Meal Planning Monday

• Skinny Sloppy Joes. My friends have been raving about this recipe, so I cant wait to try it.
• Slow Cooker Pinapple Chicken. As you can see, I usually make 1 crock pot meal a week. I plan that on purpose for on my busiest days (Monday for me), its hard to prepare a home cooked meal when you get home late after a crazy busy day. So the crock pot is your best friend if this is your life! I'd much rather set it all up in the am and have it done when we get home on those busy days. And now that its cooler out, I'll be using it much more! I will serve this with organic jasmine rice.
• French Onion Soup with Grilled Cheese Sammy's.
• Pasta with Bolognese Sauce. served with balsamic glazed green beans. Easy just steam the green beans until cooked but still crunchy, drain, add a clove of garlic, a drizzle of EVOO, salt and pepper, and a couple splashes of some good balsamic vinegar to the hot pan, add the green beans back toss to coat and Viola! A easy way to dress up regular green beans. They are soooo good too! 
• Heirloom Tomato and Goat Cheese Pizza. Really super easy (only 5 ingredients!!) and you can totally modify this too. You could use regular tomatoes instead of heirloom, and skip the goat cheese if you don't like it  (I personally LOVE it), or you could sub out goat cheese for feta or blue! Also, I wont be grilling this, but rather baking it in the oven on a baking sheet at 350 until cheese is melted and crust is light golden brown. Served with a side salad.

Meal Planning Monday

 Making my shopping list now.  Here's whats for dinner at my house this week!

• Chicken Piccata served with roasted asparagus (toss with s/p, evoo, and lay in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 400 for about 15 min, or until tender but still crunchy.) I'm watching my carbs, but if your not you could serve this with some angel hair on the side as well.
• Crock Pot Pasta Fagioli- I'm excited to make this, because I love it at Olive Garden! It's sort of like Italian chili.
• Shrimp and Veggie Fajitas with whole wheat tortilla's (I use more veggies in mine; red bell peppers, green bell peppers, red onions, and sliced whole tomatoes) .
• Easy Chicken Stir-Fry Skillet with brown rice. I use broccoli, mushrooms, baby bok choy, red peppers, carrots, shelled edamame, and green onions.
• Pesto Turkey and Pesto also excited to try this, you just cant find a dinner any simpler than this! Served with sauteed yellow squash.

Meal Planning Monday People!

Wow...it's been a while sine I posted one of these, so I figured it was time. I've got some yummies planned for this week at my house. Here's whats cookin!

• Chicken Burgers with Garlic Mayo and Homemade Oven Fries. Sounds so fancy, but so easy! I buy the burgers at Costco and to make the garlic mayo, just add minced garlic and s/p to yor regular mayo. And a little tip for making the perfect oven fries: slice them and let them soak in salted water for 15-20 min before you bake (400 degrees for about 40 min.) but make sure you pat them all the way dry before baking or else they wont crisp up!
• Pasta with Sausage and Peppers. I made this last week and it was such a huge hit! And since I got more peppers and onions in my basket this week, I'm going to make it again! Of course, I make a more healthy version. I use organic chicken andouille or vegan sausage, whole wheat penne pasta, and low fat mozzarella cheese.
• BBQ Salmon. I've never made this recipe before, but there is a Asian bbq salmon that we love, so I figured I'd give this one a try for something different. Served with rice and a veggie medley of some sort.
• Escarole Soup with Turkey Meatballs, or Italian Wedding Soup. I've made this recipe before and it is SO delish, really low fat, and super easy!
• Foil-Pack Taco Chicken. A new one on the list, looks super easy which is perfect for weeknights. Again, I'm going to make this a littler healthier using low fat cheese and skipping the sour cream. Served with a side salad.

Dinner

I got a head of cabbage in my Bountiful Basket this week, and  I love cabbage! I have a great recipe for sweet and sour cabbage soup that I make as well, but tonight its all about the cabbage roll baby!

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

1 1/2 - 2 lbs lean ground beef (90% lean)

1-1/2 cups rice, cooked and cooled

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/4 cup celery, chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

29 oz can of tomato puree

2 Tbsp brown sugar

15 oz can of sauerkraut, drained and rinsed

 

Directions:

• Boil a pot of water large enough to hold your head of cabbage. Once boiled immerse cabbage in water for about 2 minutes. Remove from water and let drain. When cool enough to handle gently remove leaves. When you reach the point where they aren't soft enough dunk back into your still boiling pot of water. Repeat process until you have all the leaves you need.  
• Mix the beef, rice, onion, celery, garlic, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and 3 Tbsp of the tomato puree.
• In a large roasting pan or casserole dish (I used a 10X15 glass pan) covered with aluminum foil, evenly spread the sauerkraut as the bottom layer. 
• Lay your cabbage leaf on a clean work surface and fill with an amount that will be easily rolled. Not too full or it may split during cooking. Roll for the stem side in folding in edges as you go. 
• Lay seam side down on the sauerkraut. Continue with this until you are out of leaves. **You probably will have left over filling**
• Mix 2 Tbsp of brown sugar into the tomato puree and pour over rolls. I LOVE sauerkraut, so I also top with sauerkraut. Add about 1/2 can of water to the edges. 
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 2 hrs or until everything looks nice and tender and the meat is cooked through!

Meal Planning Monday

Just got home from the grocery store, making a yummy meal plan for the week! Here's whats for dinner at our house, in no particular order ; )

~Caprese Style Stuffed Chicken Rolls, which are super easy BTW! You just pound out a chicken breast (I put them in a big Ziploc bag and use my frying pan to pound it out), layer sliced tomatoes, shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese, and a few basil leaves, roll up tight, place seam side down and bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees, then I turn the broiler on for the last few minutes to make them brown and bubbly on top! I am serving this with white asparagus (got them in my bountiful basket this week!) and a side salad.

~Chicken and White Bean Enchilada's with Creamy Salsa Verde- Looks a little time consuming, but I was told it was well worth it!! Cant wait to try it out for myself!

~Fish Tacos, made with white ruffy on white corn tortilla's with Corn Relish

~Individual Flat Bread Pizza's (I put sliced tomato and goat cheese crumbles on mine, DH's likes peperoni, pineapple, and black olives and Kay just likes cheese) served with a salad.

~Spaghetti with marinara sauce, meatless mushroom meatballs, and a salad of course!

Meal Planning Monday

Here's whats for dinner at my house this week:

• Spicy Tofu and Green Bean Stir fry served with Brown Rice- my own recipe
• Caprese-style Stuffed Chicken Rolls (from the June issue of Rachael Ray magazine) with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and a Garden Salad.
• Grilled Wasabi-Honey Shrimp (also in the June issue of Rachel Ray magazine) and Veggie Kabobs
• Chicken (Lite) Ceasar Pita's- my own recipe
• Salmon with Asian BBQ Sauce- Kay's Fav!! Served with Brown Rice and Broccoli.

Feel free to drop a comment or email me if you want more info!

Making Baby Food

I am one step closer to becoming a domestic goddess I tell you, because yesterday morning when I saw 2 beautiful butternut squashes in my Bountiful Basket pick up, I knew exactly what I was going to do with them. Make baby food! Sure, little M wont be eating solids for another month or two, but this way I can have a little stock built up for when she does start. The food co-op thing makes it a lot easier too with the large assortment of fruits and veggies each week and some that I wouldn't normally buy (like butternut squash!). I hopped on the computer this morning to find out how to tackle the squash and found this website . It tells you everything you need to know about making baby food, storing it, preparing it etc. So once the babes was taking her morning nap I got busy.

First I cut the squash squash length wise and scooped out the seeds...

then you place them flesh side down in a baking dish with about 1-2 inches of water...

and bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until shell/skin looks puckery and turns a darker tan.

After it cooled a bit, I scooped squash “meat” out of the shell and into a large bowl...

and used my trusty hand mixer to puree it.

and since I know this will be one of her first foods, I kept adding some of the cooking water little by little until it was a nice smooth, thin consistency.

Then I placed the squash puree into ice cube trays and stuck them in the freezer for a few hours.

After they were frozen solid, I emptied the tray and put the cubes in a freezer bag with the date and use by date, you know because I suck terribly at math. Even elementary math, so I how I ended up doing bookkeeping/financial work is way beyond me. Anyways, this is perfect because each cube is a 1 oz. serving and I can just take and thaw as we go!

I am pretty proud of myself and it was so easy! If I can do it, anyone can!

Next up: Applesauce! I have been getting a bag of apples each week with the co op. And although we eat them regularly we have a lot left over!

And for my baby food makin' momma's, please feel free to share your favorite websites/books/and recipes! I'd love to hear them.

Meal Planning Monday

I know, I know I haven't posted one of these in a while. Its because I haven't been meal planning in advance the past few weeks and boy does it makes dinner time challenging. So I'm back to Meal Planning Mondays! You know I've been doing the food co-op thing for the past few weeks, so I have been planning meals incorporating those ingredients. I picked up my basket again this week, but they also offered an "Italian pack" for an additional $ 7.50. It included a eggplant, 2 zucchini squash, 1 big white onion, 1 small yellow onion, garlic, mushrooms, and TONS of fresh herbs!! I love cooking with fresh herbs, but they can get pricey. So I was thrilled when I say flat leaf parsley, oregano, basil, and fresh rosemary. Heaven!

Here is a pic of all my produce from this week's Bountiful Basket.

Here is this week's meal plan:

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Roasted Vegetable Ragu- I will also add my eggplant to this reciepe.

Shrimp Fajitas

Sweet Potato Crock Pot Chili- I try to make crock pot or other easy meals on my busiest days during the week, this one is interesting so we'll see how it turns out.

Spinach Stuffed Shells

Meal Planning Monday

Here is this weeks line up. Got a few new contenders on the menu too!

• Grilled Beef & Veggie Kabobs (the weather is perfect for grilling right now, so we are trying to do more of that!) with a side salad.


• Sauteed Chicken Breast with Tarragon-Mustard Pan Sauce- I am excited to try this, it looks so easy and sounds delish!


• Asian Turkey Meatballs with Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce over brown rice.


• Crunchy Parmesan-Mustard Pork Chops with sauteed garlic green beans.


• Grilled Balsamic Portabello Burgers with a avocado, red onion, and tomato salad.

Meal Planning Monday

Another Monday means another day of meal planning and shopping for the week at my house. I am so thankful to have such a great husband, he watched the baby this morning so I could sit down and plan this week's menu!

• Escarole Soup with Turkey Meatballs aka Italian wedding soup
• Shrimp Fajitas- quick and easy!
• Parmesan Chicken with roasted broccoli with garlic
• Turkey Stuffed Peppers with corn on the cob
• Meatless (soy) Chicken Pattie Sandwich's (this is my favorite brand, has a great taste unlike some other soy products and I've tried them all!) on sandwich thins with a green salad.

Meal Planning Monday

I have been trying to find new recipes to experiment with, specifically ones with few ingredients or things I have on hand (and of course healthy!). From now on to help you out, I will be posting links to some of the new dishes I try. Most of the time I get them from my Rachael Ray Magazine, which I love or online from various websites. So here is this weeks meal plan at my house:

• Baked Chicken Parmesan with whole wheat pasta and a side salad (I skip the pasta until I reach my goal weight).
• Homemade Pizza's
• Baked Garlic Lemon Tilapia with fresh sauteed veggies (zucchini, mushrooms, onions, red bell pepper, eggplant, and asparagus) and brown rice (I skip the rice too!).
• Chicken Enchilada Crock Pot Chili - I am very excited to try this one pot wonder!
• Stuffed Turkey Burgers on sandwich thins and a mixed green salad.

8 Great Salads

I LOVE salads; So its really no surprise that I eat a salad every day! Really, everyday! I have been a vegetarian many years of my life pretty easily because of my love for vegetables. These are some salads I have prepared and pictured at home over the last two weeks. I encourage you to try at least one of my delicious salads yourself, I promise they don't disappoint! Bon Appetit!

Strawberry, Goat Cheese, and Balsamic Salad

Ingredients: Baby spring mix lettuce, sliced strawberries, goat cheese crumbles, and balsamic dressing.

Great Add-On: Walnuts or pine nuts (I had neither that day)

Classic Ceasar Salad

Ingredients: Hearts of romaine lettuce, croutons, parmesan cheese, pepper, and one of my favorite dressings, Ken's Lite Ceasar.

Great Add-On: Grilled chicken or shrimp

Asian BBQ Salmon Salad

Ingredients: Baby spring mix lettuce, cucumber, yellow bell pepper, roma tomatoes, and the star of this salad; pan seared salmon with a asian BBQ sauce I get from Fresh and Easy.

Great Add-On: Edamame!

Italian Style Salad

Ingredients: 1/2 Hearts of romaine lettuce and 1/2 baby spring mix lettuce, sliced mushrooms, black olives, diced red bell pepper, roma tomaotoes, sliced red onion & marinated artichoke hearts.

Great Add-On: Diced mozzarella cheese, croutons & sliced salami (I skipped all of these because I am watching my diet and all these things hike up the calories)

Grilled Vegetable Salad

Ingredients: Spring mix lettuce, and grilled asparagus, red & yellow bell pepper, and zucchini.

Great Add-On: Grilled diced chicken, shaved parmesan cheese, or more veggies (eggplant would be a great one!)

Taco Salad

Ingredients: Shredded ice burg lettuce, diced tomatoes, cheese, green onions, black beans, black olives, crushed tortilla chips, and salsa as the dressing.

Great Add-On: Ground beef, steak, or chicken & avocado

Cajun Chicken Spinach Salad

Ingredients: Spinach, cajun spiced pan seared chicken breast, black beans, and diced tomatoes.

Great Add-On: Roasted or grilled corn

All American Garden Salad

Ingredients: Ice burg lettuce mix, cucumbers, radishes, red bell pepper, and tomatoes (all sliced thin), and croutons.

Great Add-On: Shredded cheese, egg, & bacon bits

Meal Planning Mondays

I haven't been posting too many of these lately...but I've been kinda busy ; ) So here goes...this week's meal plan:

• Chicken Teriyaki Sandwichs with Grilled Pineapple (on Sandwhich Thins)& Sweet Potato Fries
• Taco Bar, Kay loves to build her own!
• Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Shells with a Garden Salad
• Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken Breasts with Veggies & a Baked Potato
• French Onion Soup and Grilled Cheeses

If you would like any of these recipes or how to's, just drop a comment!

Meal Planning Mondays!

Here's whats for dinner at my house this week:

• B.L.T's made with thick cut bacon (man I have been craving one of these!!) So excited!
• Chicken Teriyaki with stir fry veggies and brown rice
• Apricot & Rosemary pork chops with new potatoes and asparagus
• Coconut Shrimp with veggie spring rolls
• Chicken and Noodle Casserole

Feel free to leave a comment if you are interested in any recipes and/or instructions.

Meal Planning Mondays

A few of you requested that I continue to post my weekly meal plans, so here ya go! Here is my meal plan for this week:

• Homemade pizza's (so fun to do with Kay too!) and a side salad
• BBQ chicken, with oven roasted corn on the cob, and mashed potatoes
• Salmon with a asian sesame sauce, veggies, and rice
• Crock pot beef stew (so easy and my DH loves this! I freeze the left overs in individual serving sizes so he can just take it out and re heat for lunches, etc.)
• Lasagna, italian style salad, and break sticks

I will say that I don't usually cook on the weekends. Normally we will eat out or get take out 1 night, and then the other night we will have left overs from the week. I love to cook, but its nice to have the weekends "off"!

Meal Planning

Up until about a month ago, my grocery shopping/meal planning consisted of going to the grocery store once a week, grabbing the "usual" and then day after day trying to think of things to put together for dinner. Well that's all in the past now! I have started planning out my meals a week in advance. It has made my life so much easier, and made dinner time hassle free. Now, I buy the meats/staples in one shopping trip, and then run to the store every few days for fresh produce, etc. Yes, I am going to the store a little more often, but I am saving money by planning ahead and buying only what I need , rather then winging it all the time and wasting. Here is my dinner meal plan for the next week or so:

• Beef taco's with spanish rice and beans
• Fish, rice, and a sweet baby peas
• Burritos made with the leftovers from taco night
• Chicken and rice casserole
• Grilled steaks, baked potatoes, and sauteed green beans
• Spaghetti, french bread, and a side salad
• Soup and Sammie's
• Crock pot beef stew

So now I don't have to ask myself "whats for dinner?" and worry about thawing something, having ingredients, etc. I post my meal plan on the fridge, and while I am making dinner the night before I take out what ever meat for the next day to be defrosted! So much easier!