April 20-26, 2014

Sunday:  Easter Sunday!

·          We had family over at our house, as we do every Easter.  In order to have a quick, ready-to-go lunch, I made BBQ Pork in the crock pot the day before.  It’s so simple!  Just throw a pork roast in your crockpot with a Coke and a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce and cook it on low all day.  The lower and slower, the better.

 On Sunday morning, I just put it back in the crock pot and had it warm while we were at church.  I also made pinto beans in my other crock pot and also a large spinach salad with apples, oranges, strawberries, feta cheese, and raspberry balsamic vinaigrette.  We all had a great lunch, and it was ready as soon as we made it home from church!  J  Less time in the kitchen = more time with family!

Monday:  Green Chili Chicken, Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower, & Warm Bread

Green Chili Chicken

·          I saw this on Pinterest, and it looked tasty and healthy.  It was easy, and I think it has the potential to be really good, but I didn’t love it.  I think it lacked a little pizazz.  That being said, we still all ate it.  J  Chad and I added Frank’s Red Hot to ours, and the boys dipped theirs in mustard (Callen) and ketchup (Ranger).  I might play around with this recipe a bit to see if I can add to the flavors a bit.  I also think it would taste better grilled, so we’ll try that too.

Roasted Parmesan Cauliflower

·          This is a GREAT way to eat cauliflower!

- 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, until it starts getting golden on the top.  It's so, so yummy!  It's very much like macaroni and cheese!

Tuesday:  Cornflake & Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Zucchini and Bread

Cornflake & Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

·          I had some tilapia, and my kids LOVE fish, so I thought it sounded delish for dinner this week.  One day in the grocery store, I stumbled upon a box of Cornflake Crumbs near the regular bread crumbs.  I grabbed it thinking it could be a fun change for any kind of breaded fish or chicken.  It was!  I first dipped the tilapia in a mixture of egg and milk.  Then I dredged it in the Cornflake crumbs that I had also mixed with Parmesan cheese, garlic salt, and pepper, making sure there was good coverage all over the fish.  Then I sautéed them on the stovetop in a little olive oil for about 5-6 minutes per side.  They were golden, crunchy, and scrumptious!  The kids ate theirs right up!

I served ours with diced sweet potatoes and zucchini that I had roasted at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.  We’ve had some fabulous weather, so we had a nice dinner outside on the porch.  No sweeping!

Wednesday:  Hot dogs, Watermelon, & Chips

·          Another great night for grilling and eating out on the porch!

Thursday:  Dinner Out with Mom

Friday:  Take Out Burgers

·          Chad was on a weekend golf trip, so the kids and I grabbed a little take out.  J

Saturday:  Dinner with Friends

·          The kids and I went over to our friends’ house who also had a daddy on the golf trip.  Fun, food, and early bedtimes were had by all!

April 6-12, 2014

** I will take next week off from the blog since it will be Easter Sunday.  We have a weekend full of plans!  I hope everyone has a blessed Easter week! **

Sunday:  Meatballs and Veggies with Rice

·          I intentionally made more meatballs and veggies than we would eat on Saturday night so that we could have leftovers on Sunday.  After church, I warmed the meatballs and veggies on the stove and then combined them with some rice.  It was a great one dish meal that was easily put together for a delicious Sunday lunch!

Monday:  Pioneer Woman Butter Chicken Sauce over Pasta with Chicken, Roasted Balsamic Asparagus, and Roasted Carrots

Pioneer Woman Butter Chicken Sauce

·          A few weeks ago, I made this recipe from the Pioneer Woman.  We had a ton of the yummy sauce leftover, so I froze it for another meal.  I pulled it out and let it thaw in the fridge for about 24 hours.  Then, I just warmed in back up in a skillet on the stove.  I added in some rotisserie chicken and then served it over pasta.  Yum!  I also roasted asparagus and carrots to round out the meal.  J

Tuesday:  Chicken Tenders, Broccoli, & Sweet Potato Tator Tots

·          Ranger had a random Tuesday night t-ball game, so we needed a quick, healthy-ish dinner early this evening.  Enter PurdueSimply Smart chicken tenders!  As far as the frozen chicken tender goes, these are the tastiest, in my opinion.  Chad and I have no problem eating these along with the kids.  I roasted broccoli also and made some frozen sweet potato tator tots from Sprouts.  Everyone cleaned their plates, and my kitchen was also easy to clean before heading out to the game!

Wednesday:  Dinner Out with Mom!

Thursday:  Egg Cups with Whole Wheat Toast and Fruit

Egg Cups

·          My sister-in-law shared this recipe with us, and I thought it would be a fun way to try eggs for our weekly “Breakfast for Dinner” night.  We really enjoyed it, and I’ll make them again!

-           Canandian Bacon

-            Eggs

-           Cheese

-           Spray muffin tins with cooking spray.  Put one slice of Canadian bacon in each one, and press it down around the bottom and sides.  Crack one egg into each piece of Canadian bacon.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Then, top with your choice of cheese and bake another 5 minutes.  That’s it!  They are super, super hot, so let them cool a bit before feeding them to your kids.  I love new recipes to change up some of our regular dinners!!

Friday:  Grilled Pork Chops and Diced Veggies

·          Chad came home after being gone for a few days, so I put him to work!  He seasoned and grilled the pork chops outside while the kids played.  I diced up sweet potatoes, zucchini, & broccoli and tossed them with olive oil, season salt, and pepper.  He also prepared these on the grill with a veggie basket.  Yum!  We even ate outside so clean up was a BREEZE!!  Love, love, love this time of year!

Saturday:  Pork Quesadillas with Avocado and Cilantro Lime Rice

·          We had quite of bit of pork leftover (intentionally), so we will make quesadillas tonight!  **Update:  We made the quesadillas, and they were great!  In order for the pork not to be too dry, I actually warmed it on the stovetop in some onion soup mix that I prepared with water according to package directions.  I diced it up small before I put it in the pot.  Then I just let it warm slowly on the stove for an hour and a half or so.  It was a great way to warm up the pork without further drying it out.

      I actually prepared the quesadillas in the oven, which is a great time saver that keeps me from standing over a hot stove.  I buttered tortillas and laid them on a foil-lined baking sheet.  In the middle I put sharp cheddar cheese and the yummy, diced pork.  (For Chad's, we added jalepenos too!).  Then I placed another piece of foil over the top of the quesadillas and then another baking sheet on top of that.  As it bakes, the quesadillas get warm and crispy in between the two sheets of foil.  The baking sheet over the top helps everything "squish" together!  I did ours at 350 for about 15 minutes.  Just check it at 10 minutes, then again every 5 minutes or so after that until they are done to your preference.

      As sides, we had fresh, sliced avocados and cilantro lime rice.  I made brown rice with quinoa (my fave from CostCo).  Then, I add a little butter, chopped cilantro, the juice from half a lime, and garlic salt.  Mix it all together and YUM!  

March 30 - April 5, 2014

Sunday:  Dinner With Our Church Family

Monday:  Meredith’s Chicken and Veggie Tacos with Brown Rice & Quinoa & Corn

Meredith’s Chicken & Veggie Tacos

This is definitely a favorite in our house, and it’s a wonderful recipe to make when having company, or if it’s just our family.  I love dicing all the vegetables up ahead of time (I dice mine super small).  When it’s time for dinner, it’s so simple to just throw everything together over the stove and have a delicious, healthy meal in no time!

-           -Ground Chicken  (1-2 pounds depending on how many people you are serving or whether or not you want leftovers)

-           -Finely chopped/diced veggies of your choice (I used 1 zucchini, 3 big carrots, & 2-3 big handfuls of spinach.  I use my mini food processor to chop everything really small.)

-           -1 Can Rotel or Petite Diced Tomatoes, drained

-           -Taco Seasoning  (I use a homemade recipe from One Good Thing by Jillee)

-         - Olive Oil

-          -Minced Garlic

Heat olive oil in a large pan, then add garlic and cook it just a minute or two.  Then add your veggies and cook until they start to soften…about 10 minutes.  Yum!!  Look at all those colors!!

Pour the veggies in another bowl and set aside.  Using the same pan, cook the chicken with olive oil until no longer pink.  Drain chicken if necessary. Add back in your cooked, diced veggies, Rotel, & taco seasoning.  Mix it all together until everything is heated through.  

Season with salt or garlic salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with tortillas or chips of your choice.  We used corn and flour tortillas and topped them with some shredded cheese and sour cream.  I always make quesadillas for the kids so it’s not such a mess.  J

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.

Tuesday:  Pizza Night

·          We had a day full of preschool, ladies Bible class, and appointment for allergy testing, and t-ball practice, so pizza from Papa Murphy’s was a MUST!  J

Wednesday:  Dinner at Mom’s

·          I took our leftover chicken and veggie tacos to Mom’s so we could have dinner with her.

Thursday:  Breakfast for Dinner

·          I mean…it’s almost a weekly tradition now any time Chad is gone for the night.  It’s fast, easy, and my kids LOVE it!

Friday:  Hot dogs, Fries, & Fruit with Friends!

·          Some of our dear friends came for dinner, so we decided hot dogs on the grill would be great for everyone.  J

Saturday:  Pineapple & Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs, Macaroni & Cheese, & Roasted Veggies

·          This meal was ridiculously easy.  I had a headache most of the day, and we had these meatballs from CostCo in our fridge ready to go.  I warmed them in the oven while I roasted diced zucchini, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms at 400 degrees.  Then, to make the kids even happier with one of their favorite meals…I made macaroni and cheese too!  Easy and tasty for all of us.