August 22- August 28

Today's Box contained: Chambourcin Grapes, Bibb Lettuce, 6 ears of Corn, Butternut Squash, 4 Field Tomatoes and 2 cucumbers.

Since the butternuts keep well, I still have some from last week.  One will be used in place of pumpkin puree in my Pumpkin Bread recipe.  The grapes will be great for snacks.  The lettuce, tomato and cucumber will make great lunch and side salads this week.

 With some leftover Sweet Potatoes from an earlier Box, I intend to make this week Sweet Potato Cake.

Sweet Potato Cake

2 1/2 self rising flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1 cups oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/4 cup Hot water
1 1/2 cups peeled and grated sweet potatoes
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together flour and cinnamon.  In another bowl mix oil and sugar; add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add water and sweet potatoes; mix well.  Add pecans and vanilla.  Add flour mixture; beat til smooth.  Pour into 3 9" layer pans or one 9x13 pan (greased and floured)
Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.
Frost after cooling.
Recipe reprinted from Michelle Gemmel

I did not have self rising flour on hand but was able to make my own. (For every cup of self rising flour add 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt.)

Wednesday, August 22-  I fell behind last week and never made the chicken pot pie.  So tonight I will make that up for dinner, using some of the fresh corn from my Box.

Chicken Pot Pie 6 WW Pts

• 2 deep dish pie shells 
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup (per a friend's suggestion I am using cream of chicken with herbs)
• 1or 2 cans of veg-all vegetables (or combination of fresh & frozen veggie mix- I used carrots, celery, onion, peas & corn)
• 2-3 cups cooked chicken 
• 1/2-3/4 cup milk 
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme

1. Boil chicken in chicken broth.  After it is cool cut in to small pieces 
2. Reserve broth and boil fresh or frozen vegetables for 5 minutes and drain.
3. Pre heat oven 375 degrees 
4. Mix chicken, vegetables, soup and milk in a medium bowl 
5. Add salt and pepper to taste and thyme
6. Pour mixture in pie crust cover with 2nd pie crust 
7. Cook pie for about 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Thursday, August 23-  It's just us girls tonight.  I'm thinking of turkey meatballs over pasta and sliced bread.

Friday, August 24-  Golf night which usually means take out.

Saturday, August 25- We decided to go out for BBQ.

Sunday, August 26-  I have Thanksgiving on my mind and with the delivery of my butternut squash, I am thinking a little Thanksgiving in August sounds yummy!  I will slow cook a garlic turkey breast.  I hope to make up a turkey breast and serve it along with my Butternut Squash Casserole and green beans (frozen from an earlier Box).

Butternut Squash Casserole- from Williams-Sonoma

Casserole:

4 cups butternut squash puree

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp orange extract

1/4 tsp salt

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Topping:

1 cup vanilla wafers, crushed

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Lightly grease a casserole dish (4 - 6 cup capacity).

2. Combine squash puree, sugar, milk, vanilla, orange extract, salt, flour, eggs and melted butter. Pour into the prepared casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until set.

3. Meanwhile, make the topping. In a medium bowl, combine crushed vanilla wafers, melted butter and the brown sugar. Sprinkle over top of the cooked casserole and return to the oven to brown for an additional 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.

Monday, August 27- With the leftover turkey I will use Pampered Chef's recipe and make their Turkey Cranberry Wreath for dinner.  I'll make a box of mac n cheese since my girls aren't huge fans of this meal.

Leaner Turkey Cranberry Wreath

Servings: 8 (approximately 2 crescent triangles per stuffed sandwich)
Weight Watchers: 10 PointsPlus per serving

• 2 cups light meat turkey, chopped or shredded (no skin)
• 5 ounces reduced fat Swiss cheese, shredded or diced up
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
• 3 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 tubes (16 rolls total) reduced fat crescent rolls
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten, for wash

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In medium sized mixing bowl, combine turkey, cheese, celery, cranberries, parsley, mayonnaise, mustard and pepper.  Mix well.  Set aside while preparing the crescent roll wreath, braid or ring.
3. Scoop filling evenly over the crescent roll wreath, then finish assembling the wreath.  Brush wreath with egg white.
4. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Tuesday, August 28- Using the Bibb Lettuce I will make Asian Lettuce Wraps for dinner tonight.  Since I believe the kids will not particularly care for this meal I'll make Ramen Noodles and green beans from my box for them.

Asian Lettuce Wraps WW 9 pts (2 wraps with 2 small scoop beef)

• 16 lettuce leaves
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• Asian chile pepper sauce (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons Asian (dark) sesame oil

Sauce

• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 T soy
• 2 T rice vinegar
• 1 T chile paste

Mix ingredients and spoon desired amount over wrap before rolling.

Directions

1. Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not tear them. Set aside.
2. In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the ground beef in 1 tablespoon of oil, stirring often and reducing the heat to medium, if necessary. Drain, and set aside to cool. Cook the onion in the same pan, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, and chile pepper sauce to the onions, and stir. Stir in chopped peanuts, green onions, sesame oil, and cooked beef; continue cooking until the onions just begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.
3. Arrange lettuce leaves around the outer edge of a large serving platter, and pile meat mixture in the center. To serve, allow each person to spoon a portion of the meat into a lettuce leaf. Add desired amount of sauce. Wrap the lettuce around the meat like a burrito, and enjoy!

Nutritional Information

Servings Per Recipe: 4 (2 wraps)
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 388 Total Fat: 22.3g Cholesterol: 69mg Sodium: 580mg Total Carbs: 24.3g Dietary Fiber: 4.7g Protein: 23.4g

August 15- August 21

I opted for the fruit Box this week.  I will be receiving 2 watermelons, 2 cantaloupes, peaches and grapes.  For my meals this week, I will drop by DJ's Berry Patch for any needed fresh produce.

Wednesday, August 15-  I didn't make this last week and it will be perfect for tonight's dinner.  Grilled Sausage Sandwiches served with onions and peppers along with Camper Potatoes, from an earlier Box. 

Camper Red Potatoes

• sliced red potatoes, dabs of butter, sliced onion or onion powder- Make foil packets and grill until browned and crispy about 30-40 minutes on low heat

Thursday, August 16-  Girls Night Out for me tonight.  My husband will be making a family recipe for easy homemade Mac N Cheese.

Friday, August 17-  Tonight is my daughter's golf lesson, which also occurs during dinnertime.  I think it will be take out for us. 
 

Saturday, August 18-   Due to a conflict I tabled this meal from last week for tonight.  This recipe comes from skinnytaste.com  I will serve it over rice.

Garlic Shrimp in Coconut Milk, Tomatoes and Cilantro

Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1/4 • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 6 pts

Calories: 272.5 • Fat: 9.7 • Carbs: 13.7 • Fiber: 2.7 • Sugar: 4.2 • Protein: 30.7

• 1 1/4 lbs jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (weight after peeled)
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• kosher salt (to taste)
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 14 oz can light coconut milk (50% less fat)*
• 1/2 lime, squeezed

In a medium pot, heat oil on low. Add red peppers and sauté until soft (about 4 minutes). Add scallion whites, 1/4 cup cilantro, red pepper flakes and garlic. Cook 1 minute.

Add tomatoes, coconut milk and salt to taste, cover and simmer on low about 10 minutes to let the flavors blend together and to thicken the sauce.

Add shrimp and cook 5 minutes. Add lime juice.

To serve, divide equally among 4 bowls and top with scallions and cilantro.

Sunday, August 19-  Golf Tournament today.  Not sure who will be around for dinner tonight.  So it might be simple like breakfast for dinner, or maybe we'll all go out for a quick bit.  I will have to see what happens.

Monday, August 20-  I have been craving pot pie.  Since it should be a little cooler, I think I will make Chicken Pot Pie tonight.

Chicken Pot Pie 6 WW Pts

• 2 deep dish pie shells 
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup (per a friend's suggestion I am using cream of chicken with herbs)
• 1or 2 cans of veg-all vegetables (or combination of fresh & frozen veggie mix- I used carrots, celery, onion, peas & corn)
• 2-3 cups cooked chicken 
• 1/2-3/4 cup milk 
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme

1. Boil chicken in chicken broth.  After it is cool cut in to small pieces 
2. Reserve broth and boil fresh or frozen vegetables for 5 minutes and drain.
3. Pre heat oven 375 degrees 
4. Mix chicken, vegetables, soup and milk in a medium bowl 
5. Add salt and pepper to taste and thyme
6. Pour mixture in pie crust cover with 2nd pie crust 
7. Cook pie for about 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Tuesday, August 21-I am in the mood for fish.  The Fish Taco recipe was taken from allrecipes.com with a few modifications as follows.

Fish Tacos  WW Pts: 9

Marinade

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons lime zest
• 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay™
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, or to taste
• 1 pound cod, cut into chunks

Dressing

• 1 (8 ounce) container light sour cream
• 1/2 cup adobo sauce from chipotle peppers
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (I might reduce to 1 tbspn)
• 2 teaspoons lime zest
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay™
• salt and pepper to taste

• Chopped Cilantro
• packaged cole slaw mix
• 1 (10 ounce) package tortillas
• 3 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced

Directions

1. To make the marinade, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, lime zest, honey, garlic, cumin, chili powder, seafood seasoning, black pepper, and hot sauce in a bowl until blended. Place the fish in a shallow dish, and pour the marinade over the fish. Cover, and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours.
2. To make the dressing, combine the sour cream and adobo sauce in a bowl. Stir in the lime juice, lime zest, cumin, chili powder, seafood seasoning. Add salt, and pepper in desired amounts. Cover, and refrigerate until needed.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake fish in preheated oven until it easily flakes with a fork, 9 to 11 minutes. (Fish can also be grilled)
4. Assemble tacos by placing fish pieces in the center of tortillas with desired amounts of tomatoes, cilantro, and slaw; drizzle with dressing.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 416 * Total Fat: 19.2g * Cholesterol: 43mg * Sodium: 709mg * Total Carbs: 38.5g * Dietary Fiber: 6g * Protein: 22.6g

August 8- August 14

This week's Box consisted of:

• Sweet Potatoes
• 6 ears of Corn
• Cantaloupe
• Watermelon
• Pint of Cherry Tomatoes
• 2 English Cucumbers

I also got an add on of garlic and peaches.

The watermelon and cantaloupe will sides and snacks.  The corn that I didn't use Wednesday night will be blanched and frozen.

Over the weekend I hope to make Peach Cobbler.

Delicious Peach Cobbler
4 cups of peeled, sliced peaches
2 cups sugar divided
1/2 cup water
8 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups self rising flour (if you don't have any you can easily make some- I did using a google search: 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour mixed with 3/4 teaspoon each baking powder and salt)
1 1/2 cups milk
ground cinnamon, optional

-Preheat oven to 350
-Combine peaches, 1 cup of sugar & water in saucepan and mix well. Bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
-Put butter in a 3-qt. baking dish and place in oven to melt.
-Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, flour and milk slowly to prevent clumping. Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Sprinkle top with ground cinnamon, if desired.
-Bake for approx. 1 hour
Can be served with whipped topping and/or ice cream. Refrigerate left overs.

Wednesday, August 8-  I went simply with hotdogs, sliced cantaloupe and fresh corn on the cob, from my Box.

Thursday, August 9-  Again this evening's meal was simple.  I prepared frozen meatballs over pasta and cut up cherry tomatoes.

Friday, August 10-  If the weather cooperates, my daughter has golf lessons during mealtime.  Therefore, tonight will most likely be take out.

Saturday, August 11- I came across tonight's recipe on skinnytaste.com website.  I have some left over sweet peppers from last week's Box so I thought this would be a great way to use them up.

Chicken and White Bean Stuffed Peppers
Servings: 5 • Serving Size: 2 halves • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 8 pts
Calories: 303.7 • Fat: 5.9 g • Protein: 29.9 g • Carb: 34.9 g • Fiber: 6.5 g

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 half red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup parsley (or cilantro)
• 5 bell peppers (red or green)
• 14 oz shredded cooked chicken breast
• cumin
• adobo (or salt)
• 15.5 oz can white beans
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar

In a medium pan, heat oil on medium heat. Add chopped onions, garlic, parsley and red pepper. Saute until soft, about a minute. Add chicken and season with cumin and adobo. Add beans and 1 to 1-1/2 cups of water and simmer for about 5-10 minutes, until it thickens and the liquid reduces. Adjust spices to taste.

Preheat oven to 350°. Cut peppers in half removing seeds and stem. Place peppers in an oven-proof dish. Fill each pepper with 1/3 cup of chicken and bean mixture. Pour about 1/3 cup water or chicken broth on the bottom of the dish. Cover tight with foil. Bake 30 minutes at 350°. Remove foil, top with cheese and bake uncovered another 5 minutes. 

Sunday, August 12-  I am leaning towards grilled pork chops with green beans (blanched & frozen from a previous Box) and my Sweet Potato Casserole.

Sweet Potato Casserole 7 WW Points  
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup margarine, melted
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and halved
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg white
1 (5 oz) can evaporated milk

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in small bowl, stirring to form streusel. Set aside
3. Place potatoes in pot covered with water. Bring to boil, cover and simmer 30 min or until tender. Drain. Mash in large bowl.
4. Stir in 1 cup of streusel topping, sugar, vanilla, egg white and milk.
5. Spoon into 2-qt. casserole coated with cooking spray. Top with remaining streusel.
6. Bake for 45 min.

Serving: 3/4 cup

Calories: 376  Fat: 8.8g  Saturated fat: 1.4g  Monounsaturated fat: 4.1g  Polyunsaturated fat: 2.6g  Protein: 5.4g  Carbohydrate: 70.1g  Fiber: 3.8g  Cholesterol: 1mg  Iron: 1.9mg  Sodium: 115mg  Calcium: 97mg

Monday, August 13-  Grilled Sausage Sandwiches served with onions and peppers along with Camper Potatoes, from an earlier Box. 

Camper Red Potatoes

• sliced red potatoes, dabs of butter, sliced onion or onion powder- Make foil packets and grill until browned and crispy about 30-40 minutes on low heat

Tuesday, August 14-   This recipe again comes from skinnytaste.com  I will serve it over rice.

Garlic Shrimp in Coconut Milk, Tomatoes and Cilantro

Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1/4 • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 6 pts

Calories: 272.5 • Fat: 9.7 • Carbs: 13.7 • Fiber: 2.7 • Sugar: 4.2 • Protein: 30.7

• 1 1/4 lbs jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (weight after peeled)
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• kosher salt (to taste)
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 14 oz can light coconut milk (50% less fat)*
• 1/2 lime, squeezed

In a medium pot, heat oil on low. Add red peppers and sauté until soft (about 4 minutes). Add scallion whites, 1/4 cup cilantro, red pepper flakes and garlic. Cook 1 minute.

Add tomatoes, coconut milk and salt to taste, cover and simmer on low about 10 minutes to let the flavors blend together and to thicken the sauce.

Add shrimp and cook 5 minutes. Add lime juice.

To serve, divide equally among 4 bowls and top with scallions and cilantro.