Meal Planning Week 6

Today was such a lovely day for once that this afternoon we went to the park for the first time in ages. I brought my camera along which means that soon I'll be able to post some pics and write about something other than what we're eating, but in the meantime...

The only recipe that was new this week was the barbecue chicken pizza and I overcooked it a bit so it turned out a bit dry. Even though I've already made the vegetable tagine though I'd forgotten how yummy it is. If I ever had vegan dinner guests I wanted to impress this would be the dish. It's so tangy and sweet and packed with flavor. The spices and balsamic vinegar complement each other perfectly. I do make a few modifications like I roast the onion and peppers in the oven instead of grilling them and since biting into a whole 1/4 of an onion or pepper at a time seems like a bit much to me I cut them into thick but manageable slices. Also I only use 1 onion total and marinate/roast part and use the other part for sauteing.

The fajitas are another favorite but I've already written about them in the original post where I linked to the recipe.

• Sun: Salmon cake sliders with coleslaw and sweet potato fries (These were very, very yummy but time consuming and I imagine fattening as well. It's definitely not an every day recipe. Also since the cakes are best eaten fresh out of the pan and 10 cakes is way too much for us I wish I had frozen half of the mix to fry up another day.)
• Mon: Barbecue chicken salad. I have some BBQ chicken, gouda cheese, black beans and lime cilantro rice leftover from last week. We'll toss it with some lettuce, tomato, and corn and add some homemade ranch dressing to make a yummy salad. I'll also serve some leftover cornbread muffins on the side.
• Tues: Potato soup with roasted asparagus
• Wed: Pesto pizza and salad
• Thurs: Wraps made with homemade humus, turkey, spinach, cucumbers and tomatoes
• Fri: Potstickers and veggie stir fry
• Sat: Leftovers or eat out

Meal Planning Week 5

This photo doesn't really have anything to do with meal planning although it does show David's favorite food last week. I took him to a Valentines Day party for a local mom's group and he was pretty pleased to find that many of the valentines had candy attached. The bag he's holding is his own handiwork and he was pretty proud of it.

Sorry if any of you are getting tired of all these food posts. I'm not trying to be tiresome but this is an easy way for me to keep track of recipes we've tried and past menus for when I need some ideas. Also I'm hoping I'll be more likely to stick to my resolution if I know I'll need to post about it and if there are any of you out there looking to try some new recipes maybe you'll get an idea or two. Feel free to skip these posts if they bore you. I promise no hurt feelings.

As for last week the chicken wraps were already a tried and true favorite so it's no surprise we enjoyed them this time around as well. The true winner though was the honey goat cheese pizza. Derek and I were fighting over the last pieces. Here's what I have in mind for the upcoming week.

• Sun: Not feeling great today so will heat up something quick while Derek and David head down to my parents for the superbowl
• Mon: Vegetable tagine with whole wheat cous cous and cucumber sticks
• Tues: Tuna noodle casserole (wasn't able to make it yesterday)
• Wed: Barbeque chicken pizza with salad
• Thurs: Crockpot vegetarian chili with cornbread muffins
• Fri: Fettucini alfredo with steamed broccoli
• Sat: Chicken fajitas with black beans and brown rice

Reverse Psychology Works a Bit Too Well

"Mommy close your eyes!"

"Ok my eyes are closed but don't you dare take a bite of food."

David eagerly shoves food into his mouth while I pretend my eyes are really closed.

"Hey, I told you not to take any bites!"

Wild giggling and then "Mama, Teddy," Apparently I have forgotten to scold his teddy bear for not adequately guarding his food so I do so. More wild giggling.

"Mommy close your eyes again!"

So goes every bite of every meal and snack lately. The plus of this game is that it's made David somewhat more willing to eat more foods that aren't crackers or cheerios, but it does get old fast- at least to me. Hopefully David will someday tire of it as well.

Meal Planning Week 4

Mmmm. Another successful week of cooking! I was pleased with all the new recipes I tried although I went a little overboard on the peanut sauce for the Thai chicken pizza. I used the Rachel Ray peanut sauce recipe posted in the comments section but it made too much sauce. Next time I will only make 1/2 the amount but otherwise the flavors were all uber-yummy. I made the same crust recipe as last week but followed the instructions to precook which made all the difference. It came out perfectly. The pumpkin penne was another favorite. I did take the suggestion of some reviewers to add fresh sage which gave it a wonderful flavor.

• Sun: Leftovers
• Mon: Tomato fennel soup (never got around to it last week) and grilled cheese
• Tue: Ginger peanut chicken salad wraps
• Wed: Honey goat cheese pizza with carmelized onions and salad
• Thurs: Collard greens soup with turkey sausage, baked cinnamon yams
• Fri: Pasta puttanesca with salad
• Sat: Tuna noodle casserole with salad

Meal Planning Week 3

Last week's menu went relatively well although I wound up making some minor alterations. Here's some feedback on the recipes I linked to last week:

The chickpea burgers I made didn't turn out nearly as well as I'd hoped probably due to the fact that I was in a hurry and grabbed a whole bunch of cilantro instead of parsley while making them. It was a bit overpowering. I'll try them again sometime to see how the parsley would taste but so far I'm liking my black bean burgers a bit better.

As for the pizza I used this crust recipe but since I burned the last pizza I cooked I did not precook it according to the directions. I should have because the crust turned out a bit soggy but it was otherwise great. I used fresh mozzarella instead of shredded and fresh basil instead of spinach which was very tasty. Also I added the chopped basil AFTER the pizza was cooked which kept it from getting wilted.

The white bean chicken chili was not only quick and easy but it was pretty tasty as well. I used vegetable broth instead of chicken and 1 package of frozen corn instead of canned to use what I had on hand and it didn't seem to make a difference. We will definitely make this one again!

Here are the choices for this week

• Monday: Panini sandwiches with roasted vegetables and fresh mozzarella, roasted cauliflower
• Tuesday: Pumpkin penne with salad
• Wednesday: Thai chicken pizza with salad
• Thursday: Leftovers or eat out
• Friday: Tuna and spinach tortellini with roasted pears and butternut squash
• Saturday: Tomato and fennel soup with blood orange and grilled cheese sandwiches

(No, I haven't forgotten about Sunday but since we usually do our shopping on Saturdays I thought it would make sense to start the menu on Sundays starting next week)

What's For Dinner?

My New Years resolution this year is to plan a menu for every week. When I do cook I generally cook pretty healthy meals but when I don't plan ahead we wind up eating out more than we should which isn't as healthy. It will be challenging to stick to as tax season is coming up soon and David and I will pretty much be on our own for a couple months. Then it will get even harder in July when the new baby comes but I'll give it a go. Here's the menu for the upcoming week.

• Mon: Dinner at my moms
• Tues: Chickpea Veggie Burgers with Celery and Carrots
• Wed: Vegetarian Pizza with Salad from my friend Amy's blog. This is one of the best homemade pizzas ever.
• Thurs: White Bean Chicken Chili (crockpot recipe) with Tortilla Chips
• Fri: Vegetable Stir Fry and Frozen Potstickers over brown rice
• Sat: Black Bean Pineapple Enchiladas with Salad. These are from my friend Elizabeth's blog and they're pretty tasty. This time I'm going to try using fresh pineapple for a change.
• Sun: Tuna Noodle Casserole with Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli

I was a little late in coming up with this resolution so this is only week 2 but I'm interested to see how many weeks in a row I can go without dropping the ball. If any of you plan menus I'd love to see what kinds of foods you're eating (and maybe pick up some good ideas).

Catch Up

I've let myself get pretty behind in posting. Here's some pictures to get you caught up. Oh, and most of you know by now that we're having another baby come July- a little boy!

Christmas morning (actually Christmas all day. David did not leave his new train table for several days afterward if he could help it. As you can see, even breakfast had to be shared with his new friends.)

David turns 2! His birthday and party fell on different days so he got a birthday cake AND a cupcake to celebrate. The train cake was definitely a hit, but the cupcake was pretty acceptable too as you can see.

Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania

Alpaca Farm

Train Ride!

Halloween