Thankful Week.

Isn't Thanksgiving great? Don't you love how this time of year practically forces you to think about all that you have? It's such a great feeling to realize that no matter how difficult our circumstances, we have A LOT. Just being able to live on this earth is an incredibly special gift. I'll be spending my Thanksgiving day with my parents (Burke is working all day :( ) and children. As for the rest of the week, today is day #1 of potty training. We'll see if I end up getting dinner on the table each night...

*Monday: Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas (thanks to my sister)
*Tuesday: We didn't end up having Lasagna last Sunday, so tonight we'll have Butternut Squash Lasagna...YUM!

*Wednesday: Leftovers & baking pies! I'll be making Apple Pie with THIS crust (with apple cider vinegar??!! Can't wait to try!) & Coconut Cream Pie

*Thursday: The Big Day! My menu today was sort of inspired by an episode of "Throwdown" that I happened to watch. Bobby Flay battled Ree Drummond (Pioneer Woman), and SHE won! The food all looked amazing, so we'll see how it tastes. We'll be eating:

-Simple Turkey (I don't even do anything to mine. Maybe a little salt & pepper. I've had brined/seasoned/plain turkeys before, and they all taste equally as yummy to me! So I'm sticking with simple this year)
-Stuffing-I'll use a classic recipe similar to THIS one.
-Mashed Potatoes & gravy (I just make this up with the turkey drippings, flour, salt & pepper)
-Sweet Potatoes (simple again. I roast mine in the oven with a little butter & brown sugar until they are soft & golden)
-Brussels Sprouts (I have to have something green! And we don't do green bean casserole around here...)
-Cornbread Pudding
-Rolls
-2 pies (see yesterday's post)
-Pumpkin Bread Pudding (I know it's crazy, we're not having pumpkin pie. But this looks DELICIOUS, and I'm using the excuse that when I do my big turkey dinner on Christmas Eve, I'll make pumpkin pie then.)

*Friday: Are you kidding? Leftovers for the rest of the weekend..... ;)

Pumpkin Muffins & a Thankful Tree...

If you can't tell, I am so in love with this time of year. We finally got our "thankful tree" going, I made some delicious Pumpkin Muffins, and I've started planning our Thanksgiving feast. I am one happy girl. And by the way, those muffins really were amazing. I used part white flour/part wheat flour/part flax and applesauce instead of oil to healthify them a little. And they were still scrumptious. The children loved going on a walk one day to find sticks for our Thankful Tree. I added some yarn to a few of the branches, printed out "I am Thankful For ______" tags, and I love the things that have already been added. My favorite is Ryder's "being in this earth". ;) With Burke gone a lot these days, I'm not feeling super motivated to make elaborate dinners, so here is our simple menu for the week:

*Monday: Grilled Cheese & "Red Soup" (we like the store bought low sodium Red Pepper & Tomato Soup cartons. You can usually find them near the health foods, if not in the soup aisle.)

*Tuesday: Chicken Pot Pie

*Wednesday: Squash Pot Stickers & fried rice (my kids usually love pot stickers, and they LOVE dipping things. We'll see how the squash goes over. For the rice, I use sticky white rice, mix whatever veggies I have in--usually peas, chopped carrots, chopped red peppers, scallions, etc. I fry this in a tiny bit of sesame oil with salt, pepper & soy sauce. At the end I add 1 egg to my mixture, and stir until the egg is cooked. Sometimes I add chicken or chopped ham for a heartier rice.)

*Thursday: Baked Potato Soup + Cheddar/Jalapeno Biscuits (see recipe below--from HERE)
*Friday: Leftovers

*Saturday: Down Town Chicago Date. I'm super excited to ride the train, sans kids, meet my husband downtown and eat in peace & quiet. Believe me, I'll be savoring each & every bite.

*Sunday: Easy One Pot Lasagna & Salad

Sour Cream and Cheddar Biscuits

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1/4 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
Drained and chopped pickled jalapeños, to taste (I used about 2 tablespoons)
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 425°F. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Either cut the butter pieces into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or rub them in with your fingertips until well-combined. Stir in the cheddar, jalapeños and sour cream until the mixture forms a sticky dough. Pat it out to a 1/2-inch thickness on a very well-floured counter and use a 3 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to cut six rounds. Bake on an ungreased (or parchment-lined, if your baking sheets are as “weathered” as mine are) for 15 to 17 minutes, until golden on top.

Quickie.

Dropping by for a quick run down of our menu for this BUSY week that we're home. We have family coming to stay with us starting tonight, 2 graduations on Friday, a race on Saturday and driving out West on Monday. Here's what will tide us over:

*Wednesday: Spinach/Sweet Potato Risotto with corn on the cob and some Pumpkin Chocolate Chip bread to welcome our guests

*Thursday: Lasagna Rolls, salad and baguette

*Friday: Out to eat to celebrate with the Graduates

*Saturday: Smoque BBQ for lunch and wraps for dinner (our lunch will be early-just after our 10 mile race downtown). For wraps I'll have tortillas, sliced turkey/ham, sliced cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, diced avocados, cheese, peppers, bacon, mustards/dressings and anything else that sounds yummy. I'm also making a cucumber/tomato/fresh mozzarella salad, like THIS one.

*Sunday: Thanks to my aunt for the idea, we'll have an easy crock pot meal tonight. Throw chicken breasts, a can of black beans, can of corn, 1 c. salsa and 1 package taco seasoning in the crock pot for 4-5 hours until the chicken is cooked through. Then, remove the chicken, shred it with a fork and place back with bean/corn mixture. Serve over chips with cheese and sour cream. You could also put it over lettuce to make a chicken taco salad.

Back at it...

I know it's been over a month since I last posted. I'm going to blame it on having a baby. Cause we've definitely been eating well. So I guess it's time I get sharing my ideas again. Here is this weeks menu-

*Monday: Spinach Lasagna Rolls with salad and garlic parmesan crusty bread (from Trader Joes)

*Tuesday: Crock pot Teriyaki Chicken with vegetables (boneless/skinless chicken tenders, frozen oriental vegetables and teriyaki sauce in a slow cooker for 3 hours at high heat or 4-6 hours on low heat) and Jasmine Rice

*Wednesday: Leftovers

*Thursday: Loaded Baked Potatoes

*Friday: Homemade Pizzas

*Saturday: Leftovers

*Sunday: SUPER BOWL PARTY! I'll be sharing my super easy/tasty guacamole. I use 6 ingredients, and I never measure: avocados, diced tomatoes, chopped purple onion, chopped cilantro, fresh lime juice and salt. Mix all ingredients together just enough to incorporate (but I like to keep it fairly chunky).

Other yummies I've made in the last month that you should definitely try are:

*Cauliflower Gratin
*These cookies (may be my favorite cookie--ever. I used Trader Joe's English toffee, and crushed it myself. I don't think these would be near as yummy with store bought toffee bits, but I'd be willing to give it a try!)
*Split Pea Soup
*Buttermilk Biscuits (soooooo buttery good)
*more granola (I've been making this almost weekly. Put it on yogurt, eat it with a bowl full of milk, or just grab a handful as a snack)
*Chicken Fajitas
*my favorite salmon

...and much more! Happy 2011!

Another menu--

This week, Burke is out of town almost the entire week. So again, I'm going for simple, simple, simple dinners. With three little rugrats following me around in the kitchen, I need quick/easy ideas to keep everyone happy. Here they are:

*Monday: Baked Potatoes (we didn't have these last week...and they're a favorite, so repeat it is!)

*Tuesday: Black Bean Pie

*Wednesday: "Pig-in-a-Blankets" and green salad. These were one of our favorites growing up. I'll admit, I'm not too excited about this dinner, but it will make the kids happy. :) Simply wrap any kind of "dog" (smokey links, sausages, hot dogs...) in a biscuit with a little ketchup and shredded cheese. Roll in bread crumbs. With the seam side down, place on a baking sheet and bake for 350* for about 10 minutes, or until browned on top and cooked through the biscuit. Kids LOVE making these. I'm pretty sure my almost 5 year old could do them all by himself.

*Thursday: Split Pea Soup with homemade whole wheat croutons (I know it is probably against split pea soup rules to not use a ham bone...but I'm going to experiment...)

*Friday: Out with Burke! He'll finally be home...so we'll probably celebrate and try a new restaurant.

*Saturday: Church Christmas Party (dinner is included--YES!)

*Sunday: Crock Pot Lasagna-The first time I tried this recipe (from THIS book), I was quite skeptical. But both the lasagna addict (Burke) and myself LOVE it! It is SO simple to make, and really tastes delicious. Who doesn't love a good crock pot meal? See recipe below.


Slow Cooker Lasagna

-12 lasagna noodles, uncooked
-1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey), browned and drained
-1 tsp. Italian seasoning
-1 jar (28 oz) spaghetti sauce
-1/4 c. water
-1 carton (16 oz.) cottage cheese
-2 c. mozzarella cheese, grated

Break noodles in half. Place half of the noodles in bottom of greased 4-quart slow cooker. Stir Italian seasoning into meat and spread half over the noodles already in slow cooker. Then layer half of the sauce and water, half of cottage cheese, and half of mozzarella cheese over beef. Repeat layers. cover and cook on low heat 4-5 hours. Do not cook more than 5 hours.

It's Monday...

...meaning time for a new post! I'm feeling quite pregnant these days...so if our meals are looking lame, or you're seeing too many casseroles, please feel free to contribute ideas. ;)

*Monday: Steamed Artichokes (dipped in a little melted butter, of course) and baguette (dipped in my favorite--olive oil/s&p/parmesan)

*Tuesday: Chicken & Rice Soup (I will be substituting wild rice for the white wice)

*Wednesday: Mexican Lasagna

*Thursday: Leftovers

*Friday: Spaghetti Carbonara

*Saturday: Baked Sweet Potatoes

*Sunday: Broiled Salmon with Pesto (I'll make my own and brush it on top for the last minute or two of broiling), mashed potatoes & asparagus

fall, finally!

Sorry, but I am just one of those people who can't get enough of fall. I LOVE when the air begins to chill, and I can break out the sweaters/boots. And I even get a little excited for winter. Go ahead, hate me. But I like that I don't have to feel depressed half of the year because I'm cold. :) One reason the cooler weather is so amazing to me is all of the baking/cooking opportunities I can take advantage of now that it isn't so hot out! So get ready for some home-cookin' casseroles and lots of warm soups!!! I'm SO excited!!!

*Monday: Never got around to our Salmon & Roasted Root Vegetables yesterday for dinner (we were too busy eating cinnamon rolls!). So we'll try it tonight!

*Tuesday: Sweet Potato Soup with Blue Corn Tortillas

*Wednesday: Spinach & Prosciutto Lasagna

*Thursday: Leftovers

*Friday: Tamale Pies

*Saturday: Steak with Roasted Carrots & Onions

*Sunday: Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo (Ryder is begging for me to make this again!) with a green salad

travel time...

This Thursday, I head to Utah for the long anticipated race. I am SO excited! I'm already sad when I think of leaving my kiddos (even just for a few days), but can hardly wait for a plane ride free of bottles, matchbox cars and coloring books. Not to mention 3 days without changing a diaper. ;) Thanks to my Mom, I get to spend the weekend with some of my very favorite people in the whole world--and run in an amazing race! Here is my meal plan for the week (the weekend's meals are adapted to either be made ahead of time, or are quick to throw together, to make it as easy on my Mom as possible!). And the next two weeks will be filled with driving to Virginia for Ashley's wedding, and spending time in Michigan with my brother and his family...so there may be a lack of posts. But I'll stay on top of this as much as I can, cause you can be sure that I'll be eating good food the whole time!

*Monday: Paninis--We'll use Ciabatta bread, add any veggies, cheese, or maybe some turkey, as well as a little balsamic vinegar, pesto, mustard, etc. Then since I don't have a sandwich press, I use my George Foreman to get a nice thin, crispy, juicy sandwich. Yum!

*Tuesday: Spinach Salad with Fruit, Almonds and Feta and a Trader Joe's Baguette

*Wednesday: Chicken Tacos

*Thursday: Lasagna Rolls, corn on the cob and Garlic Bread

*Friday: Broccoli Cheese Soup(just add cheese to the recipe), salad and rolls

*Saturday: Pizza Night!
*Sunday: Black Beans and Rice (top with green/purple onions, tomatoes, avocados, Cajun seasoning, shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, salsa, etc.)

P.S. Doesn't this look amazing??? When I get back, I am definitely finding a reason to make it...

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.