Meal Plan: May 31st - June 6th

This week I am implementing the 80/20 rule. With as much as we have eaten dinner out perhaps it is more like the 70/30 rule this week. The 80/20 Rule is something like this: 80 percent of the time your meals are clean eating, no processed, good for you foods, and 20 percent of the time you have the freedom to eat as you please. I typically eat 6 meals a day, breakfast, lunch, dinner and three snacks. That's 42 meals a week. If you are following the 80/20 rule, that would mean that I could relax for 8 meals out of my week. I'm really only telling you this so I don't feel guilty about putting Cheeseburger Pie on the meal plan. No, no honestly, no one can be at 100% all the time, and you are probably going to fall off the "diet" wagon if you feel like you have to be. When I go to the 20% (probably more like 10% for me) I do still consider my portion sizes and I make sure the following meals are back in the 80%.  

We are trying lots of new recipes this week. 

Weekly Meal Plan:

Sunday - Dinner Out - My birthday dinner

Monday - Dinner Out - My in-laws drove through town and took us out

Tuesday - Chicken Nuggets and Homemade Steak Fries

Recipe from Autumn Calabrese

Wednesday - Thai Basil Chicken

Recipe from the June 2015 edition of  Cooking Light Magazine

Thursday - Shrimp Scampi

Recipe Inspired from Skinnytaste (I'm going sans skewers in a grill pan)

Friday - Cheeseburger Pie - My oldest daughter has a craving.
Get the Recipe

Note: I'm using cheddar cheese instead of processed American cheese.

Be Inspired!

With Love, Alli

Meal Plan: February 15 - February 21

This week is the first week of Lent.  And what happens before Lent?  Mardi Gras!!  This week will be all things New Orleans! I am going to make some of our favorite New Orleans foods and end the week with seeing my favorite New Orleanian, Harry Connick Jr.!!!

Sunday - Left Overs

Monday - Jambalaya

Recipe from My Recipes

Tuesday - Pancakes for Shrove Tuesday
Don't forget to get your Kinklings or Fasnachts! What ever you may call them.

Wednesday - Shrimp Po' Boys

Adapted from my slider recipe...

Ingredients

1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp
Louisiana Fish Fry Products Fish Fry
Louisiana Fish Fry Products Remoulade Dressing or Mayonnaise
Romaine Lettuce - ripped to small pieces
Roma Tomatoes - sliced
Red Onion - sliced
Hoagie Rolls or Baguette
Peanut or Vegetable Oil

Instructions

1. Follow instructions for frying the shrimp on the back of the Fish Fry bag. a. Cover the shrimp with fish fry.
b. Fry in oil
2. Place Remoulade Sauce on bottom of sandwich roll
3. Place two fried shrimp on top the sauce
4. Top shrimp with lettuce, tomato and onion
5. Cover with top layer of sandwich roll
Thursday - Chicken Parmesan Casserole

Recipe from Emily Bites

Friday - One last night of dress rehearsals = Something; sometime

Saturday - Harry Connick Jr. Concert!!

What are you giving up for Lent?

50 States; 50 Meals: South Carolina

I definitely needed a food dictionary for this state. Hoppin John, Perloo, Frogmore Stew, it wasn't easy to make a choice.

What we had for dinner:

Frogmore Stew

Commonly known as Low Country Boil, this dish gets its name from St. Helena Island aka Frogmore, SC.  It traditionally includes redskin potatoes, corn on the cob, kielbasa and shrimp.  I love all the ingredients in this dish except for the Old Bay.  If anyone has a recipe that doesn't require Old Bay please pass them on.  This is a great summer family get-together meal.
Try this recipe from My Recipes.
Ingredients
5 quarts water
1/4 cup Old Bay seasoning
4 pounds small red potatoes
2 pounds kielbasa or hot smoked link sausage, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

6 ears fresh corn, halved
4 pounds unpeeled, large fresh shrimp
Old Bay seasoning
Cocktail sauce
(I added a fresh squeezed lemon juice)

Directions

Bring 5 quarts water and 1/4 cup Old Bay seasoning to a rolling boil in a large covered stockpot.
Add potatoes; return to a boil, and cook, uncovered, 10 minutes.
Add sausage and corn, and return to a boil. Cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Add shrimp to stockpot; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Drain. Serve with Old Bay seasoning and cocktail sauce.
Note: For testing purposes only, we used Hillshire Farm Polska Kielbasa.
 

Love Old Bay? Pair your Frogmore Stew with a Flying Dog Dead Rise

 

Dictionary:

Hoppin John - Black-eyed peas and rice
Perloo - One pot rice dish similar to jambalaya 

 

Next State: South Dakota

What's for dinner?: July 27 - August 2

Here's what we are having for dinner this week:

Sunday: Pizza Hut Big Dinner Box with Friends

Two medium pizzas and two sides or a third pizza.  Great deal!!

Monday:  Mojo Chicken on the grill, Corn, Potato Salad

Tuesday: Vermont State Dinner - American Chop Suey

Elbow macaroni, ground beef, tomato sauce and veggies


Wednesday: Shrimp Po Boys, Chips and Cole SlawFind the recipe here
I will be making full sandwiches instead of the sliders.

Thursday: Chicken Tostadas with Avocado Salsa and Refried Beans
The original recipe uses a rotisserie chicken.  We are using the left over Mojo chicken.  Find the recipe at My Recipe. 

Friday: Out to dinner

Saturday: Dinner with Friends.  I'm bringing Fruit Salad.  I can't wait to make this fruit salad by FirstYum.

50 States; 50 Meals: Nevada

Well it's a good thing that we weren't actually in Nevada for this meal because it didn't have the "stay there".  Get it?  Bad Joke.

So obviously when anyone things of Nevada they think of Las Vegas and when they think of eating in Las Vegas they think of All-you-can-eat buffets.

Our buffet included the basics you would see on any buffet.  I wanted to keep everything an appetizer size because we were decorating our Christmas tree at the same time.  It is our family tradition to have an appetizer dinner (aka Pickies; aka Appy's; aka Mrs. Flax dinner, Mermaids movie anyone) while putting up our tree so this worked out perfectly.  We had:
99-Cent Shrimp Cocktails
Steak Bites to stand in for Prime Rib
Grilled Mushrooms
Veggies
Summer Sausage - This was to fulfill another Christmas tradition


I filled the green dish with ice and then placed the shrimp on top in effort to make it look like a buffet chafing dish. 

I used Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond's recipe for the steak bites.  They were amazing.  Butter and Steak.  What could be better?  To add on to the steak I also cooked up some button mushrooms in some butter too with a splash (or two, or three) of red wine.  I have to say as we get closer to New Year's Eve those steak bites I have been on my mind. 

It was a  very delicious dinner.  We all got to keep our money but I would have liked to catch Britney Spears residency show or the Blue Man group. ;)

Next, we head back to New England for a mapley dinner.