Menu Planning Monday: Week of 8/1

Food for thought:

Last week, I stumbled up KitchenStewardship.com, which I love!! I am now subscribed to her blog, in Google Reader, so I might be sharing some of her “Monday Mission” challenges each week with my menus. In her words, “Monday Mission” is about:

I found one that I already practice from time to time, just because it saves me money: Shredding Your Own Cheese. I would challenge you to read it.

Do you shred your own cheese?

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps – Cooking Light

Dinners
Monday – Tomato Basil Pasta Salad (found on Kitchen Stewardship)
Tuesday – Grilled Chicken Thighs with Pineapple, Corn, and Bell Pepper Relish (Cooking Light – 242 cal)
Wednesday – leftovers
Thursday - Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Cooking Light – 265 cal) with Zucchini Fries
Friday – leftovers
Saturday – my sister’s birthday party!
Sunday - California Chicken Wraps (again, from Kitchen Stewardship)

Favorite Dinner Last Week

Quick Chili Con Carne (from Cooking Light 2001)

1 lb. ground round
1 c. coarsely chopped onion
1 chopped red bell pepper (I used yellow I had on hand)
1 Tbl. ground red pepper **(I only had crushed red pepper, so instead I used 1 Tbl. chili powder and 1/2
         Tbl. crushed red pepper – really hot – see note**)
1 1/2 c. spicy-hot vegetable juice (I used water)
1 c. frozen corn
1 c. beef broth (I put in 2 c., since I didn’t have the vegetable juice)
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
6 Tbl. fresh minced cilantro
6 Tbl. shredded cheddar cheese (I shredded my own from block)
6 Tbl. sour cream

**Since, I made the substitution above with chili powder instead of ground red pepper, the soup was VERY hot (for me). So, I had to add some things to calm it down. In the end, my husband LOVED the flavor and spiciness of the soup, and I thought it was very good too. I added 1 (15 oz.) can green beans with liquid, honey (probably 2 Tbl.?) and some water (since it was simmering for longer, some of the liquid had evaporated).

1. Cook beef in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. (I dumped out grease.) Add onion, bell pepper, and red pepper; saute 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add juice, corn, broth, and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Spoon into each of 6 soup bowls, and top each serving with cilantro, shredded cheese, and sour cream. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup chili, 1 tablespoon cilantro, 1 tablespoon cheese, and 1 tablespoon sour cream). Calories: 269 (23% from fat)

Favorite Leftover:

We also really like the Tequila-Glazed Grilled Chicken Thighs (though since I was too cheap to buy Tequila, I used water in place of Tequila)! However, since we don’t have a gas grill, it took awhile to cook and thus was not our favorite for this week. I wanted to mention this and also show you what we did with the leftovers (since we didn’t do our normal heat up and eat).

MmmmM – this Tequila Chicken in a salad as leftovers was delicious!! If you need some more menu ideas check out the many blogs that participate in Menu Plan Monday over at I’m an Organizing Junkie.

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