Menu Plan Monday

Last week's menu plan in review:

• Monday: Tilapia (topped it with a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes, minced onion, minced garlic, and salt and pepper, then baked it) ~ about 150 calories per serving
• Tuesday: London Broil (coated with a rub of garlic, rosemary, olive oil, salt, and pepper, then grilled) ~ about 175 calories per serving
• Wednesday: Steak Fajitas (leftover London Broil, lots of peppers and onions, whole wheat tortillas, and experimented to create my own low-sodium fajita seasoning)
• Thursday: Leftover Steak Fajitas
• Friday: Roasted Chicken Breast Sandwiches (Subway Jared-approved $5-footlong menu - we split a footlong, making the whole meal $5) ~ about 300 calories per 6"
• Saturday: Salad Bar (Sizzlers ~ we each ordered a steak and shrimp scampi platter and added a salad bar. We hit the fruit and salad bar for dinner, then saved the platter for leftovers. We used the shrimp to make shrimp quesadillas for Sunday lunch.)
• Sunday: Steak and broccoli (Sizzlers leftovers)

All of the meals were really yummy this week. I was particularly delighted that the 2.19 lbs of London Broil steaks that I purchased for $4.12 lasted for 3 meals, even though this meant that I ate red meat far more than I should have this week. Also, as you probably noticed, I had a weekend in which I really was burned out from cooking. Unfortunately, this meant that I didn't really have an accurate calorie count from several of my meals this week. I just had to use common sense and stop eating when I felt like I had reached my calorie budget. I must not have done too badly based on the numbers the scale reported on Saturday.

The scale, part 2

After last week's horrible, insulting blunder, the scale has repented; it has groveled and begged and pleaded for my forgiveness. I have pondered the issue throughout the week on the treadmill, elliptical, and stairclimber, as well as in the pool and weight room. But it wasn't until today, when the scale reported a 4 lb weight loss, that I decided to truly forgive and forget. So, the scale and I are friends once again, and we will hopefully live happily ever after.

Groceries 3.23 - 3.29

Starting Budget: $68.84 (I overspent last week by $6.16).

(The bullets were acting very weird on me as I was typing this. Sorry that it looks so bizarre.)

Albertsons

• $7.98 ~ 1 bag 2 lbs shrimp @ $3.99/lb
  $.50 ~ 1 bottle Tree Top Trim juice 46 oz
  $2.14 ~ 2 pkgs 6 pack Seneca 100% natural Applesauce @ $1.07/ea
• $3.00 ~ 2 tubes .5 oz Neosporin @ $1.50/ea
• $4.38 ~ 2 pkgs 12 oz fat-free American cheese singles @ $2.19/ea
  $3.99 ~ 1 loaf 2 lb sharp cheddar cheese
  

Total spent: $23.03

Sunflower Farmers Market

• $.77 ~ 1 head red leaf lettuce
  $.99 ~ 1.28 lbs tomatoes @ $.77/lb
  $.50 ~ 1 bunch green onions
  $.99 ~ 1 red bell pepper
  $.50 ~ 1 bunch fresh cilantro
  $1.67 ~ 1 bunch green seedless grapes @ $.77/lb
  $.22 ~ 1 red onion @ $.50/lb
• $1.50 ~ 1 seedless cucumber
• (.10) ~ credit for using my own shopping bag

Total spent: $7.14

Buy Low Market

• $2.12 ~ 7 small Gala apples @ $.88/lb
• $.81 ~ 5 Bosch pears @ $.50/lb
• $.12 ~ 3 jalapeno chile peppers @ $.50/lb
• $.97 ~ 5 tomatoes @ $.50/lb
• $.69 ~ 1 bottle hot sauce
  $1.00 ~ 1 pkg whole wheat pitas
  $4.51 ~ 1.74 lbs Tilapia fillets @ $2.59/lb
  $.25 ~ 1 lb bag carrots
  $1.00 ~ 3 Hass avocados
  $.50 ~ 4 kiwifruits
  $.56 ~ 1 honeydew @ $.25/lb
  $.18 ~ 2 red onions @ $.25/lb
  $.79 ~ 2 Naval oranges (this should have been about $.50, but I noticed after I arrived home that they rang it up as grapefruit, not oranges.)
  $.58 ~ 3 white squash @ $.50/lb
  
  Total spent: $14.50
  
  

Macey's

• $2.79 ~ 1 bottle sugar-free syrup
• $6.98 ~ 1 bottle Chipotle Chile seasoning (grrr)
• $1.67 ~ 1 jar pickle slices
• $2.00 ~ 3 cans fat-free refried beans
• $.99 ~ 1 tub fat-free cottage cheese
• $.99 ~ 1 dozen large eggs
• $1.67 ~ 5 cartons yogurt
• $4.12 ~ 2.19 lbs London Broil Steaks
• $1.89 ~ 1 carton alfalfa sprouts

Total spent: $24.04

Smith's

• $2.99 ~ 3 lbs gala apples
• $1.49 ~ 1 carton mushrooms
• $1.00 ~ 1 carton fat-free sour cream

Total spent: $5.64

GRAND TOTAL SPENT THIS WEEK: $74.35

The good news is that I remained within my weekly budget of $75. The bad news is that I didn't make up the difference from over budget last week. So, I will carry my overage of ($-5.71) on to next week's budget. I'm blaming it all on the Chipotle Chile seasoning that I bought at Macey's. I only need a little bit for one recipe this week, and it cost me almost $7! I'm still a little bitter about it, as you can tell.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Chicken Pita Pizza (whole wheat pita with roasted red pepper hummus for sauce, layered with seasoned chicken breast cubes, reduced-sodium black beans, grated cheese, red peppers, red onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and a dollop of fat-free sour cream) ~ about 360 calories for the whole thing

Tuesday: Sloppy Joe Meatloaf (extra-lean ground beef, oats, Manwich, egg whites, green pepper, onion, garlic) ~ about 230 calories per serving

Wednesday: Grilled Chicken Parmesan (b/s chicken breasts, low-sodium marinara, low-fat mozzarella, low-fat Parmesan) ~ about 200 calories/serving

Thursday: Leftovers/Cleaned out the fridge

Friday: Shrimp Quesadillas (restaurant - hopefully the calories weren't too bad - we saved up throughout the day)

Saturday: Lemon Pepper Salmon

Sunday: Roasted chicken with brown rice (tossed with almonds and scallions) ~ about 325 calories/serving

The Chicken Pita Pizza was by far my favorite meal of the week. I ended up precooking and dicing several chicken breasts so that this would be easy to make for lunches. However, for the lunch version, I simply mixed all the ingredients together (only about half the quantity I used for dinner), and scooped it inside half a pita (split open). So yummy, and so good for you. One whole pita (dinner sized) had about 360 calories, with 38 g. protein, 6 g. fat, 8 g. fiber, and 489 mg. sodium. This all depends on the nutritional value of the individual ingredients you use, of course. Mmm, tasty!

The Scale

This week, the scale was most unkind to me. A gain of 1 whole pound. *sigh* :(
I will have to be more diligent in monitoring my calorie intake, my sodium intake, and my water intake.

Texas Caviar

I'm not a photographer, so the picture does not do this justice. It was so yummy!

TEXAS CAVIAR

Ingredients:

• 1 can reduced-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can reduced-sodium whole kernel corn, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 to 1 cup fresh salsa or pico de gallo
• 2 to 3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 to 2 Tbsp finely chopped red onion
• 1 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp cumin
• dash of salt
• dash of ground black pepper
• touch of hot sauce, to taste

Directions:

Gently stir it all together and enjoy! This can be eaten as a side dish, as a lunch, or with baked Tostitos scoops as a snack (as pictured). 1/2 cup of this stuff (chips not included) only has about 100 calories, but is packed with 5 g protein and 4 gram fiber! So not only is it incredibly tasty (my husband's new favorite dish), but it's good for you too. Try it out!

We ate ours as a side dish with our grilled chicken and veggie kabobs:

To make the kabobs, we put chicken breast chunks on wooden skewers (that we had presoaked in water), then layered it with chunks of bell peppers (green, yellow, red), onions (red and white), and cucumber and tomato. We lightly seasoned them with salt, pepper, and garlic, then grilled them until desired doneness. So yummy!

For more great recipe ideas, visit The Grocery Cart Challenge.

WFMW: Eliminating children's bedtime drama!

As mothers of young children, we sometimes both look forward to and dread the bedtime hour. On the one hand, we are excited at the prospect of a couple hours to ourselves, to kick up our feet, tidy up the house, soak in the bathtub, or whatever we each like to do at the end of the day. But the anticipation of a nice quiet evening can be dampened by knowing that we first have to endure The Battle.

The Battle is different in every home, but often includes any combination of the following: weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth; "I don't want to go to bed, I'm not tired!"; frequent bedroom escapes; "I'm scared and I don't want to go to bed alone!"; playing with toys in bed instead of sleeping; "Can't I just sleep with you?"; and frequent drink requests and potty trips. Does any of this sound familiar to any of you? Often, by the time you have endured The Battle, you are too exhausted to enjoy your quiet time in peace, and instead just want to fall into bed yourself (preferably without any kids in it!)

My oldest son, T-Rex (as he often likes to be called), transitioned from crib to big-boy bed on his 2nd birthday. It didn't take him long to realize that his new sleeping arrangements offered new freedom, and he wanted to take advantage of it! For the first time since he was a newborn, T-Rex started to show resistance at bedtime, and I wanted NONE of it. My husband and I tried to come up with some brilliant ideas to nip this trend in the bud, and by some miracle, they worked! Here are some of the ideas we tried:

• Toy 'Guardian': We allow T-Rex to choose one toy at bedtime to 'watch over him' while he sleeps. We don't let him take the toy to bed with him; that just invites distraction. Instead, the toy goes on top of a dresser, desk, or shelf that is within sight of the bed, but not within reach. Oddly enough, this somehow allows the child to feel like he is not alone, and he 'trusts' the toy to keep him safe throughout the night. In addition, this gives a little decision-making power to your child. He gets to choose the toy each night. T-Rex will turn 5 next month, and he still enjoys picking out a toy each night to put on his shelf.


• Use The Clock: Young children sometimes feel a sense of panic when events happen with no warning. Springing the news on them with a "It's bedtime, let's clean up the toys!" is almost sure to bring about some immediate resistance. Children don't need to be able to tell time for you to use the clock when giving them a warning. In our experience, a 10-15 minute warning is a good warning time. If bedtime is at 8:00, then at 7:30, we will say, "When the big hand gets on the 9, it's going to be time to get your jammies on. After that we will read one story, then go to bed." T-Rex thinks it is fun to watch the minute hand move on the clock, and he likes to know what is going to happen and when. Giving him the warning lets him know that bedtime is almost here, but he still get a few minutes of good playing time in.


• Bedroom Drinking Cup: We used to include a trip to the kitchen for a drink of water in our bedtime routine. However, T-Rex would all-too-frequently become completely dehydrated on the short walk to his bedroom, and insist that he was 'sooooo thirsty' after we tucked him in and headed toward the door. We now keep a drinking cup on the shelf next to his guardian toy, and after he is in his bed with the blankets pulled up, we will bring the cup to him, have him sit up and drink all that he wants as the last thing we do before we turn out the lights and leave the room.

As I mentioned above, T-Rex will be turning 5 next month, so these routines have worked for us for 5 years. Bedtime is never a hassle anymore, and I get to enjoy a few short hours of quiet bliss before I go to bed myself. :)

What have you found that works for you when fighting The Battle?

For more great Works For Me Wednesday tips and ideas, visit HERE.

Groceries 3.16 - 3.22

Starting Budget: $75.00

Albertsons 3.16.09

• $.90 ~ 10 oz. bottle horseradish
• $5.20 ~ 4 cannisters 12 oz Crystal Lite drink mix @ $1.30/ea
• $4.00 ~ 6 bags 10 oz Birds Eye Steamfresh frozen vegetables @ $2.00/3
• $2.99 ~ 1 bag 12 oz Frigo light cheesesticks
• $1.50 ~ 1 box snack size baggies
• $16.96 ~ 4 pouches 16 oz Blue Diamond Smokehouse almonds @ $4.24/ea
• $6.20 ~ 4 pkgs 9 oz Oscar Meyer shaved turkey breast @ $1.55/ea
• Used $19.00 in catalina coupons...

Total spent: $18.38
Total saved: $85.44 (82.3%)
Remaining budget for the week: $56.62

Smith's 3.16.09

• $1.47 ~ 3 bottles 16 oz Ken's Lite salad dressing @ $.49/ea
• $1.96 ~ 4 pkgs 16 oz American Beauty pasta @ $.49/ea
• $3.58 ~ 2 cartons 18 ct large eggs @ $1.69/ea
• $1.40 ~ 1 bunch fresh asparagus @ $1.19/lb
• $2.43 ~ 7 school boy size Gala apples @ $.99/lb
• $2.98 ~ 2 gallons milk (1 whole, 1 skim) @ $1.49/ea
• $10.47 ~ 3 bags 29 oz Tyson frozen chicken nuggets @ $3.49/ea (kids' lunches)
• $4.99 ~ 1 bag 32 oz shredded light mozzarella cheese
• $.79 ~ 1 pkg Reese's peanut butter cups (4-year-old's treat for being good while shopping)
• $.99 ~ 1 Activia Fiber yogurt 4-pack
• $1.98 ~ 2 Dannon Light & Fit yogurt 6-packs @ $.99/ea
• $6.25 ~ 5 pkgs (6 ea) whole wheat English muffins @ $1.25/ea
  
  Total spent: $42.12
  Total saved: $24.12 (36.4%)
  Remaining budget for the week: $14.50
  
  

Albertsons 3.18.09

• $3.99 ~ 1 loaf 2 lb medium cheddar cheese
• used a $2.00 catalina coupon

Total spent: $2.11
Total saved: $8.00 (79.1%)
Remaining budget for the week: $12.39

Buy Low Market 3.18.09

• $3.49 ~ McCormick Salt Free Lemon Pepper Seasoning (in the picture it shows 2, I will be returning 1)
• $.50 ~ 1 Reese's peanut butter cup (4-yr-old's treat)
• $1.39 ~ Taco Bell taco sauce
• $1.00 ~ 1 pkg whole wheat pitas
• $3.44 ~ 1.5 lbs ground chicken
• $2.49 ~ 1 lb turkey bacon
• $.50 ~ 1 lb carrots
• $1.50 ~ 1 English cucumber
• $.25 ~ 2 large lemons
• $.99 ~ 1 head romaine lettuce
• $.87 ~ 1 honeydew melon
• $.50 ~ 1 bunch fresh spinach
• $.23 ~ 1 medium yellow onion
• $.67 ~ 6 roma tomatoes

Total spent: $18.55

Remaining Budget for the week: ($-6.16) drat!

Yes, I did go over budget again this week, darn it. However, several of the items I purchased will last me several weeks, and I got some fabulous deals. I'm even hoping that one of the evenings this week will be spent eating leftovers, saving one of my planned meals for next week. Bottom line: I'm hoping that I can make up the difference next week. :)

Check out The Grocery Cart Challenge for more great deals!

Menu Plan Monday

My menu plan (week in review):

• Monday: Italian Sandwich (whole wheat hamburger buns, 1/4 extra-lean ground beef patties with oregeno, garlic, salt, and crushed red pepper mixed in, lowfat mozzarella cheese, and marinara sauce) approximately 300 calories
• Tuesday: Chicken Salad Sandwiches (this recipe was healthy, but it wasn't that tasty) less than 200 calories
• Wednesday: Chicken Soft Tacos (whole wheat tortillas, ground chicken breast with salt-free southwest chipotle seasoning, fat-free sour cream, cheddar cheese, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, red taco sauce) approsimately 325 calories (and so yummy!)
• Thursday: Meatball Sandwiches (whole wheat hotdog buns, extra lean ground beef meatballs, mozzarella sauce, low-sodium marinara sauce) approximately 400 calories
• Friday: Baked Lemon Pepper Salmon (boneless skinless wild salmon fillets, seasoned with salt-free lemon pepper, and juice from a fresh lemon squeezed over it) approximately 200 calories
• Saturday: Grilled Chicken and Veggie Kabobs & Texas Caviar (recipe and pictures will be posted later this week for the GCC Recipe Swap)
• Sunday: BLT Burgers (extra-lean ground beef patties on whole wheat bun, turkey bacon, spinah leaves, tomato slices, touch of lowfat mayo) approximately 300 calories

Woo Hoo!

Yippee! Another 2 lb weight loss this week! Feels so good! If I keep going at this rate, I could reach my target weight by Memorial Day.