Jan 25 - 31

After my friend posted her menu last week, I suddenly realized I forgot to post mine! Sorry about that. We did have a highlight new meal last week - Crock Pot Braised Short Ribs. It was so easy and so tasty and gave us plenty of leftovers. Yummy!

On to this week!

Chili and Cornbread

Tofu Stir Fry

Chicken and Spinach Alfredo with French Bread

Roast Turkey Breast, Mashed Potatoes and Veggies

Spanish Beef and Rice

Stuffed Poblano Peppers using left-over Spanish Beef and Rice

Jan 11 - 17

The only new recipe from last week was the Italian Wedding Soup and it worked out great. The only down-side was the orzo soaked up most of the broth for our leftovers. It still tastes good, but not really soup-like anymore. Definitely a nice light, but warming winter meal.

Here's this week's plan:

Cranberry Muffins for Saturday breakfast

Pan-Fried Spinach Ravioli

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs (roll-over)

Chicken Tacos (using leftover roast chicken)

Tofu Stir Fry

Chili and Cornbread

Reuben Sandwiches with Chips and Fruit

Eggs and Potatoes

Nov 28 - Dec 6

Ok...time to get back at it. Since we just got back in town and needed food in the house, I've made this menu to get me through the next week and a half instead of shopping twice (shiver). We swapped Hannukah gifts with my family while we were in town and I now have a bread maker! I'm hoping to make a loaf or two this week to accompany our meals :)

Tacos

Broccoli and Cheese Soup with (bread maker) French bread

Veggie Enchiladas

Spinach and Brie Chicken with Orzo Salad

Sausage, Apple and Chestnut Dressing

Hannukah Dinner: Pot Roast, Cauliflower Gratin and Latkes

Mac 'n Cheese and Fish Sticks

Tofu Stir Fry

Spinach and Chicken Alfredo

Sept 28 - Oct 4

Nothing to report tonight - too tired from our camping trip :) Thanks to my friend Sarah for posting her menu to get me started tonight!

Chili and Cornbread

Tofu Stir Fry

Cheese, Crackers and Fruit

Mac 'n Cheese with Cauliflower

French Dip Paninis with Broccoli Cheese Soup

Steak, Potatoes and Veggies

Steak Quesidillas with Carmalized Onions

July 19 - 28

Before I forget, I'll start with reviews. The five-spice burgers were a huge hit all around. I couldn't believe the kids actually ate them up! Of course, they didn't eat the mushroom/cabbage topping, but still I was surprised. The Salsa Verde Steak Burritos were also a big hit and we now have plenty of left-overs. It'll be turned into enchiladas this week :) I didn't get around to the veggie pie as I realized my yogurt was expired when I went to make it - oops. I may try it another time, but for now I'm just going to use the veggies in other things this week (if they're still good!). I also haven't tried the lemon ice cream yet, but I'm hoping to tomorrow!

This menu should get us through the next week and a half with leftovers and probably a meal out sometime.

Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup

Slow Cooker Orange Chicken with Rice and Veggies

Chicken Fried Rice

Lasagna with Salad and Bread

Tofu Stir Fry

Beef Enchiladas with Rice and Beans

Chili Lime Cobb Salad

Sandwiches with Fruit and Chips (water park night!)

April 12 - 18

Our only review from last week is the Shrimp, Tortellini and Spinach - yummy! I didn't have the roasted red pepper dressing it called for so I used sun-dried tomato dressing instead. It came together quickly and was a perfect spring/summer Italian dish. I love that we're getting back to the time of year with more fresh veggies and fruit at reasonable prices. Everything just tastes better :)

Pineapple Jerk Chicken and Rice

Turkey Tacos (found some taco-seasoned ground turkey on super-sale last week!)

Baked Lemon Pasta

Make Your Own Pizza

Loaded Baked Potatoes

Tofu Stir Fry

Hamburgers & Pan-Fried Potatoes

Jan 18 - 24

I have to toot my own horn for a minute here. I'm really getting the hang of roasting chicken/turkey! My father-in-law came up with a method for his holiday turkeys that leaves the meat - both white and dark - melting in your mouth. I decided to apply a similar technique to our chicken this last week and it was perfect!

Low and slow is the key. I prepped 2 whole chickens by stuffing each with 1/2 a head of garlic (sliced in half horizontally), 1/2 a lemon and a couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary. The outsides were rubbed with olive oil and seasoned with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. I added about 1 can of chicken broth to the pan, but I later discovered this probably wasn't necessary. Cover the roaster and bake at 275 or 300 for about 4 or 5 hours. They're not "presentation worthy" (i.e. no dark crispy skin), but the flavor and juiciness more than make up for it. Making 2 at a time also allows for plenty of leftovers for another day - bonus! We love having roasted root veggies along side the chicken as well. With 2 chickens in the roaster and a small oven, I have to cook the veggies separately, but it's all worth the work and the wait.

On to this week...

Fish Tacos (see "C's" comment from last week for recipe)

Bacon and Kale Minestra

Uptown Down-Home Chili

Loaded Baked Potatoes

Chicken Pasta with Raisins, Pine Nuts and Rosemary (using leftover roast chicken)

Shrimp and Veggie Stir Fry

Pizza

Nov 30 - Dec 6

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend and ate lots and lots of yummy food. Now...it's time to detox! I tried to plan some "lighter" meals for the week and we're planning on taking it easy on the desserts - we'll see how that goes!

Tofu Stir Fry

Chicken Ceasar Salad with Sourdough Toast

Jamaican Chicken with Rice and Veggies (still haven't made this one!)

Italian Sausage Linguine

Quesidiallas and Spinach Salad

Sausage Pepper Pasta

Breakfast for Dinner - Grits and Eggs

Oct 19 - 25

We have a couple of roll-overs from last week after left-overs and a "find whatever you want to eat night" after getting home from our trip. One more "easy" week to get me through until my test is over then maybe I'll have motivation to cook again :)

Quesidilla Casserole

Tofu Stir Fry

BBQ Chicken & Pan Fried Potatoes (this was so yummy last week I had to have it again!)

Shepherd's Pie

Pizza

Chili

Oct 12 - 18

This week is an "easy" week when it comes to the menu. My parents are back in town to help with the kiddos while Keenan's out of town for business so I can study. I'm going to meet up with Keenan a couple of nights for some good study time and just some time away :)

Beef Stew (roll-over from last week)

BBQ Chicken, pan-fried potatoes and salad

Hot Dogs with Baked Beans

Sloppy Joes

Tofu Stir Fry

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Quesidilla Casserole

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

Aug 10 - 16

Ok...I think I'm back in the swing of things this week. I only ended up with one new recipe last week, but it turned out to be a winner! The Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad was amazing - crunchy, nutty chicken, sweet fruits and a sweet and tangy dressing. So good!

On to this week. We'll be heading to Chick Fil A Tuesday night with our home group so I only need 5 meals this time around :)

Fetuccini with Italian Sausage and Creamy Tomato Sauce

Chicken and Dumplings

BBQ Chicken with Cheesey Mashed Potatoes

Tofu Stir Fry with Brown Garlic Sauce

Tamale Pie

Mock Monte Cristos

June 22 - 28

These next few menus are not going to be very exciting. We'll be out of town this weekend for a wedding (both Keenan and Ari are in it!) then after a few days of being home we leave again for our summer vacation. With Keenan gone last week and some other things that have come up, I have some roll-overs from last week. Makes life easier for me! Someday we will eat the creamy green chilie chicken enchiladas! They are the easiest to push off since the chicken is frozen, the sauce is canned and the cheeses last a while in the fridge.

Be sure to scroll down after this menu. I put up a couple recipes - finally!

Monday - Waldorf-style Pasta

Tuesday - Ham & Cheese Crepes (I have left-over ham from last week and Keenan didn't get to try them)

Wednesday - Creamy Green Chilie Chicken Enchiladas

Thursday - Tofu Stir Fry with Brown Garlic Sauce

Friday - Wedding Rehearsal

Saturday - Wedding

Sunday - Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

June 8 - 14

I'm too tired for reviews tonight. I don't think there was anything too exciting anyway...

Monday - Creamy Green Chilie Chicken Enchiladas

Tuesday - French Dip Paninis

Wednesday - Black Bean Quesidillas

Thursday - Burgers (we're hosting a youth group dinner)

Friday - Sausage Pepper Pasta with Feta

Saturday - Mini Turkey Burgers with Potatoes Rissole

Sunday - Tofu Stir Fry

May 25 - 31

As usual I'll kick-off this post with some quick reviews. The Chilie Lime dressing on our Cobb Salad was great! It was so light and refreshing with a kick of spicy. Ari and Keira both loved all the ingredients in the salad so it was a hit all around! The Honey Mustard Lime Chicken Legs were a bit disappointing. Not as much flavor as I'd hoped. Maybe if I double the sauce recipe. The leftovers were turned into our Firecracker Enchilads and were great in there, however. Our pesto came out fantastic and I was able to put the leftovers in the freezer for quick and easy dinners down the road. We still have plenty of basil in the garden so I think I'll get a pesto stock pile going!

Now for this week:

Monday - Tacos

Tuesday - Chicken Stir Fry with Brown Garlic Sauce

Wednesday - Turkey Kebabs

Thursday - Red Rice with Chorizo (actually Soy-rizo. I hope it's good!)

Friday - Ravioli with Tomato Sauce

Saturday - Pizza

Sunday - Hummus Sesame Noodles

April 27 - May 3

The Chicken Tikka Masala recipe from last week was just what we were looking for! I didn't notice the large amount of salt when I picked it, though. Luckily I caught it while cooking and adjusted it to 1 tsp in the maranade and 1/2 tsp in the sauce (down from 4 and 3 tsps!). It was still on the salty side so I'll probably cut it to 1/2 tsp in each next time. Oh and the 2 tsps of cayenne pepper makes it very spicy so beware if you can't handle much heat and adjust accordingly. Otherwise, the flavors were great and a close second to our favorite Indian restaurant :)

On to this week...

Monday - Chicken Teryaki

Tuesday - Tofu Stir Fry with Brown Garlic Sauce

Wednesday - Mexican style lasagna

Thursday - Tex-mex Cesar Salad

Friday - Frozen Pizza

Saturday - Couples Baby Shower Dinner

Sunday - Potato Gnocci with Sausage and Spinach

April 6 - 12

First a couple of "reviews" from last week's menu.
The Lasagna Toss ended up being quite tastey, but I definitely recommend adding some ricotta cheese as mentioned in the "optional" additions. It makes it taste more like lasagna.
The 20 Clove of Garlic Chicken was also good, especially paired with rosted veggies. I turned the pan juices into gravy with some additional chicken broth, white wine and flour. MmmMmmGood!
The Orange Chicken was really good, but unfortunately I couldn't find polenta at the store I went to last week. I paired it with potato gnocci instead which was yummy, so now I really want to try the polenta. I'll be keeping an eye out!
Finally, the vegetarian tortilla soup was a hit - thanks Trinket! We paired it with a basic quesidilla which rounded out the meal quite nicely.

Ok...now for this week:

Monday - Tofu Stir Fry with Brown Garlic Sauce

Tuesday - Chicken Taco Rice (we gave most of last week's away to friends so Keenan has requested more!)

Wednesday - Home Group Dinner

Thursday - Passover Dinner* 1: Matzo Ball Soup with chicken and carrots

Friday - Passover Dinner 2: Beef short ribs, potato kugel (family recipe) and carrot tzimmes (trying a new recipe for this one)

Saturday - leftovers

Sunday - Eater Dinner: Rigatoni with Italian Sausage and tomato sauce

* Yes, I know Passover begins Wednesday evening, but our home group is a regularly scheduled event so I'm pushing it back a day. It is tradition to have a sedar the first two nights. We're not having a full-blown seder, but I was in the mood for the "main course" dishes as well as the soup and it'd be too much in one night. So there you go :)

Week of March 23 - 29

I'm finally getting to try out a new recipe from my latest Real Simple! I've also got a couple from the latest Kraft magazine as well.

Monday - Chicken with 20 garlic cloves, roasted red potatoes and carrots

Tuesday - Spinach Pasta Toss

Wednesday - Lasagna Toss

Thursday - Mediterranean Salad with Chickpea Patties (Real Simple, not online yet)

Friday - Chicken and Tofu Stir Fry with Brown Garlic Sauce

Saturday - Tacos

Sunday - Hot Dogs, Baked Beans and French Fries