Jessica's Meal Plan, week 8/19

I took a summer hiatus from posting here. It was just too darn hot to cook anything interesting and the sweltering summer made me pretty lethargic as far as writing anything. I didnt even meal plan, and we definitely suffered for it. I cant tell you how many nights we had hamburgers or spaghetti because I couldnt think of anything else to make.

I still dont know how often I'll post here, but at the very least, I'm meal planning. Its starting to cool down again and my creativity is coming back so I think we're ready for some new meals. And I DEFINITELY need to know whats on my shopping list each week. So here we go:

Sunday: roasted chicken, swiss, green apple & dijon paninis with corn on the cob

Monday: I have to eat Qdoba for a work training. DAMN. The boys will have leftover chicken.

Tuesday: home made pizza with fresh tomato sauce, parmesan, and baby spinach with sliced apples

Wednesday: sweet & spicy chicken & veggie stir-fry over brown rice with sliced fresh peaches

Thursday: pork chops with roasted apples and green beans in mustard vinaigrette

Friday: thai chicken noodle bowl with steamed veggies

Saturday: home made chicken nuggets with whipped maple bacon sweet potatoes

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies of All Time

I haven't felt much like cooking.  It's been in the 90's and humid, work has been nuts, and William is a busy guy at summer camp!  But tonight, The Boys wanted chocolate chip cookies and Steve goes, "NOT healthy ones!"  I decided I'd make them as healthy as could...unbeknownst to Steve. So, basically, they are whole wheat and have less sugar in them - and I used Earth Balance instead of butter, of course! Steve ate one and proclaimed them the best chocolate chip cookies of all time.  Mission: Accomplished!  They are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  The perfect cookie.

1 cup spelt flour (you could use whole wheat, if you don't have spelt)
1 cup whole wheat white flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup Earth Balance "butter" - melted
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
scant 1/2 cup white sugar
1 TBS vanilla
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325.  Stir together melted butter and sugars.  Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.  Stir until creamy.  Sprinkle in baking soda and salt.  Slowly add in flours. Mix just until combined.  Stir in chocolate chips. Bake for 17-20 minutes.  Let rest for 5 minutes before removing from baking pan and cooling on rack.

And now, this week's (late) meal plan - we have been flying by the seat of our pants.  Last week, we had deli turkey (deli meat is NOT my favorite thing) in pita pockets for dinner one night. Things got that bad.

Monday: I had a friend over for dinner, so I just set out all the taco salad fixin's and let everyone make what they wanted.
Tuesday: chicken nachos (SUPER good) -  I just threw a couple chicken breasts into the crockpot with a can of salsa and a packet of taco seasoning.  Then shredded it over nachos with melted cheese and sour cream.  You could add whatever you wanted: black olives, peppers, tomatoes, onions, lettuce...
Wednesday: salmon on the grill
Thursday: out
Friday: brown butter chicken, mushrooms and caramelized onions over angel hair pasta (a Steve fav)
Saturday: Drew, Jess, and Griffin are here!!!!!

Jessica's Meal Plan, week 6/17

I didn't have many exciting recipes from last week to share! The ham and pineapple skewers I made turned out amazing, but I forgot to take any pictures to show you. The ham & pea soup was pretty good too, but I just sort of threw random things in the crock pot that day & didn't write down any measurements. Oh, well.

I probably wont post any recipes this week either. We're having lots of family around and those days when we're not visiting, we're trying to keep things super simple! So here is the plan:

Sunday: brats on the grill with sliced fruit
Monday: spaghetti & garlic bread (though I may be talked out of that since it's supposed to be 95 degrees today)
Tuesday: my cousin, Sean, will be here from Cleveland! We'll be meeting my parents in Denver to take him out to dinner. So fun!
Wednesday: taco casserole with fruit gazpacho
Thursday: grilled mango chicken with grilled potato packets
Friday: sandwiches on the way to the airport. WOO!
Saturday: whatever deliciousness our Columbus family decides on. CANT WAIT!

Jessica's Meal Plan, week of 6/10

We have been a BUSY family lately and I am beat!! Because of that, the meal plan this week leans toward the easy side. Should still be yummy though!

Sunday- grilled pineapple & ham skewers with steamed asparagus
Monday- spinach & bean quesadillas with chips & salsa
Tuesday- roasted chicken breast with mashed cauliflower
Wednesday- ham & pea soup with cornbread
Thursday- Big Salad with roasted beets, kale, apples, raisins, feta & pecans
Friday- garlic pasta primavera
Saturday- Father's Day dinner at my parents' house

Enjoy your week!

Greek quinoa burgers (a Jess post)

Dude... DUDE. I'm not even kidding you, this recipe was GOOD. Like, creepily excited for leftovers good. And, as a bonus, crazy healthy!! Bless the Pinterest for yet another amazing idea.

My recipe was adapted from this one in Whole Living a few years back. Makes sense- I adore that magazine too. I just made a few tweaks to suit our particular tastes/ eating styles and you can too! Here's what I did...

Ingredients:

for the burgers-
1/2 c quinoa
3/4 c water
1 carrot, cut into large chunks
1 clove garlic, peeled
12 oz (about 3/4 of a can) cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
1/4 c Panko breadcrumbs
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 tsp dried onion flakes
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1 1/2 tsp cumin
salt & pepper to taste
2 T olive oil
4 whole wheat pitas
1/4 cucumber, peeled & sliced

for the yogurt sauce-
1/2 c plain Greek yogurt
the juice from 1/2 lemon (apprx. 1 T)
2 T feta cheese crumbles
pepper to taste

In a small saucepan, bring the water and quinoa to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 12 minutes or until tender and water is absorbed. Meanwhile, in a food processor pulse together the carrot and garlic. Add the beans and whir together until it becomes a thick paste. In a large bowl, combine quinoa, bean mixture, breadcrumbs, egg, and spices. Form into 4 patties, approximately 3/4 inch thick. If the mixture is too sticky, you can either wet your hands before you form the patties, or you can put the bowl in the fridge for a few minutes to thicken it up. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the patties and cook, untouched, 8 minutes per side or until cooked through and crispy and golden brown on the outside. While the patties are cooking, combine all of the yogurt sauce ingredients. Serve the burgers stuffed inside a pita half, topped with yogurt sauce and cucumber slices.

These really were extraordinarily delicious. Even Drew loved them (and he hates most things, but especially beans)! And they were pretty easy to make too! They reminded me a lot of falafel, only much healthier. Go forth and create quinoa burgers!

Picnic Platter

One of our favorite things to do is just set a giant platter of good stuff on the dining room table and have everyone go it.  It's fast, easy, and always delicious.  Here's what we had on it this time:

From left to right on red board:

roasted chicken (not pictured - it was still cooling), cauliflower, broccoli, sharp cheddar shards, strawberries, carrots, and different crackers.

Small plate at bottom: herbed soft cheese surrounded by apple slices

And this is what the platter looked like 20 minutes later (you can see Steve is not done quite yet!):

We took it DOWN.

Grilled Garlic Herb Salmon (a Jess post)

I happened upon this recipe while surfing Pinterest and it looked really simple and summery so I thought I'd give it a try. It was DELICIOUS, really healthy, and is my favorite way of cooking salmon so far.

Ingredients:
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp herbs de Province
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
2 T Dijon mustard
2-4 6 oz salmon fillets
salt & pepper

Heat your charcoal or gas grill and coat the grate with oil or cooking spray. In a food processor, combine the garlic, herbs de Province, vinegar, oil & mustard until it forms a thick sauce or paste and set aside. Sprinkle the salmon with salt & pepper to taste and then place on the grill skin side up, cover the grill, and cook for 5 minutes. Turn and spoon the mustard sauce onto the salmon. Cover the grill and cook another 3-4 minutes. Turn again, spoon more sauce on top and cook a minute longer.

I served this with grilled asparagus and a tossed salad out on the back patio. Ahhh, summer. And both of the boys really liked it too! Score!

my tiny food critic

my taller dining partner. he was happy, I swear!