Menu Plan Monday-5/04/09

Okay, last week's menu was a wash. I planned 6 days and we ate 2 of them. I was running around like a chicken all week and cooking was low on the totem pole. The only things I made from last week were the Shrimp and Grits and the Pot Roast. The rest would have gotten bumped to this week, but now I am not in the mood for any of it.

So, here is the new week's menu!

Monday--Burger Florentine

Tuesday--Grilled Fish Tacos with Low Carb Tortillas and homemade Guacamole

Wednesday--BBQ Chicken with homemade Alabama White BBQ sauce

Thursday--Chili

Friday--Out for our 16th Anniversary

Saturday--Turkey Legs and Yard long beers at the Renaissance Festival--it got cancelled last weekend due to rain, but we would have eaten this twice anyway!

Burger Florentine

by Dottie at the Low Carb Friends board

2 lbs ground beef

1/2 cup diced onion

1 bag frozen spinach*

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Salt and Pepper

Brown ground beef and onions. Add spinach and cook until meat is done.

Meanwhile, cut cream cheese into several small cubes (ie break it into little pieces with your fingers). Add to cooked meat mixture along with cream, parmesan and salt and pepper. Cover pan with lid and cook a few minutes until cream cheese is softened then mix everything together well.

You could now bake this in a casserole for 20 minutes on 350 like the recipe says, but i never do. This is like hamburger helper for me and gets served right out of the skillet. Make sure you use enough salt and pepper...this stuff is awesome.

*(sub chopped broccoli if you dont like spinach, but spinach is waaay better)

Alabama White BBQ Sauce

from Low Carb BBQ Book by Dana Carpenter

1/2 cup mayo

3 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp spicy mustard

1/2 tsp creole seasoning

1 clove crushed garlic

1 tsp prepared horseradish

Just whisk this alltogether and baste chicken with it. Turns an amber color when you smoke it on the grill.

Menu Plan Monday--4/27/09

I luckily had a little time at work this weekend to get this planned out on paper. We never managed to get the Shrimp and Grits done from last week, so that got bumped to tonight.
Luckily that makes me not have to grocery shop until tomorrow --which is good since my work schedule is crazy this week and I got absolutely zero sleep yesterday. Easy food for Tuesday since I will have worked the night before. Anyway, here it is. All low carb and a recipe or two to boot.

• Monday--Shrimp and Grits (mashed cauliflower subbing for the grits) with Spinach Salad
• Tuesday--Crockpot Pot Roast with Turnips and Green Bean Salad (the turnips peeled and cut up in crockpot in lieu of potatoes)
• Wednesday--Tangerine Up the Butt Chicken (recipe below) and Grilled Broccoli Salad (recipe below)
• Thursday--Grill Basket Lamb Kebabs with Grilled Summer Squash and Mushrooms (cut up a boneless lamb roast into cubes and marinade all day in ziplock bag. Cook on grill in grill basket to skip all the skewering)
• Friday--Portabello Mushroom Pizzas (top lg portabellos with pizza topping and bake...delish!)
• Saturday--Turkey Legs and Yard-long beers at Tennessee Renaissance Festival --it is the first weekend and kids and grandparents get in free!!

Orange-Tangerine Up the Butt Chicken
--from The Low Carb BBQ Book by Dana Carpenter
1 whole roasting chicken (3-4 lbs)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp splenda
1 drop blackstrap molasses
1 tsp chili powder
3 tbsp low sugar orange marmalade
1 can Diet Rite tangerine soda (wash that can!!)
2-3 tbsp oil
1 tsp spicy brown mustard

Light one side of gas grill. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Combine salt, splenda, molasses and chili powder in small bowl. Reserve half the mixture and rub the other half inside the cavity of the chicken.
Stir the marmalade into the reserved seasoning mixture. Open can of soda and pour out 2/3 cup. Add 1/4 of the cup that you poured off into the seasoning mixture and then drink the rest that you poured off.
Punch several more holes in the top of the soda can with a can opener. Spray the can with cooking spray and set it in a shallow baking pan. Carefully place your chicken down over the can, fitting the can into the cavity of the chicken. Rub down the chicken with olive oil.
Set your chicken, standing upright on the soda can on the side of the grill not over the fire. Close the grill and cook at 250degrees for 75-90 minutes or until juices run clear.
While chicken is roasting, add mustard to marmalade seasoning mixture. Use this to baste chicken with for the last 20 minutes or so.

Grilled Broccoli Salad
--Low Carb BBQ Book by Dana Carpenter
1 head fresh broccoli
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
4 tbsp sesame seeds

Trim bottom of broccoli head and separate into large spears. Brush with a bit of olive oil and grill over medium fire until flecked with brown spots. Remove from fire.
Pt broccoli in a bowl and add rest of oil, vinegar, soy sauce and sesame oil. Stir it all up and let set for a half hour.
Meanwhile, toast your sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium flame until they start to make a popping sound. Add to salad and toss to combine. Serve at room temp.

I had posted the Cauliflower recipe I will use tonight previously here.
Enjoy!!

Menu Plan Monday-4/40/09

I think I am going to attempt to do this. It makes my grocery shopping much easier and I buy way less expensive extras. Maybe next week I will get it done in a more timely fashion. This is an ongoing event over at the Organizing Junkie blog.

Monday-BBQ Chicken and Stir Fried Cabbage
Tuesday--Peperoncini Pot roast (yes, I checked that spelling!)*
Wednesday--Tuna Casserole made w/Dreamfields pasta and roasted Broccoli
Thursday--BBQ Ribs and Grilled Asparagus
Friday--Scampi Shrimp and Mashed Cauliflower (posing as grits) and a spinach salad

*Italian Beef (thank you Christy L.)
1 pot roast
1 packet onion soup mix
1 jar peperoncinis with juice
Pile it all in the crockpot and cook for 8 hours.
Delicious.