I'm back!

Sorry for the absence of a menu last week. I was out of town, eating delish dishes...but not cooking myself. :) And I have to brag about my dinner last night. We walked in the door after being gone for a week to a clean house that smelled AMAZING! Burke had cooked us an entire Brazilian meal of authentic beans and rice and stroganoff (made with filet mignon). It was so tasty...and so nice for him to cook for us! Maybe I need to get him to post those recipes on here...But as far as this week goes, we will be eating:

*Monday: Leftover Brazilian dinner

*Tuesday: Butternut Squash Soup with cooked swiss chard and roasted garlic bread (Burke had this meal at the Noorda's the other day, and thought we should give it a try...)

*Wednesday: Crispy Apricot Pork Chops with Broccoli and Waffle Fries (from Whole Foods)

*Thursday: Chicken Salad with green beans, dried cherries & almonds

*Friday: Date Night!

*Saturday: Leftovers

*Sunday: Potato and Onion Frittata and Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast and Easter dinner at a Friends' house!

Have a great week and a Happy Easter!

hungry...

Here is our menu for this week! I'm feeling hungry at the moment, so we're starting the week with one of my new favorites...

*Monday: Stuffed Peppers (I've been thinking about these ever since I made them a few weeks ago...I think they may be on my weekly menu fairly often from now on. :) & leftover Ciabatta bread

*Tuesday: Pita Pizzas (I just asked Ryder what he'd like this week for dinner and this was his pick!)

*Wednesday: Salmon (I'm going to coat the fish with s&p and a little cayenne and then make an avocado salsa to go on top--simply dice red onion, avocados and mix with a little lime juice--place on top of fillets after cooking fish however you'd like! I'll probably bake mine...) & cantalope (the most nutrient dense fruit---thanks, Page!)

*Thursday: Macaroni & Cheese (homemade, of course) & Broccoli

*Friday: Date night!

*Saturday: Leftovers

*Sunday: Peanut-Crusted Chicken Breasts & Asparagus (if you're worried that this is the third recipe in two weeks that calls for "white sandwich bread", I'm sorry. I rarely buy white bread, and since I did last week for the fish, I need to use it up! Just trying to be resourceful...even if I'm feeding my family empty carbs... :)

Happy eating!

this week...

...we are eating:

*Monday: Thai Steak salad & challah bread (from Whole Foods)

*Tuesday: Eggplant Parmesan

*Wednesday: Herb-Crusted Salmon with Spinach Salad

*Thursday: Chili (HAVE to try this recipe...click on the link and I think you'll see why ;) & cornbread muffins (from Whole Foods...again. We tried one last week and they are TOO good. So good that I had to think of a main course to go with them for this week. :)

*Friday: Leftovers

*Saturday: Leftovers

*Sunday: Best Enchiladas (see recipe below) with mucho avocado


BEST ENCHILADAS

-2 cooked, shredded chicken breasts
-1 c. corn
-1 c. black beans
-chopped cilantro
-1/2 chopped red bell pepper
-small chopped onion
-shredded cheese (2 c.)
-enchilada sauce (either your favorite recipe or 2 packets of the storebought mix)
-2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce (if using storebought mix packet)
-water
-whole wheat tortillas (t pkg.)

Mix first 6 ingredients, plus 1 c. cheese and 1 c. enchilada sauce in large mixing bowl.
Fill each tortilla with mixture, roll and place in greased 9x13 dish.
Pour remaining sauce over prepared enchiladas and sprinkle remaining cheese on top
Bake at 350* uncovered for 20-40 mins (or until heated through)
*May be prepared ahead of time and chilled in fridge.
*Serve with sour cream and avocados/guacomole.

Steak and Potatoes

I'm going to try a new recipe tonight and I'm really excited. We're going to do steak marinated with a recipe called Best Steak Marinade in Existence and then we'll grill it on the BBQ out back (even though it is only 48 degrees outside - I think you had a great idea there Salem) and then I'm making Garlic Mashed Potatoes which sounds really yummy. Then I think we'll just add some steamed veggies in there and call it good. The Garlic Mashed Potatoes recipe is scaled for 100 people, so you just have to adjust that number on the web page to 5 or 10; whatever you like. I'll let you know how it turns out!

March Menu!

Yay! It's March! And I hear that this Friday it is supposed to be 45* around here! Yippee!!! I'm glad I have all week to decide how I'm going to celebrate such an occasion. Maybe break out the grill??? Oh wait, I said 45*, didn't I. So maybe it won't feel like summer....but I'll take it! Here is what we are eating in Chicago for the next several days...

*Monday: Cashew Chicken & Rice, take II

*Tuesday: Tuscan Tomato Soup & oyster crackers (I bought some oyster crackers the other day at Trader Joe's and Ryder is SO excited about them. We'll add a little nutrition...and calories to the crackers with this yummy homemade tomato soup!)

*Wednesday: Roasted Salmon with Lentils

*Thursday: Tostadas Salsa Verde

*Friday: Spaghetti Carbonara & Bread (Saturday is my indoor triathlon...so we are carb-loading tonight!)

*Saturday: Leftovers

*Sunday: Leftovers

Cheese Potato Soup

This recipe is for Bri. I made it for her about four months ago and promised her the recipe, and I'm just now getting around to actually giving it to her. Sorry for the long wait. This soup is yummy!

Grandma’s Cheesy Potato Soup

4 c peeled and cubed potatoes (or cubed frozen potatoes)
½ c onion
1 c chopped celery
1 c shredded carrots (I just buy the pre-shredded carrots)
2 c uncooked small shell pasta
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1 T parsley flakes
¼ c butter
2 t all-purpose seasoning
1 t salt
3 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 c whipping cream

Bring 8 c of water to boiling. Add everything except the pasta, cheese and cream. Cook 2 minutes, then add the pasta. Turn heat down to medium and cook until tender (about 8-10 minutes). Stir often. When the pasta is done turn off heat. Stir in the cheddar cheese. When the cheese is melted, stir in cream. Salt and pepper to taste.

And here's another recipe I tried that I really liked. I think Salem would like this one because it's got sweet potatoes.

Tuscan-Roasted Vegetable and Pork Chops

4 cups coarsely chopped sweet potatoes, celery, red onions.
(about 2 sweet potatoes, 3 ribs celery, and a sweet onion)
1/4 cup Italian salad dressing
2 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Baking apple, coarsely chopped (I used golden delicious)
4-5 pork chops
1 pkt. Shake N' Bake seasoned coating mix

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss vegetables with dressing and cheese; spread onto wax paper-covered baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes.

Stir in apples. Coat meat with coating mix as directed on package; add to baking sheet. Bake 20 more minutes until meat is done (160 degrees) and vegetables are tender

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!)