Another week's menu

I wont post the pictures of the fruit and vegetables I wash every week. Most of them are the same. Seems I have finally gotten pretty tired of just apples and carrots for my mid day break at work. I now am hooked on "Laughing Cow" cheese. I dip celery stick in this cheese. Fortunately it is only 1 Weight Watcher point.
I do still need to eat at least 5 servings of vegetables/fruit a day.  As you age interior organs just don't work like they did when you were young. Over time eating processed foods, dyes, pesticides can put a strain on your whole system.
Yes, I do preach to some of my fellow employees, but it is important to keep yourself healthy because older age is JUST AROUND THE CORNER.

We bought two prepared meals this week as I am trying to catch up on some of the projects I have been working on. These prepared foods are from Trader Joe's and I can either make or buy any of the ingredients. That's the key.

Here is my weekly menu:

Saturday we had leftovers from dinner out Friday night. We went to the Western Steakhouse in Rosenberg. As soon as we got our meal we put half of it in a to-go container. If you wait until you are half way done you WILL pick on it. So half of the baked potato and meat was eaten Saturday night.

Tonight is Beef Stroganoff with egg noodles. We bought some sweet corn so that will be our veggie. I will have an apple for desert. Of course a glass of wine and small square of dark chocolate is a must.


Instructions: 

Heat large frying pan add 1 tablespoon olive oil

Add 1/4 C chopped onions cook for 4 minutes then 1 medium minced garlic
Add sliced, against the grain, beef strips. The amount depends on how much meat you like. Brown the beef. Add 1-1/2 C water or beef broth and cook for 30 minutes until beef is tender. 

(On the side mix 1/4 C cold water with 1 1/ tablespoons either flour or cornstarch. Mix until the lumps are gone)

While the beef is cooking boil your favorite noodle. I use egg noodles.
Add 2 tablespoons ketchup and as many sliced mushrooms you like.
Cook for 5 minutes then add the water/cornstarch mix.
Turn off the heat and add 1 C sour cream.

Pour over egg noodles. 
Serve with cottage cheese and a salad

This weeks menu and recipes

Another time saving day. I am getting ready for a drizzly week.

As usual I wash all my produce. I added organic celery this week. I bought laughing cow cheese and will use celery for the dipper.

The easiest way to get a bang out of stew meat is cut it up yourself. Thank you son for the best knives in the world. I felt like I was cutting butter instead of meat.
We also added Trader Joe's salad for our Saturday lunch.

Cut meat in small cubes and put in frig.

Cutco knives are amazing

Now for the weekly recipes:  I have made chicken/pasta/bean salad before and also tuna. Here are the picks and recipes.

1. The bowl is for Chicken/pasta/bean salad. So far I cut up celery, black olives and added drained rinsed pinto beans.
2. The oblong container is for tuna salad sand. Celery again and cubed Trader Joe's sweet pickles (no dyes in these pickles. They use turmeric).
3. The orange bowl is for hubby's antipasti salad. Olives so far.

1. I added chicken cubes. 2. Add two drained cans of albacore tuna. 3. Add cut up uncured salami, cubes of your favorite cheese, and pepperchinis.

1. Add pasta and shaved raw cheddar cheese (you can use Parmesan), 1/2 C Newman's Italian salad dressing (high fructose free dressing), salt and pepper to the chicken/pasta/bean dish.
3. Also added 2 Tablespoon Newman's Italian dressing.

1. The salad is finished. 2. Added 2 hard boiled eggs and mayo then mixed. 3. Added 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano.
Add salt and pepper to taste over all dishes.
I scoop tuna salad with crackers or celery sticks for lunch.

I am ready for the week.
Next I will brown the burger for my Favorite Taco Salad. Later brown the beef cubes for my crock pot beef stew, later this week, adding cut up spuds, onions, carrots, and beef broth.
Tip: add spuds, carrots, and onions with browned meat and store in ziplock bag. The night before I put crock pot on the counter with the spices I will add and the carton of beef broth. Easy Peazy. Set on low and off to work.

Easter Dinner in our TinCan

Living in Texas makes it hard to find leg of lamb. Its cattle cattle cattle here. I did fine a lamb steak at HEB. I marinated it and grilled it along with partial cooked red potatoes/onions/mushrooms, steamed asparagus, deviled eggs, and homemade fruit salad.

Marinaded Lamb 2 servings

Combine: 1/3 C olive oil, minced clove of garlic, 1/2 teaspoon oregano and mint, 1/2 juiced lemon, and salt and pepper to taste.
Put this in a zip lock bag and add the lamb steak. Put in frig all day. Approximately 5 hours.

I cooked our lamb steak on our inside grill.

I love this grill. I have a flat side too for pancakes. I no longer fry taco shells I use this.

Fruit Salad  4 servings

Early in the day I cut up one peeled apple, one grapefruit WITH JUICE, 1 can of rinsed mandarin oranges.
The grapefruit juice is a substitute for lemon juice keeping the apple from turning color.

Grilled Red Potatoes 2 servings


Cook or microwave two red potatoes. Cut in pieces and add: onion chunks, and mushroom halved.
Add 3  tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon mint and oregano, salt and pepper.
Grill on a grill until done.

Marinated Lamb and potato mixture

Steamed asparagus

Fruit salad, asparagus, grilled lamb and potatoes, deviled eggs, and wine

Saturday's Dinner..more to come

I have decided to change my cooking day to Saturday. Now laundry, groceries, and cooking are on Saturday. I want Sunday to be the "DAY OF REST". Only reading and enjoying the country air out here.

Here is the produce I washed Saturday:

Apples, grapefruit, lemons, avocado, two bags of carrots, tomato, potatoes, asparagus, cucumber, and garlic.
In the background you will see corn tortillas, 3 pack of romaine lettuce, and a large loaf of sourdough bread from Trader Joe's.

Saturday's dinner was Tamale Pie. My Nana used to make this with leftover turkey from our Thanksgiving dinner. She never wrote the recipe down, but I watched her make this many times.

Tamale Pie

Combine: 1/2 C flour, 1/2 C cornmeal, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix well.
Add: 1/2 C milk, 1 beaten egg, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon minced serrano pepper, and 1/2 C any shredded cheese. Set aside.

Saute 1/2 C chopped onions, salt and pepper to taste, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1-14 ounce can of diced tomatoes (I added leftover tomatoes I had for salads and cooked this mixture a bit longer), 1 C frozen kernel corn. Cook for 15 minutes. Add leftover cooked turkey chunks and 1/2 can olives cut in half. Add two spoonfuls of cornmeal mixture. Cook 5 minutes.

Spray 8x8 pan with olive oil spray add meat mixture. Top with cornmeal mixture. Cover with foil.

Cook at 350 degrees for approximately 40 minutes until mixture bubbles and topping is done.

Take foil off and add 1/2 C shredded cheese and cook until melted.