Dinners-Week One

My entire family likes to eat out  It makes it very difficult for my husband and I to tell each other no in that regard.  He likes it as much as me and vice versa.  I know that the only way to keep us out of restaurants is to cook with a plan.

Of course, Saturday night I was late starting dinner which meant I had to find a new plan, but here's what I had for dinner week 1.

Friday Grilled hambuger (no bun), corn on the cob, sliced vegetables and dip

Friday's dinner was a little point heavy as I bought the ground beef and intended to use it before my first weigh in Friday morning.  I didn't and I had three pounds of 85/15 ground beef in the fridge.  Dinner weighed in at a whooping 18 points

Saturday 2 sloppy toms on a light bun, sliced cucumbers with dressing-10 pts

Sunday  Skinny Salisbury steak over mashed rutabaga with green beans sauteed with 3 slices of center cut bacon.

I'd like to take a minute out and really recommend substituting mashed rutabagas for your mashed potatoes at your next meal.  Rutabagas have a 0 points plus value, count as a serving of veggies and taste very good.  They're really between a squash and potato, flavor wise, but are a great way to get the carb-like bulk with dinner without spending any points on carbs.

My dinner was very filling with one Salisbury steak patty, .5 c of mashed rutabaga and .5c of sauteed green beans and it was only 10 pts.

Monday
We had a stressful day and the weather was bad when I needed to go to the store for a few ingredients I was missing for dinner.  We ordered pizza instead.  I had one slice of pepperoni from a large pizza for 10 pts, but the thin crust veggie pizza I ordered (but didn't eat at all ) was only 6 pts per slice.  A pretty good value for a big slice of pizza.

Tuesday
Hot Sausage over Polenta
I wish I'd have gotten a picture, but this was very easy and very very good and really gave you the taste of a hot sausage sandwich without the points
Serves 6

1 tube of polenta/corn mush
1 package of hot italian turkey sausage, sliced
28 oz of crushed tomatoe
2 large bell peppers cut into strips
.5 large onions, cut into thin rings
1-2 tsp of sugar (optional, if you like a sweeter sauce)

1. Preheat oven to 375 and coat a cookie sheet with cookiing spray.  Slice polenta (my 24 oz "tube" made 12 good sized slices.).  Place sliced polenta onto cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes until slightly crisp on top

2.  Meanwhile, add sliced sausage, peppers and onions to a large skillet.  Cook a few minutes and then add crushed tomatoes to pan.  Cook, allowing the tomatoes to reduce and thicken.  Add sugar, if you want it, to taste.

3. Serve over polenta rounds

6 pts for 3oz of polenta with one sliced sausage and accompanying veggies.e

Wednesday
We ate lunch late, so I went for quick and easy
2-lean pockets
.5c baked sweet potato
1 tsp butter
-17 total points

Thursday
Huge late lunch=skipped dinner.