Menu Plan Your Butt Off {December 6, 2015}

Yikes. December is cruising by and things are about to get crazy up in this house. Crunch time. We’re into the holiday season full force and time is precious. Thankfully, we can save you some time on menu planning. Yes, menu planning, people! It’s where it’s at! I’ve put together an amazing Menu Plan Your Butt Off this week, in my humble opinion. Everything is full of flavor and good for you. A few dishes are a little adventurous, but that’s a good thing!

If you’re stopping by for the first time today, we do this free menu plan (with printable grocery) list every single week! We’ve got tons of menus in the archive if this one isn’t what you’re looking for…check it out!

Have a wonderful week, and happy cooking!

*****

Monday: Yellow Split Pea Curry served with quinoa.

Lightened Up Chicken Tetrazzini Tuesday: with a green salad.

Wednesday: Turkey Sliders with Plum Ketchup, served with carrot and celery sticks and your favorite dip.

Thursday: (Slow Cooker) Spicy Pulled Port Tostadas with Cumin Lime Slaw

Friday: Date night or take out – healthy of course!

Saturday: Skinny BBQ Chicken Pizza and a green salad.

Sunday: Sneaky Cheesy Taco Macaroni with steamed green beans.

Snacks:

Carrot Sticks with Dilly Ranch Dressing

Cookie Dough Bites:

Grocery List:

For the Yellow Split Pea Curry:

1 large russet potato
1/2 cup yellow split peas
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 small (8 ounces) eggplant
1 medium carrot
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
4 large cloves garlic
1-3 fresh green chiles, such as Thai or serrano chiles
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
fresh ginger
1 medium lime
1 teaspoon butter
dry quinoa

For the Lightened Up Chicken Tetrazzini:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders
1 teaspoon thyme
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3/4 cup skim milk
3/4 cup fat free chicken broth
1/4 pound whole grain fettuccine
1 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
head of leafy green lettuce
your choice of salad fixings

For the Turkey Slider with Plum Ketchup
1 pound organic ground turkey
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon coriander
1 Walla Walla sweet onion (or similar sweet onion)
2 medium heirloom or beef steak tomatoes
¼ cup carrots, finely shredded
1 bunch of fresh lettuce leaves
8 whole wheat slider buns
¼ cup ketchup
¼ cup plum jam
carrots, celery and your favorite dip

For the Spicy Pulled Pork Tostadas with Cumin Lime Slaw:

1 2 lb pork shoulder

1 onion, quartered

3 garlic cloves, smashed

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/8 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon chili flake

1/2 bottle beer

16 small corn tortillas

1 head napa cabbage, chopped

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup sweet corn (from the cob or frozen)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon jalapeño pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon honey

2 tablespoon fat free plain yogurt

For the Skinny BBQ Chicken Pizza:

1 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast

1 cup water, room temperature

1 3/4 cup all purpose white wheat flour

1 cup cake flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons sugar

8 tablespoons barbeque sauce

2 cups cooked chicken breast, diced (to make your life easy, use the bagged grilled chicken in the freezer section)

2 green onions, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

8 ounces shredded part skim mozzerella cheese

8 ounces shredded low fat cheddar cheese

handful of chopped cilantro

For the Sneaky Cheesy Taco Macaroni with green beans:

1/2 pound lean ground turkey

1 cup canned black beans

1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes and chiles, with juices

2 cups water

1 cup dry whole wheat or high fiber elbow macaroni

1 packet low sodium taco seasoning

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup butternut squash puree

3/4 cup skim milk

3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar

1 pound fresh green beans

For the Carrot Sticks with Dilly Ranch Dressing:

3/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt
1/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
1 teaspoon white or apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dried dill
2 tablesppons fresh flatleaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried garlic
1 teaspoon dried onion flakes
1 bag baby carrots

For the Cookie Dough Bites:

2/3 cup raw almonds

2/3 cup raw walnuts

2/3 cup raw oat flakes (you could use rolled oats)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 cup raw agave nectar

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

3 tbsp cacao nibs or dark chocolate chips