Menu Monday

Hamburger Quessadillas with Spinach and Fruit Salad that we had last week.  

{recipe adapted from Gina's Skinny Taste}

Spinach and Fruit Salad is my new fave. Which is odd since the thought 

of a green smoothie totally grosses me out... 

I guess I need to convince myself that it would be the same thing as this salad, just colder.

On the menu for this week...

Monday

 Grocery Night... this is kind of becoming our new norm, which = eat out.

Tuesday

 Grilled BBQ Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

Wednesday

 Orange Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs with Rice and Asparagus 

{recipe from Tracey's Culinary Adventures}

  

Thursday

 Sweet Potato Burger with Zucchini Chips 

{recipes from LunchBox.com and Vittles and Bits via Pinterest}

Friday

Date Night

Saturday

 Smoky Spice Rubbed Grilled Salmon with Black Beans and Corn 

{recipe from Gina's Skinny Taste}

Sunday

 Chicken Parmesan Baked Pasta with Roasted Vegetables 

{recipe from Pink Parsley}

Menu Monday

Several years ago, I purchased a 3x4' chalkboard to hang in my kitchen. Thank you TJ Maxx HomeGoods Store. I always make a weekly meal plan, but having it displayed on the wall keeps me on track. Not to mention that it is an excellent conversation piece... mostly I get asked if I really cook what is on the menu/or is it just for show?

Monday: I had planned on Mediterranean Orzo Mac & Cheese, but Daniel's dad is coming for a quick, overnight visit and we are going to go out instead.

Tuesday: Texas Cheese Fries {recipe via Gina's Skinny Recipes}.

Wednesday: Vegetarian Cheese Tortellini Soup {recipe via Savor the Thyme}.

Thursday: Dijon Crusted Chicken with green beans and sweet potato straws {recipe via Clean Eating, Iron Mamas Style}.

Friday: Date Night

Saturday: We will be in Nashville to celebrate several birthday's in Daniel's family.

Sunday: Easter/still in Nashville.

Menu Monday

I just started to spell Monday as Munday... either I have too much on my plate or I am losing my mind just a little.

I actually have quite a few projects going on right now. Hopefully I won't completely forget how to spell in the course of meeting deadlines over the next couple of weeks!

Monday: Toasted Sesame Ginger Chicken served with a side of Rice and a Salad {the salmon was so good last week, that I thought I would try this recipe again, but with Chicken}.

 

Tuesday: Grilled Steak with Roasted Garlic Brussel Sprouts

Wednesday: Barbacoa Burritos using leftovers from last week's Burrito Bowls
 

Thursday: Grilled Garlic Dijon Herb Chicken with Rice and a side Salad {using Gina's Skinny Tastes recipe for salmon}.
 

Friday: Date Night

Saturday: Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Pizza {recipe from How Sweet It Is}

Sunday: We are getting together with our class from church. I will be taking a dessert, though I haven't decided what yet. A strong contender is this recipe for Girl Scout Cookie Tagalong Cake Bars from Kevin and Amanda.

Menu Monday

I am a very laid-back, go with the flow, kind of gal. But I am also a notorious planner and list maker. Always have been, always will be. 92% of the time, I stick to my menu plan {we break the plan for impromptu social outings with friends or if I am not feeling up to cooking}. As for my grocery list, if it's not on the list, I'm not buying it. This drives my husband crazy when he happens to shop with me – he inevitably finds something not on the list and I will put my foot down {unless it is a need and not a want}. I try not to be too much of a dictator, but the meal planning and grocery list making has helped us to be consistent with our spending for nearly a decade now.

Monday: Toasted Sesame Ginger Salmon {recipe from How Sweet It Is} with Rice and Asparagus
 

Tuesday: Homemade Sausage, Bell Pepper and Olive Pizza {using the Garlic Bread Crust recipe from How Sweet It Is}
 

Wednesday: Barbacoa Burrito Bowls {recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes}
 

Thursday: Date Night
 

Friday-Sunday: Hubby is on his own {probably leftovers} as me and the baby head to the city to hang out with my sister and her family {and to do a little consignment sale shopping}.

My parents will be in town for the next couple of days, so I am also planning on making Pioneer Woman's Blueberry Baked French Toast but with a twist... I think I am going to use bananas instead of blueberries. This one of my favorite recipes, so I hope the bananas don't ruin it.

I will also be making my favorite Peach Cobbler for dessert tonight {recipe from Pink Parsley}. Hopefully the leftovers will last us a couple of nights.

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup 

Recipe adapted from from SkinnyTaste {the SkinnyTaste version is probably a little healthier}
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup onion, chopped and sauteed in 2 tsp olive oil {I skipped this step}
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups low sodium fat-free chicken broth
• 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup chipotle salsa
• 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 15 oz V8 tomato juice {the recipe actually calls for 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes, for some reason I was out of tomatoes, so I substituted V8 juice and it was great... in the future I might add tomatoes in addition to the V8}.
• 8 oz can whole kernel corn
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 2 skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp ranch dressing {I used this as a thickener, I think sour cream, cream or milk would also work}
• shredded cheddar cheese {optional as topping}
• sour cream {optional as topping}

Directions:

• Put everything {except ranch dressing, cheese and sour cream} into a crock pot.
• Cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.
• Remove chicken and shred with two forks. 
• Add chicken back into the soup.
• Stir in ranch dressing and allow to cook for an additional 15 minutes to thicken your soup.
• Serve in bowls and top with sour cream, cheese and Baked Corn Tortilla Chips.

Baked Corn Tortilla Chips

Ingredients:

• Small Corn Tortillas
• Salt

Directions:

• Heat oven to 400º F.
• Cut tortillas into fourths and place on cookie sheets so that none are touching.
• Salt to taste.
• Bake for 10 minutes {turning chips over halfway through} or until golden brown and crispy on edges.
• Let chips set for 5 minutes to harden once you remove from oven.

Sweet Tooth

I don't know if it is pregnancy or the fact that it is summer, but I have seriously been craving sweets. Especially recipes that utilize fresh fruit. Over the past several weeks I have been incorporating homemade desserts into our weekly menu and I haven't been disappointed. They may not be great for our waistlines, but they sure are yummy.

Blackberry Cobbler

Daniel gave it 4.86/5 stars
We ate it with Vanilla Frozen Yogurt and it was delish.

Recipe from Pioneer Woman {via Three Many Cooks}

Peach Cobbler with Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

Daniel gave it 4.96/5 stars

I loved this and think it was even better as leftovers.
Recipe from Pink Parsley

Homemade Strawberry Gelato

 Daniel gave it 4.63/5 stars
Excellent use of my ice cream maker. 
Would be great with any kind of berry.
Recipe adapted from Apple A Day

 

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Daniel gave it 4.45/5 stars

Unfortunately a lot of the pineapple juice was lost when I flipped it. 

I also think I needed to cook it a bit longer. 

It was good, but could have been better.
Recipes from the Pioneer Woman

Red, White and Blueberry Trifle

Daniel gave it 4.91/5 stars

I was going to use this recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes. 

Sadly my internet was down, so I winged it.

White chocolate pudding layered with berries, angel food cake and cool whip = yummmm.

This dish was excellent for breakfast as well as dessert.

 

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies with Vanilla Frozen Yogurt
Daniel gave it 4.95/5 stars

So this was a non-fruit recipe, but sometimes you just crave chocolate. 

The cookies were ginormous. 

The first batch was really running... I think the batter needed to sit first. 

Overall, definitely excellent cookies.
Recipe adapted from Nutmeg Nanny

Meal Recap

Last week's meals were as follows:
 

Mexican food, burgers and pizza seemed to be the theme... I will have to do a little better with my meal planning this week!

Monday Dinner: I received my first 5/5 stars from Daniel for this Barbacoa Burrito Bowl meal. It was amazing and reminded us of Chipotle Mexican Grill. {Recipes from Gina's Skinny Recipes}. If you like Chipotle, I definitely recommend checking out these recipes for Barbacoa Pork, Lime Cilantro Rice and Cuban Style Black Beans. Just add your favorite toppings – you could also wrap it all up in a tortilla shell for a Burrito instead of a Bowl.

Tuesday Dinner: I whipped up Bacon Cheese Turkey Burgers with a side of chips – homemade fries would have been nice but sometimes I get lazy. Daniel gave it 4.8/5 stars.

Wednesday Dinner: Crispy Shrimp Tacos turned out to be a bit of an involved process, but the end results were worth it. I wish I had made a salad or something to go on the side. I rarely make fried food, but it was goooood. {Recipe from White On Rice} Daniel gave it 4.82/5 stars.

Afterward we ran into town to meet friends at the local Dairy Bar for milkshakes. This may be a new fave.

Thursday Dinner: Date night. We mixed it up and went to Pizza Hut {we don't have many options in our town}. Pizza was good but the restaurant was FREEZING.

Friday Dinner: Lots of Mexican this week, I made Black Bean Tortilla Casserole {recipe adapted from Cara's Cravings}. Daniel gave it 4.83/5 stars – not bad for a meatless dish.

Saturday Dinner: After our 10-mile bike ride, we went to Sonic for burgers... not our healthiest week. Can I blame it on the pregnancy??? 

Sunday Lunch: We hit McCallisters Deli in Huntsville after church. We haven't been there in a while and they have changed their menu {again}. They went from having waaaaayyyyyy to many options to cutting out all of my favorites from the menu.

Sunday Dinner: Frozen pizza – again with the unhealthy.

5/5 Stars for Barbacoa Burrito Bowl

Barbacoa Burrito Bowl, sans toppings

If you are Facebook friends with me, you have probably noticed my ongoing photo album of meals that I have made this year. After each meal, I ask Daniel to rate my cooking on a scale of 1-5. I don't think he has ever given me a score below a 4 {he's a smart husband}.

Since starting this scoring process I have had a lot of comments asking how Daniel rates the food. To be honest, I think he just tells me whatever number pops into his head that expresses how he feels about the food he is eating at that particular moment in time. It is a fun little game and I have enjoyed sharing the scores on FB and hearing feedback from friends.

On Monday I made us Barbacoa Burrito Bowls {ala Chipotle Mexican Grill style}. I found the recipes over at Gina's Skinny Taste and I was thrilled to get to bring a taste of Chipotle into our home {we have missed it terribly since moving away from Charlotte, NC}.

When we sat down to eat this meal, Daniel took two bites and said, "This scores a 5." I didn't even have to ask him, it was just that good. If you are a Chipotle lover or you just enjoy good Mexican food, I would recommend you try these recipes {click on links below}.

 Barbacoa Pork + Lime Cilantro Rice + Cuban Style Black Beans + toppings = deliciousness.

Menu Recap

Last week's meals were as follows:

Monday Dinner: Tomato Orzo Soup {Recipe here}. Daniel gave it 4.6/5 stars.

Tuesday Dinner: Black Bean Burger {Recipe from 20 Something Cupcakes} with Baked Onion Rings {recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes}. Daniel LOVES Black Bean Burgers so he gave this meal 4.73/5 stars. I am not a huge fan of Black Bean Burgers, so I would rate it 3/5.

Wednesday Dinner: Sauteed Chicken, Mushrooms and Asparagus on a bed of Whole Wheat Spaghetti. This is one of my favorite dishes for simple, fresh ingredients. Daniel gave this dish 4.2/5 stars.

Thursday Dinner: We ordered pizza from Papa John's

Friday Dinner: Red Beans and Rice {Recipe adapted from CDKitchen}. Daniel gave this 4.73/5 stars. I made it in a crockpot {including the rice} and it was perfect to come home to after an evening run. 

Saturday Dinner: We had leftovers for lunch then headed to the Walls of Jericho for some hiking. We were home by 7PM, but I didn't feel like cooking. Daniel heated up more leftovers and I had a bowl of cereal.

Sunday Lunch: We used a gift card we had to eat at Olive Garden in Huntsville. Not our favorite restaurant but it was good in terms of a free meal.

Sunday Dinner: More leftovers for Daniel and cereal for me.