December Highlights

Since I haven't posted any meal plans in the hectic holiday season, I thought I'd just share a few favorites I've cooked recently. Enjoy!

Meal 1

• broiled tilapia fillets 2 ways - recipe from cookbook Keepers
• heat broiler with cast iron skillet 4-6 inches from top of oven
• pat fish dry and season with olive oil, salt, pepper and ??? - I did half with dill and lemon and half with blackened seasoning
• Remove skillet from oven and carefully add fish. top with a little butter!
• Broil for 5-8 minutes
• roasted broccoli
• one pan farro with tomatoes

Meal 2

• spaghetti carbonara
• kale chips - added parmesan and lemon juice after cooking

Meal 3

• pan seared lamb chops
• roasted potatoes
• heat oven to 450
• cut potatoes and dry on paper towels
• heat 2 TBSP of olive oil on sheet pan in the oven while it preheats - 5 minutes
• add dried potatoes to sheet pan, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat in oil
• cook for 30 minutes, then toss potatoes and cook for 15-20 minutes longer
• green beans

Meal 4

• I tried a new roast chicken. I was really in it for the crispy potatoes which were not very crispy. I much prefer my old standby. I may do thin sliced potatoes with it next time but would use my large roasting pan to get crispier potatoes. I use convection for this.

Holiday favorites

• baked spinach
• caramels

Meal Plan 11/26/2018

Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving! Here are our meals from last week and this week...

Saturday

• chili - loosely based on this recipe
• fall slaw
• INGREDIENTS
• 1/2 cup broccoli (finely chopped)
• 1 medium beet (cut in matchsticks // I used this mandolin)
• 1 1/2 cup carrots (cut into matchsticks)
• 1/2 cup radish (cut into matchsticks)
• 1 large sweet apple (cut into matchsticks)
• 1/3 cup red onion (thinly sliced)
• 1/3 cup pepitas
• DRESSING
• 2 1/2 Tbsp tahini
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 large lemon (juiced)
• 1 - 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 pinch each sea salt + black pepper
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive or avocado oil
• Water (to thin)
• DIRECTIONS
• Prepare all veggies and add to a bowl. I used my food processor with the grating attachment.
• Whisk dressing ingredients in a small mixing bowl and taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
• Add dressing to veggies, along with sunflower seeds, and toss to coat. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving, preferably 2-3 hours or up to overnight.
• Store in the fridge covered for a few days, though best within the first 24-48 hours.

Sunday

• pizza with Trader joe's dough and sauce - pepperoni, artichoke hearts, bell pepper
• arugula salad with lemon, olive oil and parmesan

Monday

• pork chops
• tomato dipping sauce - I've made the chicken tenders from this recipe too and they are great!
• breaded mozzarella sticks from Trader joe's
• arugula salad with mozzarella and cherry tomatoes

Sunday

• chicken verde tacos - made this sauce and added shredded, cooked chicken. simmer for ~30-45 minutes, serve on tortillas with:
• jack cheese
• sliced jalapenos
• sliced radish
• sour cream or greek yogurt
• mexican cole slaw
• shred in food processor with grater attachment:
• small head of green cabbage
• 4 radishes
• 1 large carrot
• dressing:
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 1 small clove of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
• squeeze of honey
• salt and pepper

Tuesday

• Lamb sausage patties with yogurt sauce
• Garlic naan (from Trader joe's freezer section)
• curry roasted zucchini and carrots

Thursday

• Greek chicken soup

Meal Plan 11/12/2018

I'm taking dinner to a friend later this week so sharing some extra recipes!

Sunday

• tortilla soup (from the freezer) with tortilla chips, jack cheese and tons of avocado
• cheese quesadillas

Monday

• chicken curry
• brown rice
• roasted cauliflower

Wednesday

• whole wheat linguine with bolognese - I usually use this recipe which is really solid but have been wanting to try Marcella Hazan's recipe. We'll see how much time I have to prep!
• caesar salad
• garlic bread (peppridge farm from the freezer aisle!)
• brownies
• banana muffins
• I bake these in mini muffins tins for 15 minutes
• I sub half of the flour for whole wheat
• only use 1/2 cup of sugar
• use 3 bananas

Meal Plan 11/5/2018

We have a lot of weeknight activities this week, so not cooking much!

Monday

• turkey meatloaf
• golden crusted brussels sprouts
• roasted potatoes

Wednesday

• breakfast for dinner!
• scrambled eggs with spinach and parmesan
• Trader Joes hash browns
• sausage patties

Meal Plan 10/29/2018

Woops! I have fallen off the wagon. Why is October always so unexpectedly insane? Without further ado, here's what we're eating this week...

Monday

• gyros - I buy the meat from Trader Joes, in the refrigerated section
• pitas (also from trader joes)
• garlic sauce
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• squeeze of 1 lemon
• salt, pepper
• curry roasted zucchini
• heat oven to 425 - use convection if you have it
• cut zucchini into spears and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and curry powder (add cayenne if you like it spicy)
• roast for 30-40 minutes, tossing a couple of times in between

Wednesday

• chili! (from the freezer)
• served over shredded cabbage with fritos, onions and cheese

Thursday

• lemon chicken
• spinach salad
• farro with tomatoes

Meal Plan 9/17/2018

Fall is here! Even if it's still 90 degrees.

Monday

• Chicken tikka masala
• I only used 2 large chicken breasts for this and it was plenty for us + leftovers. I butterflied them before broiling to make them cook faster
• I added less salt - maybe 1.5 tsp?
• I added less sugar - maybe 1 tsp
• I left out the serrano for the kids
• I use Trader Joe's Curry Powder instead of garam masala - it has a similar flavor but is less floral, which I like. I also only used 2 TBSP instead of 3
• Brown rice with turmeric - followed package instructions and added 1/4 tsp of turmeric before cooking. gives it a pretty yellow color.
• Curry roasted zucchini
• heat oven to 425 - use convection if you have it
• cut zucchini into spears and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and curry powder (add cayenne if you like it spicy)
• roast for 30-40 minutes, tossing a couple of times in between

Wednesday

• chili tacos
• thawing out the last of our chili from last year's chili cook-off, but my quick chili recipe is pretty great! serve on flour tortillas with lettuce, tomato, onion and grated cheddar
• mexican cole slaw
• bag of cole slaw
• shredded radishes and jalapeno (I like to grate them in the food processor)
• chopped cilantro
• dressing (adapted from Dinner: The Playbook sandwich slaw):
• 3 TBSP mayo
• squeeze of lime juice
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• squeeze of honey
• salt and pepper

Meal Plan 9/10/2018

Busy week for us, so trying to get lots of prep done in the morning and during lunch.

Monday

• spaghetti and turkey meatballs
• caesar salad

Tuesday

• grilled skirt steak (I may broil this depending on the weather)
• slow roasted green beans - the whole family loved these and I usually have 2 green bean haters
• oven fries
• heat oven to 450
• cut potatoes and dry on paper towels
• heat 2 TBSP of olive oil on sheet pan in the oven while it preheats - 5 minutes
• add dried potatoes to sheet pan, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat in oil
• cook for 30 minutes, then toss potatoes and cook for 15-20 minutes longer

Thursday

• chicken tortilla soup
• I'm using a rotisserie chicken for this and have already chopped the onions!

Meal Plan 9/4/2018

Yay for a short week!

Tuesday

• shrimp rolls - this recipe is from the book Dinner: The Playbook that I use all the time
• frozen fries
• kale chips
• Tips: dry thoroughly before rubbing olive oil, don’t season until after cooking, then toss with salt, lemon juice and lots of finely grated Parmesan

Thursday

• taco salad with crockpot beans
• I love this recipe for homemade beans so I'll use the same seasonings, but do it all in the slow cooker a la this recipe for slow cooker beans
• homemade salsa
• queso

Meal Plan 8/27/2018

I am hosting my book club on Wednesday, which means some extra recipes this week for things I don't normally make like an appetizer and cake! Thanks to my friend Kate for the appetizer - it was delicious when she served it so I hope I can do it justice.

Sunday

• homemade pizza with dough and sauce from Trader Joes - I made a mini pizza for Maggie (only olives and cheese?!) using the pan-fried pizza method from Dinner: The Playbook. Nellie ate part of ours smothered in extra sauce
• caesar salad

Monday

• broiled Middle Eastern chicken
• yogurt sauce
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• squeeze of 1 lemon
• salt, pepper
• Trader Joe's garlic naan
• roasted zucchini with curry

Wednesday

• whipped ricotta with olives (app) - I just bought whole milk ricotta from Trader Joes
• I wound up having to make this twice. I think my ricotta was too watery, so the 1/2 cup of milk was too much. My advice is to start with 1/4 cup of milk and then add more if you want it more liquidy. I like the thicker consistency!
• pesto spinach salad
• sage-rubbed pork tenderloin
• almond cake
• this was a hit and SO easy
• Note that her recipe calls for salt in the ingredients list but fails to mention it in the directions. don't forget to add it to the batter
• If you read her post, she mentions that the original recipe calls for 1 TBSP of sugar, then 3/4 cup of sliced almonds to be sprinkled on top of the cake before baking. I did this and loved the extra crunch.

Meal Plan: 8/20/2018

I've been posting weekly meal plans over on my Facebook page, but thought I'd try to revive the old blog instead. I'll share each week what my weekly meal plan is and then link out to recipes for you to try out. Hope you enjoy!

Sunday

Maggie started kindergarten on Monday and I let her choose the meal for Sunday night. I was pretty impressed with her choice but if I'm honest, the artichokes were out-of-season and she barely touched the salmon. Nellie also screamed the entire meal and barely ate anything too. All-in-all a real disaster!

• steamed artichokes with garlic butter and/or aioli
• sweet broiled salmon (from weelicious)
• garlic bread

Tuesday

• rosemary rubbed pork chops
• roasted broccoli
• potato salad

Thursday

• pepperoni chicken
• whole wheat spaghetti
• caesar salad
• leftover garlic bread