Weekly Menu for Feb 17 - Feb 22, 2013

Breakfast

Breakfast Pie (eggs, sausage, red pepper, onion, cauliflower, mushrooms, cream cheese, whipping cream) served with either Banana or Peaches and Greek Yogurt (4 stars)

First I sautéed the sausage in a bit of oil until it was cooked and set it aside. Then I sauteed the red pepper, onion, mushrooms for about 10 minutes. As that was cooking, I whisked together 9 eggs, 1/4 cup cream cheese, and 4 tablespoons of whipping cream in a separate bowl. Then I slowly mixed everything back into the pan and put the heat on low, stirring frequently. After about 10 minutes I put it in my 9 inch ceramic pie pan and baked it at 350 for probably 30 minutes, until the eggs were cooked through. To make sure nothing is wasted I split the pie into four portions. Two portions are in the fridge and the other two are in the freezer. 

Lunch

Mini pizzas served with Apples and Chocolate Peanut/Greek Yogurt dipping sauce (4 stars)

I bought the Fred Meyer whole wheat sandwich thins, pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and black olives. Each afternoon, I assembled each mini pizza and broiled in the oven for a few minutes, until the cheese was fully melted. On the side, I mixed a tablespoon of chocolate peanut butter with a few tablespoons of greek yogurt, which is enough dipping sauce for an apple. 

Dinner

Spaghetti (3 stars)

When in a pinch, make a huge serving of spaghetti. We used vegetarian "meat" and it tasted ok, but lacked in flavor.

Tortellini in a pesto sauce (3 stars)

We bought organic, fancy pants tortellini and tossed them in a pesto sauce. It was pretty tasty but not filling and not worth the money we spent.

Crockpot Tuscano (3 stars)

It smelled yummy cooking and tasted eh. We have a ton in the freezer, though. Ingredients included: 1 lb. Italian sausage 2 large russet baking potatoes , sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices 1 large onion , chopped 1/4 c. bacon bit (optional) 2 garlic cloves , minced 2 c. kale or 2 c. swiss chard , chopped 16 oz. cans chicken broth 1 quart water 1 c. heavy whipping cream. 

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.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Source: http://www.mangiodasola.com/2009/11/broccoli-cheddar-soup.html


Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
1/2 chopped onion
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup flour
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 cups chicken stock (I used bouillon cubes + boiling water)
1/2 lb fresh broccoli, chopped
1 cup carrot, shredded and chopped
1/4 tsp nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot Sauce (optional)

Directions
Sauté the onion (and garlic) in the butter over medium heat. Remove the onions (you can actually leave the onions in there) and add in the flour, stirring constantly. Add in the half and half, milk, and chicken stock. Bring to almost a boil.

Add the onions back in, along with the broccoli and carrots. Simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.

Season the soup with the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in the cheese (and you can play around with the amounts; use however much or little you like) and let simmer for 10 minutes longer before serving.

Grape, Mozzarella, and Pinenut Pizza

Rating: 4.75 out of 5
Source: http://honestfare.com/grape-pecoro-romano-pine-nut-flatbread/

Ingredients
1 ball pizza dough (store bought or homemade)
2 tablespoons pine nuts
¾ cup red seedless grapes halved
¾ cup mozzarella
2 sprigs diced fresh rosemary (or a few sprinkles of dried)
¼ cup olive oil
Salt to taste
Light sprinkle red pepper flakes
Sliced deli ham or prosciutto (optional) (we did salami)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Cut your grapes in half. Slice fresh mozzarella into thin pieces. Cut or tear slices of salami. Toast pine nuts on a pan on low heat, tossing frequently, until they’re toasted golden brown. Set aside.
3. Roll out your first fist-sized ball of pizza dough as thin as possible without tearing. Place it on a baking sheet that’s sprinkled with a little flour or semolina so it doesn’t stick. Repeat with remaining dough. (I just sprayed it with cooking spray).
4. Dice rosemary. Combine olive oil, rosemary and a pinch of salt in a small bowl and beat with a fork. Slater top of dough with it using a brush or back of a spoon. Bake until dough begins to puff up and bottom is toasted golden brown. Remove from oven. (I didn't bake at this step)
5. Apply generous layer of cheese(s). Place grapes (cut side down) with about ½ inch space between. Apply ham and black pepper. Bake until grapes blister and crust become firm and crispy.
6. Remove from oven and add toasted pine nuts (and optional red pepper flakes) while flatbread is still piping hot.

Baked Tilapia with Spicy Tomato-Corn Relish

Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Source: http://www.joybauer.com/healthy-recipes/baked-tilapia-with-spicy-tomatopineapple-relish.aspx

Ingredients
4 fish, tilapia, (6-ounce) fillets
1/4 teaspoon salt, Kosher
1/2 cup of corn
1 tomato, diced
1 teaspoon chili paste, Oriental, hot, such as siracha (or more to taste)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and coat the foil with oil spray.
2. Place the tilapia fillets on the prepared baking sheet and season them with the salt.
3. In a small bowl, combine the corn, tomato, and chili paste. Divide the topping evenly among the tilapia fillets.
4. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the tilapia flakes easily with a fork.