July 12-18, 2015

*This was a busy week for us, and we weren’t home every night.  I also attended a conference and was gone Thursday and Friday evenings.     J

Sunday:  Grilled Turkey and Cheese Sandwiches with Fresh Fruit and Veggies

  Because it was a pool afternoon!

Monday:  Market Street Dinner – Pecan Crusted Chicken, Green Beans, & Macaroni & Cheese

  The kids and I had late afternoon chiropractor appointments, so earlier in the day I went to Market Street and bought some of their yummy prepared foods.  If you have a Market Street near you, most of their food is really delicious!  It’s not economical for an every night thing, but for a day when you know cooking is simply not an option, I feel like the food is much better than eating out, and also a bit less expensive.  It could be healthier than eating out too, if you left out items like macaroni & cheese.  J  We, however, NEVER leave out the macaroni and cheese from Market Street, as it is some of the most ridiculously delish macaroni and cheese you will ever have.  You’re welcome.

  I bought extra pecan crusted chicken, which was nice to have to dice up and put on my salads for lunch the rest of the week!

Tuesday:  Smoked Turkey & Broccoli Pasta with Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

Smoked Turkey & Broccoli Pasta with Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

  This dinner was so simple and so healthy!  I pulled some diced, smoked turkey we had frozen in our deep freezer from the holidays.  (Someone sent us a huge smoked turkey, so we cut and froze most of it.  Chad has a Food Saver, and we have used that thing like CRAZY!)  I thawed the turkey during the afternoon.  About an hour before dinner, I prepared my cauliflower and made some amazing Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce from Pinch of Yum.  If you haven’t tried this yet, don’t be scared!  Give it a try!  We all really enjoy it.  It’s weird because it’s absolutely an alfredo sauce (especially since I do add a bit of fresh parmesan to mine before I blend it), but it could also double as a gravy.  I’m not kidding. 

  Once the sauce was made, I just set it aside.  Then I boiled the water for the pasta.  Once it was boiling I put in my pasta (we used whole wheat elbow macaroni) and a bag of frozen broccoli.  I boiled them together (1 pan!) until the pasta was al dente.  At the same time, I warmed the turkey in the same skillet I had used to brown the butter and garlic for the Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce!  So, I made a dish with 4 main ingredients, but only used 2 pans on the stove.  J

  When the pasta and broccoli were cooked, I drained them, and then stirred everything together.  I didn’t add all of the macaroni right at first because I didn’t want it to be too dry.  I dished it out into bowls, and we all had dinner…complete with veggies right in!  This was a hit!  If I didn’t have the smoked turkey on hand, I would have used diced chicken.  Just make sure it’s seasoned well, or add more salt and pepper to your cauliflower sauce to make sure there is enough flavor.

Wednesday:  Dinner Out

Thursday:  Dinner at Mom’s

  Chad had the kids while I was at a conference, and he also needed to fix my mom’s air conditioner.  So, word on the street is, she made them a really yummy dinner!

Friday:  Pizza & Movie Night

  Again, without me around, but the kids had Chad, Nonnie, and their cousins, so I’m not sure I was missed much.

Saturday:  I arrived home around 5:30 from my conference, and Chad had made an absolutely wonderful meal!  He grilled some venison (the cut was like filet mignon!) that he had marinated earlier in soy sauce, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper.  He also made buttery, boiled potatoes and an amazing fruit and kale salad!  Seriously…I hit the jack pot when I married that guy.  J