Our Daily Vittles - Week 2 Menu Planning

Hi everyone. I'm here with Week 2 of our meal planning. This week included pork, chicken, crab and fish. These recipes have been more than enough to feed my family of 4, sometimes 5. Of course 2 of them are littles, who don't eat a lot.  

I'm down a 3 more pounds this week (and haven't had time to exercise) so I know that this healthier eating is paying off. Let's take a look at what we ate last week.

Daily vittles - April 6 - 12: Sunday: Picadillo Tacos with salad 
Monday: Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage, Peppers and Escarole
Tuesday: leftover Past with Italian Chicken Sausage
Wednesday:  I did a cleanse and the family had oven baked Tilapia
Thursday: I did a cleanse and the family had homemade pizzas using the leftover 1/2 lb of Italian sausage from Monday's meal.
Friday: Crock Pot Balsamic Pork Roast with Roasted parmesan green beans
Saturday: Skinny Mini DeviledCrab Cakes; Salad with homemade lemon vinaigrette

Here's the recipes...

Picadillo Tacos with salad
This is my recipe.
Servings: 6 | Size: 2 tacos 
Calories: 255

Ingredients:

• 90% lean ground beef but you could use turkey for an even leaner choice.
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
• Onion, chopped
• Bell Pepper, diced
• Tomato, diced
• 1/2 C. water
• 1 tsp. salt
• Corn tortillas
• Spring Mix lettuce
• Avocado optional (not included in calorie count above)
• Salsa optional (not included in calorie count above)

Directions:

Brown meat with cumin and garlic powder until 3/4 cooked. Add onions and bell peppers and continue to cook until beef is browned. Add tomatoes and water. Simmer until tomatoes are softened. Add additional cumin, garlic and salt, to taste. Serve in corn tortillas with lettuce, avocados and salsa. My family added cheese and sour cream to theirs but I didn't feel the need. 

I also served Spanish rice on the side.

Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage, Peppers and Escarole

Servings: 6 | Size: 1 1/2 cups
Calories: 297.7 according to Skinnytaste; 398 according to the ingredients I used.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz Ronzoni Smart taste pasta (or whole wheat or low carb)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 lb Italian chicken sausage, removed from casing
• 1 medium head escarole, rinsed and torn into bite sized pieces
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• salt and fresh pepper to taste

Modifications: 

• My grocery store didn't carry escarole so I used about 3 cups raw spinach
• My grocery store didn't carry plain Italian chicken sausage in casing so I used 1/2 chicken sausage with feta and 1/2 lb Italian sausage
• I didn't salt my water
• I left out the red pepper cause the kids aren't fond of spicy stuff.

Directions according to my modifications. Original recipe can be found HERE. 

Cook pasta in a large pot of water. Reserve 1 cup water before draining.

While pasta water boils, heat a large non-stick skillet on medium heat. Add olive oil; once hot add onions, peppers, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add chicken and Italian sausages, breaking up with a wooden spoon and cook until golden, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add spinach, cover and cook 2 minutes; remove the cover, stir and cook about 3 more minutes or until wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked pasta, reserved water and Parmigiano cheese, stir well and be ready for the oohs and ahhs.

Crock Pot Balsamic Pork Roast 

Servings: 8 | Size: 3 oz. pork 
Calories: 214

Ingredients:

• 2 pound boneless pork shoulder roast (sirloin roast)
• kosher salt, to taste
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey 

Modifications: 

• I couldn't find a pork roast so we used a pork loin
• We skipped the red pepper flakes

Directions according to my modifications. Original recipe can be found HERE.

Insert slow cooker bag inside the slow cooker for easy clean-up.

Season the pork with salt, garlic powder and place it into the slow cooker. Mix together the broth, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce (the time to add the Worcestershire sauce is missing from their website but she responded to questions int he comments that this is when to add it) and pour it over the pork, then pour the honey over and set the timer for 4 hours on High or 6-8 hours on Low.

Once cooked, pull the pork out and shred it. Add back to the crock pot to soak in the juices a bit longer.

Roasted parmesan green beans

Servings: 4 | Size: 1 cup 
Calories: 62

Ingredients:

• 12 oz green beans, trimmed (make sure they are dry)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• kosher salt + fresh cracked pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tbsp shredded parmesan

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum
Lay green beans out on the baking sheet and drizzle oil over them. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. I added the parmesan cheese at this point, though skinny taste said to sprinkle they come out. I thought they turned out great my way. Bake 10 minutes, shake the pan to turn; bake 5 additional minutes. Remove from the oven.

Skinny Mini DeviledCrab Cakes; Salad with homemade lemon vinaigrette

Servings: 4 | Size: 3 crab cakes 
Calories: 139 according to skinnymom; 216 according to my calculations

Ingredients

• ¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 shallot (about 1/4 cup), finely chopped
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten (consider a 3rd egg to keep them from falling apart so easily)
• 2 Tbsp light mayonnaise
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp Old Bay® seasoning
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 lb lump crab meat
• ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges

Modifications: I did not use the shallots or cayenne pepper. I also used Imitation crab meat beccause I just can't stand the real crabby taste.

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the parsley, eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, seasoning. Drain out any excess liquid from the crab meat and add it into the mixture. Stir. Add the Panko and gently mix until just combined.

Using a 1/4 cup, form 12 even crab cake balls and place on a large plate or baking sheet.

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add 6 balls of crab to the pan. Spray the tops of each. Then gently press down on each with a spatula to flatten to about 1/2” thick. This is where mine fell apart the first time. I pressed them down too thin and they just crumbled. After the first couple, I realized that I only needed to press them down less.

Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the crab cakes are golden on the bottom. Flip and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes. Mine fell apart agaain, when I flipped them, even some of the good ones. I had to go very slowly and carefully to scoop them and then almost hold them together when I turned them over. I'm thinking I need more egg next time. 

Transfer to a clean plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining crab balls.
Serve the crab cakes with lemon wedges. I also served mine over a salad with lemon honey vinaigrette. 

EVERYTHING this week was a big hit in this house, even among my picky eaters!!!