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!