Big Thanks and a Menu Monday

I recently won a giveaway from Kelly over at The Merry Martini! The prize? My choice of Lilly Pulitzer item from the new fall line! I chose the thermal mug in the Private Property pattern {and it is absolutely fabulous}. Be sure to visit Kelly's amazing online boutique, The Merry Martini.
Summer rocks! And I'm not talking about the season either {in fact, I'm so over summer, yet it has reached a sweltering 107 degrees this past week in the Valley}! I'm talking about Summer from b is for brown, of course! Look at this sweet little print she sent me for placing in her blog bake-off. Thanks Summer!!! It looks great hanging up in my new kitchen.


On another note, I have recently gotten into clipping coupons. I never minded using coupons, but was usually too lazy to go through the clipping process. But I've recently joined in on The Grocery Game and last night was my first try at purposely saving money. I'm happy to say that we bought over $110 worth of groceries for only $56. I had so many coupons and it also helps to just be aware of the sales the grocery store is doing. I've even planned out a menu for the week because I was shopping with purpose, not just to buy the things with a coupon. So I'm excited about that. We are having a lot of pasta, but it was only 59 cents a package so I can't really complain.

Here's my tentative menu for the week:

Shrimp Scampi Bake - DONE and Delicious!
Baked Chicken and Perfect Crispy Potatoes - DONE and my first attempt at the potatoes resulted in the fire alarm going off...oops!
Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina
Bow Ties with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream
Grilled Hamburgers - DONE!

I promise to take some pictures of my new place so I can post them this week!

Miss Sweet Tea's Menu

What's on the Menu this Week??!
(source)

So many of you are asking what I've got planned for the menu this week - I figured I would share with you because 1) you asked and I'm nice like that, and 2) it will help keep me accountable to my menu this week!

This is the first time in a LONG time that I have actually been excited about cooking...when I first moved to California, I absolutely loved cooking dinner for the bf and our friends and baking goodies for everyone at work. It was my thing and I really enjoyed it. Then I started grad school, all my close friends moved away, and I got tired of bringing in treats for unappreciative co-workers.

But now I feel like I'm back on track for real - with Weight Watchers and with my weekly menu. The two go hand in hand really. How can I expect to eat out almost every night while remaining faithful to WW? While it can be done, the temptation is too much for me and I often find myself making the wrong decisions when it comes to restaurant food!

Here's my menu this week:

Sunday - Last night I made lemon-herb grilled chicken from a recipe book I have at home. I marinated the chicken cutlets in a mixture of oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice, rosemary, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. The bf grilled the cutlets and they turned out juicy and very spring-tasting! Lemon is so light and delicious! I served it with rice and a green salad. The bf has been begging for peach cobbler so I surprised him last night with Paula Deen's version. Perfect warm from the oven with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on top!

Monday - Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Tomatillo Salsa. I have the pork tenderloin marinating away and it should be really tasty by the time I make it tonight. I have not worked with tomatillos before, but RR (you know - Rachael Ray) makes it look super easy...I'll serve this with warm tortillas and black beans.

Tuesday - Salmon with Dill, Fennel and Lemon Rub. I don't normally make a lot of RR recipes, but I happened to pick up her latest magazine last week, and this recipe stood out. Looks healthy, quick and easy! I'll serve salad and brown rice alongside the salmon.

Wednesday - I picked up a new crock pot at Target yesterday. I'm excited to use it because it has a programmable touch pad with 4 time settings, plus it automatically switches to "warm" once the set time has elapsed. Wow - I just realized how dorky that sounded!! Anyway, I'm making Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken Barbeque. I've made this recipe once before for friends and it turned out great!

Thursday - The bf is a country boy at heart, but he grew up on the West Coast! He loves all things southern and chicken and dumplings is high on his list of favorite comfort foods. I'm turning to my crock pot again to make Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings. This may seem weird, but it actually is pretty good. I've adjusted it based on reader's reviews and was quite pleased the last time I made it.

Friday - I have to cook on Friday?! No way Jose! We'll probably go out for happy hour and appetizers at BJ's Brewhouse after work.