June 16-22, 2013

Sunday:  Chicken & Veggie Quesadillas

·          I don’t have much motivation to cook on Sunday nights, so pulling something out of the freezer is always a nice treat!  I had some ground chicken with veggies from the last time we had tacos.  I thawed it, and I made some delicious quesadillas!  Yummy & easy!

Monday:  Crispy Parmesan Tilapia, Roasted Zucchini Sticks, Sweet Potato Fries, & Bread

Crispy Parmesan Tilapia

·          We had my mom over to celebrate her birthday!  I saw this recipe for tilapia on Pinterest and thought it looked pretty tasty.  It was!  I must say, mine did not look as uniform and beautiful as the picture from the blog, but we all really enjoyed it.  Tilapia can be a pretty bland fish, but this recipe makes is quite delicious!  (http://www.spendwithpennies.com/)

Roasted Zucchini Sticks & Sweet Potato Fries

·          Cut up zucchini and sweet potatoes into small “sticks.”  Toss the zucchini with a little olive oil and season salt.  Use quite a bit more oil for the potatoes, making sure they are mostly covered.  I used Season All seasoning.  Roast at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.  The zucchini will be soft, but the sweet potatoes usually (every potato is a little different) crisp up quite nicely, and are a great healthy “French fry” for the kids!

Tuesday:  Chad was at the Rangers’ game, so we went and had dinner with Mom!

Wednesday:  One Pot Wonder Tomato Basil Pasta with Chicken, Roasted Parmesan Green Beans, & Warm, Whole Grain Garlic Bread

One Pot Wonder Tomato Basil Pasta with Chicken

·          I had pinned this recipe on Pinterest several weeks ago, and I was looking forward to giving it a shot.  Since I discovered the greatness of one pot cooking with One Pot Spaghetti, I had a feeling that this recipe would be just as delicious.  It was!  It is ridiculously easy, and the flavor is wonderful.  I added shredded chicken from one rotisserie chicken…pretty much my favorite way to add flavorful chicken to any recipe.  We had a friend over for dinner, and there was more than enough for everyone.  Chad & I had the leftovers for lunch the next day.  Yum!  (http://www.apronstringsblog.com/)

Roasted Parmesan Green Beans

·          Lay green beans in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Toss with olive oil (not too much!), salt, & pepper.  Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan.  Roast at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of your green beans.  We like ours to be just turning brown along the edges!

Thursday:  Taco Pizza with Green Salad

Taco Pizza

·          I saw this on Pinterest, and it’s not like you really need a recipe for pizza, but it’s good to see a recipe like this to help me remember that pizza can be pretty much anything!  This was good, but I was a little disappointed in my store-bought wheat pizza crust.  After eating this dinner, I resolved to make pizza crust from scratch the next time we have pizza.  We’ll see how it works out!  The store-bought crust tasted so “processed,” that it took away from the goodness of the other ingredients.  So, stay tuned for my future pizza experiments!  (http://www.life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.ca/)

Friday:  Burger Sliders & Oven-Baked French Fries

Burger Sliders

·          Cheeseburgers are always a hit in this house, and mini cheeseburgers are even better! 

Oven-Baked French Fries

·         Here’s a repost from last week!!   I’ve made these in the past, but I’m not sure why I don’t make them more often!  They are a wonderful alternative to frozen French fries…much healthier and tastier!  We all loved them.  I think I should have pulled them out of the oven about 4 minutes sooner, as some of the really thin fries were quite brown.  But, it didn’t stop us from eating all of them!  (http://outoftheboxfood.com/)

I remembered reading somewhere to soak your cut potatoes in salted water before cooking them because it helps take some of the moisture out of the potato.  I love any chance to prep food early, so I cut our potatoes into thin strips and put them in cold, salted water in the fridge for a few hours.  When I was ready to cook them, I drained and rinsed them, then I dried them off with a towel.  I seasoned ours with olive oil and Season All. 

Saturday:  Grilled Pork Chops with Roasted Parmesan Cauliflower & Sautéed Chard

Chad grilled some delicious pork chops on this night.  He also picked some chard from our garden and sautéed it in a pan on the grill with olive oil & garlic.  While he did that, I roasted cauliflower in our absolute FAVORITE way!

Parmesan & Yogurt Roasted Cauliflower

*  My mom made cauliflower like this several months ago, and we have loved it ever since.  She found the recipe on Pinterest, but hasn't been able to find it since.  It's so easy though, we've been able to repeat it.

- cauliflower cut up into bite-size pieces

- olive oil

- salt & pepper

- plain Greek yogurt

- freshly-grated Parmesan

- Italian bread crumbs

Roast the cauliflower with olive oil, salt, & pepper on a foil-lined baking sheet at 400 for 15 minutes.  Take the cauliflower out of the oven and mix with Greek yogurt and Parmesan cheese (Add as much as you like.  I've never really measured it...I just eye it and add enough until the cauliflower is creamy without being drenched.)  Top with Italian bread crumbs and put back on the baking sheet in the oven.  Bake for 20 minutes more.  It's so, so yummy!  It's very much like macaroni and cheese!

June 9-16, 2013

Sunday:  Leftovers

·          We had eaten out for lunch that afternoon, and we had the leftovers for dinner.  J

Monday:  Citrus & Soy Grilled Chicken with Roasted Zucchini Sticks and Sweet Potato Fries

Citrus & Soy Grilled Chicken

·          I marinated chicken breasts in soy sauce, garlic powder, olive oil, red wine vinegar, & fresh squeezed oranges.  Chad grilled it for us, and it was delicious! 

Roasted Zucchini & Sweet Potato Fries

·          Cut up zucchini and sweet potatoes into small “sticks.”  Toss the zucchini with a little olive oil and season salt.  Use quite a bit more oil for the potatoes, making sure they are mostly covered.  I used Season All seasoning.  Roast at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.  The zucchini will be soft, but the sweet potatoes usually crisp up quite nicely, and are a great healthy “French fry” for the kids!

Tuesday:  Tomato, Mushroom, Beef &Bowtie Pasta with Salad & Bread

Tomato, Mushroom, Beef & Bowtie Pasta

1/2 lb lean ground beef

minced garlic

fresh, sliced mushrooms

salt & pepper

basil

garlic salt

1 chopped tomato

1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

bowtie pasta

parmesan cheese

Brown beef, garlic, & mushrooms in olive oil.  Once browned, drain off any fat and return beef to pan.  Season with salt, pepper, basil, & garlic salt.  Add the chopped tomato and sun-dried tomatoes and keep over low heat.  Meanwhile, make pasta as directed.  Combine cooked pasta with beef and tomatoes.  Top with fresh parmesan and enjoy!  This recipe makes a great leftover too.  It's so adaptable that you can toss in any vegetables you have on hand.

Wednesday:  Pizza Night!

Thursday:  Chicken Enchiladas with Avocado Cream Sauce, Spanish Rice, & Salad

Chicken Enchiladas with Avocado Cream Sauce

·          I’ve looked at this recipe before and knew we would like it, but I never took the time to attempt it.  It’s not a difficult recipe, especially if you use a rotisserie chicken, but for a busy mom, it’s definitely easier to prep it ahead of time.  Making the sauce, sautéing the vegetables, and assembling the enchiladas is a little much all at once if you have children nipping at your heels.  But, after eating it, I will absolutely make them again!  I will just assemble them earlier.  They are delicious!  The avocado cream sauce really puts them over the top, and the extra sauce is good on all kinds of other foods – hot or cold!  I actually only made a half recipe of the enchiladas, but a full recipe of the sauce.  (http://hannahholzmann.com/)

Friday:  Grilled “Kickin’ Chicken,” Thin-sliced Roasted Potatoes, Sautéed Rainbow Chard, & Warm Garlic Bread

Grilled “Kickin’ Chicken”

·          The boys were staying the night at my mom’s house J, and Payton went to bed early, so really it felt like a date night in for Chad and me!  This marinade is RIDICULOUSLY DELICIOUS!   Seriously, if you like foods with a little kick, try this.  It is so easy to prep (like, 4 ingredients!), and the payoff is so yummy.  It would have been a little too spicy for the boys, but it was perfect for us!  (http://www.sweetlittlebluebird.com/)

Thin-sliced Roasted Potatoes

·          I think I should call these “Grumpy’s Potatoes,” because they were some of his favorites.  I love cooking things that remind me of my Daddy.  For many foods, the browner and crispier the better for Daddy, and these are at the top of that list.  Wash, peel, & slice baking potatoes as thinly as you can.  Place one layer on the bottom of a greased baking dish.  Top with several pats of butter – enough to get good coverage.  Then sprinkle with salt & pepper, or your choice of seasonings (I used a little dry Ranch dressing mix this time too).  Repeat the layers until you’ve used all your potatoes.  Cover with foil and bake at 425 for 30-45 minutes, depending on how many potatoes you use and their size.  You’ll know it’s done when the bottom layer starts getting brown and crispy.  That bottom layer was Daddy’s absolute favorite.

Saturday:  Cream Cheese Grilled Chicken, Oven-Baked French Fries, & Roasted Peas

Cream Cheese Grilled Chicken

·          I had initially planned to make this Cream Cheese Filled Chicken, which looks delicious and I know I will make sometime soon.  (http://www.thehappylilhomemaker.com/)  But, Chad said he was happy to grill, and I’m never going to pass on that offer.  However, I already had cream cheese at room temperature on the counter that we didn’t want to waste.  So, we adapted the recipe.  He pounded the chicken to tenderize it, then seasoned it simply with salt & pepper.  After he had grilled the chicken on one side and flipped it, he added the cream cheese mixture from the above recipe to the top of the chicken.  The cream cheese warmed nicely over the chicken while it finished cooking!  It was really a fun, new way to eat grilled chicken!  The boys ate their chicken with no complaints!

Oven-Baked French Fries

·          I’ve made these in the past, but I’m not sure why I don’t make them more often!  They are a wonderful alternative to frozen French fries…much healthier and tastier!  We all loved them.  I think I should have pulled them out of the oven about 4 minutes sooner, as some of the really thin fries were quite brown.  But, it didn’t stop us from eating all of them!  (http://outoftheboxfood.com/)

I remembered reading somewhere to soak your cut potatoes in salted water before cooking them because it helps take some of the moisture out of the potato.  I love any chance to prep food early, so I cut our potatoes into thin strips and put them in cold, salted water in the fridge for a few hours.  When I was ready to cook them, I drained and rinsed them, then I dried them off with a towel.  I seasoned ours with olive oil and Season All.  As a bonus, we had extra cream cheese sauce from our chicken that made an amazing dipping sauce for our fries!!

Roasted Peas

·          Yes, that’s right.  Roasted peas.  It’s like a whole new world of vegetable greatness has entered our household.  My sister-in-law mentioned once that she roasted peas, and her kids loved them.  I had forgotten about it until I realized that frozen peas were the only green vegetable we had in our house for dinner.  So, I pulled out the peas from the freezer.  I cooked them in the microwave for only a minute or two to take the chill off, then I dried them off a bit.  I placed them in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet and sprayed them with a little olive oil.  Then I sprinkled them with salt & pepper.  I roasted them at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes, stirring them around a few times during roasting.

 These were so good!  I’m not a huge pea fan myself…they can come off a little slimy to me.  But having peas this way is something completely different.  The kids ate them (after a little prodding J), as did Chad & I.  After making them and enjoying them, I plan to try them again as a snack option too!

June 2-8, 2013

Sunday:  We ate at the Frisco Rough Riders game!

Monday:  Roasted Veggie & Chicken Tortellini with Whole Wheat Bread

Roasted Veggie & Chicken Tortellini

·          This recipe is great because you can really add any vegetables you have on hand.  It's a one-dish meal that has everything tossed together.  Using a rotisserie chicken makes it super easy and delicious!

Ingredients:

- 1 rotisserie chicken

- 2 small zucchini

- 1 tomato

- 1 head cauliflower

- olive oil

- Italian seasoning

- 9 oz package of cheese tortellini

- 4 Tbsp pesto

- parmesan cheese

Cube the zucchini and cut up the cauliflower.  Put them on a foil-lined cookie sheet (for easy clean-up!) and toss with a little olive oil and the Italian seasoning.  Roast at 400 degrees until they just start turning golden brown - about 15 minutes depending on size.  Sprinkle with some freshly grated parmesan when done.  Meanwhile, remove the chicken from the bones and dice up the tomato.  Make the tortellini according to package directions.  Toss the chicken, roasted veggies, tomato, pesto, and tortellini together.  Enjoy!

Tuesday:  Dinner at Mom’s house!

Wednesday:  Baked Beef & Bean Tacos with Roasted Okra

Baked Beef & Bean Tacos

·          This is a variation of some delicious tacos I made a few months ago from One Good Thing By Jillee.  I just didn’t have all the ingredients for her tacos.  I had some cooked taco meat in my freezer that I thawed.  I warmed some pinto beans in a sauce pan and mashed them up a bit with my potato masher.  I added the taco meat to the pan, and then….don’t judge…I added about a ½ cup of pasta sauce.  I know…it sounds weird.  But, Jillee’s original recipe calls for 8 oz of tomato sauce, which I didn’t have.  So, I added a little pasta sauce to bind the beans and meat together a bit.  But, I didn’t add so much that it was a weird Italian/Mexican food combination. 

Sometimes you just work with what you’ve got, you know?

Anyway, they were still delicious.  I added the cheese and cooked them at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.  It’s a great way to eat tacos, particularly if you have kids.  All the good stuff stays inside rather than falling all over your table and floor.

I served it with some yummy okra that Chad and the boys bought from the farmers market the previous Saturday.  Okra usually takes about 20 minutes at 400-425 degrees, depending on the size of the okra.

Thursday:  Dinner out

·          Chad had a work dinner, and the kids and I were driving home early that evening from Chad’s parents’ house.  So, we did a little Chick-fil-a drive thru!

Friday:  Amber’s Garlic Lime Chicken with Quinoa & Brown Rice, Roasted Zucchini & Sweet Potato Fries

Amber’s Garlic Lime Chicken

·          This recipe is from my sister-in-law, Amber.  It’s such a delicious, simple recipe, that my niece, Mary Alice, can cook it for her whole family.  (Although, Mary Alice is actually quite exceptional in the kitchen at only 11 years old.  J )

1 t salt

¾ t pepper

¼ t cayenne pepper

¼ t paprika

1 t garlic powder

½ t onion powder 

½ t thyme

Chicken breasts (The recipe calls for 6. Leftovers?)

2 T butter

2T olive oil

4 T lime juice

½ cup chicken broth

Mix the first 7 ingredients. Pound out the chicken in a Ziploc bag until thin.  Sprinkle mixture on both sides of the chicken. Heat butter and olive oil over medium high heat. Cook chicken 5 minutes on each side. Remove chicken and add lime juice and chicken broth to pan.  Whisk the mixture around until it is reduced, mixing up the brown bits.  Pour over the chicken. Enjoy!

Roasted Zucchini & Sweet Potato Fries

Cut up zucchini and sweet potatoes into small “sticks.”  Toss the zucchini with a little olive oil and season salt.  Use quite a bit more oil for the potatoes, making sure they are mostly covered.  I used Season All seasoning.  Roast at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.  The zucchini will be soft, but the sweet potatoes usually crisp up quite nicely, and are a great healthy “French fry” for the kids!

Saturday:  Macaroni & Beef with Cheese with Roasted Okra & Whole Wheat Toast

Macaroni with Beef & Cheese

·          We have had this dinner many times over the last year or so.  It's very kid-friendly, but it's also very homemade, not at all like a boxed mix from the store full of preservatives.  The full recipe also makes a ton, so it's a great freezer meal too!  The only thing I would note about this recipe is that you need some time to make it.  It's not hard at all, but it requires some wait time between a few of the steps.  It's not something you'll whip up at 5:00 for dinner at 6:00.  (Thanks to Ruhlman.com!)

This time it was actually taken straight from the freezer, which was perfect because we had a busy day, and I didn’t want to cook at all!  I added some roasted okra and toast, and we were ready to eat!

May 26 - June 1, 2013

After a 2-week hiatus for vacation, the blog is back!  Hope you enjoy!

Sunday:  Grilled Chicken, Roasted Veggies (sweet potato, yellow squash, zucchini, onions), Whole Grain Bread, & Blackberry Crumble

We had Chad’s parents, uncle, & aunt over for dinner.  I marinated chicken in pineapple juice, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, & garlic powder all day.  Chad threw it on the grill for me.  (I love grilling time of year!)  Then I diced up our veggies into small cubes because I wanted it to roast more quickly.  (400 for about 20 minutes.)  It ends up almost being a vegetable “hash” which we really like.  The sweetness of the sweet potatoes balances nicely with everything else.  Add some warm bread with butter, and we had our meal!

For dessert, I made an easy Blackberry Crisp (http://delicioushouse.blogspot.com/2009/06/brown-sugar-oats-and-blueberry-crisp.html).  The original recipe uses blueberries, but I used blackberries instead.  Also, I didn’t have any lemons, so I subbed pineapple juice.  I was out of corn starch, so ours was a bit runnier because of the blackberry juices.  But it was still delicious served with some vanilla ice cream!  Bonus…this recipe is gluten free!

Monday:  Memorial Day with Friends!!

Tuesday:  Sweet & Spicy Pork Tenderloin with Rice, Roasted Broccoli, & Bread

Sweet & Spicy Pork Tenderloin

·          This wonderful recipe is courtesy of my friend, Meredith.  It is very flavorful, and it's not too spicy for the kids.  Spray your crockpot with Pam.  Add a pork tenderloin (these are often on special at the store!).  Add half of a jar of apricot preserves and half a bottle of Sweet Chili Pineapple sauce from Target (I'm sure anything sweet and spicy would work!).  Cook on low for 6 hours.  During the last hour, shred the pork so the tasty sauce runs over all of the meat.  Serve it alone or over rice.  *Tip – The leftovers are great in burritos or with nachos.

Wednesday:  Dinner with Mom

·          Chad had a work dinner, so the kids and I headed to my mom’s for our dinner!

Thursday:  Ground Chicken Tacos with Chips

Ground Chicken & Veggie Tacos

My friend, Meredith (who is getting a lot of mention this week!), made these tacos for us after Payton was born, and they are delicious.  It’s one of those dinners that tastes just a little different every time we have it, but we always enjoy it!

Ground Chicken or Turkey  (I used 2 pounds.)

Finely chopped/diced veggies of your choice (I used 1 zucchini, 3 big carrots, & 2-3 big handfuls of spinach.)

1 Can Rotel (mild for the kids!)

Taco Seasoning

Olive Oil

Minced Garlic

Cook the chicken with olive oil & minced garlic until no longer pink.  Add your finely diced veggies, Rotel, & taco seasoning.  Mix it all together until everything is heated through.  Serve with tortillas or chips of your choice.  We used corn tortillas and topped with some shredded cheese.

This ground chicken is delicious and healthy and very easy to freeze and have on hand for other meals.  I always make more than we need because it’s such a good leftover and great to freeze.

Friday:  Avocado Chicken Parmigiana, Roasted Green Beans & Rainbow Chard, Whole Grain Bread

Avocado Chicken Parmigiana

·          This is such a great time of year for avocados, and this recipe is a wonderful way to serve them.  It was easy and delicious…2 of my favorite things!  We will absolutely have this again!  (http://ellenaguan.blogspot.com/)

Roasted Green Beans & Rainbow Chard

·          Both of these roast well on 400 or 425.  Toss them both with olive oil, salt, & pepper.  Shred some fresh parmesan over the green beans.  The chard will only take 10-12 minutes, so keep your eye on it.  The green beans will take closer to 20.

Saturday:  Hamburger Sliders with Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Chad fired up the grill again for our hamburger sliders.  Cheeseburgers are just about Ranger’s favorite food, so he is always excited when they are on the menu.  Sliders makes it a little more fun.  Plus, we were able to have a few different varieties.  Chad made an All American version with cheese, lettuce, & tomato, as well as a tricked-out version with avocado & Feta cheese.  Delish!  We served them with roasted sweet potato fries and cherries fresh from our Farmers Market that morning.  J