September 22-28, 2013

Sunday:  Breakfast

·          We had a house full of sick kids this weekend, so when they requested breakfast for dinner, I was happy they were asking to eat anything.  This meal was pretty much the first food they had eaten all day.

Monday:  Quesadillas with Fruit

·          I used chicken from a rotisserie chicken to make quesadillas.  For the boys, I just used chicken and cheese.  For us, I added tomatoes and creole seasoning.  Chad needed to leave early, so this was a perfect quick meal for everyone.

Tuesday:  Perdue Chicken Tenders with Roasted Green Beans and Carrots

·         We had a soccer game at 6, so we ate an early dinner beforehand.  On any soccer night, I always want a quick, healthy dinner that I know my kids will eat.  Perdue has a frozen chicken line called “Simply Smart” that is actually pretty good and healthy.  Even Chad and I enjoy them!  Adding roasted vegetables helped to round out the meal.  We all had a great dinner, and Ranger had a fantastic soccer game!

Wednesday:  Pasta with Parmesan Garlic Chicken Sausage, Basil Pasta Sauce, Roasted Broccoli, and Warm, Buttered Bread

·          I browned the chicken sausage and added it to some pasta sauce.  The kids really like elbow macaroni, so I prepared a whole wheat elbow to add to the sauce.  Chad came home late that night, and this was an easy meal for the kids and I to have early, and then I was able to keep it warm until Chad was able to eat.

Thursday:  Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas with Black Bean, Corn, & Avocado Salad

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

·         These enchiladas are delicious and easy to put together.  The sauce really puts it over the top!   This recipe also freezes really well, so when you make it, make enough to have a pan for the freezer.  It’ll be perfect on a night when you don’t want to cook!  (http://joyful-mommas-kitchen.blogspot.com/)

Black Bean, Corn & Avocado Salad

·          I adapted this recipe from Tastebook.com.  We weren’t firing up the grill, so instead of grilled corn, I used canned.  I also added black beans.

GRILLED CORN, AVOCADO AND TOMATO SALAD

½ pint grape tomatoes

1 ripe avocado

½  can sweet corn (drained)

½ can black beans (drained and rinsed)

2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

HONEY LIME DRESSING

Juice of 1 lime

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp honey

Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

1 clove garlic, minced

Dash of cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS

Slice the tomatoes in half. Dice the avocado and chop the cilantro.  Drain and rinse the corn and black beans.

Add all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Combine the sliced tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, black beans, and corn and honey lime dressing and mix gently so everything is evenly coated. Be careful not to mash the avocados. Let the salad sit for 10-15 minutes to let flavors mingle. Enjoy!

Saturday:  BBQ Turkey Meatloaf with Roasted Broccoli and Mashed Potatoes

Honey BBQ Turkey Meatloaf

·          This is one of our favorite meals…EVER!  We’ve finally had some fall temperatures, so bring on the comfort foods!  Of all of the different meatloaf recipes I’ve made, this is by far our favorite.  I follow her recipe (Can You Stay for Dinner), except I substitute ground turkey for the ground beef.  It’s much less greasy.  Also, I use oatmeal in place of the bread crumbs, and then I add an egg.  I’m not sure how her meatloaf stays together without the egg, but clearly it does!  For the barbeque sauce, I do a little combo of Sweet Baby Ray’s and Stubbs to make everyone in my house happy.  Obviously, use whatever sauce your family likes.  Another reason this recipe is so fabulous is that I made a large loaf, and we had enough for lunch after church the next day.  Seriously, if you’ve never made any recipes I’ve posted before, make this one.  I’m not kidding.

Mashed Potatoes

·          Cut up potatoes (any kind) into 1-2 inch square chunks.  Put in a pot and add just enough cool water to cover the potatoes.  Boil for 10-12 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender.  Drain the potatoes and add back in the pan.  Add milk (I actually used heavy cream this time!), sour cream, cheese, salt, and pepper, then mash it all up together in the pan with a potato masher.  Taste and add more of whatever you need to reach the consistency you like!  Yum-o!