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Menu Plan Monday – Week of Feb. 16th

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Menu Plan Monday

The theme of not making last week’s recipes continues! My big challenge is that I go to the gym in the evenings. There’s not really much time between getting home and whenever the class starts, and it’s so late when I get home I’m too tired to cook.  I need to find the pre-prep sweet spot so I can continue eating healthy.

MONDAY: Ground Beef Gyros – This is not a blood type diet recipe, at least not for blood type A. But I have ground beef in the freezer I need to use up.

TUESDAY: Lime Fish Tacos – A good warrior genotype recipe if you find a compliant bread/wrap to use

WEDNESDAY: Curried Couscous with Broccoli and Feta – Another warrior genotype recipe. I need a strong protein to go with this.

THURSDAY: Farfalle with Spinach and Mushrooms – Pasta is my favoritest food in the whole world.

FRIDAY: Whichever of the above recipes I didn’t get around to making on the planned day.

BONUS RECIPES: Cranberry Cinnamon Roll-Ups, Tasty Pineapple Lime Drink

 

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This post is linked up with Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie!

Brocoletti with Tofu, Garlic and Raisins

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Brocoletti with Tofu, Garlic, and Raisins

Part of my menu plan was Broccoli Rabe, Garlic and Golden Raisins as found in the Cooking Light magazine back when I had a subscription.

It’s only six ingredients and pulls together in less than 30 minutes. Yay!

However, when I went to Wegmans, I couldn’t find broccoli rabe. I even asked the produce guy who looked at me like I had two heads. I showed him the picture on my MealBoard app and he still didn’t know what I was talking about. And thanks to that same picture, I figured that brocoletti is basically the same thing as broccoli rabe, and it even came in an incredibly convenient 1-lb. bag!

Another 6 ingredient recipe!

Another 6 ingredient recipe!

Confession: That canister of raisins? It’s actually holding regular raisins, golden raisins, craisins, and other tangy dried fruits that I buy in smaller packages. I like variety.

Chopping the brocoletti into 2″ pieces left a jillion little green broccoli tips all over my cutting board and counter. I felt like a serial killer.

I think I'll need a bigger pot.

I think I’ll need a bigger pot.

I also learned I really need a splatter screen.

Tofu doesn't brown as nicely as meat.

Tofu doesn’t brown as nicely as meat.

Everything came together so rapidly I didn’t have time for more pictures. If you had told me before that the combination of sauteed garlic, broccoli, and raisins in one bite is like a giant flavorful symphony in your mouth, I would have doubted your sanity. So delicious! But even with tofu, I had to eat several servings to feel full so this makes a better side dish than a main dish for me.

 

Brocoletti with Tofu, Garlic and Raisins

Total Time: 20 minutes

Number of servings: 4

Per Serving 133 calories

Fat 7 g

Carbs 13 g

Protein 9 g

4


Brocoletti with Tofu, Garlic and Raisins

Ingredients

  • 1 pound broccoli rabe
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup tofu, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup raisins, golden
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

  1. 1. Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Cut broccoli rabe into 2-inch pieces. Cook broccoli rabe in boiling water 2 minutes; drain.
  2. 2. White water is coming to a boil, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add tofu and cook until heated through. Add garlic to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring occasionally. Add broccoli rabe and raisins to pan; cook 2 minutes. Stir in salt.

 

Turkey with Ginger and Green Onion Salt Dip

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Turkey with Green Onion Salt Dip

According to my menu plan for this week, Monday’s meal was Turkey with Ginger and Green Onion Salt Dip. I adapted it from Cooking Light’s Chicken with Ginger and Green Onion Salt Dip recipe so it works with my Warrior Genotype* SWAMI diet.

Fortunately, there aren’t that many changes to make. What makes this recipe good for a warrior is:

  • Onions are a Superfood
  • Ginger is a beneficial (a Superfood according to my SWAMI)
  • Brown Rice is a Superfood

There are only six ingredients: cooked turkey, oil, salt, green onions, ginger, and rice. The most time-consuming part of this recipe is peeling the ginger and cooking the turkey.

So few ingredients, so much flavor!

So few ingredients, so much flavor!

I grilled the turkey on my mini George Foreman grill. Aren’t these things the best?

on the grill

I had to grill in batches. Turkey is so lean there was literally no juice in the drip pan when I was done! Seriously, I was able to put the drip pan back in the drawer without needing to rinse it!

Once I was done browning the turkey, I had to run out to aqua aerobics, but I didn’t want to put the turkey back in the refrigerator while it was still hot, so I covered it with another plate to keep the cat from having a second dinner.

Grill marks automatically make the food taste better

Grill marks automatically make the food taste better

Cats are assholes

Cats are assholes

After the gym, I chopped the green onions and ginger while the rice was cooking. (I used white rice instead of brown because I need to get it out of my pantry.)

Smells sooo good!

Smells sooo good!

Mix it all together and now it’s time for eatin’!

I should have chopped the turkey instead of dicing it so I could easily dip it into the bowl.

I should have chopped the turkey instead of dicing it so I could easily dip it into the bowl.

But let's be honest, I just poured it over the top of my food.

But let’s be honest, I just poured it over the top of my food.

Guys, you will not believe how AMAZING this tastes! It is the perfect combination of flavors. I won’t eat it very often because of the sodium content, but for that one time a month I really crave salt (you ladies know what I mean) this beats a bag of chips any day!

Turkey with Ginger and Green Onion Salt Dip

Rating: 41

30 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Number of servings: 4

Per Serving 426 calories

Fat 20 g

Carbs 24 g

Protein 35 g

4


Turkey with Ginger and Green Onion Salt Dip

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup minced green onions
  • 2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 3 cups shredded cooked turkey breast
  • 2 cups hot cooked brown rice

Instructions

  1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Arrange turkey over rice; serve with dip.

* Links with an asterisk are affiliate links. No asterisk, not an affiliate!

Menu Plan Monday – Week of 2/2 – 2/8

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I love menu planning! I love going through my recipe list and finding new things to try each week. Now I am trying to learn how to eat within my Warrior genotype diet, which is an offshoot of the blood type diet as presented by Dr. Peter D’Adamo. Warriors generally have Type A blood. It’s similar to a mostly vegetarian macrobiotic diet. Giving up certain foods is torture (beef! bacon! tomatoes! potatoes! [most] CHEESE!) Even though I’m not 100% compliant yet I can already notice a difference in my joints and some bloating which I didn’t even know I had!

My menu plans are always more of a guideline than a hard-and-fast plan, so some things might not get made until days later than I post here. Weekends are usually a free-for-all. The dinners I make are also my lunches for the next day or two (or three or four).

Turkey with Green Onion Salt Dip

 

MONDAY: Turkey with Ginger and Green Onion Salt Dip – the recipe calls for chicken but that’s an avoid for a warrior.

 

 

TUESDAY: White Bean and Escarole Soup

WEDNESDAY: Eating out before going to Drag Queen Bingo!

THURSDAY: Broccoli Rabe with Garlic and Golden Raisins (I’ll add tofu to make it a main dish)

FRIDAY: Lime Fish Tacos – I’ll be using red snapper and substituting ghee for the butter. Wegmans carries brown rice tortillas and I’ll use kefir instead of sour cream.

 

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This post is linked up with I’m An Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday, Check it out for additional ideas and inspiration for planning weekly meals

Chicken & Noodles – My Son’s Favorite Meal

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Mmmmmmm

Mmmmmmm

It’s hard to come up with meals my son will eat without saying “I’m done” about three bites in. He usually picks out only the stuff he wants to eat and ignores the rest.

Use whatever vegetables you have on hand

Use whatever vegetables you have on hand

The above picture shows pre-packaged cooked chicken. I only used that because I have a coupon. I usually cook up one or two chicken breasts on my George Foreman grill. Store-bought rotisserie chicken would also be a good choice.

I admit, this picture doesn't make it look very appetizing, does it?

I admit, this picture doesn’t make it look very appetizing, does it?

 

This is one of the rare meals of which he’ll eat every bite … and ask for seconds! I love it because it’s super-easy to make and is easy to adjust to accommodate any extra vegetables you may have on hand.

The Bear stirs

Of course, it always encourages him to eat more if I let him help in the kitchen!

 

One of our favorite recipes!

Chicken & Noodles

Total Time: 20 minutes

Number of servings: 4

Per Serving 462 calories

Fat 16 g

Carbs 43 g

Protein 35 g

4


Chicken & Noodles

Ingredients

  • 2-1/2 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 cup frozen green beans
  • 1 cup frozen sliced carrots
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 4-1/2 cups wide egg noodles, cooked

Instructions

  1. In a large saute pan, combine soup, milk, and frozen vegetables. Add cooked chicken and noodles. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked. I prefer to stir in the cheese near the end of the cooking time, although you can add it earlier.
  2. Sprinkle some more Parmesan on top and that's it! You're done! See why this is such a hit? Enjoy!

Notes

Feel free to add or delete fresh or frozen vegetables to suit your family's tastes. I think next time I'm going to try adding sun-dried tomatoes!

Please let me know what your family thinks.