Recent Hits

Smoked Salmon with Udon Noodles (4.5 stars)
Inspiration: http://wholesome-cook.com/2012/08/30/smoked-salmon-and-soba-noodle-salad/

Oh holy cow. Yum. Yum. Yum. Must do again.

Pork Burritos (3 stars)
Inspiration: http://www.chef-in-training.com/2012/08/smothered-chile-colorado-burritos-crock-pot/

We didn't do a great job following the directions. We had leftover pork from a sous vide so we used that as the meat and topped it off with cheese and a red enchilada sauce. Baked and ate. Yummy.

Butternut Squash and Chorizo Tostado (4 stars)
Inspiration: http://www.closetcooking.com/2011/12/butternut-squash-and-chorizo-tostadas.html

We stuck to the recipe for the most part on this one. We did add spinach but we add spinach to most dishes. We even switched to new whole wheat tortillas that you bake at home versus having them already precooked. I don't see us going back to the old kind ever again. This is a keeper!

Asian Chicken Salad (2.5 stars)
Inspiration: http://joyfulhomemaking.com/2012/08/asian-chicken-salad.html

Eh. Okay. This was just ok. Not great for leftovers so next time I need to make it on the weekend when we won't be looking for something to take to work. It's worth making again just not award-winning. 

Tortellini and Vegetable Bake (2.5 stars)
Inspiration: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/poultry/tortellini-and-garden-vegetable-bake/

We added the pork leftover from a sous vide, added spinach and used a frozen veggie mixture. This was a bit time consuming but still yummy. It was a hearty dish but not sold on how or if it is super healthy. Overall, I might make this again in the winter if I am craving comfort food. 

Pan fried chicken with veggies (3 stars)
Inspiration: http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Chicken-Scallopini-Tomato-Mozzarella-Salad-Michael-Symon?cid=pinterest_thechew

Watching Michael cook this dish was entertaining. I think it is super easy but I really liked his instructions on testing the oil to see if its hot enough, pounding out the chicken (we used thighs) and how long to cook each side. For the seasoning, I used garlic powder, parsley, paprika, and fennel. This will be made several more times for sure.

Sweet potato hash with feta (4 stars)
Inspiration: http://diethood.com/2013/02/17/savory-sundays-sweet-potato-hash-with-onions-and-feta/

A PERFECT side dish. Tons of flavor and super easy. I don't think I can ever eat sweet potatoes without feta ever again. The perfect combination.

Summer Macaroni Salad (2.5 stars)
Inspiration: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/06/summer-macaroni-salad-with-tomatoes-and.html

We made this for lunch but had to leave out the mayo and use whipped cream cheese and greek yogurt as the "sauce." It was easy, tasty and something that I will do again but its not spectacular. 

Weekly Menu for Feb 4 - Feb 9, 2013

Breakfast
Cinnamon oatmeal; finely diced apples or cantaloupe; mandarins; and greek yogurt

Lunch
Pasta Salad with leftover baked chicken, black olives, cucumber, tomatoes, and pesto served with kiwi or applesauce
Leftovers

Dinner

Grilled Cheese with pesto topped with avocado and spinach and a side of Tomato Soup (3 stars)

Really, this is too much of a staple to not like it but certainly not life changing. I did like the addition of pesto and I cook mine on a really old George Foreman. I don't have a problem with sticking so I usually don't use any butter on the outside either.

Baked Pesto Dinner (4 stars)

We had this in the freezer so it worked perfectly for Cam and I to thaw and bake. For a freezer meal, this is something I want to do again. 

Kashi Frozen Pizza (3 stars)

I wanted a simple, toss in the oven option since it was just two of us. This was on sale and pretty tasty. 

 Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas (4 stars)

I added black olives to the recipe just because I had some on hand. I even made my own vegetable stock for the enchilada sauce. I highly recommend saving your produce scraps in a ziplock bag in the freezer until you have a gallon size bag filled. Then just simmer the scraps in water, strain and freeze. Very easy process with incredible added flavors to simple dishes. 

Disclaimer: Photos are from linked sources; not my own work.

Weekly Menu for Jan. 28 - Feb 3, 2013

Breakfast
Oatmeal; Greek Yogurt; Fresh Blueberries; and Tangerines
Blueberry Grilled Cheese with Greek Yogurt and Tangerines

I only used cream cheese and blueberries. I dipped the sandwich in the greek yogurt to make it extra delicious.

Lunch
Tuna fish salad on whole wheat bread; Tangerines; Kiwi; Cucumbers; and Cheese
Veggie Patty, Tomatoes; Cheese; Tangerines; and Kiwi

I use whatever veggies I have in the freezer, not just broccoli and cheese. These freeze great (matter of fact, I didn't have to make any this week, just pulled them out and microwaved them for 45 seconds).

Leftovers

Dinner
Honey Lime Tilapia with leftover mashed potatoes and a salad (4.5 stars)

Easily one of the best fish dinners I have ever had or made. Super yummy and easy. A keeper for sure!

Sous-vide Steak and leftover mashed potatoes with wilted spinach and corn (4 stars)

Our setup for sous-vide makes cooking meat just like a crockpot meal without any of the mess. This is Brian's favorite method of cooking hunks of meat so we will be doing this frequently with meats that are on sale.

Skillet Gnocchi with Spinach and White Beans (3 stars)

It was my first time using store-bought gnocchi. The whole wheat ones were ok (Cam wasn't a fan) but other kinds I have made recently were better and Cam ate them without hesitation. 

Chorizo Quesadilla with Fried Egg, Avocado and Fresh Tomatoes; and French Fries (4 stars)

This was a hit again. Super easy, yummy, and somewhat healthy. 

Cannelloni Bean Vegetarian “Meatballs” with Tomato Sauce and Whole Wheat Pasta (4 stars)

I followed a new way to cook my dried beans: http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/02/how-to-cook-dried-beans-lentils.html and I really liked the smell of the herbs simmering. For this dish, I threw in garlic, fresh Thyme and Bay Leaves.

I really liked this dish. I was a bit surprised how much I liked it actually. The meatballs fell apart almost immediately when I was mixing them in the sauce, but it all just melded together for a thicker "meatier" sauce.

Baked Chicken with Potatoes and Jicama (3 stars)

Whenever I'm in a bind, I usually toss some herbs on a chicken and bake it with potatoes and a veggie. Super easy, mindless dinner. We saw jicama on sale at our local corner produce market so we decided to test it out. It was interesting, like a combination of canteloupe, watermelon, and alfa sprouts. We will probably do it again. Maybe cook it in a stir-fry??? The leftover chicken was used for the following week's lunch (you'll see).

Super Bowl: Nacho Bar! (5 stars)

Of course this was delicious! Our options included: salsa, sour cream, avocado, refried beans, taco meat, cheese, hot peppers, hot sauce, black olives, and green onions. 

Disclaimer: Photos are from linked sources; not my own work. 

Weekly Menu for Jan. 21 - 26, 2013

Breakfast
Oatmeal or whole wheat bread; Greek yogurt with fresh strawberries; and Oranges

Lunch
Egg salad sandwich; cucumbers or apples; sliced cheese; and kiwi
Spinach salad with tomatoes, black olives, cucumbers, shredded cheese, and almonds
Leftovers

Dinner
Spicy acorn squash with black beans (2 stars)

I did learn that I can bake an acorn squash whole at 350 degrees Fahrenheit -- much easier than trying to cut it raw and takes up less space when baking. All you do is place the whole squash on a baking sheet or in a glass pyrex with few pokes of a fork and cook till tender (about 45 to 60 minutes.)

I didn't add in the jalapeno, cilantro or lime juice (I didn't have those on hand). The dish overall was simple to make, but not memorable or special. It would work better as a side dish than a main dish.  

Eggplant Parmesan (4 stars)

I loved this dish and it was super easy to throw together. Next time, I will either double the recipe or make it in my smaller pyrex so it is thicker and even more awesome.

Chorizo quesadilla with Fries (4 stars)

I just used the picture as inspiration. I cooked 1 package of soy chorizo, added about 2 cups of frozen corn and wilted in several handfuls of spinach. I chopped black olives and shredded pepper jack, cheddar, and mozzarella cheese. As the quesadillas cooked, I fried three eggs to put on top.  

UPDATE: Brian must have loved this because he requested it for the following week. 

Acorn squash and portobello mushroom pizza with garlic bread and a salad (2 stars)

Eh, this was ok. Our mushrooms were stringy and not a great texture for Cam to chomp on. 

Shrimp pasta with tomatoes, lemon, and spinach (3.5 stars)

On a day that was super busy, this was a quick and yummy meal that I tossed together with no effort. Nothing spectacular but good flavors and little effort.

Disclaimer: Photos are from linked sources; not my own work.

Rice Pilaf

20 50 70

Source: http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/side-dish-recipes/rice-pilaf-2

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp. EVOO
• 3 onions, cut into 1/2 -inch pieces (about 4 1/2 cups)
• Salt and pepper
• 3 1/4 cups long-grain rice
• 2 1/4 cups chicken broth
• 4 bay leaves
• 16 oz. frozen peas

Directions:

1. In a 7-qt. dutch oven, heat the EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the onions, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper and cook, stirring often, until golden and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add 2 1/4 cups water, the chicken broth, bay leaves, 2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper and bring to a boil. Stir, cover, lower the heat and simmer, undisturbed, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and fluff with a fork. Quickly scatter the peas on top, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Uncover and let cool completely, tossing once or twice. Discard the bay leaves. 

FREEZE IT! Divide into 1-cup portions and transfer to resealable plastic sandwich bags. Squeeze out the air and flatten the bags. Seal and store flat in 2-gallon freezer bags.

USE IT! Thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or pop into the fridge in the morning and thaw all day. (The microwave can be used in a pinch.)

CHANGE IT UP!
• Halve the amount of onions and add 3 minced jalapeños.
• Use corn instead of peas and add chopped cilantro.
• Swap in 1 cup white wine for 1 cup broth.
• Add thyme or rosemary when cooking the onions.
• Omit the peas and stir in chopped olives and toasted almonds.

Roasted Veggies

25 30 55

Source: http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/side-dish-recipes/roasted-veggies

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs. bell peppers (10 to 12 medium, in mixed colors), cut into 1-inch strips
• 2 large onions, halved and sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper
• 5 tbsp. EVOO
• 1 large butternut squash (4 to 4 1/2 lbs.)—peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4 -inch cubes (8 cups if you are buying precut squash)

Directions:

1. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 450°. Combine the bell peppers and onions on a large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle the garlic, 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper on top. Toss with 3 tbsp. EVOO and spread evenly in the pan. Place in the lower third of the oven and cook for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place the butternut squash on another large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tbsp. EVOO and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper; toss and spread evenly in the pan. Once the peppers and onions have cooked for 10 minutes, add the squash to the upper third of the oven and roast, along with the peppers and onions, until fork-tender, 15 minutes. Let the vegetables cool completely on their pans. 
   
   
   More how-tos:
   FREEZE IT! Divide into 1-cup portions, keeping the pepper-onion mixture and the squash separate. Transfer to resealable plastic sandwich bags. Squeeze out the air and fl atten the bags. Seal and store flat in 2-gallon freezer bags.
   
   USE IT! Thaw at room temperature for about 1 hour, or pop into the fridge in the morning and thaw all day. (The microwave can be used in a pinch.)
   
   CHANGE IT UP!
   • Brush the squash with maple syrup before roasting.
   • Toss the peppers and onions with hearty herbs like oregano or thyme before roasting.
   • Toss the roasted squash or the pepper mixture with leafy herbs like mint or parsley after cooking.
   • Toss the roasted squash with sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds after cooking. 

Fresh Salsa

Rating: Too HOT for you! 
4.5 out of 5

Okay, I am not the salsa maker in the family. However, Brian didn't have time to make the salsa before going on a business trip and the veggies were going to spoil. Not knowing what I was doing, I chopped, tossed, and mixed my way into a HOT salsa. We now have five bags of salsa in our freezer (who needs jarred salsa anyway!).

Ingredients

7 Roma Tomatoes
1 can of petite chopped tomatoes, with juice
1 white onion
5 hot peppers
5 garlic cloves
1 lime

Directions

Roughly chop all the ingredients (except the lime). Toss together and squeeze the lime juice over the salsa. 
Directions

Zesty Italian Pasta

Rating: 4 out of 5

This side dish makes me feel like I am eating the rainbow. All the beautiful colors and the tangy zest from the dressing makes this dish from Mom's Budget a keeper. Not to mention it was super easy to throw together, toss the extras in the freezer, and clean up.

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups dry vegetable rotini
1/2 cup Zesty Italian Salad Dressing
1/2 cup Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 red pepper chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 yellow pepper chopped

Directions:

1. Cook rotini until barely cooked al dente. Drain.

2. Toss the ingredients together.

3. Freeze in single portion servings in freezer bags or containers. Great for lunches. Put into the lunchbox frozen, and it will be thawed for lunchtime.

Portobello, Broccoli and Red Pepper Melts

Rating 4.25 out of 5

This is a veggie dinner but you could easily add grilled chicken if you are a "must have meat" person. I loved the easy clean up and little prep work that went into this dish. We served the melts with a side of garlic mashed potatoes. The recipe and photo above are from Annies Eats.

Ingredients

1 small head broccoli, cut into small florets (we used half a bag of frozen broccoli thawed)
1 tbsp. olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
4 portobello mushrooms (stems removed), sliced ½-inch thick (we only used 2)
2 red bell peppers, seeded and sliced ½-inch thick (we only used 1)
¼ cup light mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
4 thick slices country bread
2-4 oz. provolone cheese, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Preheat a broiler with a rack placed 4 inches from the heat source.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Place the broccoli on the baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Toss to combine.  Broil until the broccoli begins to brown, tossing once or twice, about 4-6 minutes.

2. Add the sliced mushrooms and peppers to the pan with the broccoli and toss to combine.  Broil, tossing once or twice, until the vegetables are tender, 8-10 minutes more.  Set aside.

3. Meanwhile, combine the mayonnaise and garlic in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper.  Place the slices of bread on a work surface.  Spread each slice of bread with 1 tablespoon of the garlic-mayo mixture.

4. Top with the cooked vegetables, then the cheese.  Line the baking sheet with a new piece of foil. Transfer the assembled sandwiches to the baking sheet.  Broil until the cheese is melted and lightly browned, 2-4 minutes.