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!