How has dinner been going for you this week? For us, we’ve been trying old recipe favorites cooked in new ways. Several of the new(er) recipes we have been experimenting with in our kitchen have been shared on Meal Planning Mommies over the past couple of weeks. Of those recipes I used the most clicked-on and shared recipes to make up this week’s meal plan, so you are getting the superstar line-up! 🙂
A few things worth mentioning about this week’s meal plan:
♥ The Spicy Chicken Enchilada Soup is spicy.
This may sound like a no-brainer, but I wanted to bring attention to it so you are not thrown off. Here are a few different ways you can tame the heat if spicy is not your thing:
1. Leave out the jalapeño pepper.
2. Cut the cumin down to 1/2 or 1 teaspoon instead of 2.
3. Make sure your enchilada sauce and tomatoes are marked, “Mild” and not “Hot”.
4. Use regular grilled chicken instead of the Southwestern kind.
5. Add fat-free sour cream. Did you know that 4 tablespoons of fat-free sour cream is only 1 Weight Watcher smart point? It’s true!
♥ The Slow Cooker Beef Tips and mashed potatoes can be changed up a bit, if you like.
This was the Hughes family favorite of all the meals shared in this meal plan. You’ll love how easy the prep work is, how wonderful it smells as it cooks in the slow cooker, and how tender and delicious it turns out! To keep smart points down, I came up with a mashed potato recipe that was slimmed down, but you could use any mashed potatoes and it would still taste fantastic. As always, do what works for you.
♥ Barbecue chicken can be made lots of ways.
I shared a simple recipe for homemade BBQ sauce that I liked, but you could just as easily use a different kind of sauce and have great results. Click on the link to the recipe here for a few ideas of store-bought BBQ sauce brands that are zero smart points, to almost no points, per serving.
A couple of your questions answered…
Why aren’t there full meal plans on MPM?
Some people have asked if I have full meal plans on Meal Planning Mommies. The answer is “not yet”. As much as I would love to offer that to our MPM readers I simply have not had the time to make that happen and do it well. As I tried to think through what I could do to be helpful for the readers who are requesting full meal plans I came up with an idea I am beyond excited to share with you!!
When someone reached out to me for help a couple of weeks ago I realized that I had all of the things they would need to be successful, but not a great place to put it all. I sent her a really long email that contained everything I am going to share with you. As I typed the email, it occurred to me that with the right meal planning page, grocery list, recipes, and lists a person could easily crank out a fabulous meal plan in hardly any time at all. This spurred me on into my next big project…. Free meal planning printables, complete with smart points trackers! Go here to get yours and to see what all the fuss is about.
Why don’t I share sides in my MPM meals plans?
Let’s be honest. As tasty as the garlic Parmesan shrimp is, it will not fill you up and keep you satisfied without a little something to go with it. And, while we’re being honest, I might as well let you in on a little secret… I am still not terribly creative with the sides we eat with our meals. (gasp, I know)
I typically use canned vegetables, frozen vegetables, fresh fruit and vegetables, salads, apple sauce, etc. I buy lots of different kinds of frozen vegetables and I usually just pull out a bag and let it cook while the dinner is cooking. Because my side dishes aren’t actual “recipes” most of the time I have chosen to leave them out of the meal plans for now.
But, about that shrimp… One side that would go great with the garlic Parmesan shrimp is this simple baked Italian Vegetable Medley. Tastes great and is just 1 WW SP per serving!
Here’s what you have to look forward to this week:
BREADED BAKED PORK TENDERS
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
7 WW FREESTYLE SP PER SERVING
SPICY CHICKEN ENCHILADA SOUP
MAKES 5 SERVINGS
2 WW FREESTYLE SP PER SERVING
SWEET TERIYAKI PINEAPPLE PORK CHOPS
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
5 WW FREESTYLE SP PER SERVING
GRILLED CHICKEN NUGGETS
WITH HOMEMADE BBQ SAUCE
MAKES 8 SERVINGS
2 WW FREESTYLE SP PER SERVING
GRILLED GARLIC PARMESAN SHRIMP
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
1 WW FREESTYLE SP PER SERVING
SLOW COOKER BEEF TIPS
WITH MASHED POTATOES
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
7 WW FREESTYLE SP PER SERVING
♥ Hooray for learning and trying new things! ♥
Today I am happy to share the updated printable meal plans and grocery lists I have been working on in this new meal plan! I hope you love them!
FREE PRINTABLE MEAL PLAN AND GROCERY LIST
THIS WEEK’S FREE PRINTABLE MEAL PLAN:
Click on the meal plan pictured below for a printable PDF of this week’s meal plan that you can save to your computer or print off. Hyperlinks on the recipe names will take you to where the recipe is online. (Smart Points have been updated to the FreeStyle points)
THIS WEEK’S FREE PRINTABLE GROCERY LIST:
Click on the grocery list pictured below for a printable PDF of this week’s grocery list that you can print off and take to the store with you. Numbers in (parenthesis) next to the ingredient match up with the number of the recipe in the lower right corner. If you don’t want to do a recipe you can simply cross off the ingredients with that number next to them.
*SmartPoints® calculated by Meal Planning Mommies; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT Weight Watchers Zero Points fruits and vegetables using the WW Recipe Builder.
Brooklynn says
God bless you for doing all this. Meal planning has been my biggest struggle so far since joining WW last December, and I’m so excited and relieved to have found this site that I could just about cry. No more dreaded, stress-filled Sunday afternoons completely occupied by finding suitable recipes, calculating points, and compiling a grocery list. This will be the key that enables me to succeed. Thank you thank you THANK YOU!
Alisha Hughes says
Awesome! So glad MPM can be a blessing to you Brooklyn! 🙂
Beth M. says
I have never posted anything EVER. I don’t do face book, texting, chat’s etc… I am new to weight watchers and I came across your site by accident. I will be forever grateful. I love every bit of advice, meal plans, recipes that you post. Please keep up the good work we’re all counting on you.
Alisha Hughes says
🙂