Weekday Eating

It is another busy week in our world with work, classes, wrestling matches, etc.  As you know I have been concentrating on eating well despite hectic schedules (or even lazy days). I didn't get quite the prep work done I had originally planned to do on Sunday because...lazy day football.  However, for Sunday dinner I made a new recipe that I knew would yield leftovers we could use on another busy night later in the week.

It is another recipe from Cooking Light Roasted BBQ Drumsticks with Cowboy Beans.

 First task was to remove the skin. It is a bit messy, but worth the calorie savings.

 While the drumsticks were roasting I assembled the Cowboy Beans.

Start by sauteing the veggies and then add in all the rest of the ingredients and cook everything for a few minutes.

 The BBQ sauce gets basted on the drumsticks a couple times during the roasting.

I served it with cauliflower. I would have liked to have something green to brighten the plate - maybe next time. We enjoyed this recipe - especially the beans (how could you not? did you see the ingredients?) If I were to make the chicken again I think I would go a different direction with the BBQ sauce. To me, it didn't really taste like BBQ - more like the tomato paste. I like that Cooking Light pairs a couple items for a meal. However, I wish they would provide the calories for the individual components. The chicken and the beans totaled 473. I would like to know what the beans were individually, so I can more conveniently track when I mix and match leftovers or my husband wants an extra drumstick. Of course, I could sit down and put the ingredients through a calorie calculator, but I don't always want to take the time.

I love mornings when I can prep in advance. On this particular morning (I think Monday) I made some more Leftover Soup. I had left over chicken, added broth and an assortment of what ever veggies I had on hand.

  It was super simple and I had two portions of delicious soup to take to work for lunches.

I had added a little butternut and a bit of spaghetti. I was careful to not add too much spaghetti so the noodles didn't soak up all the juice (like the rice last time).

Also, that morning I made a batch of egg muffins. Such a great simple and nutritious snack. I have eaten one with my oatmeal and last night even had one for a bedtime snack - I was legit hungry and didn't want to get into the sweets. Well, I did want to get in the sweets, but knew it would not be a good idea to even let myself get started on them.

Yesterday my nephew had a wrestling match at 6p so again I needed something quick. I decided to try a crockpot baked potato. I also threw in a couple sweet potatoes.

 Simply wrap the potatoes in foil and cook all day on low.

Meanwhile at work I had a delicious chef salad courtesy of the leftover food from a workshop at work. We usually split up the leftovers. I took the salad and some deli meat. For the salad I measured out two cups of the salad and 1 oz. each of the turkey, roast beef and ham. I also added a hard boiled egg. I picked up this new dressing. I enjoy raspberry vinaigrette, but the strawberry is a nice change up.

When I got home I split the giant potato in half and topped with some cheese sauce and steamed broccoli. Easy peasy and super fast. The potato was a delicious 300 calories. I served it with a leftover chicken leg. Again, not sure of the calories of the chicken, but guesstimating it at about 150.

Admittedly, this isn't my normal breakfast, but I have been wanting to try Baked Eggs in Marinara since Sara, one of our Lovely Ladies, recommended it a couple weeks ago. Since I am off today and home alone I decided to give it a try.

It was super simple to assemble. Spread marinara in the bottom of the dish, sprinkle with Parmesan and gently place eggs on top.

 It definitely had the wow factor for presentation.

And it was delicious. Next time I might use a different marinara sauce - the calories were a little higher than I wanted and the flavor a bit bland (sorry Emeril).  I definitely like the idea and with the right sauce it will be even better. Sara had warned that the yolks can be tricky to get right (so they are still runny). I watched them like a hawk and knew they would be perfect. But as you can see they cooked a bit more than I had hoped. I think this would be a great addition to a brunch table. I believe Sara said she made it for a quick lunch.

Finally, that brings me to the things I DIDN'T eat this week. I had the opportunity to take these chips home from the workshop, but I didn't. I love chips, so this is a major win for me. I did have a serving of them with the lunch (sandwich and salad) I ate at the workshop.

Okay, I admit this was NOT by choice, but I did NOT have cookies. I had decided on my lunch hour yesterday to go to the bakery for a cookie. I drove over and parked in the lot. Then I spent about 30 minutes talking to my sister on the phone. Then I jumped out of the car to get my cookie and found this...

Apparently the shop has been closed since before Christmas. I think I get some credit for not knowing this sooner :)  By the time I discovered the situation, I didn't have time to go anywhere else, so no cookie for me.

Tomorrow is weigh-in day. Then I navigate another weekend. What are your weekend tips?