Cooker Mexican Quinoa with the One Pan Tex Mex Quinoa, because I remembered that we enjoyed it more in the past.  Recipes from Week 1

One Pan Tex Mex Quinoa   THM S

Zuppa Toscana page 86 Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook

Chopped Salad   THM S (without honey in the dressing) and berries instead of craisons.

The dinner plans for week 2 include Kroger meat specials…chuck roast, pork chops, and pork roast.  We liked the white chicken chili so much last week that we are repeating it for Super Bowl Sunday.  Chicken thighs were a bargain buy at Lidl.  It was a great week for buying meat on sale!

Mississippi Pot Roast   THM S

Emeril’s Pan Roasted Pork Chops   THM S

Orange Chicken THM S page 72 Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook

Smoke Alarm Pork Loin   THM S

Taste of Home Casserole  THM S  Page 144 Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook  (I have read several rave reviews about this one)

I must say that I did a lot of cooking over the past week.  I made several meals for my son’s family on top of meals at home.  There were several successful first tries that we enjoyed.  Obviously the white chicken chili was a hit since it is already a planned repeat.

The Frittata was extremely good and very versatile, although it took a great deal of time.

The firecracker salmon was excellent, although the next time I will not bother searing it.  It made a mess of the stovetop and I don’t think searing made a difference in the flavor.  The Swedish Meatball recipe was shelved for a different time.  I made a mushroom meatball recipe (an old family standby) instead that served both our family and my son’s.  I also made a lasagna soup for them that can be used for a dinner meal.

Zucchini Gruyere Frittata   THM S

One Pot Lasagna Soup  (not on plan)

So there it is.  A successful week completed and a plan for the week ahead.  I hope to be more diligent in mixing fewer S meals and incorporating more E and FP meals going forward.  More study and attention to mixing it up each day will be required.  That will be the goal.  Until next time…bon appetit.