Busy Week.

Because of getting into town late last night from Michigan, and Burke + Haven leaving us this weekend for a Utah getaway (Congrats Aimee + Nathan...we'll be thinking of you!), this week is going to be a little crazy. I feel like I already have a fridge stocked with half eaten meals, and I also have SO much going on right now. So I think we'll have a couple leftover nights, maybe a treat night out with just me and my 2 big kids, and 1 or 2 homemade meals that I've been wanting to make. If you'd like to join in with our craziness, here's the menu:

*Tuesday: Leftover night (delish pizza from a restaurant in MI last night...more about that later)

*Wednesday: Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps - I'm going to marinate my chicken in THIS dressing and then cook it on the grill. I will then fill my "lettuce cups" (I like to use Boston leaf) with roasted peppers & onions and my chicken.

*Thursday: Leftovers again

*Friday: Zucchini Quesadillas.....yummmmmm. The kids and I are planning to have a movie night in our tent (camping in the living room, wahoo!). Which means we have to have smores. Since we won't be making a fire, we'll make THESE instead. Almost as good as real camping, right?!

*Saturday: Out to eat with my buddies. I'm SO excited about this date. We don't eat out much, and I think as long as we don't end up at Chick-fil-a, Panda Express or (*gasp*) McDonald's, it's going to be a super fun date--just Ryder, Ellery and me.

*Sunday: As a welcome home, we'll have these yummy Stuffed Shells. I'm also working on perfecting my peach cobbler crumb topping. I attempted last Sunday and failed miserably. So tonight I'll switch up the filling and make some Strawberry Rhubarb crisp. For the topping I'll mix:
- 2 cups granulated brown sugar
-1 1/2 cups flour
-1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
-1 1/2 cups COLD butter
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1 tsp nutmeg
-1 tsp salt

Easter Week!

*made these for a friend who we took dinner to. I needed the fastest, easiest cookie recipe(Burke actually made these!). So I resorted to the "cake box cookie". Go HERE for the delicious, yet super un-healthy recipe. We rolled them in granulated sugar (rather than powdered), dipped in melted chocolate, then coconut, and placed baby eggs on top for the nest effect.

I am super excited about Easter. I've been waiting for weeks to have a reason to make a Carrot Cake. But don't start thinking this blog is all about sweets...I have some other yummies up my sleeve that are much happier for the waistline. Check it out:

*Monday: Leftover Chili. This stuff is incredibly delicious. And healthy. I don't think I'll be able to make Chili with meat for a long time now...

*Tuesday: Roasted Pepper/Onion Hummus (mix Garbanzo beans, Tahini, roasted veggies+garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper in a food processor) & Parmesan Crisps with Corn on the Cob

*Wednesday: Chicken Quesadilla Pie

*Thursday: Spaghetti & Meatballs...it's been WAY too long since we've had this. I always make my own meatballs with ground turkey, garlic, bread crumbs, eggs, parsley, worcestershire sauce, shredded parmesan cheese and anything else I feel like adding. I form them into balls, brown them in a pan on the stove, and then bake for about 20-30 mins in a casserole dish with the spaghetti sauce. We'll have a green salad to round out our meal.

*Friday: Homemade Panko-Crusted Fish Sticks with dipping sauce and Sweet Potato Fries

*Saturday: Leftovers

*Sunday: Happy Easter Day! Because we don't get home from church until 4pm, I'm making this meal as simple as possible. We'll have a Glazed Ham, Asparagus Tart, Scalloped Potatoes with Leeks, Arugula Salad with Strawberries and Carrot Cake for dessert. Anybody want to come join us for Easter Dinner???

September!

Tomorrow will be September! I'm SO excited! Here is our menu for the week...

*Monday: Black Bean burgers (Thanks, Costco ;) and hummus

*Tuesday: Vegetable Stir-Fry with Peanuts

*Wednesday: Sweet Corn Quesadillas

*Thursday: Baked Penne with Spinach and Sun-dried Tomatoes

*Friday: Pizza night! (haven't decided yet if I will make/buy...)

*Saturday: Leftovers

*Sunday: Cheddar Soup with garlic toasted bread and a green salad

Another Menu

Here is the plan at our house for this week!

*Monday: Jalepeno Chicken Brats (from Trader Joe's), with grilled onions and bbq sauce & Honey Dew Melon
Burke is SO excited that I've found a brat that I admit to liking. :) Trader Joe's has a huge variety of flavored Chicken Brats--Sweet Apple, Mango, Pesto, etc. We ate them when we went "camping" this weekend, and Ryder and I both agreed we need them again, 2 days later. :)

*Tuesday: Chinese Chicken Salad (one of my favorites since I was a teenager!)--see recipe below

*Wednesday: Grilled Vegetable Quesadillas (see recipe below)--this would be yummy with some corn relish (mix corn kernels, sliced scallions, lime juice, oil, salt & pepper) or avocados

*Thursday: Leftovers

*Friday: Linguine with Shrimp and Lemon Oil

*Saturday: Millenium Park Triathlon!

*Sunday: Dinner at Nana's

GRILLED VEGETABLE QUESADILLAS

-vegetable oil, for grill
-4 large flour tortillas (10-inch size)
-1 1/2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or I may use Pepper Jack)
-1 yellow squash, halved crosswise and thinly sliced lengthwise
-1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, thinly sliced

Heat grill to low; lightly oil grates.
Place tortillas on a work surface. Dividing evenly, sprinkle half the cheese on lower half of each tortilla; top with squash, bell pepper, scallion pieces, and remaining cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold top half of tortillas over filling to enclose.
Grill quesadillas, covered, until browned in spots and cheese is melted, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Cut into wedges; serve immediately.

CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD

Marinade:

-1 c. soy sauce
-1 1/4 c. sugar
-1 in. shredded ginger root
-clove of garlic, crushed

Marinate chicken breasts 24 hours in refrigerator; then bake at 350* 1 hour uncovered

Dressing:

-2 TBSP sugar
-1 TBSP sesame oil
-3 TBSP Rice Vinegar
-1/4 c. vegetable oil
-1 1/2 tsp. pepper

Mix all together and pour over salad just before serving

Salad:

-1 head lettuce, shredded
-4 green onions, chopped
-2 TBSP slivered/toasted almonds
-Wonton strips-cut in half and fry in oil to crisp (approx. 20 seconds each side)
-cilantro

Cut up and toss all salad ingredients together. Cut up chicken and toss in. Add dressing.

Weekly Menu

This week, we are eating...

*Monday: "Wet Burritos"--This was one of my favorites growing up. I like to substitute the ground Beef for ground Turkey. You really can't tell, flavor wise, and it's quite a bit healthier. See the recipe below. We will have chopped lettuce, onion, tomato, and of course avocado, plus cheese to top ours.

*Tuesday: Grilled Chicken and Corn Lettuce Wraps--I LOVE trying different lettuce wrap recipes! I feel SO good after I eat them, and generally they are pretty quick and simple to make. If you're looking for a yummy low-carb dinner, try these. We will have some jasmine rice with our wraps.

*Wednesday: Leftovers

*Thursday: Salmon Salad--I like to get some fish in the menu once a week. We happen to love Salmon, and I love salads--especially with this nice spring weather we've been having!!! So I will just cook my Salmon however I feel like that night (probably poach it), then flake it into bite size pieces. I will put it on top of some sort of lettuce/romaine/spinach mixture, and top with hard-boiled eggs, sugar-snap peas, tomatoes, red onion, and anything else that sounds yummy that I have in my fridge. Top with your favorite vinaigrette dressing, or one of these.

*Friday: Fusilli with Squash and Bacon (or peppers and prosciutto, etc...)

*Saturday: Leftovers

*Sunday: BBQ Chicken Quesadillas...this may just call for some homemade guacamole as well. :)


WET BURRITOS

-1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained (or ground turkey)
-1 can refried beans, divided (I use lowfat/fat free)
-1 pkg. chili seasoning mix, divided
-1 pkg. taco seasoning mix, divided
-1 can condensed cream of tomato soup
-1 pkg. large flour tortillas (I have also used whole wheat before and love those...)
-Shredded Cheese (about 1 cup)

Toppings (in amounts desired):
-lettuce, shredded
-tomatoes, diced
-onion, chopped
-sour cream
-black olives, chopped
-shredded colby/jack cheese
-avocados, sliced

In one saucepan combine half of the refried beans (about 1-1/2 c.), half of the chili seasoning, half of the taco mix, and the tomato soup. Add a soupcan of water; stir and heat ingredients through. This is the sauce.

In another saucepan, combine ground meat, remaining refried beans, taco mix and chili mix. Fill up chili mix packet with water and add to meat mixture, then mix ingredients and heat through.

To assemble: Place 2-3 TBLSP meat in center of each tortilla; fold sides to center and roll up. Place each one in a 9x13 pan; cover with sauce; then sprinkle cheese on top. Bake at 350* for about 10 minutes or just until warmed through and cheese is melted on top.