Menu Plan Week 76 with Trim Healthy Mama
The menu plan for week 76 is filled with cook once/eat twice entrees hopefully giving me the opportunity to spend my meal prep time investigating new sides, snacks, breads, and desserts that are compliant with the Trim Healthy Mama eating plan. Very often I find myself so busy exploring new main dish recipes, I have no time to develop a group of truly great sides, snacks, breads, and desserts. Hopefully this week will allow just that.
The breakfasts planned during week 76 include two untried but appealing additions, a breakfast cake and a breakfast bake. It appears that both will allow repeat servings.
The lunches I have planned for week 76 include two new soups, both included in the Trim Healthy Table cookbook. The bean, bacon and butternut soup was suggested by my daughter who tried it last week and found it successful. Once again I am relying on soups for lunch since we continue to have cold, damp, bone chilling weather.
Chicken Fajita Soup page 90 Trim Healthy Table
Creamy Bean, Bacon, and Butternut Soup pie 98 Trim Healthy Table
The dinners planned for week 76 are quite simple. They are almost entirely made up of cook once/eat twice meals. It is always great after I spend lots of time in the kitchen one week that I can slack off during the next. I enjoy more time for a variety of other projects or simply research additional recipes. Very often I spend time finding ideas for new THM sides and salads to compliment entrees that are planned. Occasionally I spend time figuring out how to make some of our old traditional family favorites more THM compliant. More often than not I just relish the idea that I can pull something out of the refrigerator and pop it into the oven and voila! dinner is served.
I always look forward to the gourmet burgers from Harris Teeter. They are truly an enjoyable meal and we seldom have them in the winter. Hopefully the weather will cooperate next weekend and grilling will be tolerable for the ‘Ole Buckeye. I am planning Amy’s Chili on Sunday, the perfect meal for the Super Bowl. Although watching the game is not high on my “to do” list, chili on this particular day seems quite appropriate.
Week 76 appears to be effortless in the kitchen as well as an easy week of grocery shopping…aside from a splurge on the chili…easy on the budget.
I would like to mention a few things about last weeks successes and failures. I have come to the realization that I have a weekly menu plan, but often do not comment on the successes and failures. In addition I often make additions to the entrees that prove to be quite enjoyable but are not included in the menu planning. I will try to do a short recap each week. I will link to the prior week’s menu plan and make comments on the new recipes.
I continue to try low carb versions of bread, desserts, and pancakes. I am nearly always disappointed. I tried thise low carb pancakes and although far from the real thing, when I paired them with fresh blueberries they were tolerable…in fact the best that I have tried. I fixed them for myself only, because the ‘Ole Buckeye is a pancake expert…he would not have approved!
The breakfast tacos on Saturday morning were really good. I topped mine with salsa and the ‘Ole Buckeye, sour cream. He was not a fan of the onion to bacon ratio and would have preferred less onion and more bacon. I would have eaten these straight out of the skillet, no taco shell needed. These were my kind of eggs.
I never made the Creamy Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal. We had enough giant blueberry pancake for an additional breakfast. The giant pancake has become a breakfast favorite.
On Friday night when we enjoyed a repeat of the cowboy grub, I decided to make a THM cornbread to accompany the dish.
Budget Friendly Cornbread Once again this recipe does not come close to good old fashioned cornbread, but it was great to have with this particular dinner. Paired with the “grub” it gave me the taste and texture I needed.
I do miss good breads on the THM plan, especially with a “S” meal. In fact I am finding that I am missing carbs all of a sudden, after weeks and weeks of being fairly satisfied. Bread, pizza, pasta…yum.
Sunday became a family dinner day and I served the Pepperoni Chicken Pizza Bake because I knew it would be a crowd pleaser especially with the grand girls. It was.
Monday night the ‘Ole Buckeye had a dinner meeting (which he forgot to mention) and I finished the cowboy grub.(while binge watching the Bachelor.) That means the stuffed peppers move to Tuesday and the Award Winning Chili Pie will have its’ first appearance next Monday. In fact the peppers are prepped and waiting for their debut. Oh well, the best laid plans are seldom completely implemented.
So there you have it…another week, another menu and more great eating ahead. Bon Appetit.
