Week Three Menu

Here it is... I haven't made all of them, but some of them sounded pretty good Let me know what you think!

Monday:  Penne with Fresh Vegetables

*This is a diabetic friendly recipie with just the Penne with fresh veggies. Add a side of garlic bread if you would like for the not so friendly meal!

Serving size: 4

Ingredients:
olive oil cooking spray
3/4 pound (360 g) eggplant, cut into 3/4-inch dice
1/2 pound (240 g) zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch dice
6 ounces (180 g) red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, 8 ounces (480 g), sliced thin
3 Roma tomatoes, about 1 pound (480 g), seeded and chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons (22.5 ml) balsamic vinegar
8 ounces (240 g) penne rigate pasta
1/2 cup (100 g) low fat ricotta cheese
1/3 cup (22 g) fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons (18 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to broil.
2. Line a jelly roll pan with aluminum foil. Coat with cooking spray. Place the eggplant and zucchini cubes on the foil and coat with cooking spray. Broil, turning until the vegetables are browned and cooked through. Remove from oven and set aside.
3. Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Sauté the onion and garlic until wilted. Add the red pepper and tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and set aside. Stir in the eggplant and zucchini.
4. Cook the pasta as per package directions until cooked al dente. Drain under cold water and place in a large bowl. Toss with the vegetables. Stir in the ricotta and basil. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving.

*recipie from diebetic-recipies.com
 
Tuesday: Thai Pork Wraps
               Add fresh fruit to this dinner like cantelope or some mango.. Mmmm that would be good!
 
Serving size: makes 10 wraps
 
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 pound boneless pork chops (cut with the grain into 1/4 inch by 2-inch strips)
1 bag (16 ounces) cole slaw mix
2 cups shredded carrot
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 cup sweet red chili sauce (such as thai kitchen)
10 large bib lettuce leaves
1/2 cucumber, seeded, peeled and cut into matchsticks
fresh mint and lime wedges
 
Instructions:
1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium high heat. Add the pork and cook for 3 minutes until cooked thought. Remove to plate and keep warm. Add remaining tablspoon oil, the cole slaw mix, carrot, scallion and garlic. Cook 6 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Stir in sweet chili sauce and reserved pork and heat though.
2. To serve place about 1/2 cup filling in center of each *lettuce leaf. Add some cucumber and mint. Spritz with lime, roll up and serve.
 
*You can serve with whole wheat tortillas or rice flour tortillas!
 
**Recipie from Family Circle Magazine
 
Wednesday: Chicken and Dumplings

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-11/2 cubes
3 cans (14 1/2 ounces EACH) reduced sodium chicken broth
3 cups water
4 medium carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaaspoon pepper

Dumplings:
3 egg whites
1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Instructions:
1. In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, brown chicken until no longer pink. Add the broth, water, vegetables, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
2. Meanwhile, for dumplings, in a large bowl, beat the egg whites, and cottage cheese until blended. Add water and salt. Stir in flour and mix well.
3. Bring soup to a boil. Drop dumplings by tablespoonfuls onto the boiling soup. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in dumplings comes out clean. (DO NOT lift cover while simmering) Serve immediately.

*recipie not mine I do not know where I got it from but its a good one!
** also I believe it is also Diabetic friendly Exchanges: 4 lean meat, 2-1/2 starch

Thrusday: Tater tot casserole
                Broccoli with cheesewiz

Serving size: 6

Ingredients:
1 package tatertots (frozen)
1 pound ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:
Crumble and brown ground beef in large skillet. Add chopped onion and cook until tender. Add cream of mushroom soup and mix well. Spread in greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Top with tater tots. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake another 15 minutes.

Broccoli with cheese sauce:

2 cups or broccoli
cheesewiz

Pour about 1 inch of water into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add broccoli. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 10 minutes, or until broccoli is slightly tender. Drain and put into a serving bowl. Add cheezewiz while still hot and mix until melted. Serve.

Friday/Saturday: pulled barbecue chicken sandwiches
                          French green beans
                          Fruit bowl

Pulled barbecue chicken

Ingredients:
4 bloneless skinless chicken breasts
1 bottle barbecue sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup onion sliced
hamburger buns (or rolls)

Instructions:
1. In a slow cooker mix barbecue sauce onion and honey well. Add chicken and cover. Cook on Medium heat for about 5 hours, or until chicken can be pulled apart with a fork.
2. Once done, transfer chicken to a plate and shred with fork. Return it to the sauce, stir well and enjoy!

Fruit bowl:

1 can mandarin oranges
2 bananas sliced
1 cup green grapes
1 can pineapple chunks
1 cup vanilla yogurt

Drain pineapple and oranges. Toss fruit in a bowl with yogurt.

*Fruit idea from: What's for Dinner

Sunday: Barbecued Spare Ribs

             Twice-Baked potatoes

Serving size: 6
Barbecued Spare Ribs:

Ingredients:
6 to 8 country style spareribs
Barbecue sauce

Place ribs in large pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 90 min. Remove from water and place on foil-lined baking sheet. Pour barbecue sauce over ribs. Bake for 30 min. at 350, basting often with sauce.

Ribs can also be grilled for 10 min. on each side basting frequently with sauce.

Twice-baked potatoes:

Ingredients
6 potatoes
¼ cup butter
4 Tbsp milk
¼ tsp salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:
Scrub potatoes. Rub with butter and wrap in foil. Bake at 350 for 1 to 11/2 hrs until potatoes are tender with squeezed gently. Let cool until easy to handle. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop out insides leaving ¼ -inch around skin. Add butter and milk to potatoes and mash until smooth. Stir in salt and cheese. Fill potato shells with mashed potato mixture. Sprinkle more cheese on top of potatoes. Place on baking sheet and bake at 350 for 15 to 20 min or until cheese is melted.