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

Turkey Meatloaf

Here is the original recipe from Real Simple Magazine.

Turkey Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes

My modifications are more with the prep and baking than anything. The sauce I use is from Alton Brown's meatloaf recipe. I reduced the amount of turkey because it comes in 1lb packages. Next time I plan to make a 2lb version so we can have leftovers :)

Meatloaf:

1 lb ground turkey
1 onion, cut into quarters
1/2 - 2/3 of a bag baby spinach
1 cup flat leaf parsley (I usually forget to add this)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 T dijon mustard
1 egg
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

In a food processor, pulse-chop the onion into large bits. Add the spinach (and parsely) in batches until finely chopped. In a bowl, combine ground turkey, onion, spinach, bread crumbs, mustard, egg, salt and pepper. Lightly grease a 9x13 pan. Form mixture into a 1" thick rectangular slab (ok...so it's not really a loaf, but it cooks faster and keeps it moist!) not touching the sides of the pan.

Sauce:

1/2 cup ketchup
dash hot sauce
dash worcestershire sauce
1 t cumin
1 - 2 T honey

Combine ingredients and spread over meat"loaf".

Bake at 400 degrees F for about 30 minutes (depending on your oven).

Mashed Potatoes

2lbs red potatoes, quartered
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk mixed with 1 T vinegar)
1 T olive oil
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Boil potatoes until tender (15-18 minutes). Drain. Add buttermilk, oil, salt and pepper and mash to desired consistency.

Enjoy! :)

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

March 1 - 7

As promised, a review! The Chinese Orange Chicken with Broccoli was a huge hit! The kids absolutely inhaled it (I'm not sure if it was really that good, the fact that dinner was later than usual or the 2 hours we spent at the park, but I'm still impressed at how much they ate.) Next time I do plan to swap the amounts of lemon juice and orange juice and decrease the sugar. The sauce makes more than enough so I have half in the freezer for another time.

I bought some new cookbooks today (Kids Can Cook and Kids Can Bake - sorry, I can't find links right now) for my sous-chef and me to try out. A couple of recipes will be tested this week.

Taco Pizzas

Chicken Teryaki with Pineapple and Rice

Salmon Bites with Yogurt Sauce

Turkey Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes

Quinoa Burgers

Texas Black Bean Soup and Easy Bread

Chicken Tikka Masala and Naan

Feb 22 - 28

I tried to make this week's menu an easy one as I'll be on my own for most of it. For some reason, Keira gets super-clingy when she knows I'm trying to cook dinner and then I have my little chef trying to help me at the same time. When Keenan's home he's able to distract one or both of them so this will be a challenge without his help. I'm sure I'll survive! :)

Brinner - Fried Eggs and Potatoes with Turkey Bacon

Tamales and Beans (both from the freezer!)

Spaghetti with Bread and Veggies

Tacos with all the fixin's

Turkey Tenderloin with Mashed Potatoes and Veggies

Orange Chicken with Broccoli

Miso Soup with Spring Rolls or Potstickers (whichever I find in the freezer section)

Feb 15 - 21

Well...we finally got around to having the Chicken and Cherries recipe - it was delicious! I used cranberries instead of cherries, but still yummy. It could stand to be "saucier" so I'll have to remember that for next time.

I pulled out my trusty recipe binder for this week and made a menu in record time! It also helps that we have a couple of group dinners this week along with a date night for my Valentine and me :)

Orange Beef with Cilantro Rice

Swedish Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes and Veggies

Shahi Korma Chicken with Rice

Mexican Lasagna

Pizza

Chili and Cornbread

Feb 8 - 14

Review time again! We didn't get around to the Chicken and Cherries so that will have to wait until next time. However, the sausage crepesadillas and hearty winter veggie pilaf were both hits! I'm going to use the crepesadilla idea using breakfast sausage this next week and serve it, well, for breakfast. :)

Here's what I'll be making for a special Valentine's treat this week as well: Cake Pops!

Chicken and Cherries

Ravioli with Pesto and Tomatoes (We're having this again because it's quick, easy and all the ingredients are listed in the name!)

Sloppy Joes

Greek Couscous Salad with Chicken

Cheese, Crackers and Fruit

Roast Chicken with Veggies and Rolls

Firecracker Enchiladas