Do-over!

I didn't do such a great job last week with staying on my menu plan. Life intervenes, you know? So this week, I am back to my plans and will use some of the meal ideas from last week. I have also gotten away from eating whole fruits and veggies which I will make an effort to remedy this week as well. One thing that foiled my plans this week was some REALLY disappointing peaches. They looked so beautiful - I was totally fooled. Alas.  However, I did get some really lovely apples!

Sunday:
Sunday is normally a day to get things ready for the week but this week, Sunday is probably our busiest day. Between a birthday party, long bike ride and going to see a colleague in a show we are barely here today.

Vegetable and Turkey Meatloaf


Monday:
Thai Coconut Shrimp Curry with jasmine rice and a side of mandarin oranges.


Tuesday:

Sausage and Broccoli Casserole with a side salad.




Wednesday:

Normally, we sort of fend for ourselves on Wednesday night because of a busy evening schedule at church, but I think this might be a nice alternative. I can roast the squash ahead and time and DH and I can have something nutritious and portable. So, instead of Pasta with Butternut Squash and Sage which we were supposed to have last week (and didn't) I think I am going with this:


Baby Spinach Salad with Honey Roasted Butternut Squash, Pumpkin Seeds, Gorgonzola and Dried Cherries

We got some sheep's milk cheese at Patak's last week and need to use the rest. It is creamy and fresh tasting. I think it will be a perfect compliment to the flavors above. Plus I can use my butternut squash.



Thursday:
Crock Pot Beer Chicken
Crock Pot and Beer in the same sentence. Yes, please. I don't know what I will serve it with. Probably some mixed frozen vegetables.

Friday:
We will be having pasta of some sort today. DH is contemplating a century ride in Cartersville, GA the next day and even if he doesn't do the century, I am slated to run 14-15 miles on my training schedule the next morning. A little carbs never hurt anyone in this position. We started using Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta when we were dealing with some "digestive issues" with our youngest child. It is basically regular pasta but it has a higher fiber content. This is helpful with a child who loves pasta but is also nice for a "Watcher of Weight" because the points are a little lower.

Tuesday:
Vegetable Turkey Meatloaf

Thursday:

Chicken Thighs with Artichoke and Feta


Friday
Butternut Squash Pasta

Saturday
Crock Pot Beer Chicken
Mashed faux-tatoes






Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp 

I should actually make this

Last week I had big plans. Not all of them came through. For example, my plan to make Black bean burgers the night before I wanted to eat them (essential for the recipe I had chosen) kept getting delayed until I am planning to make them today! This. Will. Happen.

Now that we are getting back into the swing of the semester and have a better idea what each day holds in store, I feel like I can plan better for the week ahead.

Sunday:
Citrus Garlic Pork Loin (look familiar?)

Monday:
Black Bean Burgers
Arugula and Pear Salad

Tuesday:
Picadillo (also from last week)

Wednesday:
Chicken Tenders
Sweet Potato Fries
Fruit

Thursday:
Spaghetti with Homemade Marinara

Friday:
Asian Glazed Chicken Drumsticks
Broccoli
Rice


I am also trying to kick up breakfast. (At least for myself - my kids are notoriously specific about their breakfast needs.) One thing I have found is Refrigerator Oatmeal. I was skeptical at first, but I really like it. It is actually pretty good with the chia seeds in it. (shock) The seeds absorb a lot of liquid and make it into a sort of pudding-like consistency and the chia seeds have lots of nutritional value.

Have a great week!

Back to School

This is it. It is finally here. The first day of school is tomorrow.

Summer = Over.

Alas.  We are all back to our regular routine.

Not to worry - planning makes the routine go more smoothly and this menu planning helps SO MUCH! I know several people are following my blog so I hope it helps you as much as it has helped me. One other resource that has been invaluable is ziplist.com. Once you create an account, you can store your favorite recipes from the web and even clip ones you find along the way. Then, you can create a shopping list right from the recipes! But the absolute best feature is that the list appears on your smartphone via a handy web app. This list is sorted by aisle in the store!! Imagine! Of course, you can also print a paper copy of the list as well. Check it out if you are interested.

Here is the menu:

Sunday:
Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Arugula and Pear Salad

Monday:
Black Bean Burgers
Sweet Potato Fries
We ended up not eating these last week and ate leftovers that night instead. You must make these at least a day ahead so I will be doing the prep on this today.

Wednesday:
Chicken Nuggets/Chicken Tenderloins
Quinoa Salad with Corn and Peppers

Thursday:
Shepherd's Pie

Friday:
Citrus Garlic Pork Loin

Saturday
Cuban Picadillo, Rice and Oranges

I'm BACK!

So July was a super travel-ly month. Between two beach weeks, a conference and a kid going to camp, I have hardly known which way was up and have not really made my own menus in a while. What a relief to get back to being in charge of my own food! Of course, it was such a relief to NOT be in charge of my own food for a while too! At any rate, we are back in the swing of things here and after a $250 grocery trip no longer have the "cupboard is bare" excuse for going out to eat. *alas*  Also, School is about to start, so I am grateful to have a week to get things going again before that madness begins!

So here goes.

Monday (today):
Skinny Chicken Enchiladas

These are a favorite and I am waiting for them to cook as I write this. Either fortunately or unfortunately, they are even better the second day. Makes me wish it was tomorrow already.


Tuesday:
Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken
We don't serve these in Lettuce wraps as she suggests. I like to make sandwiches out of them with her Low Fat Creamy Blue Cheese dressing.


Wednesday:
Lasagna Roll-ups
Mixed Green Salad


Thursday:
Black Bean Burgers
I LOVE these burgers. Usually, I find Black bean burgers dry and tasteless with a mealy, yucky texture, but these are delicious. Maybe it is the avocado and the chipotle mayo? I think I will serve this with a Pear salad

Friday:

Summer Corn, Bacon and Potato Chowder
I am really looking forward to trying this soup. I think I will serve it with a mixed green salad and some wheat thins.


Saturday:
Rigatoni with creamy Sausage sauce
I think I will serve this as is. Maybe some crunchy/soft french bread on the side.

Savory Peach Pasta

I have been slightly obsessed with peaches this summer- ever since my mother in law brought a whole bushel of REALLY delicious specimens to the beach and we ate them every day. Don't get me wrong, I love to eat a peach just plain without sugar. As. Is.

I also LOOOOOOVE peach cobbler. (cuppa, cuppa, cuppa, sticka is my recipe of choice*) I like to put peaches in plain, Fat Free Greek Yogurt. I make a crepe with peaches and strawberries with a little greek yogurt spread over the top. In fact, when we were eating dinner at Roz's Rice Mill Cafe at the Hammock Shops in Pawleys Island, I heard about their special of a cold peach soup with cayenne. I SO regret not getting that instead of a salad that night. (And don't get me started on the delicious crab cake I had that night. *sigh*)


I pretty much eat peaches any way they come. So anyway, I had some beautiful peaches on the counter that were just begging to be eaten. We had gone out for lunch at Smashburger (of all things) for lunch so I knew I wanted something on the lighter side. I have heard of people using fruit in chicken dishes and what not so I did a quick internet search and came up with this site which was where I began. I departed from their suggestions a bit - especially with the oregano (Paul's suggestion) which gave it what I would call an "earthiness." I also did not use quite so much of the pasta water to create a sauce. So, below is my version of the recipe. It was really tasty!



Savory Peach Pasta

3 peaches, just ripe, cut into large wedges
12 ozs whole wheat pasta noodles
2 TBSP Olive oil (separated)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
Parmiggiano-Reggiano Cheese


Boil pasta and set aside. Reserve some of the pasta water.

Heat 1 TBSP Olive oil in skillet over med-high heat. Sautee peach wedges about 1 min on each side or until slightly browned. Remove peaches from heat and set aside.

Heat the other tsp Olive Oil and sautee garlic then add tomatoes and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar, cayenne and oregano and a little salt to taste. Cook about 1 min - just long enough for dried herbs to bloom. Very carefully and gently add peach back to the mixture. Add pasta back to the mix and VERY GENTLY toss together. Serve with cheese on individual portions.



*Cuppa, Cuppa, Cuppa, Sticka
(My go-to recipe for Peach cobbler)

Cuppa sugar
Cuppa self-rising flour
Cuppa milk
Sticka butter, melted
And a whole mess of peaches. (I like for there to be more peaches than "crust" but I don't mind it any way I can get it. I usually use at least 8 large peaches.)

I usually melt the butter in the casserole dish while the oven is pre-heating (350) then I add the other non-peach ingredients right in the pan. Then I add the cut-up peaches and stir it just until the peaches get covered. Cook for about 45 minutes or until it is golden brown and starts to smell like peach cobbler.  Depending on the ove, I might increase the heat for 5 minutes or so at the end so I get the color right if I feel like it isn't browning right.

Serve with vanilla ice cream if you want to be REALLY decadent!

Post-Beach-Vacay

Happy belated 4th of July! Hope you had a wonderful BBQ to celebrate like I did. Paul's family's secret BBQ chicken recipe! And summer sweet corn, YUM!

Only have to deal with 4 dinners this week. Had a great vacation week and even made some recipes I have posted here.

Sunday:
Shrimp Spring Rolls with Summer Vegetables
Thai peanut sauce from Skinnytaste
I know this Shrimp won't be as good as what we had last week. Paul's uncle had caught a bunch and shared with us. So incredibly sweet and delicious. Makes me miss living so close to the coast.

Monday:
Vietnamese Flank Steak and Rice
I will probably serve this with no sugar added mandarin oranges as well. Possibly some broccoli too if it looks good at the market

Tuesday:
Pasta with Butternut Squash and Sage
I use the Smart Taste pasta by Ronzoni which has slightly higher fiber content so that affects the points value. But for my daughter, I just stir in some buttermilk and parmesan cheese and she loves it. Tastes like Annie's shells and cheese. Will serve with a mixed green salad. I use Basil instead of sage sometimes in this recipe and I like it just as well - depends on what I am in the mood for.

Wednesday:
Skinny Chicken Enchiladas
I love this recipe. Feels indulgent without actually BEING that way. Yum.