Meals for the Week of September 13, 2010

I'm very tardy this week.  I'm full of reasons and excuses, but I won't bore you with that.  I will say that on the 4th it was my birthday and then a holiday weekend and I didn't get as much cooking, research and reading done as I would have liked.  In fact, I'm embarrassed to reveal that although I did look for something to write about this week, nothing caught my interest enough to want to share it with you.  I couldn't possibly do yet another blurb on back to school or packing lunches.  So I thought maybe I'd just get right to it and just do the meal plan.
I do have a request for my readers though; I would love some feedback.  I have been told that sharing cooking tips and links to articles and information that I find interesting is a great part of my weekly post, but I would love to get more requests and comments about what kind of information and resources you want.  So comment here or drop me a line at info @ e-mealplanning.com and let me know your thoughts.
Thanks!

Meals for the Week of September 13, 2010

Turkey Sloppy Joes- Sloppy joe’s don’t have to come from a can, it’s so easy to make the saucy meat mixture from scratch.  And this version uses lower fat ground turkey and whole wheat buns to make it healthier.

Calico Bean Soup- This vegetarian slow cooker recipe is healthy and provides plenty of fiber and protein.  It uses dry beans, which means you could start this soup before bed and let it cook overnight, then keep it warm all day to eat for dinner that next night.  If you’d rather not do that, use canned beans and cook it on low for 6 hours.

Salmon with Orange Mustard Sauce- If you have a good size microwave that has a turntable to rotate food, give this recipe a try.  Salmon is quick cooking and this meal is even quicker steamed in the microwave.  One note- it doesn’t state to cover the food when cooking, but you should cover it with plastic wrap so that it steams to cook.

Coconut Shrimp Soup- Easy to make Thai-style soup.  It doesn’t take any hard to find ingredients and still result in a flavorful soup.

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce- Simple and delicious.  I love this sauce. 

Simply Roasted Pork- One 3oz slice of this pork tenderloin roast is 159 calories.  Pork tenderloin is naturally flavorful and lean.  It takes just a few simple seasonings to make this great weekend dinner.

Mexican Taco Stew- It’s sort of like a chili with ground beef and black beans but the seasoning is more in line with tacos and it doesn’t have to cook all day like other kinds of stew, it’s ready in about 30 minutes.  This would also be great to serve on the weekend while watching football.

Broiled Lemon Garlic Chicken- Fast and easy method for delicious roasted chicken.  It goes perfect with a salad.

Rigatoni with Goat Cheese- Super easy, takes just 10 minutes.  An easy vegetarian meal or serve it with grilled chicken and a salad.

Low Carb Low Fat Grilled Eggplant- This is sort of a casserole, but not quite, layering slices of grilled eggplant with ricotta cheese and roasted red peppers.  You can actually serve individual “stacks” of the layers.

Side Dishes/Dessert

Quinoa Salad-  Unique combination of cranberries and sun dried tomatoes with a lemony dressing.  Simple and you can make it ahead, perfect to put in your lunch.

Last week I provided a couple healthy dessert recipes.  This week, I wanted to share two cookie recipes I tried and loved.  Both rather simple to make, and both make a lot of cookies, perfect to use for parties or to donate for school bake sales.  The chocolate chip one can also be portioned and frozen to just keep on hand whenever you need to make a few cookies.

Butterscotch Cookies

Hot Chocolate Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies