Sunday, December 25, 2011

Vacation week

So I am burnt out from Christmas and have decided to take a week off from blogging. I am sure that most people feel the same and I think will not cook this week anyway. Merry Christmas to all. Be back next week!
Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Christmas Week...my favorite of the year.

Merry Christmas everyone! I know this week might be filled with lots of parties, baking, and loved ones; but I still have to cook, how about you? Needless to say, I have a crazy week and so I needed some easy meals, so here they are.

Monday- Spinach Mandarin Salad
Tuesday- Baked Pesto Chicken with Angel hair and herbs
Wednesday- Stir fry (chicken, beef or vegetable)
Thursday- Sweet and Salty Wraps
Friday- Chipotle style burritos

Spinach and Mandarin Salad

So I made this for my mom's group a few weeks ago and they loved it. I thought it would be appropriate for dinner as well. You can pair it with some yummy rolls as well. I make the dressing in the recipe, but if you are in a pinch you could buy your own. I never use the rest of the dressing, so I save it and make the Sweet and Salty Wraps later in the week. Recipe and picture from Our best bites.


I haven't made this one before but I have been wanting a new pesto recipe. I make my own pesto: http://www.marthastewart.com/314321/basic-basil-pesto. It is not hard, so don't be scared. The rest of the recipe seems very simple. Recipe from Momswhothink.com

Chicken breast
1/2 cup basil pesto
2 plum tomatoes
Shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cover cookie sheet with foil.
2. Put pesto and chicken in bowl. Toss until chicken is covered.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
4. Place slices of tomato on top of chicken and sprinkle with cheese.
5. Bake another 3-5 minutes.
6. Serve with a box of angel hair pasta and herbs and French bread.



Stir Fry

Chicken/beef whatever you feel up for
Olive Oil
Onion
broccoli
carrots
Red pepper
Green Beans
Whatever veggies you have on hand or like
Rice
Soy Vay Teryiaki or your favorite teriyaki sauce
  • Heat some vegetable oil in a pan until warm
  • Add onion and stir fry for a few minutes
  • Add remainder of veggies and stir fry for a few more minutes
  • Add meat and cook thoroughly
  • Add teriyaki sauce and cook for a minute or until warm
  • Serve over white/brown rice

Sweet and Salty Wraps

Here's where you use the leftover Poppy Seed dressing! These are super easy and yummy. I have even used chicken nuggets in here when I ran out of chicken. So tasty. I serve this with a fruit salad and even some baked beans. Recipe and picture of course from Our best bites.


So I am not sure if you all like Chipotle, but I do. I wanted to try and recreate the burrito and I think this tastes pretty close (at least to me).

Chicken
Taco Seasoning
Fresh Salsa
Black or Pinto Beans
White or Brown Rice
Avocado (if you like it)
Tortillas
Mozzarella cheese
  • Grill diced Chicken until cooked
  • Add taco seasoning according to package directions
  • Cook rice
  • Place chicken to tortilla and top with toppings

Shopping list

Spinach
Avocado
red onion
mozzarella cheese
broccoli
green beans
Fresh basil
Toasted pine nuts
chicken
pinto/black beans
fresh salsa
tortillas
taco seasoning
dried cranberries
feta cheese
bacon
carrots
red pepper
plum tomatoes
mandarin oranges
green onions
balsamic vinegar


Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, December 11, 2011

The Week of December 12-16

So, I really need to recover from my comfort food week last week. Sorry about that, I have been having a bit of stress in my life and I think I was trying to compensate with creamy, cheesy foods. Oops. Oh well, time to get back on track. I hope everyone is getting into the Christmas season with decorating and celebrating with loved ones. Enjoy this weeks choices.

Monday- Fish tacos with Mango Quinoa Salad
Tuesday- Chicken Roll-Ups with Goat Cheese; Risotto and Butternut squash
Wednesday- Asian Noodle Salad with Chicken and Cashews
Thursday- Tri-tip with Veggies and Macaroni Salad
Friday- Fresh Tomato Rigatoni with Goat cheese

So hopefully you aren't thinking these are too complicated because if you are you don't know me too well. I do work and have two kids, which of course leaves little time for drawn out meals. So give them a try and see how easy and yummy they are.

Fish Tacos and Mango Quinoa Salad (Recipe for quinoa below)

Fresh or frozen Talapia (enough to feed your family)
Corn tortillas
Cilantro
Lemon/lime juice
Lemon pepper
Olive oil/butter

  • Preheat oven to broil
  • Line broiling pan with foil and non-stick spray
  • Place talapia on foil and either brush with olive oil or a little butter
  • Sprinkle fish with lemon pepper
  • Broil for 6-8 minutes (dep. on the thickness) mine took 7 min
  • Place fish in tortillas and sprinkle with lemon or lime, and cilantro
Here is the link to the quinoa. If you have never tried this before it is a grain and really tasty. You can find it near the rice in most stores and cook it similar to rice as well. I use chicken broth instead of water to give it a better flavor. The quinoa needs to be cool prior to mixing this so you could even prepare it the night before and mix it up right before serving.



Chicken Roll-ups with Goat cheese; Risotto with butternut squash

So this is one of those recipes that I was unsure about trying but loved it and have been making it for years now. It is actually very easy. I following recipe except I do not pan fry them first. I just roll them and then brush with a bit of olive oil and course salt and pop them in the oven and cook until opaque throughout. I buy the mushroom risotto box from Trader Joe's and add extra chicken broth or water and throw in some cubed butternut squash in the risotto as it cooks. Yum! Recipe and picture from Martha Stewart.com

Chicken cutlets
arugula
Goat cheese
course salt
olive oil
boxed risotto
cubed butternut squash


Asian Noodle Salad with chicken and Cashews

So this is like Chinese Chicken Salad but with noodles instead of lettuce, yummy. Recipe and picture from For the Love of cooking.

Tri-tip with Macaroni Salad

So we are having our neighborhood Christmas party this week and we are having a potluck, hence this meal. I am making the macaroni salad but not the tri-tip. I am not very good at cooking steak, but if you are Trader Joe's or Costco both have really yummy pre-marinated ones. Here is the link to the macaroni salad I use. I doctor it up and add diced ham or salami and montery jack cheese, cubed. I like this recipe because I usually have most of the ingredients.



Fresh Tomato pasta with goat cheese

This recipe is from Everyday Food Magazine, picture is from Martha Stewart.com
Use your left over goat cheese from the roll-ups to sprinkle on top of this pasta to give it a different taste than your typical pasta.

Rigatoni noodles
5-6 whole Roma tomatoes
Fresh Basil
Garlic
Olive oil
Goat cheese

  • Preheat oven to 375
  • Spray small loaf pan with non-stick spray
  • place tomatoes in pan side by side
  • Place fresh basil and garlic next to and on top on the tomatoes
  • Coat the tomatoes and basil with some olive oil
  • Bake until the tomatoes and very soft (usually 20-30 minutes)
  • Once soft, take out of the oven and smash the tomatoes with a wooden spoon or masher (this is a chunkier sauce, but is still saucy).
  • pour over cooked noodles and sprinkle with goat cheese
Shopping list

Snow peas
Shredded carrots
red/orange pepper
Cashews
Spaghetti
Sesame oil
Talapia
Corn Tortillas
Mango
Black Beans
Cilantro
Chicken cutlets
Goat Cheese
Arugula
Rigatoni
Roma Tomatoes
Mandarin Oranges
Green onions
Risotto
Butternut Squash
Chicken broth
Posted by at 1 comment:

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Sorry....but it is comfort food week

So when I was making my weekly grocery list I guess I may have been a bit cold. We are eating a little less healthy this week, so I apologize for that, but hopefully they will all be tasty. So I have been getting great feedback that people are enjoying the website!! I am so glad that people seem to actually be using it. Please keep up the comments and especially let me know how you liked the food and if you have any suggestions for menu ideas.

Monday- Bandera's Macho Salad
Tuesday- Baked Potato Soup
Wednesday- Crock Pot BBQ Chicken
Thursday- Honey Lime Enchiladas
Friday- Meatball Sandwiches

Bandera's Macho Salad

Picture and Recipe from Frugal Foodie Family. So even though this salad is NOT lowfat, it looks so yummy. I figured with the rest of the recipes this week, I def. needed some greens too. This recipe calls for dates, but I think I am going to use raisins instead (I just couldn't bring myself to buy dates) :) PREMAKE Corn bread for this recipe.



Baked Potato Soup

I have always wanted to make baked potato soup and I have to admit, I never have. I thought this recipe sounded good (Of course because it is from Our Best Bites). I hope it turns out tasty for everyone. Picture also from Our Best Bites. Serve with remaining corn bread from last night.



Crock Pot BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
(Picture from Tasty Recipes.com)

Chicken Drumsticks (however many will feed your family)
a bottle of BBQ sauce (whatever your favorite is)
You can serve this with rice and a veggie or whatever you like

  • Place drumsticks in crock pot
  • Pour BBQ sauce over the top
  • Cook on low for 4 hours


Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
(Recipe courtesy of my friend Amy, picture from All Recipes)

4-6 TBS honey
5 TBS lime juice
1TBS chili powder (sprinkle on chicken)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 lb. chicken cooked and shredded( about 3 breasts)
8-10 flour tortillas
1 lb. Monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 oz. green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream

  • Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken
  • MARINATE for at least 30 minutes
  • Preheat oven at 350 degrees
  • Pour 1/2 cup enchilada sauce in a 9 x 13 greased pan
  • Fill tortillas with chicken and cheese (reserve sauce from chicken)
  • Mix the remainder of the enchilada sauce with cream, and marinade and pour on top of enchiladas
  • Sprinkle with remainder of cheese
  • Bake for 20- 30 minutes until brown on top

Meatball Sandwiches

So I am cheating this week an getting the frozen turkey meatballs from TJ's, but if you are up for making your own this week, here is a link to some. I serve this with a salad and a few potato chips. Picture from All Recipes.

Frozen turkey meatballs
Rolls
Mozzarella
Marinara Sauce



Shopping List

Avocado
goat cheese
Roma tomatoes
Roasted Almonds
Corn
Dates or Raisins
Corn Bread mix
Chicken Drumsticks
Chicken Broth
Baked Potatoes
Sour Cream
Bacon
Green Onions
Cheddar and Monterey Jack Cheese
Rolls
Chips
Lettuce
Limes
flour Tortillas
Heavy Cream
Chicken
BBQ sauce
Green Enchilada sauce

Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)