Menu Planning Monday

I decided to try something new based on something I was already doing. I always plan our menus for the week, even though it's just the two of us right now. It saves me time and money. Generally, we don't have to think too hard about what to fix for supper and it really helps me to use up larger portion items like a roast via made over meals. (ie beef roast for supper one night, then beef pot pie with left over roast beef on another night) I also can plan my menus around what's on sale at the grocery store. It sounds a bit hokey perhaps but I already do it. Then I found a link to a website for moms that host Menu Planning Mondays. You just link your weekly menu into her site and then you can view a whole slew of other families' meals and recipes. I'm always looking for new meal ideas so I figured "Why not?"

So here's what's on our menu this week:

Sunday
Lunch after church-Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken over Brown Rice

Supper-Bean and cheese burritos on whole wheat tortillas, grapes

Monday
Cheesy Potato Soup with carrot sticks and celery

(To make this lower fat, I omit the bacon and use skim milk and 2% Velveeta cheese. I also use less cheese than what the recipe actualy calls for. I just add a little bit and taste it until it's good. My husband prefers a creamy soup so after I boil the potatoes, I mash them with my potato masher. I very rarely actually use the recipe for this as I'm more of an add as you go cook so often I will add mashed potato flakes to thicken the soup up if it gets too thin.)

Tuesday
Pumpkin Bread Pudding and turkey bacon

I adjusted an existing recipe to make it a bit healthier. Here's that version:

Whisk together 2 eggs, 1 egg white, 1 1/2 cups skim milk. Add in 2/3 cup sugar or Splenda, 3/4 cup canned pumpkin, 1 t. vanilla, and 1/4 t. of nutmeg, cinnamon, and ground cloves. Add 3 1/2 cups cubed bread and toss to dampen the bread. Butter a casserole dish and pour the batter into it. Sprinkle with 6 T. of mini chocolate chips and 2-3 T. of brown sugar. Bake in a 350 degree oven in a water bath (place your casserole inside of another baking pan and add hot water until the water is halfway up the side of the smallest casserole) or just bake as you normally would. I've never had a problem not using a water bath. Bake until the pudding is golden brown on top but with no uncooked custard visible. (It should not look like uncooked scrambled eggs. If it does, it is not done. A knife inserted into the custard should come out clean.)

You may have extra pumpkin left over from the can. You can freeze it or use it to make another pumpkin treat. My personal preference? Mix it together with a bit of low fat cream cheese, some Cool Whip, a bit of powdered sugar, and some cinnamon for a great dip for graham crackers. Again I just dump. I would say 1/4 cup pumpkin, 2 oz. cream cheese, maybe 1/4 cup Cool Whip, a couple of tablespoons of powdered sugar and a pinch of spice.

Wednesday
not home for supper

Thursday
Baked potatoes with canned chilli and cheese
Frozen fruit salad (Dole frozen mixed fruit available in the freezer section)

Friday
Cream Cheese Chicken Enchilladas with salsa verde, corn

(I'm not sure about this recipe; it's going to be an experiment. But I do plan on using a recipe I already have for a chicken enchillada casserole as a base.)