Recovery week.

I hope you had a great Easter. We sure did. And as I think about it, I had some pretty darn tasty food last week. Went to Smoque downtown (absolutely heavenly. Like-there IS a Smoque is Heaven). Ate some pretty luscious Carrot Cake. Not to mention those Easter cookies, super yummy meatballs and an Asparagus tart that is SO simple AND delicious. Oh-and then there were Annie's rolls. I still need that recipe...YUM! There's no way I'll top all those tasties this week...but we have to eat. So here's what it will be:

*Monday: Easter Dinner leftovers

*Tuesday: And more leftovers...I made a whole ham! And Annie made us keep the extra rolls...darn. ;)

*Wednesday: Chicken Fajitas with guacamole

*Thursday: Tortellini/Broccoli Salad

*Friday: Baked Potatoes with veggies on top

*Saturday: Leftovers

*Sunday: Salmon with Spinach & Peppers and Trader Joe's Basmati Rice

Finally...a post!

We're back from our adventures and ready to cook. Haven has been sleeping through the night for a while now which makes me want to do more of everything. I've even been trying to exercise regularly, but then I go and buy things like those Sea Salt Caramels from Costco (they are seriously SO good). So here are some (hopefully) healthy dinners to take us through this week.

*Monday: Vegetable Chowder Soup (see recipe below)--my Great Aunt made this for us when we were in Utah, and it was super yummy. Her recipe is a little confusing (and has TONS of cream), so with my own twist, we'll see how it turns out...

*Tuesday: Fettuccine with Leeks and White Beans & bread

*Wednesday: Red Snapper (or Salmon) with peppers & Brown Jasmine Rice (I LOVE this stuff. It is a combination of brown rice and the longer Jasmine grained rice...genius)

*Thursday: Leftovers

*Friday: Stuffed Chicken Divan (don't let "stuffed" scare you. This is a healthy version) & a green salad

*Saturday: General Conference weekend=Cinnamon Rolls & Ham and Spinach Frittata for breakfast! Dinner will most likely be easy...like this yummy Tuna & Pear Salad (neither Burke or I care at all for Gorgonzola, so I would probably use Feta instead)

*Sunday: Roast with veggies & these potatoes...can you tell this is our new favorite Sunday dinner?


VEGETABLE CHOWDER


-1 TBLSP chicken base
-2 c. half & half
-4 c. milk
-4 c. water
-2 c. sliced carrots
-4 c. diced potatoes
-2 c. diced celery
-1 TBLSP salt
-1 TBLSP Wocestershire sauce
-1 c. diced onions
-1/4 c. butter
-1 c. flour
-2 cups diced broccoli
-2 c. diced cauliflower

Combine the first 9 ingredients in a large pot. Boil gently for about 45 minutes. In a separate pan, saute onions in butter (or you could use olive oil) until tender. Add the flour to coat onions. Add the cauliflower and broccoli until slightly softened. Combine all ingredients together, and simmer until all vegetables are well incorporated/cooked through.

Dinner at the Morins...

I can hardly wait for next week...it will be September! I have loved summer time, but am SO ready for all things fall (including more cooking/baking). I'm ready to be done with the grill, and start wearing sweaters. :) Here's to one more week of easy dinners that don't make my home feel like an oven...

*Monday: BBQ Chicken wraps--see recipe below

*Tuesday: Fish Tacos

*Wednesday: Best Bruschetta Ever--see recipe below--(how's that for an easy dinner?!) with corn on the cob

*Thursday: Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo--see recipe below

*Friday: Leftovers

*Saturday: Triathlon day! This time it's Burke's turn!

*Sunday: Grilled Cheese with Tomato & Basil and German Potato Salad


BBQ CHICKEN WRAPS

-1 2lb. roasted chicken, skin discarded, meat removed from bones and shredded
-1/2 c. prepared bbq sauce
-1 c. canned black beans (rinsed)
-1/2 c. frozen corn, thawed/canned corn, drained
-1/4 c. reduced fat sour cream
-4 leaves romaine lettuce
-4 (10 inch) whole wheat tortillas
-2 limes, cut in wedges

Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, bbq sauce, beans, corn and sour cream; stir to combine. Cook until hot, 4 to 5 minutes.
Assemble the wraps by placing a lettuce leaf in the center of each tortilla and topping with one-fourth of the chicken mixture; roll as you would a burrito. Slice in half diagonally and serve warm, with lime wedges.
*I will probably add tomatoes and avocados to ours...

BEST BRUSCHETTA EVER

-2 tomatoes, diced
-1 tsp. dried basil
-4 TBSP grated parmesan cheese
-2 TBSP olive oil
-1 clove garlic, crushed
-salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, mix tomatoes, dried basil, parmesan cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Cover and chill in refrigerator 8 hours, or overnight, before serving. Serve on toasted bread slices. Top with sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

CHICKEN & BROCCOLI ALFREDO

-4-5 c. broccoli florets
-2 TBSP olive oil
-4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch wide strips
-1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
-1 2/3 c. whipping cream (or 1 c. whipping cream + 2/3 c. skim milk)
-1 1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
-1/2 c. grated monterey jack cheese
-3/4 pound penne or mostaccioli, freshly cooked

Steam broccoil florets until just tender, about 3 minutes, set aside.
Preheat broiler. Butter 13x9 inch broiler-proof baking dish. Heat 2 TBSP olive oil in heavy large dutch oven over medium-high. Working in batches, saute' chicken strips until just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer chicken strips to bowl. Add sliced red bell pepper to dutch oven and saute' until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add whipping cream, 1 cup grated parmesan cheese and all of the monterey jack cheese. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly (5 minutes). Add chicken strips and any juices in bowl to sauce. Add freshly cooked pasta and steamed broccoli and toss until sauce coats mixture. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Transfer pasta mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup grated cheese over top. Broil until just golden on top, about 3 minutes, and serve.

Weekly Menu

*Monday: Steak and Onion Sandwiches & lettuce wedges with homemade Thousand Island Dressing (see previous post for recipes)

*Tuesday: Parmesan crusted Tilapia (I just make a coating of bread crumbs, parmesan, finely diced onions/peppers, salt & pepper, etc. Basically whatever you have that would taste yummy. Then dip fish in beaten egg and then coat with yummy topping, cook in frying pan with a little olive oil until golden brown) & fresh green beans

*Wednesday: Chicken Caesar Salad & baked yams (I know...kind of random. But I LOVE this salad recipe...and who doesn't love a nice soft yam with a little butter and s&p???? And to make it extra yummy for Ryder, I bake his, and then just before we are ready to eat, I slice off the top and add a couple large marshmallows to the top and warm in back in the oven. For some reason, that makes the yam extra appealing to him. :)

*Thursday: Creamy Corn Soup with homemade guacamole and chips (for my guac. I just add all the yummiest ingredients...and I don't measure them--avocados, chopped tomatoes, freshly minced garlic, s&p, cilantro, diced red onion, lime juice, etc.)

*Friday: Leftovers

*Saturday: Going downtown...I'm sure we'll find some fun place to eat.

*Sunday: Cashew Chicken & Rice (I've never made this recipe before, but the picture looks so yummy, that I have to try it!)

weekly menu #3

Here's to another busy week....at least we'll eat well!!!

*Monday: Stuffed Peppers (we never made it to these last week...too many yummy leftovers!)

*Tuesday: Spaghetti w/ turkey meatballs (I just make these up...ground turkey, onions, garlic, s & p, breadcrumbs, worcestershire sauce, egg...whatever you feel like. Cook them in a little oil in a pan on the stove until they are browned. Then I usually bake them for a little while, in marinara sauce in the oven to warm everything and make sure the meatballs are cooked all the way through) & corn on the cob (Ryder has been BEGGING for this dinner for a couple weeks now...I'm giving in...)

*Wednesday: Broccoli Cream soup (I also add white cheese...it makes it much creamier, to my husband's liking :), toasted baguette & pear sauce (my kids love this...just like making applesauce, but with pears...)

*Thursday: Leftovers

*Friday: Fish tacos with salsa verde and radish salad (I LOVE this recipe!!!! Try it!!!! And like everything else, sometimes I like to add avocados to mine...) & fruit

*Saturday: T.J.'s Orange Chicken, jasmine rice & broccoli (another meal Ryder has been begging for. I'm telling you...we eat LOTS of broccoli around here...we all LOVE it, so why not make it for every other meal?)

*Sunday: Leftovers (I have a busy day...doing our wards "Eight is Great" program...I won't have time to think about dinner!) Sometimes, if I'm not going to do a full fledged dinner, and we're going to be "scrounging" for food, I'll make some fresh guacamole (avocados and whatever you liek in yours...or if you don't feel like you know what to put in, just pick your favorite fresh salsa, and put a little of that in a mashed avocado with a little extra salt and a tiny bit of lime juice) and homemade tortilla chips (cut corn tortillas into triangles, drizzle with olive oil on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Turn and coat the other side, then bake in 350* oven until crispy...these are much healthier than what you'd buy at the store, and I think taste just as good!)

weekly menu

*Monday: Lentil Soup (we had plenty of leftovers on Sunday, so I saved this for tonight's dinner!) & cinnamon-yam biscuits

*Tuesday: Salmon Steaks with Hoisin Glaze, Parmesan Steak Fries (see recipe below) & broccoli. This is one of our FAVORITE dinners...and it's SO easy!

*Wednesday: Lasagna Rolls & salad

*Thursday: Leftovers

*Friday: Grilled Cheese (If I've worked out that day, sometimes I'll even make these on pretzel bread! And we always add veggies to our grilled cheese....spinach, tomatoes, onions, avocado, peppers, etc.) & "red soup". This is Ryder's FAVORITE dinner. "Red soup" is just tomato soup. Either I buy yummy red pepper/tomato soup from Trader Joe's, or I just make my own (learned this from Amy...cream cheese, tomato juice, salt/pepper, garlic, canned diced tomatoes, milk, and whatever else you feel like adding!).

*Saturday: Leftovers

*Sunday: Stuffed Peppers, fruit & rolls


PARMESAN STEAK FRIES

-3 large egg whites
-coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
-3 baking potatoes
-1 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 425*. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk the egg whites with 1 teaspoon salt until frothy. Cut each potato into 6 long spears; add to the egg whites, and turn to coat.
One at a time, lift the spears out of the egg whites, shaking off excess; working over a plate, sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese until coated (do not shake off excess). Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake, without turning, until the potatoes are fork-tender and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.