February 17-23, 2013

Sunday:  Baked Tacos, Cilantro Lime Rice, Roasted Cabbage

Baked Tacos

*These were delicious!  The boys even ate them without much prodding.  As with many of my recipes, I found it on Pinterest.  (http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/)  I did use her recipe for making my own taco seasoning, and I highly recommend it.  It's cheaper and better for you than the packets you buy from the store.  I attempted the homemade hard taco shells, but they were a bit chewy, so we used store-bought instead.  I'll try them again the next time!  These made a good leftover for lunch the next day.

             

Cilantro Lime Rice

*My friend, Meredith, makes the most delicious cilantro lime rice.  I'm working on living up to hers!  Just make rice, then add butter, cilantro, lime juice & zest, & a little garlic salt.  Yum!

             

Roasted Cabbage

*  Hands down, my family prefers roasting vegetables to almost any other way.  For cabbage, just chop it up into bite-size pieces, toss with a little (not too much!) olive oil, salt, pepper, & lemon juice, and roast at 425 for 20 minutes or so.  Stir it around half-way through.  You'll know it's ready when the edges start to turn a yummy brown color!

Monday:  Honey Mustard Pretzel Chicken & Sauteed Spinach

Honey Mustard Pretzel Chicken

*  Super yummy!!  Another Pinterest find (Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice).  The dressing is delicious, and I found myself finding things around the kitchen to dip in it.  We had the leftovers for lunch the following day.

Sauteed Spinach

*  The trick for sauteed spinach is to not overcook it.  Heat olive oil and garlic in a saute pan.  Add the spinach - remember it wilts down to almost nothing, so add a ton!  Stir it around in the oil, add salt and pepper, then put a lid on your pan and leave it for 1 minute.  Stir it all around again, making sure all the spinach has some oil on it, put the lid back on, and wait 1 minute.  At the end of this minute, your spinach should be perfect!  I topped ours with crumbled feta...a fave!

Tuesday:  One Pot Spaghetti, Roasted Parmesan Cauliflower, & Garlic Bread

One Pot Spaghetti

*  We were very pleased with this.  It's easy, and the chicken broth gives it a completely different flavor than traditional spaghetti.  I will definitely make this again!  (Thanks to Fantastical Sharing of Recipes!)

Roasted Parmesan Cauliflower

*  Cauliflower is a recent favorite for Chad and me.  We've been part of a produce co-op, and it taught us to like vegetables we had forgotten all about!  Roasting cauliflower with a little olive oil, salt, & pepper makes it yummy and golden on the edges.  Then I topped it with a generous amount of freshly grated Parmesan (buy the big wedge and shred it yourself, rather than the pre-shredded in a bag...it's totally worth the extra effort), and we ate all of it!  The boys will eat it too, although I'm not sure they would say they love it (just yet).

Wednesday:  Leftovers!

I love having a leftover night during the week.  It stretches the budget as well as making me feel like I almost have a night off from cooking.  We had the spaghetti again, but I warmed it in the oven topped with a little fresh parmesan and mozzarella, making it more of a baked spaghetti dish.  I served it with a spinach salad.

Thursday:  Chicken Pot Pie Cupcakes & Spinach Salad

Chicken Pot Pie Cupcakes

*  My kids will eat most things if they are wrapped in a biscuit or crescent roll, so I knew these would be worth a shot.  They were tasty!  It was also nice because I prepared them early and stuck them in the fridge, so before dinner all I had to do was toss them in the oven.  (Sunny Slide Up)  Payton loved these as well.  It made quite a bit!  I used rotisserie chicken because I love the flavor and simplicity.

Spinach Salad

*  One small note about salads.  I've started making our own dressing, and we won't go back to store bought.  It's so simple to add a little olive oil, balsamic vinegar, & fresh squeezed lemon or orange juice, then toss your salad with it.  Try it!

Friday:  Cheeseburger Soup, Caesar Salad, & Bread

Cheeseburger Soup

*  We said this tasted like potato soup with beef.  It was great!  It does have quite a bit of chopping involved, so I was glad I started it during the kids' naptime, then just had it on warm for a few hours before dinner.  It was great for lunch the next day too!  (The Recipe Critic)

Saturday:  Baked Buttermilk Chicken, Roasted Ranch Potatoes, Parmesan Green Beans

Baked Buttermilk Chicken

*  Delicious!!  I will be making this again!  It's not the healthiest way to have chicken, but I never said all my meal planning was healthy.  :-)  (Group Recipes)

Roasted Ranch Potatoes

*  I quartered new potatoes, tossed it on a cookie sheet with olive oil and dry Ranch dressing mix and roasted at 425 for 35 minutes or so.  Yumminess!  I mean, it has Ranch on it, so how could it be bad?  

Parmesan Green Beans

*  Toss fresh green beans with olive oil, salt, & pepper and sprinkle with fresh parmesan.  Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes until the green beans are tender and starting to turn golden brown on the bottom.  These are so good, I have them for an afternoon snack sometimes!

Okay...so there's the first week!  I hope you find some recipes you enjoy.