Meal Planning Week 16

Happy Easter everyone! We've been loving having Derek around once again and life is sort of getting back to normal. I say sort of because I'm feeling more and more pregnant all the time and it's starting to sink in just how little time there is to get ready for this baby.

As for new recipes, I loved the flavor of the squash soup but it was time consuming to make. I didn't make all the garnishes either, just the cardamom cream. I bet the cranberries and pecans would have been a great addition though. I already mentioned that the crock pot chicken was a tried and true favorite but I didn't mention that I do make one slight modification. Instead of laying a slab of cream cheese (actually I use Neufchatel) over the top I zap it in the microwave for a minute and then whisk all sauce ingredients together before pouring it over the chicken. I like the smoother consistency this gives it.

• Sunday: Babyback ribs and potato salad (courtesy of my mom) while I will prepare homemade bread, roasted asparagus, the squash soup from last week, and a strawberry shortcake (I plan to take the advice of some reviewers to substitute the shortening with 1/2 C butter and to cut the baking powder to 2 tsp)
• Monday: Eat out
• Tuesday: Dinner fell through so eat out again
• Wednesday: Stir fry with brown rice and potstickers
• Thursday: Fettucini alfredo with asparagus
• Friday: Spinach pasta salad and Honey goat cheese pizza (I think I've reviewed these both before but they're great!)
• Saturday: Beef stew and homemade bread