Menu Planning Monday

This week is a VERY busy week! Here are our plans to conquer our hunger :)

Monday ~ Weight Watcher's Mexican Casserole
Ingredients

1 spray(s) cooking spray

4 cup(s) cooked brown rice

1 1/4 cup(s) salsa

1 tsp Durkee Ground Cumin Seed, or other brand

15 oz canned refried beans

10 oz frozen corn kernels, thawed

4 oz canned green chili peppers, mild, diced

1 Tbsp chili powder

10 oz chopped frozen spinach, or collard greens, thawed and set to drain in a strainer over a bowl

3/4 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, divided

2 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped (optional; for garnish)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat a 2-quart rectangular, round or oval baking dish with cooking spray
In a large bowl, combine rice, salsa and cumin. Spoon 2 cups of rice mixture into prepared baking dish and spread out to evenly cover bottom of dish.

In another large bowl, combine refried beans, corn, chili peppers and chili power. Using a rubber spatula, scrape bean mixture on top of rice layer and smooth out top.

Squeeze out any excess water from spinach or collard greens and then spread on top of bean layer; sprinkle with 6 tablespoons of cheese. Top with remaining rice mixture and smooth out top; sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Place casserole on a large rimmed baking sheet to catch any spillage. Bake until heated through and cheese is browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro (if desired), cut into 6 pieces and serve

Tuesday ~ Leftovers!

Wednesday ~ Henry's birthday, we're taking him out for a birthday dinner :)

Thursday ~ Whole Wheat Chicken Tetrazinni with Spinach Salad I use Giada's recipe but switch out the linguini to whole wheat.

Friday ~M.Y.O. pizza night

Saturday ~ Asian Pulled Pork Tacos

I'll be missing the balls this Easter...

I've spend many days, nights and holidays with my best friend's family. Her mother, the boy's YiaYia, calls herself my surrogate and she has taught me so many things about life and about food. They were recently down for my son's 1st birthday and she came bearing her own pots, pans, and spices because things just taste better when she makes them in her own stuff. YiaYia isn't greek, she's Sicilian and every Easter she makes these traditional rice balls called "Arancini". They're a delicious Italian street food that consists of cooked rice, sometimes spinach and mozzarella that are covered in bread crumbs and deep fried. They're really should be called "A Little Piece of Heaven" but that would be too long to call out along the streets of Italy. I remember the first time I made them with Meg's family..it was serious stuff, strict rules, no cutting corners. The balls couldn't be to big or too small, you had to put in the cube of mozzarella just right then cover, dip, dip, dip then roll, fry, and eat immediately. I wish I had her recipe, but I don't. I've tried a few the past couple of years and Giada's is the closest that I can find. I also wish I had YiaYia's pots to make the risotto...maybe that's the key. Or it may be all the wine and music around that makes them taste better. For Giada's recipe click here :)

The Little Things...

I have had a huge week of orders for Ethiopia or Bust which is AWESOME! Unfortunately, that left me little time to whip up some menu planning and recipes for this week. I thought I'd do a quick Top 10 though! Hope everyone has a great week.


1. I eat grapefruit everyday at some point, usually as an afternoon snack but homemade hummus with whole wheat pita chips is my favorite snack.

2. I've always wanted a butter bell. They seem handy especially when you’re dealing with unsalted baking butter everyday.

3. I'm clumsy in the kitchen. We always buy double sets of glasses and plates because I break them...a lot. I use to try and pawn off the breakage on my kids, but Chris is no fool. He knows me too well.

4. My parents raised me on wheat bread. Never white...that was a “no no”. Luckily, I didn’t get the “open food items anyway necessary” gene because she’d usually open the bread at the bottom or in some weird way because she couldn’t figure out the twist tie.

5. If I ever go to Wendy's, which is a rare occasion since we normally only eat Chic fil A for fast food, I always dip my fries in my Frosty. It's always just seemed like the right thing to do. Salty vs. sweet…the ultimate combo.

6. My favorite meal to make is brunch. You have so many options including Bloody Mary’s and Mimosas…just sayin’.

7. I burn myself on a regular basis on the oven or hot cupcake pan...I usually scream the same thing when it happens. You’d think I’d learn one of these days. I’m quite stubborn though.

8. I didn't really use a Crockpot till last year. We're still getting to know each other.

9. I rarely eat pasta. Pasta is one of the foods that I can eat pounds of without knowing it and to be honest, carbs stick to my hips like flies on a truck grill. When we do eat it, it’s whole wheat and packed with veggies to make myself feel better.

10. I have been known, on many occasions, to eat dessert for breakfast. I think this gave Chris’ parents a heart attack when we first met but they’ve gotten over it. You name it…cake, cupcakes, pies…eaten for breakfast.

Menu Plan for 4/11-4/17

Here's our menu plan for this week! I decided to use http://www.myrecipes.com/ for all of the recipes except for Friday (gotta have some Falafels and Fatoush this week). They have all the Cooking Light recipes that I love so much :). My favorite recipes out of all of these is the Fatoush Salad. It's such a great dish by itself and perfect for a nice spring day!

Monday Turkey Chili with baked tortilla chips

Tuesday Spicy Honey Brushed Chicken Thighs with roasted asparagus and roasted potatoes

Wednesday Slow Cooker Char Siu Pork Roast with brown rice and veggies

Thursday Leftovers

Friday (no meat Fridays) Falafels and Fatoush with pitas and hummus

THAT'S NOT MY FRIGGIN' MIXER!!!

One trip to Costco,two carts, three kids and one cranky mother..“THAT’S NOT MY MIXER!!!” I yelled at my husband in the small appliance isle. It had been 8 years of marriage and he finally had broken me down. On our first anniversary I had asked my husband for a stand mixer and that may seem ridiculous to some. Some girls ask for jewelry, I ask for small kitchen appliances, cooking classes, and good knives J.





Waiting for the sponge to "crack" through the flour

After having kids and realizing the beauty of wholesale shopping at Costco we’d stroll by the small appliance section (you have to swing by there every once in a while, I mean it IS Costco) and he’d see the mixer I’d ask for. “Hey!”, he’d say, “isn’t that your mixer?” *sigh* I’d affirm that it WAS the mixer I’d been wanting but couldn’t actually call it “mine” because I didn’t have one. This went on for years, literally. We’d be leisurely walking through Macy’s and sure enough, “Hey! Look! It’s your mixer!” I began to get extremely annoyed at this. It was almost laughable that everywhere we would shop he would seem to find stand mixers, of all things, on his shopping radar. I started thinking that maybe he was just trying to clue me on something, maybe I needed to make him aware of what color I wanted? Would that narrow down the times he’d say it? No, no it wouldn’t.





The Brioche dough after rising in the fridge overnight

Finally, on a hot summer day, with all three boys in tow and two extra large carts, I snapped. It was simple, nothing too eloquent, just a “there’s the mixer!”. Those three words pushed me over the edge…”THAT’S NOT MY FRIGGIN’ MIXER!!!”. My chorus/peanut gallery in cart #1 rang out as well, “THAT’S NOT MY FRIGGIN MIXER DAD! *insert childish laughs here*. After the older couple behind us finished laughing at us, I composed myself, apologized and did my best to explain, hopefully for the last time, that he should NEVER, EVER again speak of the mixer. Ever. A week or two later while making cupcakes for Ethiopia or Bust my arm was beginning to get a major workout and I knew exactly what was happening. My tried and true handheld mixer was getting slow, the poor motor was starting to die and I needed a mixer in a serious way. Well, I got a mixer…and it’s perfect. A Cuisinart, Stainless Steel, 5.5 Quart Stand Mixer. *ring in the Hallelujah chorus*

 



breakfast!



 My first endeavor was a classic Brioche so with my dough hook and in hand and my handy helper Lucas, I just knew that it was going to be a hit. It was a 2 day ordeal, make the sponge, let it rise,  mix it five minutes on one speed, 15 on the highest, let it rise, let it fall, beat it again…I think I read the recipe about 15 times before I even started.  “Don’t mess up the Brioche!!”, Lucas told me as he jumped out of my car in carpool line. No pressure, none at all. So I busted that beautiful dough out that morning, cut it, egg washed it, and baked it. My house smelled like Brioche all day long. It was fantastic and when Lucas got home from school that day he knew I had baked something special. Thank you Chris, I love my mixer.





This week's meal plan!

I wasn't born a planner, let me just say this first and foremost. I am not a "type A" personality but after three kids, an international adoption to fund, a house to run, things to do, errands to complete and dogs to feed I've become a planner. (oh, it also helps that my husband is extremely analytical...thank goodness I married someone organized). So after we moved from Houston a couple of years ago, and I began staying home with my kids I quickly realized that I needed to get on the meal planning wagon ASAP. For those of you who don't meal plan or have never heard of it, it's basically an easy way to organize your meals throughout the week so you know exactly what you're cooking all week long. Meal planning is also a great way to organize your grocery list and stay on task at the grocery store. For our family, we meal plan on Sundays. It's usually the slowest day for us, we only have church to attend and the afternoons are lazy. The perfect time to sit down as a family for a quick meal planning meeting. If you're kids are picky eaters like mine, they'll know what they're eating this week. They have nothing to whine about because they know I'm not making anything but what we have on the menu plan. Now, I'm not saying my kids don't whine, because of course they do, BUT they know we don't change our menu. Sorry lil' stinkers. A good way to get your kids involved in the process is to have a "kids night" where they can choose what they want to make themselves for dinner. We do have guidelines, but they get to choose and it let's them feel like the kitchen isn't "mama's space" it's their space to. So on to our weeks menu! I'm going to try and link this up to http://orgjunkie.com/category/menu-plan-monday but I need my husband to help me with that! Hope everyone has a fabulous week and please...eat something delicious :)

Monday- Turkey Sliders with Spinach Salad

1 lb. of ground turkey
1 TBS garlic/herb seasoning
salt and pepper
1 Pkg. Hawaiian Rolls
Spinach with all the fixings i.e. reduced fat feta cheese, 1/2ed cherry tomatoes, olives, red onion (we use olive oil and balsamic vinegar as a dressing)

mix the turkey and seasonings together and make small patties...grill or stove top and top with cheese if desired.


Tuesday- Light King Ranch Chicken with steamed broccoli


• 1 large onion, chopped

• 1 large green or red bell pepper, chopped

• Vegetable cooking spray

• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken breasts

• 1 (10-ounce) can fat-free cream of chicken soup, undiluted

• 1 (10-ounce) can fat-free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

• 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomato and green chiles

• 1 teaspoon chili powder

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

• 1 (8-ounce) block reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, shredded

Preparation

Sauté onion and bell pepper in a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until tender.

Stir in chicken and next 6 ingredients; remove from heat.

Tear tortillas into 1-inch pieces; layer one-third tortilla pieces in bottom of a 13- x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with one-third chicken mixture and one-third cheese. Repeat layers twice.

Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly.

Note: Freeze casserole up to 1 month, if desired. Thaw in refrigerator overnight, and bake as directed.


Wednesday - Leftovers



Thursday - Light Turkey Meatloaf with Sweet Potato Mash (thank you Cooking Light!)

• 1 1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons fat-free milk

• 1/2 cup ketchup, divided

• 2/3 pound ground beef, extra lean (raw)

• 1/2 pound lean ground veal

• 6 ounces lean ground pork

• 1/2 cup chopped onion

• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon dried basil

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 2 large egg whites

• Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine breadcrumbs and milk in a large bowl; let stand for 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons ketchup and remaining ingredients except cooking spray.

Shape meat mixture into a 9 x 5-inch loaf on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Spread remaining 6 tablespoons ketchup over top of meat loaf. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand for 10 minutes. Cut the loaf into 12 slices.

Sweet Potato Mash

3 Sweet Potatoes
1 TBS Butter
a splash of milk
a dash of cinnamon (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

pierce sweet potatoes and bake at 350 for 20 min. or until soft to the middle. Peel of skin and place them in a med size bowl. Add butter and spices and mash until desired texture (my kids like it very smooth)



Friday - Weight Watcher's Vegetarian Mexican Casserole (my husband's favorite!)
1 spray(s) cooking spray


4 cup(s) cooked brown rice

1 1/4 cup(s) salsa

1 tsp Ground Cumin Seed, or other brand

15 oz canned refried beans

10 oz frozen corn kernels, thawed

4 oz canned green chili peppers, mild, diced

1 Tbsp chili powder

10 oz chopped frozen spinach, or collard greens, thawed and set to drain in a strainer over a bowl

3/4 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, divided

2 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped (optional; for garnish)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat a 2-quart rectangular, round or oval baking dish with cooking spray

• In a large bowl, combine rice, salsa and cumin. Spoon 2 cups of rice mixture into prepared baking dish and spread out to evenly cover bottom of dish.

• In another large bowl, combine refried beans, corn, chili peppers and chili power. Using a rubber spatula, scrape bean mixture on top of rice layer and smooth out top.

• Squeeze out any excess water from spinach or collard greens and then spread on top of bean layer; sprinkle with 6 tablespoons of cheese. Top with remaining rice mixture and smooth out top; sprinkle with remaining cheese.

• Place casserole on a large rimmed baking sheet to catch any spillage. Bake until heated through and cheese is browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro (if desired), cut into 6 pieces and serve.



Saturday - Leftovers