Mimi’s Monday Menu

January 22, 2018Leave a comment

It is Monday once again! You know what that means? It’s time for another edition of Mimi’s Monday Menu! I have a lot of deliciousness on the menu this week, but first, we need to talk results from last week.

Last Week’s Results

We got a little off track last week, but only on Friday. Unfortunately, I decided it would be a good idea to freeze the chicken thighs since we weren’t using them until Friday. It didn’t seem like such a good idea on Friday morning when I needed to cut them up. Given that I had ten minutes to get everything together, we decided we would do Jambalaya this week instead. So we hit Chick-Fil-A for supper on Friday night.

We each still saw a pound lost on Friday night, so that was a big plus. We try to eat light on Friday night just so we don’t have anything too heavy that skews our results on Saturday morning. Chick-Fil-A wasn’t exactly the best choice for that. Hopefully, if we stick to the plan this week, we will see even better results.

Now, I have to tell you, I was skeptical about the skillet pizza and the taco bake on our menu last week. The taco thing looked good, but pizza with no crust? I had my doubts. They were unfounded. Both of the new meals last week came from Cooking Keto with Kristie on YouTube. The skillet pizza was recommended to us by a friend who is on the keto plan, and man did he know what he was talking about. I followed the instructions, but added a spoonful of pizza sauce, and used colby-jack as the base. YUM. It was so flipping good. That’s going to be a new staple, I’m sure.

But let’s talk about the Taco Skillet Bake. You all don’t even know. It’s so good that when I sheepishly asked the mister, “Can I make it again this week?” He gave me an enthusiastic yes. I’m not sad to say that this dish has probably replaced our Old El Paso soft taco bake. I thought I would miss it not having tortillas in it…I didn’t. Not at all.

Anything new?

We are making one new recipe this week. We’re going to have some breakfast for dinner one night. And I’m going to try my hand at some low-carb pancakes. Because we are not sure how they will turn out, we’ve got back-up in the form of bacon and eggs, which everyone loves.

What’s on the Monday Menu this week?

So we’ve got some breakfast for dinner, some Tex-Mex taco skillet bake, some bar-be-que, some Cajun-inspired jambalaya, and instead of going out on Thursday, we’re adding in a fourth stay-at-home meal. What?! Four night at home? Have we lost our minds? Nah, we just saw some Italian meat rolls at Sam’s club that we really wanted to try out for a meal. We’re all over the place this week as far as the origins of our meals! At least we won’t be bored this week.

Mimi’s Monday Menu:

Monday: Taco Skillet Bake

Tuesday: Dickies (Where else?)

Wednesday: Breakfast for dinner: Eggs, Bacon and Keto Pancakes

Thursday: Formaggio Artisan Wrap Variety Tray

Friday: Low-Carb Jambalaya

Saturday: Cheat Day!

Sunday: Fathead pigs in a blanket.

Planning Your Own Week?

If you’d like to put together a dinner menu for your week, I have a nice little printable here that might help you out. Not only can you plan out your meal for each weeknight, you can also make your grocery list on the same page!

Get it here: Menu of Amazing Meals

Daily Dose of Music

Recipe Review

January 17, 20181 Comment

As promised, here is my review of the Low-Carb Pizza Burgers that I made two weeks ago. The idea for this delicious low-carb recipe comes from HowToThisAndThat.com. I haven’t tried any of the other recipes from this site, but I’m glad I tried this one out. The rest of the family was glad too!

Difficulty Level: Normal Mode

While this recipe wasn’t too difficult to prepare, there were things that I had to tweak, and it took a little more prep work than something you can just throw together in a single pan. That said, it’s not so daunting that someone with a little less experience and a little extra time couldn’t figure out how to do it.

Prep Work:

When the recipe says that it needs time to chill before you roll out the dough, take it at face value. Make the fathead dough in the morning and make the burgers in the evening. I did not follow this advice, and I paid for it in time and wasted cheese.

So make the Fathead ahead of time, and the rest of the prep is a total cinch. It’s basically browning your burgers, and then putting everything together. I made my burgers in the oven since I used frozen patties from Sam’s.

I’m all about easy.

Getting Started on the Low-Carb Pizza Burgers

While my burgers were getting toasty in the oven, I started on the Fathead dough. If you have never tried Fathead dough, what are you waiting for? It’s incredibly delicious and can be used for a wide variety of meals. The Fathead dough consists of mozzarella cheese, cream cheese, egg, almond flour, and the Italian seasoning and garlic powder shown in the picture. The sauce and pepperoni were used to top the burgers.

Making the dough is not difficult, and surprisingly, it takes hardly any time at all. The problem I ran into was just how sticky it was.

Uh-Oh Moment

Since I didn’t refrigerate the dough and I already had my burgers just about done, I decided to try to roll out it regardless. It didn’t work. I was severely disappointed that the dough recipe wasn’t working out, but I knew that it was through no fault of the recipe itself. It was just far too sticky to work with at all. What to do?

Make a version of the dough that I had worked with before, of course! I quickly pulled up the Fathead recipe I used when we made these:

Low Carb “Fathead Pigs in a Blanket courtesy of https://hip2save.com/2017/07/20/low-carb-fathead-pigs-in-a-blanket/

Same ingredients, different ratios. So I made the adjustments and got some new dough made up. It took two batches of the other dough to make enough for all four burgers, but the results were oh so worth it.

Putting it together

Once I got the dough made and rolled out, it was time to put together the burgers. This part was a bit of fun since I could have added other toppings if I wanted to, but the pepperoni just seemed right to use. Each burger got a spoon of pizza sauce, three pepperoni slices and a sprinkle of mozzarella before being enveloped in the dough. Then on went three more pepperoni slices and a little more cheese. Oh yes, this is my kind of recipe.

Just the sauce, before the rest of the toppings.

Into the Oven

I was still a little skeptical about Fathead dough when I made these. When I made the pigs in a blanket I wasn’t very hungry, so I wasn’t sure if it was the dough, or just not wanting to eat that put me off. After these came out of the oven, the smell alone was enough to make my stomach growl.

Beautiful. And delicious.

The dough turned out firm enough that we could pick these up to eat them rather than use a knife and fork like I thought we would need. It was kind of like a cross between the most delicious hot pocket ever and a crazy good calzone. Either way, it was definitely a keeper of a recipe. Next time, I’ll make the dough in the morning and see how it turns out. But if you’re in more of a hurry, or don’t want to make anything ahead, the other Fathead recipe works just fine.

Rating of Low-Carb Pizza Burgers:

Three yums and a definitely will make again. Success!

Daily Dose of Music

Mimi’s Monday Menu

January 15, 2018Leave a comment

As much as I love our cheat-day and quiet Sunday, I always look forward to a new week and a new Monday Menu. It’s a chance to try new things and start fresh again.

This past weekend, our weigh-in went surprisingly well. I say surprisingly because we had a lot of Fathead, cheese, and high-fat content meals last week. To say that we like the fathead dough would be an understatement. But I ended up losing around 2.5 lbs, and the mister lost almost 3. I’m finally under my pre-holiday weight! I also realized that I have 23 pounds to go until I hit my next goal of 250. We have about 14 weeks until we fly to Vegas for our anniversary, so I’m hoping to keep up a loss of around 2lbs a week until then.

Last Week’s Results

We mostly stayed on track last week, though it’s hard to remember since I didn’t write down my menu last week! Ugh! Anyway, we did cook 3 weeknights, so that was pretty good. We had fathead wrapped burgers with condiments instead of the pizza burgers we had last week (review on that tomorrow!), plus we did breaded chicken patties wrapped in fathead with pizza sauce. It was kind of like having parmesan chicken. Anyway, it was delicious, and that’s what counts right? It’s so much easier to eat right when eating right is not only delicious but also easy!

I keep throwing the guys at Dickie’s off since I’ve been ordering something different the past few weeks, but it doesn’t seem to be hurting any, even though it has about twice the amount of baked potato casserole in it.

I actually feel guilty eating “The Ted”. But it’s delicious. Since it didn’t seem to have a negative effect this week, I think I’ll get it again, but I might change it up again next week.

Anything new?

This week, we’re trying two new recipes! The Pizza Skillet is an item that a friend of ours swears by (he’s eating keto, while we’re just low-carb), so we’re going to give it a shot. Along with the pizza, we found a video from the same woman on a taco bake that looked ridiculous. So we’re going to have a go at that too.

What’s on the Monday Menu this week?

Along with the new items, we’re also throwing in our favorite places and our favorite crockpot goody. Jambalaya is exceptionally easy to throw together in the morning, and it’s so nice to come home on a Friday evening and not have to do anything but serve it up.

Dickies is on the menu of course, and so is Grillin’ Wings and Things. They have “pig wings” that are just to die for. And their dessert menu is filled with things that come in little bites so we can split a dessert so we can get a few carbs in, without completely overdoing it.

Sunday, I am making a second attempt at creating low-carb noodles using mozzarella and egg yolk. I gave these a try last week, and while they had a good taste and texture, the shape didn’t hold up and they ended up more like dumplings than noodles. So I’m going to give it another shot. I’ll make some changes to my technique to see if I can get them just right.

Mimi’s Monday Menu:

Monday: Skillet Pizza

Tuesday: Dickies (Where else?)

Wednesday: Taco Bake

Thursday: Grillin’ Wings and Things

Friday: Low-Carb Jambalaya

Saturday: Cheat Day!

Sunday: “Spaghetti” & Meatballs

Planning Your Own Week?

Get it here: Menu of Amazing Meals

Daily Dose of Music

Mimi’s Monday Menu

January 1, 2018Leave a comment

Since the new year is starting on a Monday, I’m excited to post a brand new dinner menu for the week! But first…

Happy New Year! I feel like 2017 just flew right by. It’s hard to believe that 2018 is already here.

Last Week’s Results

The week between Christmas and New Year’s is so odd. It doesn’t feel like a real week at all. It’s some kind of strange limbo in the middle of two holidays. We had a great time on Christmas day, using it as a second cheat day, and not paying any mind to our carb count. Tuesday, we hit Dickies, and then on Wednesday, we deviated from our plan and ended up going out. That’s what happens when you go in early and work a 10-hour day.

Thursday we were back on track and had dinner at home, but when they called and said we could come get our computer on Friday, we decided to grab Cane’s on the way home. So it was a bad week for the waistline, overall.

However, there were moments of success! For instance, I had an appointment with a nurse to check my blood pressure, and the medication is definitely helping! I was back in the normal range. Now, I just have to keep working to get off the medication altogether.

I started out making a new recipe on Thursday, but I ended up changing it so much that I decided to write my own recipe. So keep an eye out for that this week!

Anything new?

Tonight, the mister and I are expanding the recipes we have tried by giving this Low-carb Pizza Burger a shot. Last night, we tried out fathead pizza dough for the first time and we were both impressed, so hopefully, these turn out good. I’ll be doing a review of the dough in a coming post as well. We’ve been trying a lot of new things lately and I’ve been taking a lot of pictures. I’m looking forward to giving my thoughts on the recipes we’ve been trying out.

What’s on the menu this week?

As I mentioned, we are trying out Low-carb pizza burgers tonight, but the rest of the week is going to be comfort food. When I do cook, I’ll be utilizing the crockpot instead of the oven or stove, mostly because of the time-saving aspect.

We’re definitely having jambalaya this week, but we’re going to mix it up by adding a bit of cauliflower “rice”. I’ll keep you posted on how that turns out.

We’re back to our usual three days of eating dinner out rather than four or more. I’m looking forward to cleaning up our diet again!

On the menu for exercise, we’re continuing the beginner’s program through HasFit.com.

Now, without further ado, here is the dinner menu for this week.

Mimi’s Monday Menu:

Monday: Low Carb Pizza Burgers

Tuesday: Dickies (Where else?)

Wednesday: Jambalaya

Thursday: Grillin’ Wings and Things

Friday: Chicken in Alfredo Sauce

Saturday: Cheat Day!

Sunday: Chili Dogs

Planning Your Own Week?

Get it here: Menu of Amazing Meals

Daily Dose of Music

Recipe Review

December 12, 2017Leave a comment

As promised, here is my review of the Bacon Cheeseburger Cauliflower Casserole that I made last week. This odd, but delicious low-carb recipe comes from SugarFreeMom.com. I haven’t tried any of the other recipes from this site, but I’m glad I tried this one out. The rest of the family was glad too!

Difficulty Level: Normal Mode

I want to say this recipe would be suitable for n00bs, but there are a few things that aren’t really explained very well, such as steaming the cauliflower or leaving the bacon and beef drippings in the pan. There is also a discrepancy in how much flour to use in the sauce. But I’ll get to that shortly. For now, let’s just say that if you are fairly confident and competent in the kitchen, you should do just fine.

Prep Work:

You remember that great prep picture I had from the Crockpot Beef Roast review? Yeah, it’s not happening with this one. See, I have at the very most, 45 minutes to devote to cooking in the morning if I’m taking my niece to school (which I usually do). While the recipe says it takes 30 minutes of prep, I can vouch that I used every bit of that 45 minutes. And that was the second time I attempted the recipe! The first time, I only got as far as steaming and pureeing the cauliflower and browning the bacon and beef. So make sure you have plenty of time when starting this recipe.

Bacon Cheeseburger Cauliflower Casserole Prep

This is how I started off: Put the bacon in a cold pan (sorry, but I’m just using regular bacon. I’m not going searching for fancy uncured, reduced-sodium bacon), plopped the steamer basket in my big pot and filled it with water just below the steamer, got out my food processor, a few bowls, the cauliflower, etc.

Getting Started on the Bacon Cheesburger Cauliflower Casserole

I broke up the cauliflower and shoved it all in the pot, turned it on high and plunked on the lid while the bacon was already sizzling. I pulled the bacon out, and tossed the beef into the same pan with the bacon drippings. Instead of measuring out a ton of spices, I used my favorite seasoning for burgers: Weber Gourmet Hamburger Seasoning. A liberal sprinkle of that and then once the meat was just about done, I sliced up the bacon and added it to the beef so it could be incorporated into the meat, instead of sitting on top of the casserole.

It was at this point that I realized just how far behind I was running, and I put down the phone and neglected my picture taking in favor of finishing the casserole before I had to run out the door. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture of the cauliflower puree. It looked kind of like mashed potatoes though!

Major Substitution

I opted to use almond flour rather than coconut. There were two reasons for the substitute. One, I was severely pressed for time, and taking the time it would have taken to open and then properly store my coconut flour seemed to be just too much in the moment. Two, I like almond flour. I use it all the time these days and I’m familiar with it. I’ve never used coconut flour before, even though it’s been sitting in my cabinet for months.

Next time I make this, I think I’ll take the time to open the coconut flour. It’s not that the almond flour didn’t work. But I had to use a lot more of it in the sauce than was called for, and it was a bit gritty. It also didn’t want to thicken very well. So when the recipe says that you can use a flour of choice, don’t believe it! Use the coconut flour.

Into the Fridge

I managed to snap a few more pictures as I was getting the casserole put together to go into the fridge for the day!

Yes, that’s my empty food processor. I was hoping to capture a bit of the cauliflower. Unfortunately, I don’t think it does it justice. But by then, I had the cheese, sauce, and meat layered over it. Then even more cheese. Yum. The whole thing was topped with the sauce and then went into the refrigerator until I got home from work.

Major Omission

There was one ingredient that I just “ew” about and decided not to include. I didn’t put the mustard into the sauce. I thought it just didn’t sound right. Mustard in a cream sauce? Now, I like mustard, but it just didn’t sit right with me. I should have followed the recipe.

Out of the Oven

When I got home from work, I put the casserole straight from the fridge into the oven. A no-no, I know. At least the oven was cold at the time! So I preheated the oven with the casserole in the oven. I gave it an extra ten minutes since it was thoroughly chilled. And it came out just gorgeous.

Oh yeah. Look at that. Beautiful.

But How Did it Taste?

When I first took a bite, we were still standing in the kitchen, I couldn’t wait any longer. It was…pretty good. But you know, I thought it could have used a little ketchup. And then I started to wonder. Would it be good with mustard on it? I mean, there has to be a reason that it’s in the sauce right?

So I drizzled a bit of ketchup and mustard on it. HOLY SHIT. No kidding, the adding of the mustard alone made this an entirely different and utterly delicious dish. I didn’t realize that one little ingredient like that could completely change the flavor. I could still taste the cauliflower a bit, but it’s been growing on me. Slowly. Like a fungus.

This got devoured.

Rating:

Three yums and a definitely will make again. Success!

Daily Dose of Music

Mimi’s Monday Menu

December 11, 2017Leave a comment

It’s always nice when things go to plan. And a weekly menu is no different. Last week didn’t go exactly according to plan, but we hit all the major points. Namely, I finally got to make the Bacon Cheeseburger Cauliflower Casserole. Yum. There is a review coming on that recipe! I’ll also be reviewing the Baked Keto Chicken Tenders in Buffalo Sauce. I made them, and they were great, but I didn’t get any pictures!

I’m also planning to branch into some restaurant reviews in the new year. Up first will be The Egg and I, our new favorite breakfast place for cheat day. I’ll also be doing one on Grillin’ Wings and Things. We went there last week instead of Chick-Fil-A. Their pig wings…omg. They are a bit of low-carb heaven for sure.

Last Week’s Results

I had a strange week last week, and a lot of it blurred by. But I did manage to cook for four out of seven days. We ended up making the casserole on Thursday instead of Wednesday, and as I mentioned, we went to a different restaurant, but overall, it was a good week for our menu.

Everyone truly enjoyed the Bacon Cheeseburger Cauliflower Casserole, which surprised me. I didn’t think I would like it because of my volatile relationship with the vegetable. Apparently, it is growing on me. Don’t get me wrong, I could still taste it. It’s just that the flavor didn’t seem bad to me. My taste buds must be adjusting to eating gross things.

Anything new?

The Baked Keto Chicken Tenders in Buffalo Sauce are going to be a favorite, I think. They were incredibly tasty. I just wish we had realized we were out of ranch dressing before we made them. They would have been amazing with a little ranch to dip them in. Oh well. Next time!

We don’t have anything new on the menu this week, but given how close we are to Christmas, most of our meals for the next few weeks are going to be quick and easy so I can work on finishing the final gift I’m working on for my niece.

What’s on the menu this week?

It’s going to be an Ultimate Keto Bun week! Last night I broke out the almond flour and eggs and made three batches of these delicious little babies. I changed up the recipe a little bit by changing the spices. Adding some dried, minced onion in two batches, I also put some Weber burger seasoning in all three batches.

I also experimented a bit with adding a quarter teaspoon of baking powder to each batch. I don’t really see a difference in the height of the buns, so maybe I could have added more without ill effect. Next time I’ll double the amount to a half teaspoon per batch and see if that makes a difference. Still, I am looking forward to a low-effort sandwich week, which means I’ll probably get a bit more done in the evenings than I might have.

Now, without further ado, here is the menu for this week.

Mimi’s Monday Menu:

Monday: Oven-baked cheeseburgers on The Ultimate Keto Bun

Tuesday: Dickies (Where else?)

Wednesday: Breaded chicken patties on The Ultimate Keto Bun

Thursday: Grillin’ Wings and Things

Friday: Tuna salad on The Ultimate Keto Bun

Saturday: Mini-cheat day

Sunday: Cheat Day! It’s my birthday, I get two.

Planning Your Own Week?

Get it here: Menu of Amazing Meals

Daily Dose of Music

Mimi’s Monday Menu

December 4, 2017Leave a comment

Some weeks go off without a hitch. Some weeks go off the rails completely. As far as my Monday menu, last week was somewhere in between. And that’s okay! There will be days and weeks when you’re not going to be able to stick to your schedule of meals. It’s important to know when it’s okay to let it go and allow yourself some wiggle room.

Last Week’s Results

I had high hopes for last week’s menu, and it started off well. The mister and I had plans to try a new recipe on Wednesday, and a few favorites throughout the week. Unfortunately, life (and my clumsiness) had other thoughts on that. On Wednesday morning, I got the cauliflower and the ground beef ready for the casserole that I planned to put together when I got home that evening, but it ended up sitting in the fridge.

After taking that tumble on Wednesday morning, there was no way I was going to stand in the kitchen and make food. So we decided to switch our meals from Wednesday and Thursday, and we went out. However, on Thursday I was not feeling anymore like cooking. So we went out again. Friday, thankfully, we got back on track.

Unfortunately, the beef and cauliflower didn’t fare very well in the fridge, and I really didn’t feel like trying to salvage it, so we made the soft taco bake that was on the menu for Friday. I’m okay with that decision. It was delicious.

Anything new?

That doesn’t mean there won’t be any recipe reviews this week! On the contrary, I am trying out a new recipe tonight, and I’ll be documenting it for review tomorrow. The bacon cheeseburger cauliflower casserole will be reviewed either later in the week, or next week, since it is back on the menu this week for Wednesday.

The mister has strictly forbidden me from falling over anything else, so we shouldn’t have to worry about that.

Speaking of new, I found a new work out program that we started to try last week. We only got two workouts in before I was forced into rest mode, but we restarted last night, and I’m looking forward to giving it a shot. If you’re interested, all of the workouts can be found on HasFit.com. Best of all…they are all FREE. Yes, free. All of them. I’ll be reviewing the Beginner’s workout once we try a few more of them.

What’s on the menu this week?

As I mentioned, I’ll be making two new recipes this week. The Bacon Cheeseburger Cauliflower Casserole will be on Wednesday. Tonight, I’m trying out a new keto buffalo chicken tender recipe that the mister found for us. I love it when he picks out a new recipe. I’m always worried that when I try a new one, it’s going to be something he hates. So when he has input into my experiments, it alleviates some of that pressure for me.

We also have our favorite places and some jambalaya for the end of the week. It will be nice to have some hot meals, especially since this week is supposed to be so chilly.

Without further ado, here is the menu for this week.

Mimi’s Monday Menu:

Monday: Baked Keto Chicken Tenders in Buffalo Sauce

Tuesday: Dickies (My stamp card is almost full!)

Wednesday: Bacon Cheeseburger Cauliflower Casserole

Thursday: Chick-Fil-A

Friday: Low-Carb Slow-Cooker Jambalaya

Saturday: Cheat Day!

Sunday: Nathan’s Hot Dogs with Chili

Planning Your Own Week?

Get it here: Menu of Amazing Meals

Daily Dose of Music

Recipe Review

November 28, 20171 Comment

Last week, we tried out a new recipe! If you’ve read my blog before, you’re probably getting the picture that the mister and I are creatures of habit. When we find something we like, we tend to stick with it. Recipes are no different. Well, I have to say that we’ve found a winner in this delicious Crockpot Beef Roast from Life as the Coats.

Difficulty Level: Easy Mode

This recipe was incredibly simple. It takes five ingredients, and only one that has to be measured. I know, cooking a beef roast isn’t exactly rocket science. But I can’t tell you how many of my roasts have come out dry or flavorless. Well, I probably could tell you, but I’m not going to. It’s a lot. Say goodbye to flavorless hunks of meat that have to be drowned in gravy.

Beef Roast Prep:

Yeah, that’s all of the ingredients right there. The actual meat, brown gravy packet, ranch seasoning mix, and a zesty Italian dressing mix with a half-cup of water. It took me more time to arrange the ingredients for pictures than it did to put this recipe together. If you are in a hurry to get out the door in the morning and you want a meal on the table in minutes when you get home, then this is the recipe you want. Two minutes of prep. Tops.

Put the beef roast in the crockpot.

Sprinkle on the ranch, Italian, and gravy.

Pour the water in around the beef roast.

Turn it on low.

Now leave it alone for about 8-9 hours.

That’s It? Really?

Yes, really. I was skeptical too! I thought, no way, this is going to taste weird, look awful, be covered with a weird powdery paste, etc. None of these horrors came to pass. It was seriously the best roast I’ve ever made.

I love coming home to a house that smells like something delicious is waiting to get in my belly. This was one of those meals that had my stomach growling when I walked in the door.

You can’t tell me that doesn’t look delicious. Well, you could. But I wouldn’t believe you.

Let me get a little sidetracked.

So I’ve been promising a review of mashed cauliflower for a while now. We had it once, and it’s a testament to Green Giant’s abilities that I bought it a second time to go along with this roast.

Now, If you didn’t know, I have a loathe-hate-meh relationship with cauliflower. It’s one of those veggies that if I never ate it again, I wouldn’t be crying. And I get SO angry at recipes that say they will make cauliflower taste like potatoes, rice, bread, heaven…you get the idea.

I wasn’t keen on trying mashed cauliflower that has the audacity to pretend to be like potatoes. How dare it! Well, it wasn’t awful. In fact, it was surprisingly good. Did it taste like potatoes? Uh…no. But from someone who doesn’t like cauliflower, this is a palatable way to eat it.

Looks gross though.

Presentation is key.

At least it is for me. I like things to be pretty as well as delicious. The mister doesn’t really care, but I like meals that look appetizing. The easiest way to make goopy cauliflower look appetizing?

Put meat and gravy on it, of course!

That’s a little hunk of heaven right there.

Oh yeah. That’s the stuff. Mixed with seasoned and cooked to fall-apart tender perfection, the cauliflower was actually complimentary.

Did everyone enjoy?

You bet they did. This recipe received three enthusiastic Yums. This is one of those meals that is going to become a staple of our menu. And yeah, the mashed cauliflower will be making a return as well. While it doesn’t replace mashed potatoes, the more I eat it, the more I’m starting to not hate it. Progress!

Daily Dose of Music

Mimi’s Monday Menu

November 27, 20171 Comment

I survived Thanksgiving! Last week was a great week, all-in-all, and we had a very nice holiday. We also managed to mostly stick to our menu! I didn’t have a progress post over the weekend, because we skip weigh-ins on the weekend after a holiday that involves food, like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Last Week’s Results

We ate way too much over the past few days, but not to the point that we felt like we’d massively overdone it. I probably ate more chocolate last week than I have in a year. That’s mostly due to the number of Hershey’s kisses we had left over from the Starlighting on the 18th. That was the only thing we had left, so I count that event as a success. Otherwise, we stuck pretty close to our menu the whole week. The only exception to this came on Friday night. We just couldn’t do leftovers. And we had a coupon for a free appetizer, so we went to Chili’s. Still, I only ate half of my chicken quesadilla, so I’m not going to sweat it.

Anything new?

Who is ready for recipe reviews? They are coming! I have one planned for tomorrow regarding the slow-cooker beef roast and mashed cauliflower we had last week. And we are trying out a new recipe this week as well, so keep an eye out for a recipe review on that one too.

We have our new challenge on our exercise menu this week, and I think I’ll be posting that up on Wednesday. As well as a new drawing challenge for the month of December that will be coming on Thursday after I finish up the last of my November monster girls.

What’s on the menu this week?

Since Sunday was a cheat day for us, we decided to move our chili dog night to tonight, so we are undecided at the moment what we will be doing next Sunday. It will likely involve going out somewhere. I am looking forward to going to Dickies on Tuesday. I really missed it last week! But we certainly did enjoy the turkey and trimmings we got from them for Thanksgiving.

On Wednesday, I’m trying out a new beef and cauliflower meal. I hate to admit it, but the more we try these cauliflower recipes, the more I am starting to appreciate cauliflower. I’m not saying that I love it, and I probably never will, but I no longer find it quite as off-putting as I did initially.

We’re finally going to use up some of the gift cards we have sitting in the glovebox on Thursday, and then on Friday, I thought we could do something that we know and love. I look forward to soft taco bake nights. It’s simple to make, and SO delicious. I add an extra 1/2 lb of beef and a sprinkling of cheese between the layers for a little extra fat and protein. Topped with salsa and sour cream? Yeah, I’m starting to make myself hungry. Ahem.

Without further ado, here is the menu for this week.

Mimi’s Monday Menu:

Monday: Nathan’s Hot Dogs with Chili and Cheese

Tuesday: Dickies (we have to tell them how awesome their Thanksgiving dinner was)

Wednesday: Bacon Cheeseburger Cauliflower Casserole

Thursday: Wendy’s

Friday: Soft Taco Bake

Saturday: Cheat Day!

Sunday: Undecided

Planning Your Own Week?

Get it here: Menu of Amazing Meals

Daily Dose of Music

Mimi’s Monday Menu

November 20, 2017Leave a comment

Another Monday has arrived, and I’m already missing the weekend. But that’s alright, this is a short week with a holiday in the middle, so it shouldn’t be too stressful, right? Well, unless you’re the one cooking/hosting Thanksgiving dinner. Luckily, I have that whole thing on lock. Are you ready to talk menus?

Last Week’s Results

I really love our sandwich weeks. It makes everything so easy when I have a bunch of Ultimate Keto Buns ready to go and I can just come home and throw everything on a plate. Especially when we have a busy week like last week! I felt like I was running around all week long. We were planning for the annual Castle Rock Starlighting because our company had a sponsor booth. Do to the event on Saturday, we opted to turn that day into a mini cheat day and knocked the hotdogs off our menu in favor of take-out from Firehouse Subs. Otherwise, we remained right on track, and I saw a lovely 2.2lb loss as a result.

Anything new?

So the Fit In 10 challenge I mentioned last week…yeah, that’s not happening. Neither of us enjoyed the workouts. It wasn’t because they were too difficult, we just find it annoying to be constantly be moving from a standing position to a floor position, and then back again. We prefer all of our floor work to be done at the same time. So, we changed up our exercise routine, and I’ll be posting a new Amazing Mimi Challenge in a day or two, just in time to start after Thanksgiving!

What’s for dinner this week?

That’s right, Thanksgiving is on the menu! We are picking up our pie on Tuesday and then we’re picking up the rest of the meal on Wednesday evening. Because I’ve decided that I would rather enjoy my holidays instead of being stuck inside the kitchen cooking way too much food that will probably get thrown out in a week, only to have a mountain of dishes to do afterward. Nope. Not doing it.

Last year we decided to start ordering our Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, and I will never do it another way again. This year, we are getting our banana cream pie from Village Inn. Our turkey, stuffing, gravy, rolls, and baked potato casserole is coming from Dickies. But that’s just one meal, so we have another six days to plan for.

I even included a new recipe this week for a delicious looking beef roast. I’ll be doing a review on it later this week, along with the mashed cauliflower we’ll be serving with it.

And you’ll see the reason we don’t weigh on holiday weeks. We have Thanksgiving on Thursday, and leftovers on Friday. And then we’re having a cheat weekend. There is a reason for this. Saturday, not only do I have a waxing appt, in the morning but in the afternoon, the mister and I are going in for tattoos.

Given that we are going to be out most of the day, we’re not going to sweat what we eat. Now, it’s not going to be an all-out eat whatever we want kind of day, and neither is Friday, but we’re not going to sweat it if we have one or two things that normally wouldn’t make it on our menu. Sunday, we’re doing our normal go to the movies and hit the mall type day. Again, not great for strictly low carb eating, so we give ourselves some leeway. Next week, we hit it hard on the exercise front.

Without further ado, here is the menu for this week.

Mimi’s Monday Menu:

Monday: Nathan’s Hot Dogs with Chili and Cheese

Tuesday: Burger King (what no Dickies? Nah, that’s Thanksgiving!)

Wednesday: Crockpot Beef Roast with Mashed Cauliflower

Thursday: Thanksgiving!

Friday: Thanksgiving Left-overs

Saturday: Cheat Day!

Sunday: Cheat Day!

Daily Dose of Music

Mimi’s Monday Menu

November 13, 20171 Comment

Do Mondays get you down? For me, it’s one of the busiest days of the week, so it tends to fly by. Not like Wednesday. That long ass bastard day can suck it. Monday just happens to be the most tired day of the week for me. After a weekend of running around, getting up early and going to bed like, Monday morning has me like:

But I have a trick that keeps me from dragging all morning long. I set my alarm for 6:30 but I don’t roll out of bed until 7. Do I go back to sleep? Nope, I spend that half hour stretching, scrolling Facebook, checking email and allowing myself to wake up before I hop up to get my day started. Makes a world of difference in my morning attitude when I don’t have to immediately jump out of bed and get going.

Last Week’s Results

Anyway, I know you’re here today for your Monday menu ideas, and I’m here lazing about talking about lazing about. Last week was a total success! The best part was being able to make an adjustment when I needed to. The mister and I spent every evening last week decluttering a portion of our room, and Wednesday morning we were in a rush to get the trash down to the dumpster, get my niece to school, and then head to my dentist appointment. As I was leaving, hubby asks, “Weren’t we going to do jambalaya tonight?” Oh hell.

I completely forgot we were doing jambalaya on Wednesday, so I didn’t budget enough time in the morning to cut up the meat and get everything in the crockpot. So we switched our Wednesday meal with our Friday meal since the mister just had to toss the meatballs and sauce in the slow cooker in the afternoon. But we could have just as easily swapped our eat-out night on Thursday. Having that plan in place meant we already had the ingredients for Friday, and we could swap a day without any stress. That’s a big win for meal planning!

Anything new?

Last week I took some time to scope out some new recipes on Pinterest. I found all sorts of goodies that I want to try out in the coming weeks. Are any on this week’s menu? Nope. Sorry! I promise I will have them on our menu in the coming weeks.

The mister was really in the mood for another Ultimate Keto Bun week like we did two weeks ago. How could I deny him? So I made three batches of those delicious eggy buns last night, and we have a full week full of sandwich based dinners. This is a huge time saver for me, considering we still have a closet and several basement shelves to clear this week.

We ARE doing a new challenge starting this week. We have Fit In 10 on our fitness menu for the remainder of November, through Daily Burn. The program lasts for 8 weeks, but we will be doing it for at least four and we’ll evaluate our progress with it after that.

What’s for dinner this week?

Burgers and tuna and chicken, oh my! Yes, we’re having a lot of sandwich nights this week. Because sandwiches are delicious and should be eaten regularly. We are also going to be switching our cheat day this week. I am participating in a local, annual event called the Star Lighting on Saturday, so we’ll be having cheat day on Sunday.

Mimi’s Monday Menu:

Monday: Cheeseburgers on Ultimate Keto Buns

Tuesday: Dickies. We have to go order our turkey for Thanksgiving!

Wednesday: Tuna and Egg Salad on Ultimate Keto Buns

Thursday: Chick-Fil-A

Friday: Breaded Chicken Patties on Ultimate Keto Buns

Saturday: Nathan’s Hot Dogs with Chili and Cheese

Sunday: Cheat Day!

Daily Dose of Music

Mimi’s Monday Menu

November 6, 20171 Comment

Happy Monday everyone! I’m sure everyone is ready for a wonderful new week. I know I am! It always helps that I have a week full of delicious foods already planned out to look forward to.

Last Week’s Results

Last week we managed to stick to the menu every single day. It was a small miracle! And surprisingly, the Ultimate Keto Buns I made on Sunday held up. They were just as tasty on Friday for our tuna salad sandwiches as they were on our Sunday cheeseburgers.

When I made the Deconstructed Pizza Casserole, I used some sliced baby portabella mushrooms to one half (for Mamacita and me). Yum! I sauteed them as instructed in the recipe and they definitely added to the flavour. The mister isn’t fond of mushrooms, so I made sure his portion didn’t have any in it. However, the next time we make it, I think I’m going to add in another package of sausage. There just never seems to be enough to go around, especially since we don’t have sides with most meals.

Any Progress Last Week?

I know, I didn’t write a progress post this week. We had a rather busy weekend, and honestly, the only thing to report was a minor gain in weight for both of us. I’m just back to where I was the week before. I’m not discouraged! We are going to have our ups and downs. As long as the overall trend continues downward, then I will remain a happy camper.

Damn Straight

So what’s for dinner this week?

A few of our favourites are hitting my menu this week, and we decided to break out the slow-cooker for two of them. One of the benefits of the weather getting cooler is the influx of filling, hot dishes to make in the slow cooker, like roasts, soups, stews and chili. Over the next few days I’ll be researching some new recipes to review that will hopefully make even picky eaters happy.

Mimi’s Monday Menu:

Monday: Old El Paso Soft Taco Bake (extra meat, extra cheese)

Tuesday: Dickies. Where else?

Wednesday: Low-Carb Slow-Cooker Jambalaya

Thursday: McDonald’s

Friday: Slow-cooker Meatballs and Marinara with Mozzarella

Saturday: Cheat Day!

Sunday: Nathan’s Hot Dogs with Chili and Cheese