Change is Good

I have changed the name of this blog to "Keeping My Eyes on the Prize" and I like it!!!  I needed to switch things up a bit as I realized I am now on the back side of this journey, the downhill slide to the prize, the back 9, the flip side of the coin.  I have been on this journey for 6 months and I am ready to kick it up another notch for the next 6.
Now I know this is not just a year long journey, but a life long one but my original goal when I started on July 28, 2012 was to see where my body would be in a year.  So my first "prize" will be had on July 28, 2013 and I can't wait!
I also can't wait to start walking again- wait, did I just say that?  Yup I sure did!  However, I have to give my sinuses a few more antibiotic days before I get back to it.  I am hoping for Tuesday, but Wednesday might be more realistic.  I will keep both options open.
So as I said I would, yesterday I found a few meal blogs and made a grocery list and found a few recipes to try this week.  Since this is very new to me and I am not very good at things that overwhelm me, I was simply searching for recipes that I thought would be easy to make and my kids would at least try.  Calorie count wasn't what I was looking for this time.  I just want to get my feet wet with this whole meal planning thing because it really does overwhelm me and I want to take it one step at a time.  I also want to be realistic about my food because for me it isn't about finding recipes with low fat cheese (yuk) or low calorie meals that are awful but fit into my calorie count, but it is about finding real meals that taste good and all 3 of us will eat and like.  If the calorie count is high, I will just eat less of it and make sure I walk/run on those days.  Maybe this is unrealistic but it is what I am going with and I have to work within MY reality.  
So here are the meals I am shopping for today.  I have a busy day planned (Anna has horseback lessons at 1:30 and I have to grocery shop and do laundry) and I am a bit concerned about my energy level but I have to get it on so here it goes. (Alyssa also recommended a blog- www.crockpot365.blogspot.com which I will be checking out).  Thanks Coach! 
The links to the blogs are included as well as the recipes for all 5 meals I am planning for this week and next. I also created a shopping list which isn't included because it only contains the things I need that I don't already have in hand.
I will post the results after we try them.
Until then,
Bottoms up!

http://eatathomecooks.com/2009/01/all-day-beef-stew-oven-or-crockpot.html

http://smithlive.blogspot.com/2011/12/monthly-meal-planning.html

1.   Lemon Garlic Chicken - doubled this - prep/no cooking, freeze

           1 tsp. dried oregano

 1/2 tsp. salt

 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

 2 T. butter

 1/4 c. water

 3 T. fresh lemon juice

 2 cloves garlic, minced

 1 tsp. chicken bouillon granules

 1 tsp. chopped fresh parsley (I didn't have fresh parsley, so I just used dried and  it worked   perfectly)

 1 package cream cheese (you can use 1/3 less fat or fat free)

 1. In a bowl, mix the oregano, salt, and pepper. Rub the mixture into chicken. Melt the butter in  a skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken in butter for 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Place  chicken in a slow cooker.

 2. In the same skillet, mix the water, lemon juice, garlic, and bouillon. Bring the mixture to boil.  Pour over the chicken in the slow cooker.

 3. Cover, and cook on High for 3 hours, or Low for 6 hours. Add the parsley to the slow cooker  15 to 30 minutes before the end of the cook time.

 4. About 15 minutes before you're ready to serve, remove the chicken and place on a serving  platter. Add the cream to cheese to the juice in the crockpot, and whisk until smooth. 

 Ladle the sauce over rice or pasta, then place your chicken on top!

2.  Crock-pot Ravioli Casserole - doubled this - prep/cook, freeze

 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef

 1 onion, chopped

 1 clove garlic, minced

 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce

 1 can stewed tomatoes

 1 tsp. oregano

 1 tsp. Italian seasoning

 salt/pepper

 10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed (I used fresh spinach)

 16 oz. bowtie pasta, cooked

 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

 1 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded

 *Brown ground beef with onion and garlic.  Put in crock-pot and add sauce, tomatoes and seasonings.  Cook for 6-7 hours on low.  Add the last 4 ingredients during the last 30 minutes of cooking and turn  crock-pot to high.  I added the fresh spinach, pasta, parmesan and 1 cup of the mozzarella and I mixed it  all up really well.  Then I added the last 1/2 cup of mozzarella to melt on the top.

3. Brown Sugar Chicken - prep/no cooking, freeze in bag

The Ingredients.

courtesy of Confessions of a Wacky SAHM

--12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, or 6 boneless, skinless breast halves

--1 cup brown sugar (it's okay. you can brush your teeth after.)

--1/4 cup lemon-lime soda (stay with me...)

--2/3 cup vinegar (I used white wine, but think regular white would be fine)

--3 cloves smashed and chopped garlic

--2 T soy sauce (La Choy and Tamari wheat free are GF)

--1 tsp ground black pepper

The Directions.

Use a 4 quart crockpot for this recipe. 

Plop the chicken into your crockpot. Cover with the brown sugar, pepper, chopped garlic, and soy sauce. Add the vinegar, and pour in the soda. It will bubble!

Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours, or on high for 4-5. The chicken is done when it is cooked through and has reached desired consistency. The longer you cook it, the more tender it will be.

Serve over a bowl of white rice with a ladle full of the broth

4. Slow Cooker San Francisco Pork Chops - prep/no cooking, freeze

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 pork chops, about 1-inch thick

Salt and pepper for seasoning

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon cold water

Mashed Potatoes or Hot Cooked Rice (for serving)

In a large 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is simmering and hot. Season the pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Brown the pork chops for 1-2 minutes on each side in the hot oil until golden. Transfer the chops to the slow cooker. Add the garlic to the drippings in the skillet and stir constantly over medium heat until the garlic is aromatic and golden (but not burned or it will turn bitter!). Stir in the soy sauce, broth, brown sugar and red pepper flakes; cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over chops.

Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours until the meat is tender. If using bone-in pork chops, fish out the bones from the slow cooker. Remove the chops from the slow cooker to a shallow pan or plate – they will most likely be falling apart in tenderness at this point. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the sauce in the slow cooker. Return the chops to the slow cooker. Turn the slow cooker heat to high and cook for 30 minutes to an hour longer, until the sauce is slightly thickened. If you want a super duper thick sauce, once you remove the chops from the slow cooker, pour the sauce into a pan and place it over medium heat on the stove. Add the cornstarch slurry and bring the sauce to a boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes until the sauce is thick. Add the pork and heat through.

5. All Day Beef Stew – Oven or Crockpot

Serving Size: 8-10

INGREDIENTS

·         2 lb. stew beef

·         3 cups chopped potatoes

·         2-3 carrots, chopped

·         1 onion, chopped

·         1-2 stalks celery, chopped

·         3-4 cups tomato juice

·         1 Tbs. sugar

·         1/4 cup instant tapioca

·         salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1.     Mix all the ingredients in a heavy, covered pan or the crockpot.

2.    If you use the oven, cook on 250 degrees for 4-5 hours, stirring 2-3 times during the cooking.

3.    If you use the crockpot, you won’t need to stir during the cooking