Delay in MPM

It’s a holiday, the kids are home and it’s been raining.  I am much too cozy and preoccupied with the forts being built in my living room to give much thought to Menu Planning this morning.  See you soon!

Corn Chowder

The Corn Chowder turned out pretty good.  I know that if I make it again, the kids would prefer it if I left out the red bell peppers and diced the onions smaller.  Still, I ate it for lunch the next day!

Here is the link to the original Corn Chowder recipe from TasteOfHome.com

And mine:

Ingredients

• 6 potatoes, peeled and diced
• Water
• 1 can (16 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 quart milk
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 thick slices of ham, grilled and diced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions

1. Put peeled, diced potatoes in pot of water and boil until soft
2. Drain, put potatoes back into pot
3. Add remaining ingredients
4. Bring to a boil
5. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the onion is soft

Total Carbs per Serving (60):

• Corn Chowder (52)
• Green Salad with Ranch Dressing (1)
• 1/2 cup 2% milk (7)

You may want to leave of the 1/2 cup of milk with the meal since there is already a quart in the chowder.  I would substitute half an apple, or maybe peanut butter on celery.

Menu Plan Monday #02

Yay, we made it to our second week of Menu Plan Monday with OrgJunkie.com!  This week, instead of copying a meal plan off of someone else, I actually checked out my fridge and came up with a plan of my own.  Go me!!

Net carb counts per serving are in ( ), and the meals don’t correspond to any certain day of the week since I like to change my mind often.  I’ll plan 5 meals for the week since one day will be left overs, and Sunday’s we try to do tacos or something fun with friends.  I’ll add those recipes at a later date.

Spiced Apple Pork Loin – Total Meal (63)

• Spiced Apple Pork Loin (6)
• Small(148 gram) baked potato (24)
• 1/2 cup steamed green beans (12)
• 1/4 cup applesauce (7)
• 1 cup 2% milk (14)

Turkey Burgers – Total Meal (63)

• Turkey burger (0)
• Whole wheat hamburger bun (Orowheat) (25)
• Ketchup (4)
• Tator Tots (18)
• 1/4 cup sliced red bell pepper (2)
• 1 cup 2% milk (14)

Corn Chowder & Salad – (60)

• Corn Chowder recipe (52)
• Green Salad (0)
• Ranch dressing (1)
• 1/2 cup 2% milk (7)

Bow Ties & Meatballs – (60)

• Pasta & Meatballs (47)
• 1 cup 2% milk (14)

Chicken & Rice – (60)

• Chicken & Rice recipe (22)
• French Bread (15)
• 1 cup 2% milk (14)
• 1/2 apple (9)

Trying Out the Pump!

D went to her first Pump Class last night and got to try out a pump for the first time.  We’re all very excited about what this will mean for her, though we aren’t too thrilled with the $5,000 price tag!

What’s in My Fridge #01

Hopefully I can remember to post this each weekend as I prepare to plan our menu for the next week.  I predict that I’ll do okay for a while.  Maybe I’ll go add it my calendar now so I don’t have an excuse!

Meat:

• Spiced Apple Pork Loin (6 carbs per serving)
• Chicken Drumsticks marinating in BBQ sauce (approx. 7 carbs per serving)
• 2 lbs. of ground beef
• Frozen Meatballs
• Turkey Burgers
• A Whole Chicken (which I really hate cooking)
• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• Flounder Fillets

Possible Side Dishes

• Tons of frozen veggies
• Stove Top Stuffing (which was an actual Christmas gift from my husband’s grandparents)
• Tator Tots
• Russet potatoes
• Salad
• Ingredients from the Corn Chowder recipes that I never made.

Breakfast

Devyn is really into eating cereal for breakfast and for her bedtime snack.  Regular Cheerios, Rice Crispies and (I think) Honeycomb have been the ones that she can eat that keep her full and her levels in check.

I’ve been making scrambled eggs and grilled ham in the mornings for her brother’s and sister, and on those mornings I’ll have her eat a smaller serving of a sugarier cereal so that she can still get the protein from the eggs and ham.  It’s hard to get Devyn to eat a lot in the mornings, and she still needs to eat more right before school starts since it’s such a long time before Nutrition.  That’s usually the time of day that she’ll drop really quickly.

Snacks

• Peanut butter crackers
• Sun Chips

I don’t track lunch since she buys at school every day.

Diabetic Friendly Baked Ziti

Tonight we are having Mama’s Amazing Ziti from MealMakeOverMoms.com

Total carbs per serving:  52

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean or higher)
• 2 large carrots, shredded (about 2 cups)
• Two 10 3/4-ounce cans 30%-less-sodium tomato soup
• 2 cans water
• 8 ounces dried whole wheat blend ziti (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 cup preshredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Place a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef and carrots and cook, breaking up the large pieces, until the meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain excess fat.
2. Add the tomato soup, water, ziti, basil, garlic powder, and onion powder and stir until well blended. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat and cook, covered, at a low boil, until the ziti is tender, about 25 minutes. Stir occasionally.
3. Stir in the mozzarella cheese and serve in individual bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

I was a little strapped for time tonight, so instead of making the sauce as I should have, I grabbed a jar of meat flavored pasta sauce.  Not as good, but it got dinner on the table!

I also popped in a 350 degree oven to brown it up a bit since I really don’t know how to eat un-baked ziti 😀

Diabetic Chocolate Truffles

These are delicious and very diabetic friendly.  I allow Devyn to eat one for snack and then add in some healthy carbs to reach her 30 carb snack goal.  Just because she’s a diabetic, it doesn’t mean she can’t enjoy chocolate!  I needed help explaining the directions, so this is from DLife.  This recipe makes 45 servings.

8.5 Net Carbs per Serving

Ingredients

• 20 oz Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter, softened
• 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

Directions

1. Combine 8 ounces of the chocolate pieces and all the butter in a large bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan over low heat until simmering.
2. Take the cream off of the heat and spoon half into the bowl with the chocolate. Gently stir the mixture together as the chocolate begins to melt and becomes smooth.
3. Slowly spoon the rest of the cream into the mixture and stir until the ganache is thick and shiny.
4. Form the truffles: Spoon the ganache into a 2 inch deep baking dish and place in the freezer until it is the texture of fudge, about 30 minutes.
5. Cover a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper.
6. Form small balls from the ganache using a melon baller or small spoon, and place each ball on baking sheet.
7. When baking sheet is full, move truffles into freezer and let solidify for 15 minutes. Take truffles out of freezer and roll between hands to form even, circular balls.
8. To make the chocolate glaze: Place the truffles back in the freezer. Combine the rest of the chocolate in a heat-safe bowl and place over a saucepan of simmering water. Cook, stirring constantly until the chocolate is completely melted.
9. Take chocolate off of heat and let rest, stirring frequently until the chocolate begins to slightly set at the edges of the bowl.
10. Take the truffles from the freezer, and roll each truffle in the melted chocolate, coating all sides. Remove with a fork, letting extra chocolate drip off. Place finished truffles back on wax paper, cover with another sheet, and place in refrigerator for 5 more minutes to set.

Additional Information

You can dust finished truffles with powdered sugar or cocoa powder, or roll them in finely chopped nuts. Store truffles in an airtight container and keep chilled or at room temperature. Truffles will last about 2 weeks.

Asian Chicken Wraps

This one is from $5 Dinners again.  Have I mentioned lately how much I love that site?  It’s even my #2 favorite web site on my BlackBerry, and I’ll definitely be buying her cookbook soon.

As always, net carb counts per serving are in ( ).  This recipe serves 4.

Asian Chicken Wraps with Steamed Snap Peas

Ingredients

• 4 burrito size flour tortillas (35)
• 3 chicken breasts (0)
• Teriyaki Sauce or Marinade (5g per 1 tbsp)
• 1-2 Tbsp tahini (I couldn’t find this in my grocery store, so I am omitting it)
• 1/4 cup peanuts, finely chopped (0)
• 1/2 bag baby carrots (6)
• Handful romaine lettuce (0)
• 1 bag Snap peas (1)

47 Net Carbs per Serving

Directions

1. Combine teriyaki sauce/marinade with tahini.
2. In skillet, add sauce mixture and chicken. Saute chicken about 5 minutes on each side until cooked through (Cooking times will vary depending on thickness of the chicken).
3. Once chicken is cooked, slice it into strips.
4. Shred carrots
5. Rinse and pat dry the snap peas. Place them in a saucepan with about 1/2 inch of water. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Season steamed snap peas with a pinch or two of salt.

To obtain Devyn’s dinner goal of 60 carbs, she will also have:

• 1 cup of 2% milk (14)

Total carbs for meal:  61

Breaded & Baked Chicken Drumsticks

This recipe is from a Menu Plan that I snagged at OrgJunkie.com.  You can find the recipe here.  As always, net carb counts per serving are in ( ).  This recipe serves 4.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise (0)
• 1/4 cup Dijon or whole grain mustard (7)
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (1)
• 3/4 cup dry breadcrumbs (16)
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped chives or green onion greens (0)
• Salt (0)
• 6 large chicken drumsticks, about 1 1/3 lbs (0)
• Olive oil (0)

24 Net Carbs Per Serving

Method

1 Place rack on upper third of oven. Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat the bottom of a shallow roasting pan or baking sheet with a thin layer of olive oil.

2 Mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl. Mix together the breadcrumbs and minced chives in a separate medium bowl.

3 Sprinkle each drumstick with salt. One by one, dip each drumstick in the mayonnaise mixture, turning to coat. Then dip the drumstick in the breadcrumbs mixture, turning to coat. Place the drumsticks on the prepared roasting pan.

4 Bake chicken for 20-25 minutes, until just cooked through, and juices run clear (not pink) when poked with a sharp knife.

To obtain Devyn’s dinner goal of 60 carbs, she will also have:

• 1 cup of 2% milk (14)
• 1/2 cup steamed green beans (12)
• 1/4 cup brown rice (11)

Total carbs for meal:  61

We’re Back, but We’re Kind of Cheating

It’s been quite a long hiatus, especially since Devyn and I only have a few posts on this blog to begin with.  I kind of freaked out today when I realized that I hadn’t been to the grocery store since before Christmas, and I was hungry.

I decided to be a cheater.  Not a bad cheater, just a busy one.  You see, usually when I plan a weeks worth of menus I’ll pull recipes from all over the internet or from my own arsenal.  Not today, because today I got lucky.  I remembered back before I started my own business that I used to frequent really awesome blogs with stuff I used to actually do.  I’m An Organizing Junkie is one of those awesome sites, with an even more awesome feature called Menu Plan Monday.  I’ve wanted to contribute hundreds of times, but I think I only did it twice.

Anyhow, when I logged on to her site this morning before I hit the grocery store, I expected to find a few great ideas.  I didn’t realize I’d practically adopt the entire menu.

So, thanks to Laura at OrgJunkie.com we will be heating well this week!  I didn’t choose specific days for each meal as I prefer to go with what I’m in the mood for that day, or what’s ready to expire in my fridge.  Here is her original post.  Carb counts will be added as I post them each evening.

Asian Chicken Wraps

Mama’s Amazing Ziti

Breaded and Baked Chicken Drumsticks

Corn Chowder