Here is what you need:

1.5 lb of beef cubes (or you could buy a roast and cut it into cubes)

5-6 Russet potatoes, cut to your preference (just so you know, Russet potatoes are the best)

1 lb bag of petite baby carrots

1 large onion, cut to your preference

1 Swanson Flavor Boost packet (or any type of chicken or beef stock)

Additional seasonings as desired.

Here is what you do:

Cook beef on high for one hour. Add the potatoes, carrots, onion, flavor packet, and just enough water to cover everything. Cook on high for one hour, then turn to medium until done.

This is a delicious healthy alternative for those who LOVE beef stew but don’t want all of the extra calories that you have when you use a gravy. It’s just as filling and yummy and much less calories. (and did I mention, it’s easy?) :)

Enjoy!

TUESDAY: Enchilada Casser-Ole!

WEDNESDAY: Chicken Breasts with Tomatoes and Olives.

THURSDAY: Shrimp Sandwich Wrap with Curry Yogurt and Spinach.

FRIDAY: Homemade pizza night! I don’t have our recipe (yet!), but here is a yummy, health(ier) version to try out!

SATURDAY:  leftovers!

SUNDAY: Crockpot Easy Beef Stew.

SNACKS: POM-Banana-Strawberry Smoothies! Skinny Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Scones.

DESSERTS: Jdogg’s Birthday is coming up, so will try the Makeover Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake!

Follow our menu plan, or link to yours down below! Have a great week!

I recently came across this recipe for Dijon Shrimp.  Unfortunately, I don’t remember exactly where I found it, but it’s quickly become a favorite of mine.  It’s so quick to prepare that it’s become one of my mid-week staple recipes since I’m generally crunched for time during the week when it comes to cooking.

I hope you’ll give it a try and that you enjoy it as much as I do!  Do you have any favorite shrimp recipes?  If so, please leave a comment with a link to it.

Resource:  SparkRecipes.com

]]> http://shrinkingjeans.net/2012/01/recipe-dijon-shrimp/feed/ 4 http://shrinkingjeans.net/2011/12/its-the-most-wonderful-but-busy-time-of-year/ http://shrinkingjeans.net/2011/12/its-the-most-wonderful-but-busy-time-of-year/#comments Sun, 18 Dec 2011 12:06:29 +0000 Nancy http://shrinkingjeans.net/?p=15871 I don’t know about you, but I feel like I am meeting myself coming and going lately. We go to school through December 21 and that doesn’t give me much time before Christmas to get a lot done. I’ve been trying to not let cooking right go by the wayside.

I have found that at busy times like now, my crockpot is one of my very best friends. With a little meal planning at the beginning of the week, we can have yummy and healthy meals at home when it would just be easier to just grab something in a drive up or restaurant.

Sometimes I go to the old tried and true recipes that I have made for years. A lot of times, I make some of the great recipes from right here at Shrinking Jeans. Other times I make some of the newer ones that I have come across on Facebook and Twitter. But lately, I have found lots of yummy recipes on a website I came across called eatwell.com.

With the cold weather finally starting to set in here in northwest Indiana, my family loves a good hearty meal of any kind of soup or stew. Eat Well doesn’t disappoint in this department. They have some really good recipes with low calories. It’s a win/win situation.

Here are the links to some of our favorite recipes I found there.
Southwestern Three Bean and Barley Soup

Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew

Hungarian Beef Goulash

These are just a few of the recipes we have tried. Check out eatwell.com and see what you think. I can tell you one thing for sure. It tastes great and you’ll give yourself a little extra time by using your crockpot.

The moral of the story:  I need to menu plan my butt off each and every week!

The Menu

• Sunday- dinner at Souper Salad, my kid’s favorite place to eat out!
• Monday- Pork Tacos, Spanish Rice, Beans, Salad
• Tuesday- Crock Pot BBQ Chicken, Buttered Noodles, Green Beans
• Wednesday- leftovers
• Thursday- Baked Chicken Parmesan, Green Salad, Garlic Bread
• Friday- leftovers
• Saturday- Mommy will be gone for the night so Daddy will have to fend for himself!

Whew, I did it- I menu planned my butt off and lived to tell about it- woot woot!  I hope ya’ll have a fabulous week.  Make sure to share to the link to your weekly menu plan in the comments section below.

SUNDAY: White Chicken Chili. Cooler weather and football calls for chili and sweatpants.

MONDAY: Parmesan-Sage Pork Loin.

TUESDAY: Easy Chicken-Mushroom Quesadillas.

WEDNESDAY: Italian Vegetable Hoagies.

THURSDAY: Spiced Chicken with Couscous Salad.

FRIDAY: Margherita Pizza.

SATURDAY: Salmon and grilled veggies.

SNACKS: Low-Fat Pumpkin Chip Muffins, Apple Bites

DESSERTS: Monkey Bars

Grocery List

Meat/Fish/Poultry

6 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 -lb pork tenderloin
Schwan’s marinated salmon fillets

Bread

16-20 inch baguette, whole-grain
whole-grain flour tortillas
1 lb bread/pizza dough

Dairy

freshly grated Parmesan cheese
provolone cheese
reduced-fat sour cream
Mexican cheese mix or cheddar
ball fresh mozzarella
low-fat buttermilk

Canned

4 cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 cans cannelini beans
1 can chopped green chile peppers
1 can artichoke hearts
pepperoncini (banana pepper rings)
1 can whole tomatoes
1 can pumpkin

Produce

romaine lettuce
4 onions
fresh garlic
red potatoes
celery
carrots
red onion
tomatoes
cherry or grape tomatoes
snap peas
fresh basil
lemons
white button mushrooms
baby spinach leaves
apples
ripe banana

Miscellaneous

salsa
couscous
chopped walnuts
eggs
12 oz chocolate chips, mini or regular
applesauce
slivered almonds
raisins
apple juice

Stuff You Probably Already Have

Olive Oil
cumin
salt
dried oregano
chili powder
ground cloves
ground red pepper
dry sherry
dried sage
salt-free garlic-and-herb seasoning
canola oil
paprika
kosher salt
sugar
flour
baking soda
baking powder
cinnamon
brown sugar
butter
vanilla extract
powdered sugar

Have a great week, everyone! Want to share your menu plan? Link up below!

It really is undeniable – the crock pot can be a great tool for creating inexpensive, healthy meals.

I’ve tried quite a few new crock pot recipes in the last month or so, and my very favorite is Green Tomatillo Chicken. I seriously can’t stress how absolutely delicious this is…try it! I bet it just might sneak into your regular meal rotation!

Serve with a big green salad.

Also? This dish gets better the next day – amazing leftovers.

If you’re looking for more meal ideas, head on over to this week’s Shrinking Meal Planning. Christy’s got some great (and delicious!) ideas this week – and it’s all about comfort food. Yum!

Am I right?

I am horrible about menu planning, and consequently, find myself pacing the kitchen in the late afternoon, opening and closing the freezer, cursing myself out for not defrosting anything, checking the cupboards to see if something amazing has materialized since I last checked it five minutes ago, all the while being followed around by a whiny three year old who is all of a sudden ravenous. (Run on sentence. Yikes. Sorry).

This week, I’m writing it down. I’m making a grocery list. I’ve got a plan. And lucky you – you can copy it if you want. I know! I’m a giver.

Also? Many of these recipes make for fantastic leftovers. So you could even be covered for lunch the next day…bonus!

Sunday: Flank or flat iron steak (flat iron is generally less expensive) with roasted broccoli and baked potatoes. Yes, I know there’s quite a lot of oil in these two recipes, but olive oil IS good for you. Cut down on the amount of oil in the broccoli if you must.

Monday: White bean chicken chili. Perfect for the cooler fall weather.

Tuesday: Tilapia tacos.

Wednesday: Bowties with ricotta tomato sauce, green salad.

Thursday: Shoyu chicken thighs, brown rice, steamed green beans.

Friday: Homemade pizza night – I buy dough from Trader Joes, and we all do our own toppings. I usually lean toward sun dried tomatoes, light feta, spinach, kalamata olives and mushrooms with an light olive oil/garlic sauce. Husband is all about pepperoni and mushroom, the three year old does mushroom and cheese. Served with a big old green salad.

Saturday: Somebody had better be taking my tired butt out to dinner side eye to husband.

Do you have a menu plan? Link up in the comments!

Also? This grocery list is printable. Yes, I know it looks L-O-N-G, but I’m willing to bet that you have a lot of these items in your pantry. And if not, it’s a good time to stock up.

Happy cooking!

Confession: I am not a planner. I do not enjoy menu planning. I am not really a fan of cooking, period. But this week, ladies and gentlemen, I menu plan. For you. You are very welcome.

Monday: Ginger Chicken with Snow Pea Salad
Tuesday: Healthiest Lasagna Ever
Wednesday: Shredded Chicken Burritos {crockpot}
Thursday: Grilled Salmon and Veggies {grill}
Friday: Sesame-Ginger Flank Steak with Asparagus and Gomashio {grill}

Dessert: Mixed Berry Parfaits
Snack: 2 Ingredient Pumpkin Cookies

SHOPPING LIST {a lot of these you may already have in your kitchen!}:

soy sauce {i use low-sodium}
sugar
rice wine vinegar
toasted sesame oil
dark sesame oil
garlic
ginger
sambal oelek {find with Indian foods}
scallions {a few bunches}
cilantro
sesame seed
sea salt
asparagus {1 lb}
flank steak {1 1/2 lb – 2 lbs}
chicken breasts {3 1/2 lb}
extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt
snow peas {1 lb}
canola oil
1 box {3 oz} strawberry gelatin
strawberries
blackberries
3 cup {prepared} vanilla pudding
1 taco seasoning packet
2 can chicken broth
2 onions
tortillas
cheese (for burritos)
1 (18.25 oz) package spice cake mix
1 (15 oz) can solid pack pumpkin
2 lbs ground turkey (Jennie O’s 99% fat free, no skin)
Italian seasoning
crushed rosemary
fresh ground garlic pepper
4 carrots, finely chopped (I shredded them in a Cuisinart mini prep)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup red wine
28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
6 oz can of tomato paste
part skim ricotta cheese {32 oz container}
Parmesan cheese
egg
Italian parsley
bag of fresh, pre-washed baby spinach {10 oz}
1 box whole wheat lasagna noodles
part-skim Mozarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

LINK UP!

If you post your weekly menu plan on your blog, share you link below. Be sure to link directly to your menu post and NOT to your blog so people can find the post! If you do link up, we’d love it if you’d also link to us. When you put in the description of your link, be descriptive! It’s nice to know if you have gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, casein-free, sugar-free recipes, etc!

Now that the temperatures are cooling down, I love to turn to my crockpot to make nice big batches of chili.

Heck, who am I kidding? I like my crockpot and chili the whole year ’round! I love, love, LOVE the crockpot because you can usually just dump and dash. That’s my kind of cooking!

Crockpot meals are also awesome to add to your menu plans because how awesome is it to come home after a day of errands or volunteering or eating bonbons on the couch to a meal that’s all ready to go.

This recipe in particular is a hit in our house, even with the kids. The individual pieces and parts are big enough for the kids to eat around if they don’t like them, but they still get a pretty good meal in the end.

If you want to make it vegetarian, you can just double the black beans and skip the pork. Pair this with a salad and some tortilla chips and you’ve got a meal!