May 11-15, 2014

**  I will be taking 2 weeks off from the blog for a little family time in Florida! **

Sunday:  Monterey Chicken with Butter Pecan Sweet Potatoes and Roasted Asparagus

Monterey Chicken with Butter Pecan Sweet Potatoes

·          Both of these delicious recipes are from the same blog post.  This was actually Mother’s Day, and we had my mom over for dinner that night.  Chad grilled the delicious chicken that I had marinated a few hours earlier (just like the blogger posts), and I took care of the sweet potatoes and roasted asparagus inside.  Everyone loved it!  The sweet potatoes were a little “Thanksgiving-ish,” but they were so yummy that none of us minded!

Monday:  Macaroni and Beef with Cheese with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Carrots

Macaroni and Beef with Cheese

·          I haven’t made this in a while, but I went back through some of the first blog posts for recipe inspiration this week.  This is a very family-friendly meal.  It’s completely homemade and tastes so much better than anything boxed from the store.  I actually made a half recipe and it still made a ton.  I only used 1 lb. ground beef, but I did use about ¾ of the can of tomatoes to make sure there was enough sauce for the macaroni.  I made ours with half a box of whole wheat elbow macaroni.  It was a tasty lunch leftover to have a during the rest of the week.  J

Tuesday:  Crockpot “10 Chicken” with Roasted Broccoli and Garlic Bread

Crockpot “10 Chicken”

·          I originally planned for us to have leftover Macaroni and Beef with Cheese for dinner, but since Chad and I both had it for lunch, I decided we should have something else for dinner.  I had some “10 Chicken” in the freezer.  It’s the simplest, tastiest chicken!  We use bone-in chicken thighs, but if dark meat isn’t your thing, feel free to use white meat.  Put chicken in a ziplock bag and pour in some soy sauce, Italian dressing, and garlic powder.  That’s it!  It can be refrigerated if you plan to have it within a day or two, or it can be stuck in the freezer for later use.  This chicken is GREAT on the grill or crockpot.  What’s nice about freezing it is that it can go straight from freezer to crockpot.  I cooked it on low for about 6-7 hours, and it was perfect!!

Wednesday:  Dinner with Mom  J

Thursday:  Rudy’s BBQ for Chad’s Early Birthday Dinner!

May 4-10, 2014

**Not a week when I cooked much, but here it is anyway!**  :-)

Sunday:  Market Street Dinner

·          After small group we picked out dinner at Market Street and brought it home to eat.

Monday:  Dinner with my Mom for Payton’s Birthday!!

·          Chad was out of town, and it was our girl Payton’s birthday.  So we went and celebrated with Nonnie!

Tuesday:  Dinner Out

·          We had some unexpected things come up with some of our family, and I needed to be with them.  So, we grabbed a quick dinner out before heading to my mom’s house.  The kids stayed the night while I went up to the hospital.  Everything is good now!  I’m so grateful for my mom and her willingness to be with us and help us absolutely anytime.  J

Wednesday:  Breakfast for Dinner

·          Chad was still out of town, so we had one of our stand-by dinners…breakfast!  This time it was omelets and pancakes.  Yum!

Thursday:  Incredible Hulk Sliders with Ninja Turtle Macaroni & Cheese and Fruit

Incredible Hulk Sliders

·          My friend, Meredith, made these for us last week, and we had some extras that I stuck into the freezer.  I pulled them out and cooked them in the skillet.  Since I didn’t make them, I’m not exactly sure what she put in them.  It was ground chicken that she seasoned and mixed with tiny, diced veggies like spinach, carrots, and broccoli.  They really are green!  The kids thought they were fantastic!  I served ours on whole wheat slider buns.  We had seen some Ninja Turtle mac-n-cheese at the store earlier in the day, so that made a fun addition to dinner for the kids.

Friday:  Chad in Charge!

·          I was gone all day to the Homeschool Book Fair, so it was Daddy Day!!  The kids were absolutely thrilled to have all day with Daddy since he had been gone all week.  Chad took care of all of the meals all day.  J

Saturday:  Honey BBQ Turkey Meatloaf with Steam Veggies and Toast

·          Ranger had a 5:00 tball game, but I didn’t want to eat out AGAIN this week.  So, earlier in the day I put together our family fave…Honey BBQ Meatloaf!  Before we left around 4:35, I put the meatloaf in the oven and set the “Delay Start” feature.  The oven came on at 5:35, and when we arrived back home around 6:25 or so, it was perfectly done!  I used microwave steam veggies for this meal so that we could be eating as soon as possible.  As with most of our meals lately, we enjoyed it on our back porch.

Honey Barbecue Meatloaf

Adapted from:  http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/2011/03/09/honey-barbecue-meatloaf/

serves 4

1 lb 90% lean ground turkey

1 slice white bread, ground to crumbs in food processor -or- 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs or oatmeal

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard

1/2 cup smoky barbecue sauce, divided

2 tablespoons honey, divided

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toss one slice of soft white bread in your food processor and grind it into crumbs.

In a large bowl, use your hands to mix together the ground beef, fresh bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon of the worcestershire sauce, the spicy brown mustard, 1/4 cup of the barbecue sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, egg, salt, and black pepper.

Shape the mixture into a long, thick log and place in an oiled baking dish. Be careful not to pack the meat too tightly or you’ll end up with a very dense, tough loaf.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup barbecue sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, and 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce. Spread half of this mixture evenly all over the meatloaf. Reserve the other half for serving.

Bake for 45 minutes. Slice and drizzle with reserved honey barbecue sauce

April 27 - May 3, 2014

*This week we did a bit of unexpected traveling because my sweet Papa passed away.  So, I’m simply putting on the few things I did make when we were home, rather than our whole weekly menu.*

Asparagus, Feta, & Prosciutto Frittata

·          I made breakfast one night, but wanted to change it up a bit.  I found this recipe for a White Cheddar, Ham, & Asparagus Frittata on Pinterest from Erin’s Food Files.  I actually made mine with some Proscuitto, Feta, & asparagus because that’s what I had on hand.  It was delish!  A frittata is a great way to change up breakfast night, so I’ll be making them again (with various ingredients, I’m sure).

Crock Pot Chicken, Corn, & Black Beans

·          We had Payton’s birthday party on Saturday, and most of our family and a few friends were with us for dinner.  I made this great, easy recipe, and we all had more than enough food for the celebration!  (I actually made 2 crock pots of this.)

4-5 Chicken Breasts

1 Can Black Beans (drained)

1 Can Corn (drained)

1 Cup Salsa

½ block Cream Cheese, cubed

Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of your crock pot.  Top with black beans, corn, and salsa.  Cook on low for 6-7 hours, or high for 4.  About an hour before you want to eat, shred the chicken and mix everything together.  Mix in the cream cheese and cover again.  Cook on low (or even warm) until you are ready to serve…yum!  This is great alone, inside tortillas, or over chips.  It’s also a pretty economical way to feed a large group of people.

I want to say a BIG thank you to my sweet friends, Meredith and Sharon.  They both brought over dinner for my family after we arrived back in town from my Papa’s funeral.  Both meals were delicious, and even more so, incredibly appreciated.  I have some of the most amazing friends!

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.

March 23-29, 2014

Sunday:  Beef & Broccoli Fried Rice

Beef & Broccoli Fried Rice

·          We had leftover steak from the night before, so Chad whipped up this delicious dish with the leftovers.  He stayed home with Callen from small group that evening, so he had dinner all ready when we arrived back home.  Yay!  He made basmati rice and combined it with a scrambled egg and broccoli that he had sautéed in a little peanut oil.  Then he cut up the leftover steak and tossed it in there with everything else.  I’m sure he added a few seasonings, but essentially he took meat from the night before and made it into a totally new dish for us that we all thoroughly enjoyed!

Monday:  Pad Thai Take Out

·          Chad wasn’t feeling well and really wanted spicy Pad Thai to help clear out his sinuses.  I was happy to oblige and picked us – and my mom! - up some dinner from our favorite Thai restaurant.  The kids aren’t really Thai eaters (yet!), so they had some chicken, tator tots, and fruit.  J

Tuesday:  Ommy Noms Chicken Spaghetti with Roasted Carrots and Green Beans

Ommy Noms Chicken Spaghetti

·          A friend on Facebook posted this recipe a few weeks ago and said her family really enjoyed it.  I love chicken spaghetti!  My favorite recipe is from my mom, and it’s an easy one to put together.  But, I was interested in this one since it has no cream soups or Velveeta in it (which I do love on occasion!).  I’ve been eating gluten free for the month of March, so I knew this one could be easily adapted for me. 

The cheese sauce is really, really delicious.  I actually might just make it again and pour it over noodles for a yummy mac-n-cheese!  I used gluten free flour and gluten free rice noodles.  I also used chicken from a CostCo rotisserie chicken. 

We had a busy day with preschool, a playdate, and t-ball practice, so I actually prepared this around 2:30 and then put it in my crock pot on the lowest setting.  When we ate a little after 6:00, it was hot and yummy!  The gluten free rice noodles actually ended up breaking apart a bit, so ours was essentially chicken and rice, but it was still so, so good!  I’ll definitely add this recipe to the “make again” pile!

Roasted Carrots & Green Beans

·          I buy the huge bag of organic, frozen green beans from CostCo.  This is really nice to have on hand for any night when you need a fast, easy veggie to go along with dinner.  I just lay them frozen on a foil-lined baking sheet and spray with a bit of olive oil.  Then I sprinkle them with a little salt and pepper or seasoned salt.  They usually take 15-20 minutes to roast at 400 degrees.  The temperature can vary between 375-425 degrees, just alter your time as well. 

Carrots are also easy.  I just peel and then slice thin whole carrots.  I roast them at the same time as the green beans.  If you leave the sticks a little big, they will take longer than a green bean or other thin veggie.  I slice ours pretty thin because they roast more quickly, and the kids like eating them like French fries.  J  With any roasted veggie, toss it around after about 15 minutes of roasting, then finish cooking until they are cooked how you like them!

Wednesday:  Taco Pockets, Spinach Salad, Beans, & Rice

Taco Pockets

·          Another Pinterest find that I thought would be tasty and easy…it was!!  This is from the Plain Chicken blog, and it should satisfy the pickiest of eaters.  It’s basically a taco biscuit, so what’s not to like?  ;-)  The boys ate theirs just like a cheeseburger.  I served a small spinach salad and beans and rice for sides.  I actually used some of the meat, rice, beans, and cheese and made a spinach taco salad for myself.  I topped it with a little salsa, avocado, and sour cream.  It was delish!

Thursday:  Leftover Night  J

Friday:  Grilled Chicken and Veggies with Bread

·          I put Chad to work on the grill this night!  I marinated chicken earlier in the day that he grilled for us.  He also just bought a new grill basket, so we threw our diced veggies in there (tossed around with a little olive oil, season salt, and pepper), which made my job even easier.  Yay!

Saturday:  Dinner with Friends