Jan 11 - 17

Our warm and hearty meals sure helped us get through the cold snap that passed through last week. I guess I'd never realized how much food those recipes make, though. The good news is we have plenty of left-overs to get us through a night or two this week which means less cooking for me! Keenan and the kids really enjoyed the salmon cakes, but I thought they lacked a little something. The double dumpling stoup was pretty good, but definitely not your traditional chicken and dumplings. We love potato gnocci around here (the 2nd dumpling in the soup) so that was definitely a hit and meatballs always go over well with the kids. I'd have to say it was more a glorified chicken and noodle soup than anything.

I wasn't very inspired for a menu this week so I'm pulling out some old stand-bys. Maybe next week I'll be more creative :)

BLT's with chips and fruit

Smothered bean burritos with cilantro-lime rice (made with left-over homemade beans!)

Creamy Green Chilie Chicken Enchiladas (didn't get around to this one last week)

Homemade Turkey or Chicken Pot Pie

Roast Chicken with Veggies

Brats with Beans and Sweet Potato Fries

Jan 4 - 10

Time to get back on track! Between travelling and the holidays I've been out of my usual menu making routine. While we had fun, I'm glad to be home and getting back in the swing of things. Ari will be back in school, we'll go back to the Y and we'll all need to eat some good food! It's supposed to be really cold this week so I've tried to plan some hearty, feel-good meals to keep us warm and cozy.

Creamy Green Chilie Enchilada Casserole

Turkey Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes

Beans and Piquant Cornbread

Smothered Bean Burritos (using leftovers)

Double Chicken Dumpling Stoup

Salmon Cakes with Steamed Broccoli

Hearty Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Dec 22 - 27

Today I started getting all these ideas of a fabulous spread of appetizers and dishes for our Christmas dinner. Then I realized I only have a couple of (busy) days to plan and prep all this food and in the end it's just for our little family. If we hadn't have been out of town this past week I probably would do it. Alas, I am too tired and just not that motivated. I still planned a few things to make us feel special, though :)

Quick Tomato and Basil Soup with Grilled Cheese

Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Chicken and Spinach Fettuccine Alfredo

Grilled Turkey Sandwiches with Chips and Fruit

Spaghetti and Meatballs

CHRISTMAS DAY:

Breakfast - Apple French Toast Casserole

Appetizer - Shrimp Cocktail

Dinner - Roast Leg of Lamb (Edit - Turkey. Lamb was too expensive) with Braised Garlic, Sherry & Thyme
Herbed Mashed Potatoes
Maple Roasted Yam Salad with Pecans and Cranberries
Brussels Sprouts with Caramelized Onions

Dessert - Black Russian Cake

Merry Christmas :)

Break Time Again!

We're off again this week. Between a party, leftovers and not wanting to make anymore leftovers I won't be planning any meals this week. So....see you next week - I already have a few ideas for our Christmas dinner menu :)

Dec 7 - 13

I will be making two Hannukah dinners this week - one for our home group on Wednesday and one for more friends on Saturday. I'm planning on making a pot roast to go along side some traditional latkes. I'm hoping to make enough roast on Wednesday to serve as left overs Saturday and avoid some extra work. We'll see how that goes!

Chicken Broccoli Couscous

Turkey Gyros (I'm planning to use chicken - good sale last week!)

Pot Roast and Latkes

Mexican Chicken Stew

Cream Cheese Rigatoni

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

Break Time!

Between leftovers and eating out I have some roll-overs from last week that will get us through until Turkey Day. If you need some recipes to get you by, here are the desserts I'm planning to contribute to our feast:

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Jack Daniel's Chocolate Pecan Pie

Happy Thanksgiving :)