Dec 7 - 13

As for reviews, I only have 2. The spinach and brie chicken was just ok. It just lacked a little something. The orzo salad that went with it, however, was quite tasty and the kids loved it. The veggie enchiladas were also just ok. I'm pretty sure it was the sauce that I was underwhelmed by so I'm considering making them again with Rachael Ray's Firecracker Enchilada sauce.

Keenan helped out some friends and neighbors this past week with various projects and his (our) payment was in dinner! So, I have a couple of roll-overs this week. I also remembered some shepherd's pie in the freezer that we should eat making for an easy menu this week. Next week will be more of a challenge trying to get us to Christmas with only one major grocery trip! We'll see how that goes!

Chicken and Spinach Alfredo with fresh bread

Sausage, Chestnut and Apple Stuffing

Shepherd's Pie (from the freezer)

Brinner: home fries and eggs

Hot Dogs with Baked Beans

Paella

Spicy Monte Cristos with Chips and Fruit

Aug 9 - 14

After getting home much later than planned, I just don't have the energy to make/plan a 2 week menu this go-around. Luckily some recipes caught my eye earlier this week to help me on my way.

Mini Taco Cups (will post a recipe soon)

Pinwheels with Roasted Veggie Sauce

Hamburgers and Baked Beans

Zuccini and Ricotta Gallete (roll-over from last week)

Easy Paella

French Dip Paninis with Fruit and Chips

Last week's chicken dinner got us through two nights and we ate out quite a bit with my family in town so it'll be a roll-over week! On top of that, we already have dinner plans with friends one night this week. I have 3 recipes from my latest issue of Real Simple magazine (they haven't posted them online yet) this week. Reviews to come next week. :)


Leftover Paella

Cheesy Baked Spinach and Artichokes

Mexican Meatball Soup

Hamburgers with Carrot and Apple Slaw with Raisins

Ginger Noodles with Tofu

Hoisin Cashew Beef in Lettuce Wraps

March 8 - 14

All of our new recipes for last week were quite tasty (Salmon Bites, Quinoa Burgers and Black Bean Soup). My only adjustment will be to use fresh salmon vs. canned next time.

Our old standby - Turkey Meatloaf - never ceases to amaze me. The kids just love it! Between the 3 of us (Keenan was at band practice) we ate 2/3 of a loaf! I'll post the recipe again with my modifications after this post. I think I'm going to make it every other week or so because it has so much good stuff in it and they actually eat it!

This week's back to basics. My family will be in town and they're not quite the adventurous eaters we are :)

Tamales and Beans

Broccoli Rice Casserole

Ravioli with Tomato Sauce and Garlic Bread

Roast Chicken with Veggies and Dinner Rolls

Hamburgers and Baked Beans

Paella

Jan 25 - 31

Thanks to our neighbors party last night, I'm exhausted at the moment and barely had the energy to come up with this week's menu let alone do reviews from last week. I'll try to cover them next week :) Luckily we have a couple of roll-overs from last week and taco night at home group this week to help me out!

Bacon and Kale Minestra

Loaded Baked Potatoes

Paella

Broccoli Cheese Soup with Crusty Bread

Shake 'n Bake Chicken Nuggets with Baked Beans

Chili Lime Cobb Salad

Nov 2 - 8

A quick review to start off this week. The sausage and tomato risotto was a big hit with us. It was basically like a pasta dish with sausage and a tomato sauce only with rice instead of pasta*. Risotto is becoming a favorite dish of mine - so rich and creamy. I just wish it wasn't so labor intensive. It's definitely worth the time and effort, though. Yum yum :)

* Update: I forgot to mention that I replaced the plain chopped tomoatoes with fire-roasted and garlic flovored ones. They caught my eye in the store and I think they really helped round out the dish.

Tex-Mex Chicken and Beans (roll-over from last week)

Cheesey Chorizo Strata

French Dip Paninis

Paella

Curry Pot Roast

Spinach Lasagna

Roast Chicken and Veggies

Sept 21 - 27

We ate lots of great food this past weekend including an impromtu cheese/cracker/apple and wine dinner. It really hit the spot! We have more family coming in this week to continue Ari's birthday celebration so more yumminess in store :)

Paella (this was bumped from last week by our impromtu dinner)

Broccoli Rice Casseorle

Hot Pastrami Sandwiches with Sauerkraut

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Garlic Bread and Salad

Chicken Fajitas

Hamburgers

Cheese, Crackers, Apples and Wine (too good to wait!)

Sept 13 - 20

We had a couple impromtu invites to dinner this week so I have some roll-overs. We're also going to have the Paella again when Keenan's parents come in for Ari's birthday - it's really good! The 3 cheese baked ziti was also a hit and will be featured tomorrow night as leftovers.

Leftover-palooza

Shake 'n Bake Chicken Nuggets with Sweet Potato Fries

Tofu Stir Fry with Brown Garlic Sauce

Garlic Hanger Steak with Sage Butter Gnocci

Burgers with Baked Beans and Chips

Easy Paella

Ari's Birthday Dinner (his fav) - Turkey Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes

Sept 7 - 13

I did end up making the Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins with Cherries. They were good, but just not as good as I was imagining. The kids didn't care for them so I ended up taking them up to my old work when I went to borrow some books. The summer bean salad was great as was the soy dijon chicken. I used the leftover chicken to make chicken salad sandwiches and they were so yummy and flavorful.

I'm starting to get in the groove of studying so I'm trying to keep this short and sweet and my meals easy!

Bean Burritos (these keep getting pushed back for some reason)

Hamburgers

Easy Paella

Three Cheese Baked Ziti

Cous Cous Salad with peppers, chicken sausage and feta cheese

Tortillini with Alfredo Sauce

Shake 'n Bake Chicken Nuggets with Sweet Potato Fries