Saturday Menus

This was harder to do only because on Saturdays we tend not to be home. I made it a point to "make it happen" since I'm trying to lose weight and because I have the accountability of this blog.

The hardest part was not stopping at the convenience store for coffees and not going out to lunch like we would normally have done. I made breakfast. I planned the day so we would be back for luncheon, and then got right to prepping dinner. I'm proud of myself--I did it!

Breakfast: We've had this one before. Mr. got 2 pieces of bread.

Luncheon: I had the chicken soup and Chef's salad already prepared. It was just a matter of "heat and eat." The dressing was pretty good. I like the "base" dressing that is used to create other dressings.

Dinner: This turned out better than I expected. I had two "setbacks" in that there were no wax beans to be found so I had to substitute green beans. I also accidentally got chopped broccoli instead of chopped spinach. They were next to each other on the shelf and I just grabbed what I thought was the right box. Because the greens were green instead of yellow, I ended up with two greens on the plate. One was bright green, so I guess we were good to go.

The Molded Fruit Salad turned out way better than I expected! I used strawberries and bananas and it was really fruity and refreshing. The Melba toast was as it has always been when I've tried it: noisy! I don't understand why it was (is?) so popular. It could break out a tooth!

Someone asked whether or not I'm hungry. Not really! I find that I am definitely ready for the meal when it's time. I also find it fun to prep parts in the morning for the evening meal as it's kind of a preview that spurs me on. I am hungry in the mid-afternoon, so the "pickup" is just right.

I also find that having our dessert at the dinner table actually keeps me from wanting to snack later in the evening. Who'd have thought?

Chef's Salad (1 serving)

Salad greens
1 celery heart, diced (didn't have)
1 small tomato, quartered
1 oz. cooked chicken
1/2 oz. processed American cheese (I used Swiss)
Russian Dressing

Break chilled salad greens into salad bowl. Add diced celery. Pour dressing over vegetables and toss lightly. Arrange quartered tomato, chicken, and cheese strips over top of greens. Serve immediately.

Beef Patties Burgundy (Serving: 1 patty)

1 1/4 lbs. ground beef
1/3 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons Burgundy wine
1/2 of 5 1/4 oz. can water chestnuts, drained, thinly sliced (didn't use)

Form ground beef into 5 patties. In heated skillet, sprinkled with salt (no fat), pan-broil patties to sear in juices. Add mushrooms and the Burgundy wine. Simmer slowly for 15 minutes. To add an elegant touch, just before removing from heat, add the thinly sliced water chestnuts.

Creamed Chopped Spinach (or broccoli if you grab the wrong box!)

1 10-oz. box of spinach, thawed (squeeze out excess water)
White sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
Dash pepper
Dash paprika

Cook spinach according to package directions. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add flour and seasonings; stir until blended and smooth. Add milk slowly; stir constantly until mixture thickens and is smooth. Combine sauce and spinach.

Molded Fruit Salad

1 tablespoon gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
1 cup hot water
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 cups diced fruit
salad greens

Soften gelatin in the cold water. Add hot water, sugar and salt; stir until thoroughly dissolved. Add lemon juice; cool, then chill gelatin until mixture begins to set. Add the prepared fruit, which has been well drained. (Pat dry.) Turn into 6 individual molds (I put it all into one bowl and just dipped out servings.); chill. Unmold on crisp salad greens.