Yummy Dinners

This week has had some of the yummiest dinners on the program yet.

Now don't get me wrong... There have been SO many good meals!  Printing up the recipes on 12wbt each week means that I am really creating quite a recipe book.

Two of the dinners this week have been added to the family favourites.  There was "I cant' believe it's not butter chicken" and Beef Stroganoff.

The chicken dish was a complete hit!  Our family are not big curry or spice eaters.  We rarely have indian food or hot chilli meals.  But the chicken dish used tandoori paste and it was just so delicious I had my son asking for more.  We even got to have papadums with the chicken meal.  I have only had those once before and really couldn't remember what they tasted like, but we loved those too.  My son also had rice with his and gobbled it down.

I can't believe it's not butter chicken with papadums

Then the beef stroganoff.  The serving I felt was huge!  My son again had it with rice.

Beef Stroganoff with pasta and green beans.

What I am loving is how quick and easy the meals on 12wbt are.  I am often too tired to make dinner so we have take away or something quick and easy.  But most of these meals have a very short prep time and a short cooking time so it makes cooking dinner after a long day really easy!

Tip:  Always serve your food in smaller bowls, or small plates.  Using large plates or bowls makes the meal look small.  In small, cereal type bowls it makes a meal look huge!

Menu Plan On 12WBT

I love Thursdays!

Thursdays are when the menus for the next week are released.  I sit down, print up the weeks menu planner.  Add it to my binder and cross out the meals I don't like the sound of and find something else to replace it with.  I then print up all of the recipes and add them to my binder.  I love this recipe book that we are creating on this challenge, they are recipes that are already becoming family favourites.

Once I have printed the menus, it's time to print off the week's shopping list.  I go through that and cross out the things we don't need (for the meals we don't like).  I add other things (for the meals we are replacing) and off I go to the supermarket on Sunday afternoon and do the weekly shop.

I love how easy most of these recipes are.  I am time poor.  I am often tired after working all day, so to then come home and cook dinner can be a bit of a chore in my household and take away is a regular occurrence due to this.  We do still get take away I will be honest.  Well I don't, I will use one of my already prepared meals from the 12wbt menu as my take away, but my family does love Japanese and this is our most regular take away.   But the recipes for 12wbt are SO easy!  Easy and quick to prepare and really delicious.

There was a beef and broccolini stir fry the other night.  I had it as is and my son had it with rice!  We both LOVED it!  Gobbled it down and it is now going to be a regular on our dining plan.  I have loved the lunches too.  I think my favourite has been the Beef, Horseradish and Beetroot sandwich.  I have had this many many times as it is easy for me to make in the morning and take to work with me.  Another favourite is the rice cakes with avocado, turkey and sprouts!  YUM YUM YUM.

For breakfast this morning I had an egg and bacon wrap.  It was an egg, some cooked bacon and sprouts in a mountain bread wrap.  It is SO tasty and I have had it a couple of times now (have swapped another breakfast for this one).

Now I have had some I wasn't a fan of, the Fish Stew was one of them.  I just didn't like the spice flavours,  but from the 12wbt forum comments, I seem to be the only one who didn't like it, LOL  But we all have different tastes, which is why being able to swap for another meal item is great.

Anyone thinking about doing Michelle Bridges 12 week transformation challenge and are worried about the food.  Don't be!  The food is fantastic.  Easy to prepare, easy to cook, great for time poor and the portions sizes are great!  Much larger than I expected.