Menu Monday #3

Oops! It's Tuesday, so I am a bit behind on Menu Monday! I blame it on our weekend travels, but I'm getting caught up now. Last week's diet was going pretty well until we hit the road on Friday. We started the trip off well as I packed our lunches for the road, something I had never done in the past. When we arrived at my parents' house in Ohio, though, we indulged in some Chipotle for dinner, as it is one of our favorites and something we couldn't get in either Georgia, or here in Tennessee. I felt a bit better about it by choosing a new option, brown rice. It saves a few calories, some sodium and adds some fiber and protein! Yay! It was delicious and we're definitely hoping they decide to start building some more of those restaurants near us soon! On Saturday afternoon, we enjoyed my niece's birthday party, but unfortunately the cake and ice cream that goes along with that (it was delicious, sis, but my waistline hates you! ;) haha!). On Saturday evening, we all enjoyed a family dinner at the Der Dutchman restaurant. I tried to be as good as I could at an Amish restaurant by choosing chargrilled chicken, but I lapsed a bit and enjoyed some sweet potato souffle, homemade noodles and bread pudding. Oops! It was super tasty though, and worth every calorie! ;)

Sunday: Cheeseburgers, hot dogs, mac 'n cheese, chips, fresh fruit

My parents grilled out for the family and we shared one more yummy meal before my sister and her family returned to their home that evening. The kids enjoyed some great "picnic" food and their time together.

Monday: Trip back to Tennessee

We didn't pack our meals for this trip, so it was another diet-busting day with stops at Wendy's and Chick-fil-A. I was doing pretty well choosing Wendy's grilled chicken sandwich and new baked sweet potato for a side. I failed by using their cinnamon butter and getting some Wild Berry Lemonade. Sugar overload, but so yummy! :( I didn't have time to get any groceries before dinner, so we ate out again. Double fail. The scale was not kind to me this week after a rough weekend! I somehow managed to avoid any gain, but didn't lose any either. :(

Tuesday: Cajun shrimp and seared pineapples over brown rice with oven roasted parmesan broccoli

Shrimp was on sale today at the Fresh Market as part of their Tuesday specials, so I picked some of that up. Seasoned with my favorite Cajun-Blackening seasoning and served over rice, it is a healthy, tasty dinner. The spicy shrimp pair perfectly with the sweet chunks of pineapple. Love a spicy/sweet combo on my plate! I seared the pineapple in my pan for a bit before setting aside and cooking the shrimp. Broccoli makes a great side for this dish.

Wednesday: Salsa Chicken in whole wheat tortillas with cajun white corn

This is an easy, yummy crock pot meal that I recently improved by subbing Greek yogurt for the sour cream in the dish. I also started making my own taco seasoning too, cutting out that processed ingredient. I would like to try making this homemade cream of chicken soup as well sometime to use, but haven't tried it yet. I like serving this in tortillas and the corn on the side is a great addition. If you haven't noticed, we really like cajun-seasoned food! I boil frozen sweet corn, drain, add a little butter and season generously with the Cajun-Blackening seasoning. Delicious!

Thursday: Cajun Chicken Pasta

Apparently I was craving some heat when I made up the menu this week! haha! I love this dish. It is packed with tons of yummy veggies (peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions) and using whole wheat pasta, it's a healthy one-pan meal. It takes a bit of work to get prepped, but I think it is worth it. It makes plenty of leftovers for lunch too, an added bonus!

Friday: Homemade Margherita pizza

I am finally going to try making my own pizza dough this weekend. I haven't decided if I'll try a regular or whole-wheat dough yet though. I am planning to top the pie with some crushed tomatoes for the sauce and some fresh garlic, basil and mozzarella. We had a super tasty Margherita pizza on vacation, and I think fresh garlic is the component I have been missing. I am excited to see how this one turns out!

Saturday: Out to eat

A shortened week for us, but a full week in the kitchen for me with the addition of a Friday meal at home. Should be yummy. Happy planning!