Meal Planning Week 8

The past week was a little crazy with one recipe taking MUCH longer than expected to cook and a couple last-minute discoveries of pantry staples that had run out. Let's just say we ate out more than I'd planned for.

As for last week's recipes the pea soup turned out a bit different than expected. For one thing it wasn't ready to eat in time for dinner even though it had been simmering in the slow cooker for 6 hrs on high (peas were still slightly hard and grainy). When we finally got to eat it the flavor was good though it wasn't exactly your traditional pea soup. The lentils had turned the color brown and were more visible so it seemed more like lentil soup. I did substitute the water for vegetable broth and cut the amount of butter in half which seemed more than adequate.

I wound up (accidentally) modifying the pumpkin pasta recipe by adding the whole 1/2 pint of half and half (was subbing that for the heavy cream) instead of 1/4 C. Then I only half cooked the macaroni and divided it into 2 9x9 baking dishes. I added the sauce and some frozen peas and then sprinkled the parmesan cheese over the top and baked it at 350 degrees until bubbly and melty. To tell the truth I like it better this way and it made 2 meals for the work of one (I only baked 1 pan. The other I stuck in the freezer for another day).

This week's meals I've kept pretty simple since Derek's still not around most nights and dinner is usually the meal where David eats the least (if at all). For some reason I just don't feel as motivated to cook real recipes when I'm the only one eating them. At least we're not living off of McDonalds or convenience foods I guess.

• Sunday: Still haven't made the burritos from last week so we'll eat them today
• Monday: Tomato basil soup with grilled cheese sandwiches (I've made several versions of tomato soup but this is my favorite. I do use whole milk or half and half instead of the heavy cream and it's still got plenty of flavor. You can used canned diced tomatoes as well to save time but fresh do taste better. It also freezes well. This week I'll just be reheating some frozen soup from an earlier batch.)
• Tuesday: Baked cinnamon yams and salad
• Wednesday: Pesto pizza topped with broccoli, tomato and spinach
• Thursday: Fried egg sandwiches with fruit salad
• Friday: Leftovers or eat out
• Saturday: Poppy seed chicken casserole with steamed broccoli

Snow Day

Today we happened to get a fairly heavy snow first thing in the morning but it wasn't terribly cold which is the perfect condition for all kinds of outdoor fun. David had a blast! It may have even beat out our day at the park last week.

Meal planning Week 7

My favorite recipe from last week was the pesto pizza. I whipped up some pesto and spread it over the crust and then topped it with sliced tomatoes, leftover roasted asparagus, pine nuts and fresh mozzarella. Derek wasn't quite as crazy about it as I was but then again I LOVE pesto! An added plus is that this time I broke off a piece of dough and let David roll it out and make his own mini pizza. He had a blast AND he wolfed it all down so pizza night will definitely continue as a weekly tradition around here.

The potato soup was good though I thought it was a bit heavy on the cayenne pepper especially for David. He does better than most toddlers with spicy food (Indian's his favorite) but it was a bit too much. Next time I make it I'll probably half the amount of cayenne and it will taste just about right. The salad and wraps weren't really a recipe but both were very quick and tasted great. For the salad I wound up not even making the ranch dressing and we didn't even miss it. I just put a little extra barbecue sauce on the chicken and we didn't need dressing. Also I didn't have time to make humus for the wraps so I just bought a package from the store.

This week David and I will mostly be eating alone as tax season is in full-swing so I'm taking this opportunity to make pumpkin pancakes which is a favorite of David's but Derek can't stand. You may also notice that this week features even less meat than usual. David generally won't eat it and I don't really feel like cooking any just for me since handling raw meat is not my favorite thing anyway. Fortunately there's a lot of healthy vegetarian fare that we both like.

• Sunday: Split pea soup and turkey paninis
• Monday: Whole wheat pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes (Subbing pecans for chocolate chips and since it makes quite a few cakes will definitely half it) and cantaloupe chunks
• Tuesday: Chana masala or curried chickpeas (Admittedly not my favorite Indian dish but David loves it) over brown rice, cucumber sticks
• Wednesday:Pumpkin macaroni (I'll be using the same recipe from a few weeks ago but using whole wheat macaroni noodles as they're a little easier for David to get on a spoon) and peas
• Thursday: Margherita Pizza and salad
• Friday: Bean and cheese burritos with hummus guacamole
• Saturday: Leftovers or eat out

A perfect Sunday afternoon

Have you ever wondered how to spend a perfect Sunday afternoon?

We said hello to some ducks

Took many trips back and forth on a bridge

Always returning with sticks to toss into the water below

We checked out some mechanical diggers

But they're a little tricky to operate alone

So David decided to matters into his own hands

And of course we hit the slides.

And there you have it. A perfect Sunday afternoon.

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.