Weekly Meal Plan

The last couple of weeks have been super busy. We have had quite a few events to attend which has meant lots of eat outs and lots of leftovers. Thankfully fall meal planning is great for leftovers – chili and soups tend to taste better with time, and we made good use of both in recent weeks. Here is what I have been cooking lately, I hope some of these recipes encourage you to cook more at home!

Chicken Marsala with Rice and Carrots
[recipe adapted from Fancy Fork]

Originally I had planned to use a slow-cooker recipe from Creme de la Crumb, but once again I have been reminded that I am not a slow-cooker cook. Mostly because I get too busy and don't remember to start the meal in a timely manner. So I pulled an audible and found a recipe from Fancy Fork that incorporated most of the ingredients I had already purchased.

The only thing I didn't have in my pantry was tomato paste, so I substituted with sun-dried tomatoes, which I think added a nice flavor to the dish. For Jack, I kept some chicken tenders separate from the sauce. Overall, a great dish.

Chili with Triple Cornbread 
[Chili recipe via Mohaus and Cornbread recipe from Betty Crocker] 

This is one of my all-time favorite fall meals. I don't cook many meals more than once, but this chili and cornbread makes an appearance a handful of times each fall. It is great for a crowd, and if it is just going to feed a small family, the chili tastes better with each passing day.

I love this cornbread because it is super moist – more like a bread pudding than cornbread. It was perfect for letting Isaac have a taste as well. Chocolate and cinnamon are my somewhat secret ingredients in the chili and they really make the dish. I skip on the jalapeno when serving to kids, but it still tastes delicious and has a bit of heat from the spices.

Personal Pita Pizzas

I don't have a recipe for this. I just got inspired when my brother-in-law made us pita pizzas when we were visiting last month.

Basically you take Pita bread (or Naan bread) and brush olive oil on it. Bake for about 10 minutes at 350º then remove from oven and add pizza sauce, toppings (I used sausage, bell peppers and onions), then top with mozzarella cheese. Bake for another 10 minutes. These are really customizable, great for kids, and a fast mid-week meal.

Vegetable-and-Steak Soup with Croutons
[recipe adapted from Annie's Eats]

Croutons in soup is one of my new favorite things (I buy store-bought, but the recipe tells you how to make homemade). We use them instead of saltine crackers. The only problem is limiting Jack on how many croutons he can eat with his soup! 

Since my husband loves meat, I added steak to the soup to make it a little heartier. We were all fans of this meal and it tasted even better as leftovers later in the week.

Sausage-Egg-Pancakes Muffins
[recipe adapted from AllRecipes.com]

I had some leftover pancake mix [my mom's recipe] and leftover sausage from the pita pizzas, so I decided to make pancake-egg muffins. I have made this before with bacon, but this one was a little difference since I had sausage. I used a Scrambled Egg Muffin recipe from AllRecipes but used a pancake base like I had before, and added cheese.

These were a hit with everyone and really simple to make, plus you can't go wrong with breakfast for dinner. They are easy to customize which is good if you have picky eaters (Jack isn't too picky but he doesn't like green peppers).

Super Simple Banana Muffins
[recipe from Eazy Peazy Mealz]

I recently picked up some really ripe bananas from our local grocery store ($0.88 for 6). These were perfect for this muffin recipe. I just hand mixed it and baked in a muffin tin for 18 minutes (instead of 60 minutes for a loaf of bread). Like chocolate chip cookies, there are a million recipes for banana muffins, and from my experience, I rarely find a bad one! These muffins were super moist and great for preschool mornings when I am running behind.

Apple Spice Cinnamon Sugar Pound Cake Bites
[recipe adapted from Table For Two]

This super simple dessert was perfect for a potluck we attended recently. You toast the pound cake and roll it in a special Apple Cinnamon spice mixture. I had enough spices leftover that I saved it and added it to the top of my banana muffins before cooking, and it was also a good addition to our Saturday morning pancakes.

Menu Recap

Last week's meals were as follows:


Monday Dinner: Greek Chicken Skillet – we gave it 3.5/5 stars. {Recipe from Good Life Eats}
 

Tuesday Dinner: I had a migraine, so we opted to eat at Zaxby's.

Wenesday Dinner: Rotini Lasagna and Italian Salad – I generally make my meals from scratch. This particular time, I decided to take the easy road and use a bottle of spaghetti sauce. This was a huge mistake. I found the pasta dish to be incredibly bland. The salad made up for it – the spiciness from the red onions and the saltiness from the kalamata olives redeemed the entire meal. Daniel didn't mind the bland pasta. I gave this recipe 3/5 stars. {Recipe from Sing For Your Supper}


Thursday Dinner: Mexican Pizza – Great meatless meal. Daniel hates tomatoes and he didn't pick them off AND he said that he couldn't tell that there was no meat in the dish. We gave it 4.5/5 stars. {Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats}

  
For dessert, I made Oatmeal-Peanut Butter-Nutella Cookies. These cookies were gone within 24 hours. We gave the recipe 4.5/5 stars.
 

Friday Dinner: We ate at Geno's Pizza for Date Night. We are all about the pizza this week. We shared a 12-inch Geno's Special. Yum-o.


Saturday Dinner: I was going to make Shrimp Quessadillas... unfortunately I was short on tortilla shells, so I opted to make a Chipotle, Shrimp and Mushroom Pizza instead. I just made up the recipe as I went along with ingredients I had on hand. Daniel gave it a 3.5/5 stars because he isn't a big fan of shrimp or mushrooms. I gave it 4/5 stars. {Recipe here}

Sunday Lunch: We went to Red Robin in Huntsville and split the Chips&Quesso and a A1 Peppercorn Burger. 


Sunday Dinner: Chicken Stuffed with Sundried Tomatoes, Olives, and Cheese with a Side Salad. This was incredibly easy to make {less than 20 minutes start to finish} – Daniel and I both gave this meal 4.5/5 stars. {Recipe from Elly Says Oopa!}

Mama Mary's Pizza Crust: A Review {and a recipe}

I just discovered Mama Mary's Pizza Crust and I am definitely a fan. I picked up the Thin and Crispy version on a whim and tried it with this Mexican Pizza recipe adapted from the Annie's Eats blog. It was fantastic – especially for a Mexican pizza. It was actually more like a tostada than a pizza.

  

Mexican Pizza

Ingredients:
1 Mama Mary's Thin and Crispy Crust

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
½ tsp cumin
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp cayenne
3 tbsp chicken broth {or vegetable broth or water}
1 cup fiesta blend shredded cheese

1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup tomato, seeded and diced
1 fresh corn {kernels removed}
 

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven and a pizza stone at 500˚ F for at least 30 minutes.  

2. Lightly brush the dough with olive oil.

3. Combine the black beans, cumin, paprika and cayenne in the bowl of a food processor. 

4. Puree until ground into a paste {you can also mash it together with a spoon if you don't have a food processor}. 

5. Add the chicken broth through the feed tube until a smooth mixture is formed.  

6. Spread the bean puree onto the crust in an even layer

7. Layer evenly with the cheddar and monterey jack cheese.  

8. Sprinkle the jalapeño, red onion, tomato, corn and cilantro over the cheese layer.  

9. Lower the oven temp to 425˚ F.

9. Transfer the pizza to the preheated pizza stone and bake for 10 minutes.

Feel free to garnish with sour cream, salsa and avocado/guacamole. We ate it plain and it was great. Daniel didn't even pick off the tomatoes and he said he couldn't tell that this was a meatless meal. 

Valentines

So I have this problem. About twice a year, I get annoyed with Daniel for not doing more romantic things. We aren't a lovey dovey couple {which is OK with me}, but every once in a while, I get it in my head that it is his fault that we are this way.

Anyways, I got to thinking that on romantic "days" like Valentines and Anniversaries, it generally falls on the guy to be romantic. He should bring me flowers and plan a night out because he is the guy, right?

Well, recently I decided that it was unfair to place that responsibility completely on him. We are a partnership and we both should bring a little romance to the table. For our 8th anniversary, he bought me flowers and I bought him chocolates. For Valentines, I got up on Saturday and made us breakfast in bed. It makes me feel good to actively do something instead of just getting mad at him for not meeting my unfair expectations.

I made Strawberry-Stuffed French Toast {recipe from Annie's Eats} 

with maple syrup and a side of fresh strawberries and a latte.

In case you're wondering... he bought me a toaster oven :)

A Little Inspiration for Valentines...

This recipe for Strawberry-Stuffed French Toast would be great for breakfast in bed.

In fact, I may just plan on making it this weekend.

Image and Recipe via Annie's Eats.

Cute idea for kids or your sweetie: Valentine's Crush via AshleyAnne Photography. 

Tutorial at Design Aglow.

Love these homemade Color Theory 101 cards via MerMag.

And finally, I am totally digging these adorable stickers from Twig&Thistle.

Everything but the Kitchen Sink Cookies

Our first snow in Hollywood, Alabama {December 12, 2010}

With all of the cold weather over the last couple of days, I got a hankering for some warm cookies. After looking through my pantry and surfing the internet, I decided to modify this Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies recipe that I found on Annie's Eats. The end product was excellent, though craisins would have been a good addition.

Here is my modified version of the recipe:

Ingredients: 
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg
Dash of allspice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cups old-fashioned oats

3/4 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup shredded coconut

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, spices and salt. 
• Whisk to blend.  
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  
• Blend in the egg and vanilla.  
• Beat in the pumpkin puree until well incorporated.  
• With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated.  
• Beat in the oats until combined.  
• With a rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate chips, shredded coconut and chopped pecans until evenly mixed.
• Drop in small scoops (about 1½-2 tablespoons) onto prepared baking sheets, spaced 2-3 inches apart.
• Bake 12-14 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned.  
• Allow to cool on the sheets about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  
• Store in an airtight container {AND send the extras to work with your husband so you don't eat 2 dozen cookies by yourself}.

Makes about 24 cookies

Thanksgiving Grub

{via}

Daniel and I are hosting his family for Thanksgiving this year. So I guess I can mark #21 off my life list. Technically, we hosted Thanksgiving for my family about 3 {or 4} years ago in Charlotte. My parents, Grandma and brother were there. We used our china for the first time {in 5 years of marriage}. The reason I am not counting that towards my life list is that my mom was there and while we planned together and it was my house, she was the one who orchestrated the cooking of the turkey and told me how to make things like mashed potatoes.

I would say this time is different because I am the one planning {and my cooking experience has increased significantly}. I have been in touch with Daniel's mom, grandmother and sister about what they are bringing. So it is more of a "true hosting."

Anyways, the hardest thing for me has been trying to narrow down what recipes I want to cook. I LOVE TO COOK so this was a bit of a challenge. My other concern is that I don't want to have so many leftovers that Daniel and I are stuck eating turkey and the accompanying food until New Years...

My mom taught me long ago that whatever you cook will be enough {even if you think it is not enough, it will be}. I have also had the opportunity on multiple occassions to work with my mom planning four days worth of meals for 30+ adults, so I think I have a pretty good grasp of what is necessary {without going overboard}. All of that said, I still like to cook and trying to determine only one {or two} favorite desserts has been a bit of a challenge.

For the turkey, I narrowed my recipes down to Real Simple's Basic Roast Turkey, Pioneer Woman's Brined Turkey or Cook's Country Bard Turkey. While I love PW, I decided against using a brine because I plan on using the drippings for gravy and I didn't want it to be too salty. I saw the Bard Turkey on PBS over the weekend and I am very tempted to try it. But I think I am going to stick with the Real Simple Roast Turkey and Gravy.

While I am not making PWs turkey, I am using her recipes for stuffing and dinner rolls – she never lets me down.

Mashed potatoes are pretty basic and I am not using an actual recipe for these guys. And I will be making my Grandma's 5-cup salad.

As for dessert, I am giving into my own desires and making two desserts courtesy of Annie's Eats: Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake and Double Chocolate Pecan Pie {I made this last year and it was ridiculously good – I get my pecan pie and Daniel gets his chocolate, a total win win}.

Daniel's sister is bringing pumpkin pie and sweet potato casserole. His mom is making fried okra, additional turkey breast and cocktail weenies and his grandmother is providing the green bean casserole, cranberry salad and her amazing sweet tea.

I think we have all of our bases covered and should have a fabulous spread. 

And most likely there will be plenty of leftovers. 

Busy. Busy. Busy.

Yesterday we went and helped my sister and brother-in-law move into their new home {in Nashville}. While at the storage unit, it was discovered that something organic had been packed up for the past 4 months. This organic matter had since rotted and turned to a putrid liquid form. It was enough to send Daniel, Robert, Mark and Angela running out of the storage unit. {I was lucky enough to miss out on smelling it}.

Angela tried to persuade Mark to take it to the dumpster. Unfortunately for her, our little brother is not so little any more and he said NO. Angela, being the nurse of the group, agreed to take the basket of unknown material to a dumpster. This involved me driving and Angela hanging out the window holding onto the container while we went across the street to a gas station. We also ended up throwing out a blanket and a few other things that had absorbed the rotten smell. Angela said that it smelled like "poop that had become rotten." That is pretty bad coming from a nurse who is also the mom of a toddler. That taken care of, we were able to finish loading all of their belongings. Daniel and I had to leave before all of the truck was unloaded, but they were close to being finished when we left. *Thank you to Daniel's mom for loading us up with treats for moving day – they were much appreciated.

Angela & Robert's living room, post move-in. Picture from my brother.

The reason we left early was that we had already made plans to meet our friends, The Reynold's, at Cracker Barrel {in Chattanooga} for dinner. Afterward they came back to our camper for "Smores with the Moores." I guess they had been talking about it all week and Sadie {age 4} had asked her mom "When are we going to the Smores house?" Courtney had to explain that they were going to the "Moores" for "Smores." Cute.

I would love to try this recipe for Smores Bars via Annie's Eats

 

Unfortunately Daniel couldn't get a big fire going, but it was a good smoldering fire for roasting marshmallows. The weather was perfect, but the sky was a bit overcast, so not a ton of stars for stargazing – maybe another time.

Friday night we had dinner with friends {Matt & Melissa and baby Zeke}. Matt was the best man in our wedding. It was fun catching up with old friends and seeing how big their 1.5-year-old baby is {we haven't seen them since he was first born}.

Thursday night we were able to meet up with Shannon {one of Daniel's college friends from TTU} for dinner at The Terminal {this seems to be our standing place to meet friends}. It was great catching up – too bad that we are moving soon.

We are really enjoying living closer to family and friends.

The closing for our house will be tomorrow {Monday} at 2pm. Our movers are coming Tuesday morning with all our belongings. It will be fun to unpack and go through all of our stuff. I have already forgotten what we must own {90% of it has been in storage since July}. *Thank you to Trine and Corey for letting us use your camper for the past three months!