March 2013 Meal Plan

So…you may have noticed I’ve basically missed the entire month of February!  Whoops!  Something has happened in the last several weeks that has taken my attention away from the blog.  Oh wait…it’s called LIFE.  Obviously when presented with the choice between real life and virtual life, I choose real life.  But how could you ignore this sweet face?

If you were around last month, you might remember my meal plan for February.  I am the first to admit that plans, schedules, and tastes change, so my plan is extremely adaptable.  It’s honestly more like a list of options for the month.

Since I am a retail manager, my schedule is never the same week to week.  Some days I open (7:30-5), some days I close (1-10:30), and some days I’m off.  I don’t know a month of schedules ahead of time, so I just pick what sounds good to make for the month and hope for the best.  When my schedule and the meal planned for that day don’t coincide, meals change.  I either move a different meal to that day or figure out a different option altogether.

Last month, not only did schedule conflicts arise, but I got sick with the stomach bug!  Then Jeff followed soon after.  Obviously I wasn’t going to cook if I felt like I might…you know…any minute.  Enter Dominos. 

Here’s what my “real” meal plan resulted in:

The red ones (if you can’t deduce for yourself) were the meals I ended up not making.  And the dates for the meals I did make were way off.  For instance, I made the General Tso’s Chicken last night!  Whatever works, right?

I like my way of doing a meal plan because it feels very customizable to our lifestyle.  I can’t wait for the day where my schedule is predictable, but until that happens I will stick to this method.

Here’s the next month of meals:

I’m trying a few new categories this month.  Sandwiches are coming in to play more simply because I want to start using my panini press again!  I’ve also added Casseroles back into the mix.  We end up eating probably one a week anyways, so I thought a category for it would just make sense.  I’m also trying out Side Dishes.  I have an entire board of side dishes on my Pinterest account that I never use, so I thought this would be a good way to do that.  I’m pairing the sides with a basic, easy to make entree.

I had a question about what I serve with these entrees most of the time.  Typically, I grab a prepared veggie dish out of the freezer (you know, Green Giant, Steamfresh, etc).  They are so quick and easy, plus require no added concentration.  When you have hungry husbands and toddlers milling around the kitchen like vultures, you need to be able to concentrate on the meal and get it to the table quicker than Usain Bolt.  If I have some time and the ingredients onhand, I might roast some veggies instead.  Asparagus, green beans, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash are my favorites.  I also like to add a fruit of some sort to Jake’s meal.  He is still in love with blueberries and grapes.  We also keep little fruit cups in the pantry just in case.  In a pinch, I’ll pull out an old stand by.

He still loves them!

I hope you guys enjoy this post.  Please let me know if you tried any of the meals from last month and what you thought.  Also, if you want the recipes I included in this month’s post, check out my March Meal Plan 2013 board on Pinterest!

Ultimate Chicken Finger Salad with Buffalo Ranch Dressing

I grew up in Tennessee.  There was this place in my hometown that had this crispy chicken salad I absolutely loved!  I would get it every time and never tire of it.  I still have a weakness for crispy chicken salads, even though I try not to eat fried chicken so much these days.

When I was working on my meal plan, I stumbled upon a recipe titled “Ultimate Chicken Fingers” that looked promising.  The chicken fingers looked crispy and delicious despite being oven baked.  Hmm…

I added them to the calendar for tonight’s meal and didn’t think much about it after.  Then, as I was trying to plan my side dishes for tonight, I had a thought.  If these chicken fingers were as “ultimate” as they claimed, I bet they’d go great over a salad.  The plan was born.

After I mixed the Bisquick, parm cheese, and other ingredients together, coated the chicken fingers, and placed them in the oven to baked, I got to work on the salad.  I used to be pretty bland with my salad toppings.  Lettuce, a bit of cheese, and maybe some sliced almonds.  Nowadays, I’m all about the toppings.  In fact, I could probably leave out the lettuce and just go for a chopped veg salad.  This salad was so good.  It was spicy and savory, creamy and flavorful.  It was big though.  I didn’t finish it all.  I will be making these chicken fingers again, though!

Ultimate Chicken Finger Salad
(adapted from this recipe)

2/3 cup Bisquick
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika (you can use regular if that’s all you have)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in strips
1 egg, slightly beaten
nonstick spray

Preheat oven to 450º.  Spray a cooling rack with nonstick spray and place over a cookie sheet, then set aside.

While your oven is preheating, mix Bisquick, cheese, salt, garlic, and paprika together in a shallow bowl.  I like to use cake pans.  In a separate bowl, beat the egg.  Dip your chicken strips, one at a time, first in the egg, then in the Bisquick mix.    Place your strips on the cooling rack.  Bake at 450º for 12-14 minutes, turning once halfway through.  Cook until chicken is done all the way through and breading is crispy.

I served mine over a big salad that included carrots, red pepper, cheddar cheese, chopped Blue Diamond Honey Dijon almonds, and hamburger bun “garlic toast” all topped with Buffalo Ranch dressing.

You may be wondering what hamburger bun “garlic toast” is.  Well…years ago I was visiting my mom and her boyfriend/manfriend/”husband”.  His title is a little hazy.  Just go with it.  Anyhow, we had a delicious recipe called Slum Gullion (seriously delicious…I’ll post it soon) with toasted buns spread with garlic butter.  I just kind of looked at the buns and then stared quizzically at my mom.  She explained that they never eat all the buns they buy for a particular meal and, instead of seeing them go to waste, they turn them into garlic bread for meals like these.  She just spreads them with butter, tops them with a little garlic powder and toasts them up.  I go a step further.  I melt my butter and mix in a bit of Aimee’s For the Love of Garlic Butter.  Oh my gosh, so good!

Also, you may remember that Jeff and I are huge buffalo wing fans.  Who isn’t though?  Any time we have chicken fingers in the house, he insists I make buffalo ranch dressing.  It’s really very simple.  You take ranch dressing and mix in hot sauce.  My personal favorite is Frank’s Red Hot.  You can mix in just a dash or a whole tablespoon depending on how daring you are.  I made mine a tad too spicy tonight!  Whoops!

As I said, this salad was extremely good.  Even Jeff commented on how good the salad tasted with the added chicken fingers.  This is going onto the MUST MAKE AGAIN board!

And you may be wondering how the pictures are so light and fluffy…light and airy?…no I got it.  How they are lit so well.  I spent 20 minutes today making this:

I got me a fancy, schmancy light box now.  Actually there’s nothing fancy or schmancy about it, but it is effective!

What are your favorite salad toppings?
I’m always looking for more inspiration.

Meal Plan: February 2013

Everyone has a hard time figuring out what to cook.  I was talking to a co-worker this weekend and she told me that, while she was going back to school, she asked her husband to cook dinner on Thursday nights as it was her busy day.  He replied that he would cook, but she needed to tell him what to make.  She exclaimed that that was the hardest part!

I completely agree.  I love to cook, but sometimes I just really don’t know what to make.  My husband is no help because he never has any ideas for me.  I asked him the same question each week.

What do you want for dinners this week?

He responds one of two ways:

Meatloaf. 

Or

I don’t care.  Whatever you make.

Ugh!  Finally, I got smart.  A few years ago I started meal planning.  I must say…when I do it and stick to the plan, it really makes a difference in my day!  I don’t have that dreaded feeling hanging over my head of what to make.  I typically am more prepared and have the ingredients on hand.  I don’t have to try to figure out how to pick up the ingredients I’m missing and still make it home in time to have dinner on the table by 6p (Jake’s dinner time).

I realize many of you feel the same way, which is why I’m hopefully starting a new series on this blog.  I’ve tried in the past to post menus and failed miserably, so take that as your warning.

Jake eats most anything we eat aside from fish, shellfish, and nuts of any kind (though I did slip and give him some peanuts with my Thai food the other day.  Whoops!).  Some of the dishes are spicy (like the Cajun Chicken Alfredo and the Spicy Chicken Tortilla Rollups).  I figure I’ll just make a couple without the spice or he will have leftovers that day.  In any case, this may help lots of you moms out there!

I also plan to lighten up some of the more calorie dense meals to make them more Weight Loss Goal friendly.  Stay tuned for more on that later.

Here’s the key to reading the calendar.  The light green recipes are from my Pinterest account.  The light blue ones are either from my blog or from my personal collection of recipes.  Here are the links to the recipes you can find online:

Burgers
Cajun Chicken Alfredo
Chicken Bacon Ranch Mac & Cheese
Chicken Cassoulet
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Chicken Taco Chili
Cilantro Lime Chicken
Cream Cheese Chicken
Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps
Forgotten Chicken
General Tso’s Chicken
Honey Garlic Pork Chops
Meatloaf
Mexican Lasagna
Mini Corn Dog Muffins
Mushrooms Pizza Bites
Pad Thai
Pizza Casserole
Pork Chops au Poivre
Proscuitto Panini
Quick Coq au Vin
Spaghetti with Chicken and Thai Peanut Sauce
Spicy Chicken Tortilla Rollups
TJ (Trader Joe)’s Chicken Satay with Coconut Rice
Ultimate Chicken Fingers

You probably notice there isn’t any room for leftovers.  Most of the time, we either eat the leftovers for lunches, or I try to make a single night’s portion instead of a whole family’s worth.  The food gets eaten, don’t you worry.

I hope you guys enjoy this post!  If this is something you enjoy seeing, please let me know by leaving me a comment on my blog.  You can also show your support by liking my Facebook page!  I’d love to hear from you!

Breakfast Bowls

A few years ago, I decided to really get serious about my health.  I was eating crap all day every day.  It was readily accessible, you see, because I work in a drug store.  Rows and rows of candy, chips, and junk food call to me daily.  It was no big thing for me to grab a bag of chips, a frozen dinner, and a candy bar as a meal.  No whole foods, hardly any fruits and veggies, all crap.  No wonder I felt horrible all the time.

When I made the transition over to the healthy living side of things, I typically had a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast.  Every day I’d have a packet of oatmeal with a banana or some dried cherries and a scoop of peanut butter.  Sometimes I’d switch it up and have some egg whites with cheese on a couple pieces of toast, but the oatmeal was so much more portable than the egg whites.

Well, after a pretty solid six months to a year of this, I burned myself out on oatmeal.  I get a craving for it once every couple months, but I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to eat it on a consistent basis like I used to.

Where did that leave me?  I knew I needed something that was pretty quick, easy, and portable.  Enter the breakfast bowl.  I discovered one of the tricks to making really good home fries was to cook the potato before putting it in a frying pan.  I always wondered how these breakfast places had such light, fluffy potatoes with a slight crisp on the edges.  Every time I tried to make home fries, I burned the outside!  (Of course, it doesn’t hurt that most places use precooked, prediced, frozen potatoes…)

Breakfast Bowls

1 medium potato
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper
2 egg whites (or 1 whole egg)
Optional toppings:  sauteed veg, shredded cheese, ham, bacon, sausage, fresh herbs, hot sauce, etc  (basically anything you’d use on an omelet)

Microwave the potato in it’s jacket.  Do not pierce.  The exact time depends on the size of your potato.  For a medium to large red potato, I typically do about 4 minutes.  If it’s a russet or Idaho potato, you may want to increase the time by a minute or so.  Once you do it a few times, you’ll learn how long it should take.

While the potato is cooking, heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat.  Saute your onion until translucent.  When the potato is done cooking, remove and dice.  Add the potato to the pan and stir to coat in oil.  Cook on medium, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes become crispy.  You can flavor your potatoes any way you want.  I tend to use salt, pepper, and a little garlic I grate over the pan.

Once your potatoes have finished cooking, put them in your desired bowl.  Add a little more oil to the pan and fry up your egg any way you desire.  I usually scramble them or fry them flat.

Time to build your bowl.  Potatoes first, then any veg you want, condiments, cheese, and top with the egg.  I like topping with the egg because the residual heat warms the cheese and makes it ooey gooey.  Apparently in this breakfast bowl, I decided to mix the egg in.  Or leave it out.  I can’t remember!  (Confession:  I took these pictures weeks ago…)

OK, so this dish isn’t entirely quick when you’re trying to get out the door in the morning, but it’s so good it’s worth the 5-10 minutes it takes.  I usually eat this for breakfast when I work at 1P.  Gives me time to savor the flavors.  Yum!

BTW, can you freeze cooked egg whites?

Harvest Ravioli For One

One day a few months ago, my dad and his wife came down from Cleveland to visit Jake.  You remember Jake, right?  Cute little booger of a boy.

Anyway, we had gotten together for a little visit and wanted to have dinner somewhere.  Since Jake’s schedule is a little unpredictable right now, we opted to order in from one of the restaurants around me.  We all like Italian so we chose Bravo.  After looking over the menu, I landed on a delicious looking ravioli dish:

I love sweet potatoes and brown butter, so this seemed right up my alley.  Oh. My. God.  Deliciousness ensued!  The dish would have been OK with the beef ravioli and the brown butter sage sauce, but the sweet potatoes put it over the top!  The slight sweetness and smooth texture of the sweet potatoes mixed with the meatiness of the beef and the sinful brown butter was to die for!  I cleaned my plate and have been dreaming of that dish ever since.  Until the other day…

Wednesday I was getting some chores done, writing blog posts, and doing various other tasks when I looked up and it was 11:ooa!  I had totally skipped breakfast.  I was trying to figure out what exactly I wanted to eat, but none of the breakfast items I had sounded good.  That’s when I remembered the ravioli dish.  I had picked up some Crab and Shrimp Raviolis from the farmer’s market on the day of the Color Run and I was anxious to use them.  I had also roasted some sweet potatoes for Jake the day before so I had all the necessary components at my finger tips.  It was time to get crackin’…

Harvest Ravioli

6 raviolis of your choice (I used crab & shrimp but wild mushroom would have been good too)
3 tbsp butter cut into 1 tbsp pieces
5-6 sage leaves, torn
1/4 cup roasted sweet potato*
salt for pasta water
cracked black pepper
Parmesan cheese

In a small pot, bring enough water to a boil to cook your raviolis.  Salt the water and then cook according to package directions.

In a separate small saucepan, add your butter.  It helps to have them cut into pieces to help brown more evenly.  Melt butter and continue to cook, whisking, until the butter foams and you start to see small brown flecks on the bottom of the pan.  You will also start to smell a nutty aroma.  It only takes a couple minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Add your sage leaves and sweet potato to the butter and toss to coat.  Your sage leaves might pop in the butter.  That’s OK.  I took my potatoes from the fridge so I ended up putting my saucepan back on the burner for a quick minute to ensure the potato got heated through.  It was a small dice, so it didn’t take long.  I also added just a little bit of pepper to give it a bit of spice.

After your pasta is done cooking, scoop them out and add them straight into the hot butter.  Toss to coat and then plate up.  I garnished my dish with a bit of Parmesan cheese and a small bunch of sage.  Beautiful AND delicious!

*I cut my sweet potatoes into a small dice, tossed them with olive oil, cinnamon, rosemary, and just a hint of salt and pepper, then roasted them in a 400º oven for 25 minutes.  Perfection!

Three Little Soups (Part 2)

The other day, I got ambitious and decided to make three very different, very unique soups.  You can check out my recipes for Vegetable Tortellini and Beef Pho here.  If you’re more into spicy, meaty, and hearty, keep reading.

A long time ago, I received a Cuisine at Home cookbook in the mail.  It was one of those trial offer type things I usually throw away, but when I read “Absolutely no ads!” on the cover, I thought I’d take a peek inside.  I was blown away by the various recipes I discovered in the pages.  Not only did the magazine include delicious looking recipes for Shrimp Risotto, Greek Chicken Roulades, and French Onion Salisbury Steak, it was brimming with information.  Everything from making your own pizza dough to the best way to crust chicken (for Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad) to tips and timesavers from the readers leapt from the pages.

As I was pouring over my cookbooks, magazines, and Pinterest boards, I stumbled on my Cuisine At Home cookbook.  I knew I liked most everything in the magazine and wondered if they had any yummy soups I could add to my cooking list.  There, on page 47, sat a delicious looking brothy soup staring back at me.  I read the ingredients list and saw it called for Mini Bacon Meatballs.  SCORE!  I scribbled the ingredients list down and bolted for the grocery store.  Mini Bacon Meatball soup was waiting!

Mini Bacon Meatballs
(from Cuisine at Home meatballs)

2 strips bacon, diced
1/4 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 pound ground sirloin
1/4 pound ground turkey
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400º.  Spray a broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.  Cook bacon in a saucepan over medium heat until slightly crisp; set aside on paper towels.  In the same pan with the bacon drippings, cook onion until softened.  Add garlic to pan and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).  Do not burn garlic.  Set aside to cook slightly

In a large bowl, combine meats, bacon & onion mixture, bread crumbs, spices, and egg.  Mix until combined.  Use a small scoop to form mixture into balls.  You want them to be about 1 inch in diameter (or bite sized).  Place on broiler rack and bake for about 10 minutes or until cooked through.

Remove meatballs from oven and let cool.  I made a double batch and intended to freeze half, but I kept nibbling on them throughout the day.  I even made a “cheeseburger”.  In other words, I heated a few meatballs, topped them with American cheese, and ate them with ketchup.  Oh my.  They were so delicious!  One of my favorite parts about these meatballs are the little bacon pieces sticking out.  Delish!

Now…on to the soup!  I had no idea what the title of the recipe meant, but I sure did think albondigas was fun to say!  Al-bon-dee-ghas!  Upon further googling, I discovered this word was Spanish for Mexican meatball soup.  Yum!

Albondigas Soup
(from Cuisine at Home magazine)

1 cup diced onion
2 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, grated
2 tsp chili powder
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
2 corn tortillas, sliced in small strips
1 cup halved grape tomatoes, divided
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
2 cups sliced button mushrooms
1 recipe Mini Bacon Meatballs
2 tbsp torn fresh cilantro (optional)
sour cream (optional)

Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat.  Saute onions until softened.  Add garlic and chili powder; cook 1 minute.  Add broth, water, corn tortillas, and 1/2 cup tomatoes.  Simmer for 5 minutes.

Puree soup with an immersion blender (or in a regular blender).  Strain soup through a mesh strainer and return to stock pot.  Add corn, mushrooms, and meatballs.  Simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.  Season with salt, pepper, and lime juice before serving.  Garnish with cilantro and sour cream if desired.

Three Little Soups (Part 1)

“Don’t worry about a thing,
‘Cause every little thing gonna be all right.” -Bob Marley

Don’t you just love Bob?  Marley that is.  I love him.  I especially love Three Little Birds.  Hence the play on words of the title.  Anyhow…the other day, I was off work and wanted to make some soups.  It’s getting colder here in the lovely state of Ohio and when it gets cold, I eat soup.  Gallons and gallons of it.

I was flipping through my various magazines when I came across three little soups I wanted to try:  Beef Pho, Vegetable Ravioli, and…wait for it…Albondigas!  Don’t you just love that word?  Albondigas!  (When I say it, I imagine I’m a little Mexican man with a sombrero and maracas!  Ha…just kidding.)

These soups were relatively easy and used ingredients that, for the most part, I already had on hand!  Try them and let me know what you think.

Beef Pho
(From the November 2012 issue of Food Network Magazine)

2 beef shanks with meat on them (about 2 1/4 pounds total)
3 large yellow onions, halved
1 6-inch piece of ginger, halved lengthwise
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
2 tbsp vegetable oil
kosher salt
2 cinnamon sticks
4 star anise pods
3 tbsp black peppercorns
3 quarts low sodium beef broth
1/3 cup fish sauce
1 pound flat rice noodles
Optional additions:  bean sprouts, Thai basil or mint, jalapenos thinly sliced, red onion thinly sliced, Hoisin sauce or Sriracha

Put the beef, onions, ginger, garlic and oil in a pan.  Sprinkle with salt and toss.  Bake at 450º for about 30 minutes, turning beef once.

Meanwhile, toast the cinnamon, anise, and peppercorns in a dry pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until fragrance.

After the beef is cooked, transfer the contents of the roasting pan to a large stock pot.  Cover with beef broth, two quarts of water, the spices, and the fish sauce.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer and cook for 1-1 1/2 hours, skimming any fat off the top.

Remove beef and shred.  Strain the rest of the broth through a strainer and then return to pan.  Add beef back to broth.  Cook the noodles according to package directions and add to broth.  Garnish with any of the above toppings.

Vegetable Tortellini
(From the September 2012 issue of Food Network Magazine)

1 tbsp EVOO
1 small onion, diced
3 medium carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme
2 cups low sodium beef broth
1 9-ounce package cheese tortellini
a couple big handfuls baby spinach
salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese, optional
Whole Wheat baguette, optional

In a large pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil and cook the onion, carrots, celery, and thyme, stirring occasionally.  When the vegetables begin to soften add the broth and 3 cups water and increase heat to high.  Cover and bring to a boil, then add the tortellini.  Reduce heat and simmer until tortellini is cooked through (see package directions for time).  Add spinach to soup and cook until wilted.  Season with salt and pepper.  When serving, you can top with Parmesan cheese and bread if desired.

Because this post is so long and because the final soup is two recipes in itself and because (let’s be honest) I’ll be late for work if I don’t quit typing now, I am going to save the last recipe for the next blog post.  Check back soon!  You won’t be sorry.

Monster Mash

I’m not a big fan of trail mix.  I mean, I am, but I don’t know that it’s the best bang for your buck when you’re trying to eat healthy.  Case in point, take a look at the ingredients for Target’s Monster Trail Mix:

Yep, you got it.  Nuts, candy, fruit, candy, candy.  Now, I know there are healthier trail mixes out there, but really.  Who doesn’t want chocolate and peanut butter chips in their trail mix?

So, back to my original statement:  I’m not a big fan of trail mix (when you’re trying to eat healthy).  When you want an indulgent snack, I’m all about it!  You see, I can’t stop at the recommended 1/4 cup serving size.  My serving size is more like 1/2 cup 1 cup.

Of course, this didn’t stop me from grabbing a bag of the Monster Trail Mix a few years ago when I was looking for a “healthy” snack.  After all, it’s healthier than a candy bar, right?  Anyone?  Anyone?  That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.

The first thing I thought when I popped a handful of mix in my mouth was, “OMG how delicious is this?!”  The second thing was, “This would make excellent cookies!”  The idea was born.  It only took me two years to make the cookies though…

Monster Mix Cookies
(adapted from the Nestle Toll House base recipe)

2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 package Archer Farms Monster Trail Mix

Preheat oven to 375º.  In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.  Mix well.  In a second bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and brown sugar.  Add the vanilla and mix well.  Add the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated.  Add the flour mixture slowly, scraping down the sides as necessary.

Once your batter is fully mixed, add the bag of trail mix.  You can also add extras if you’d like.  I prefer adding an addition bit of peanut butter pieces if available, but then, I love peanut butter almost as much as I love Jakey.  Almost.

(Is this not the cutest picture?!  I giggle every time I see it.)

Once mixed, use a small scoop to portion out the cookies onto a baking sheet.  Bake for 9-11 minutes or until lightly golden on the edges.  Let cool and enjoy, preferably with a glass of cold milk.

Tip: You can also scoop the dough out onto a silpat or piece of waxed paper and freeze unbaked.  Once frozen, move them to a Ziploc bag and store in the freezer.  When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven or toaster oven and bake frozen until desired doneness is achieved.  Works beautifully!

Make sure to save some to take to your pregnant friend along with chocolate milk.  I forgot.  Bad friend.  Next time, girl!  Next time!

Calendar of Eats

It’s so secret that I love to cook.  I like being able to make my family dinner on a (somewhat) regular basis.  With my crazy work schedule, that takes planning.  See, on any given week, my schedule could look like this:

Sunday:  7:30a-5p
Monday:  1p-10:30p
Tuesday:  OFF
Wednesday:  4:30a-2p
Thursday:  1-10:30p
Friday:  OFF
Saturday:  7:30-5

So you see how challenging dinner making can be?  On days I’m off or early, it’s not a big deal as I’m at home for dinner.  On days I close (work til 10:30p), it’s a little more tricky.  I have to plan meals that my husband can make like a casserole, crock pot meal, or something that’s already cooked and just needs to be reheated.

I used to have a spreadsheet that listed the day of the month, my schedule, and what meal I would make.  This was a pretty good system, but I could only plan a couple weeks at a time because I needed my work schedule.  I only get it a couple weeks in advance, you see.

For some reason, I got away from this meal plan.  I think it was because every day was a free for all.  By that I mean I didn’t have a set cuisine type for each day.  I just filled in the meals with what I had a taste for.  This is a fine way to do things, but I found myself always picked the same meals.  Meatloaf, beef stroganoff, and sloppy joes were big hits and always found their way into the plan.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about a new way of meal planning.  With this new way, I took a calendar and assigned a cuisine or meal base to each day of the week.  It looks something like this:

I wasn’t sure how it would work out, but I quickly found myself actually following the plan!  I would grocery shop for the week on one of my days off, then prep any meals I needed to.

The nice thing about this meal plan is I can switch days around if necessary.  For example, you’ll notice in the first row I had Steel Drums Chicken on Monday and Chicken Spaghetti on Tuesday.  Steel Drums Chicken has to be grilled and Chicken Spaghetti is a casserole.  Since I closed on Monday, it was easier for Jeff to reheat the casserole than it was to watch the baby and grill chicken.  Who are we kidding?  Jeff doesn’t grill.  Well, not much anyhow.

One thing I have run into, oddly enough, is having too much food!  If you look at my original post, you’ll see there are no days for leftovers.  My plan, initially, was to have the leftovers for lunches or to only make enough for one meal.  Well, some days I don’t want the same thing I had for dinner.  My plan for August incorporated a leftover day.  Know what happened?  Yep, we ran out of meals for leftover day and I ended up having to order pizza, something I was trying to avoid with this whole plan!

It’s a work in progress.

For the most part, however, the meal planning has been a great project.  It has allowed me to make some of Jeff’s favorite meals (read: meatloaf) as well as try out some of my pinned and cookbook recipes.  I have more cookbooks than I have shoes.

I am still perfecting the system.  I am trying to get healthier meals included instead of just ones that sound good (like Paula’s Glazed Bacon Wrapped Chicken which we had last night…YUM!).  I am also trying to put the meals I make into My Fitness Pal so I can just add them when I eat them.  That is a big downfall for me…eating dinner and then not logging it because I don’t want to put each ingredient in my log.

Some of the meals I have tried out with this new meal plan are Chicken Stir Fry, Swiss Burgers with Caramelized Onions and Balsamic Glaze, and Pulled Chicken Quesadillas.  What are some meals you have pinned or bookmarked lately that you most want to try?

 

Pulled Chicken Quesadillas

The other day, my sister sent me a random text about her favorite pulled chicken.  She and I do that sometimes.  This was the second time she’d told me about the chicken in a month, so I asked her to resend me the recipe.  “She must really like it!” I thought.

She linked me to the recipe and then added these instructions:

“I add a packet of chili seasoning to the onions while sauteing.  And I toss a can of rotel into the crockpot when adding all the stuff together… Pretty spicy.  Freezable though.”

I added it to my monthly meal plan immediately!

Saturday, before heading to work, I quickly threw the ingredients in the crock pot and left serving instructions with Jeff.  I called him later to ask him how it was and he said it was good!  When I came home from work Sunday, he excitedly told me what he had for lunch.

“You know that chicken you made yesterday?  I turned it into a quesadilla!”

What a great idea!  I was on my way home from work today when the image of his quesadilla popped in my head.  I couldn’t think of anything else I wanted, so I came home and threw one together real quick.

It. Was. Delicious.

This chicken is probably the best pulled chicken I have had in a while.  I forgot to add the chili seasoning, but I did throw in a can of black beans!  Corn would have been great with this too.  If you’re looking for a quick, slow cooker meal that your whole family will love, make this pulled chicken.

Quesadilla optional.

Pulled Chicken Quesadillas
(adapted from this recipe on Good Life Eats)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
1 1/4 tsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 good squeeze Gourmet Garden cilantro (or 1/3 cup chopped cilantro leaves)
2 limes*
1 large onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 can Rotel
1 can black beans

In a large skillet, heat your oil and then saute the onion until soft.  Add the spices and mix well.  Let cook for about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, season your chicken with salt and pepper, then put in the slow cooker.  Top with the juice of both limes.  Put your spice and onion mixture over chicken.  Add the cans of Rotel and black beans to the slow cooker.  Cook on low for 3-5 hours, or until your chicken is cooked through.

To serve, pull the chicken out of the slow cooker and shred with two forks.  Put chicken back in slow cooker to soak up all the juices.  Then use however you desire.  As stated above, our favorite way is in quesadillas, but you could have soft tacos, hard tacos, taco salad, enchiladas…the list is endless.

Enjoy!