Weekly Bag Breakfasts & Lunches: Mon, Dec. 24 - Fri, Dec. 28

Mon, Dec. 24:
I was home from work and got to sleep in, so I had brunch instead of breakfast and lunch. My husband made himself eggs and a cream cheese bagel. I made an early Christmas dinner for my husband and I as well.
Brunch - Coffee and Pumpkin Smoothie


Tues, Dec. 25:
I was home again for Christmas, but I wanted our brunch to be a little bit more special today. My husband made eggs and a cream cheese bagel again, but he ate some of my preparations as well!
Brunch - Coffee, Biscuits with Honey Butter, Sausage links, and Clementines.


Weds, Dec. 26:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Blackberry, Clementine, Pineapple, Spinach, and Frozen Bananas
Lunch - Leftover Hot & Sweet Chicken Drumsticks, Leftover Green Beans, and Leftover Biscuits


Thurs, Dec. 27:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Blackberry, Almond Butter, Coconut Milk, Spinach, and Frozen Bananas
Lunch - French Bread Pizza, Clementines, and Cheddar Cheese Stick


Fri, Dec. 28:
Brunch - Coffee, Clementines, and Bagel with Cream Cheese

Meal Plan: Weds, Dec. 19 - Tues, Dec. 25

Weds, Dec. 19:
Mesquite Pork Tenderloin, Baked Potatoes, and Stuffed Mushrooms


Thurs, Dec. 20:
Hot & Sweet Chicken Drumsticks, Mashed Potatoes, and Green Beans


Fri, Dec. 21:
My husband was feeling very ill today, so I made him plain chicken broth. For myself I had:
Leftover Hot & Sweet Chicken Drumsticks, Garlic Roast Green Beans, and Southwestern Loaded [Leftover] Mashed Potatoes


Sat, Dec. 22:
My husband was still feeling ill, we believe he had food poisoning; poor guy. He made himself a small dinner, and I had:
Leftover Baked Taquitos with Sour Cream, Chips and Salsa, and a few Clementines


Sun, Dec. 23:
I helped a friend move a table my parents were giving to her, so she fed me pizza for dinner!


Mon, Dec. 24:
I made a small Christmas Dinner for my husband and myself:
Peach Whiskey BBQ Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, and Steamed Green Beans

Also make: Hot Cocoa Mix, Funfetti Fudge, Chocolate Orange Fudge, and Gheradelli's Turtle Brownies! I love baking tasty treats when I have extra time at home and want to avoid things like scrubbing the shower :)


Tues, Dec. 25:
Christmas Dinner with the In-Laws


Shopping List:
chicken drumsticks
chicken thighs
mesquite pork tenderloin
mushrooms
russet potatoes
green beans
french bread
eggs


Pantry Items:
spices
oil
cream cheese
breadcrumbs
cheese
onion
stove top stuffing
butter
apricot preserves
hot sauce
ketchup
soy sauce
milk
pasta
tomato sauce
breakfast sausage
parmesan
romaine
red onion
carrots
radishes
croutons
salad almonds
brown sugar
bbq sauce
peach preserves
garlic
Worcestershire sauce
whiskey

Weekly Bag Breakfasts & Lunches: Mon, Dec. 17 - Fri, Dec. 21

Mon, Dec. 17:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Banana Almond Butter Blueberry Spinach Orange Lemon Smoothie (and let me tell you, this one was a semi-flop. I still drank it, but it was odd to mix the almond butter and citrus flavors together. I won't be doing that again!)
Lunch - Leftover Chicken Jalfrezi over Brown Basmati, and a Cheddar Cheese Stick


Tues, Dec. 18:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Blueberry Banana Almond Butter Coconut Chocolate Chip Spinach Smoothie (for this smoothie I added 10 bittersweet chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon of unsweetened flaked coconut)
Lunch -  "Cobb" Salad (Romaine, Radish, Carrot, Red Onion, Corn, Cheddar, Croutons and Almond Slivers with Thousand Island Dressing), Mandarin Orange Cup, and Baked Lays Chips


Weds, Dec. 19:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Blueberry Orange Lemon Pineapple Smoothie
Lunch - Leftover Baked "Taquitos"


Thurs, Dec. 20:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Blackberry Pineapple Spinach Banana Orange Smoothie
Lunch - Salad and a few Leftover Baked "Taquitos"


Fri, Dec. 21:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Blackberry Pineapple Spinach Banana Orange Smoothie
Lunch - Potluck Lunch at Work (I was one of the last to sign up, so I was asked to bring plates & utensils. No fun recipes this time :/ )

Weekly Meal Plan: Weds, Dec. 12 - Tues, Dec. 18

Weds, Dec. 12:
Chicken, Mushroom, and Bell Pepper Jalfrezi over Brown Basmati Rice with Garlic Naan

Today I decided to do a lot of "prep" work so that I could save time when prepping my meals throughout the week. I decided to:
Chop other half of the bell pepper and another 3 - 4 mushrooms for Egg Noodle Curry
Bag chicken breasts and place one into the fridge and the other into the freezer
Halve and pit remaining cherries for breakfast smoothies
Put remaining spinach into mason jar for breakfast smoothies
Make whole milk vanilla yogurt ice cubes for breakfast smoothies
Peel orange and place wedges into mason jar for breakfast smoothies
Slice up banana and freeze for breakfast smoothies
Freeze extra brown basmati rice

...can you guess what I'll be having for breakfast over the next several days? ;)


Thurs, Dec. 13:
Cheddar, Garlic & Chive Chicken Rolls (Based off this Mozzarella, Garlic and Basil Version) with Baked Potatoes and Salad

Also: pull meat sauce out of the freezer and place in a bowl in the fridge to thaw for tomorrow.


Fri, Dec. 14:
Pasta with Leftover (Frozen) Meat Sauce and Parmesan Garlic Bread


Sat, Dec. 15:
Garlic Lemon Chicken with Potatoes, Carrots, and Celery

Also: place extra chicken into a plastic bag and put into the fridge.


Sun, Dec. 16:
Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu with Garlic Bread and Salad


Mon, Dec. 17:
Egg Noodles and Rich Chicken, Mushroom, and Bell Pepper Curry. I made this with Sharwood's Thai Red Curry Sauce and a bit of Garlic Sriracha Sauce to make it spicy. I was underwhelmed by the combination of curry and egg noodles, but I can't comment on the sauce from the linked recipe since I didn't make that. Next time I'll serve my Thai curry over fluffy and light Jasmine rice.


Tues, Dec 18:
Southwestern Chicken Stuffed Bell Pepper and Baked "Taquitos" made with the extra filling.



Shopping List:
5 - 6lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (BOGO at my grocery store this week)
8oz Mushrooms
Bell Peppers (2)
Croutons
French Bread
1/4lb Ham
Thai Red Curry Sharwood Sauce (and Indian for the larder since it's 2/$5)
Lime (1)
Yellow Rice

Pantry Items:
Kung Po Sauce
Jasmine Rice
Cheddar Cheese Sticks
Garlic
Chives
Romaine
Carrots
Red Onion
Salad Almonds
Pasta
Leftover Frozen Meat Sauce
Lemon
Garlic
Potato
Celery
Mozarella
Parmesan
Breadcrumbs
Egg Noodles

Weekly Bag Breakfasts & Lunches: Mon, Dec.10 - Fri, Dec. 14

Mon, Dec. 10:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Cranberry Pecan Cornbread Muffin with Honey Butter
Lunch - Spinach and Carrot Salad, and Cherries.


Tues, Dec. 11:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Cranberry Pecan Cornbread Muffin with Honey Butter
Lunch - Leftover Chicken, Mushroom, Potato and Cheese Bake; and Carrots with Ranch


Weds, Dec. 12:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Apple Slices with Honey Almond Butter
Lunch - [Leftover] Chicken Nachos


Thurs, Dec. 13:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Cherry Banana Orange Spinach Smoothie
Lunch - Leftover Pork Potatoes, Cheddar Cheese Stick, Carrots and Ranch Dip


Fri, Dec. 14:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Cherry Banana Orange Spinach Smoothie
Lunch - Chef Salad and Baked Lays Chips

Weekly Meal Plan: Weds, Dec. 5 - Tues, Dec. 11

Weds, Dec. 5:
Roast Pork Loin, Garlic Roast Potatoes, and Salad

Also: set up the Buttermilk Chicken Marinade for tomorrow's dinner.


Thurs, Dec. 6:
Buttermilk Roast Chicken Thighs, Steamed Green Beans, and Skillet Cornbread

Also make: Mini Corn Loaves with Cranberries and Pecans


Fri, Dec. 7:
Chicken, Mushroom and Onion Jalfreezi over Basmati Rice

Also make: 1 Roast Split Chicken Breast


Sat, Dec. 8:
We went to Busch Gardens with my husband, parents, brother, teenage cousin, and my husband's parents to enjoy Christmastowne! We ate dinner together at the park.


Sun, Dec. 9:
Chicken, Mushroom, Potato and Cheese Bake (as per my husband's request)


Mon, Dec. 10:
Pork & Mushroom "Philly" Subs and Freezer Fries


Tues, Dec. 11:
My husband confessed "I don't like smoked turkey sausage" when I told him of my dinner plans to make Smoked Turkey Sausage and Kale Soup tonight, which threw my plans into a whirl. Instead I made something I knew he would love:
Pork, Mushroom, Celery, Potato, and Cheese Bake

Weekly Bag Breakfasts & Lunches: Mon, Dec. 3 - Fri, Dec. 7

Mon, Dec. 3:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Blueberry Lemon Sweet Bun
Lunch - Leftover Chicken, Mushrooms, and Onions with Mustard Cream Sauce; Cornbread Stuffing; and Honey-Glazed Carrots

Tues, Dec. 4:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Blueberry Muffin
Lunch - Today my lunch was very random in an effort to use up leftovers our fridge. I had Leftover Enchiladas and Leftover Asian Green Beans.

Weds, Dec. 5:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Apple with Honey Almond Butter
Lunch - Leftover Pot Pie Stuffed Buns

Thurs, Dec. 6:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Blueberry Lemon Sweet Buns
Lunch - Leftover Turkey Sausage Pasta, Salad, and Cherries and Blueberries

Fri, Dec. 7:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and
Lunch - Work Holiday Luncheon. We had 3 options from the menu, and I chose Citrus Salmon with Asparagus and Lemon Potatoes

Weekly Meal Plan: Weds, Nov. 28 - Tues, Dec. 4

Weds,  Nov. 28:
Fried Chicken from the Grocery Store

Make: Blueberry Muffins & Set up Crock Pot for Thurs


Thurs, Nov. 29:
Slow Cooker Chicken & Mushroom Alfredo over Ravioli with Caesar Salad and French Bread
(This is a recipe from a cookbook I own called Crock Pot Gourmet Slow Cooking)

This recipe didn't turn out how I anticipated. It may have been because I refrigerated it overnight before cooking, but the sauce was sort of curdle-ey and browned a bit around the edges of the crock pot. I won't make Alfredo this way again.


Fri, Nov. 30:
Ranch Style Chicken and Creamy Mashed Potatoes with Steamed Green Beans

This was my first time trying the Pioneer Woman's Ranch Style Chicken, and it was fabulous just like every recipe of hers I've tried! My husband absolutely devoured his, so I'll definitely be making this one again!


Sat, Dec. 1:
Chicken [Onions and Mushrooms] with Mustard Cream Sauce, Honey-Glazed Carrots, and Cornbread Stuffing

Also make: 1 Roast Chicken Breasts, Best Birthday Cake & Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

For this birthday cake I had to purchase buttermilk, and the smallest container at the grocery store was a quart. Now I've got a pint leftover, so I'll have to figure out ways to use it over the next week! To make matters worse I'm out of cornmeal until I go to the store again on Wednesday! Once I've been to the store I'll make a half recipe of Mini Corn Loaves with Cranberries and Pecans, a half recipe of cornbread (in my 8" cast iron skillet), and a half recipe of Buttermilk Roast Chicken to use up my buttermilk. I'm excited already :)


Sun, Dec. 2:
Bacon, Potato, Mushroom, and Cheese Stuffed Poblano Peppers; and Chicken, Bell Pepper and Cheese Enchiladas

Also make: Buttered [Chive] Rolls and Blueberry Lemon Sweet Rolls. I made a half recipe of the dough used in the Blueberry Lemon Sweet Rolls, and then I used part of the dough (7 ping-pong size balls) for the Buttered Chive Rolls and the rest of the dough for the Blueberry Lemon Sweet rolls. This made a dozen (smaller) sweet rolls and 7 chive rolls, which was more than enough for my husband and myself. I'll be forcing these sweet rolls on friends and family over the next week or so! I've also still got half of my half recipe of dough in the fridge, too. I'll be using it for dinner tomorrow. Cooking for 2 people is often incredibly challenging, but can be rewarding if you use your resources properly!


Mon, Dec. 3:
Chicken, Carrot, Celery, Potato and Onion Pot Pie Stuffed Buns

I made these in my Large Muffin Pan, and they turned out super cute! My husband ate his up, and asked to have another one for lunch tomorrow!


Tues, Dec. 4: 
Smoked Turkey Sausage, Mushroom, Bell Pepper, and Onion over Egg Noodles with a Cheese Sauce.

This was very tasty, but also somewhat greasy. Next time I would add less butter, and possibly more milk.

Weekly Bag Breakfasts & Lunches: Mon, Nov. 26 - Fri, Nov. 30

Mon, Nov. 26:
Breakfast - Chai tea, Yogurt with Pomegranate Arils and Granola Bar Chunks
Lunch - Chicken Salad Sandwich on an Everything Bagel; Clementine, Blackberries, and Pomegranate Arils; Cheddar Cheese Stick; and Colby Cheeze-its


Tues, Nov. 27:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Plain Bagel with Apple Butter
Lunch -BBQ Chicken, Colby Cheese, Red Onion & Lettuce Wrap; Cheddar Cheese Stick; 2 Clementines, Carrots & Ranch Dip


Weds, Nov. 28:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Blackberries
Lunch - Pizza Bagels


Thurs, Nov. 29:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Blueberry Muffin
Lunch - Salad with Leftover Fried Chicken, Grapefruit Wedges, Cheddar Cheese Stick, and Cheeze-its


Fri, Nov. 30:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Blueberry Muffin
Lunch - Chipotle Chicken, Colby Cheese and Sprouts Sandwich on an Everything Bagel; Tangerine Wedges; and a Cheddar Cheese Stick

Weekly Meal Plan: Weds, Nov. 21 - Tues, Nov. 27

Weds, Nov. 21:
Peach Whiskey BBQ Chicken Thighs, Baked Potatoes, and Salad


Thurs, Nov. 22:
First Home-cooked Thanksgiving Dinner! I was only serving my husband and myself, so I created a mini feast! I opted for smaller portions of various items, and roasted a chicken/turkey breast instead of a whole turkey. Check it out here!


Fri, Nov. 23:
Chicken Fried Rice


Sat, Nov. 24:
Thanksgiving Leftovers


Sun, Nov. 25:
Chicken and Mushroom Jalfreezi over Basmati Rice


Mon, Nov. 26:
BBQ Chicken Pizza and Salad


Tues, Nov. 27:
Pork Sausage Tomato Sauce over Spaghetti Squash with French Bread

Thanksgiving Dinner for Two

This Thanksgiving was my first time creating Thanksgiving dinner! We usually have lunch with my family and dinner with my husband's family, but my husband's family had made other arrangements for dinner. We will be visiting with them on Saturday. Since I was only serving dinner for my husband and myself I created a miniature feast. I opted for smaller portions of various items, and roast split chicken breast instead of a whole turkey.

The Menu:
Roast Split Chicken Breasts
Mashed Potatoes
Stovetop Stuffing
Parmesan Roasted Butternut Squash (which I've blogged about before)
Green Bean Casserole
Mini Sweet Potato Pies with Whipped Cream

The Decisions:
I decided to treat the Chicken similarly to Turkey on Thanksgiving, so I followed Ina Garten's Herb Roast Turkey Breast recipe with my Split Chicken Breasts instead. I had fresh rosemary and sage in my garden, but my thyme was really struggling so I used the dried herb instead.

I won't elaborate too much about my Mashed Potatoes, since they're a fairly common side and my recipe isn't atypical. I peel my potatoes, boil them in salt water, mash them, and then add butter, milk, and pepper before serving. I don't usually add more salt since the potatoes absorb salt from the water, and the butter I use is salted.

Stovetop Stuffing is ubiquitous and I make it according to package directions. My husband loves it, and I've not ventured into the home-made croutons or bread crumbs area yet. Notice I said yet. We will leave his beloved Stovetop Stuffing behind at some point in our lives. I promise.

The Parmesan Roasted Butternut Squash is a recipe I go to again and again. I've discussed it on my blog in the past (see link above) and I've used it in my weekly meal plans several times. It's absolutely wonderful, and a very nice divergence from sweet sugary butternut squash dishes.

I've never made Green Bean Casserole before. Can you believe that? I grew up in North Carolina and still I haven't made it before. Green beans are in season and inexpensive right now, so why not give the casserole a try? I followed fairly closely to Taste of Home's recipe, but skipped the sour cream, and I used ~3oz cream cheese, 2T ricotta, green beans leftover from Sunday and added bacon, season salt and pepper.

The Preparation:
On Wednesday I prepared some thing to make dinner come together faster once we get home from visiting with my family. I accomplished a great deal, and made dinner at the same time. Here's what I recommend:

• Chop the butternut squash & place it in foil covered ramkins in the fridge. 
• Peel and chop the potatoes, put them into a pot, cover them with water, and put them into the fridge. 
• Prepare the green bean casserole (minus the onion topping) and put it into the fridge. 
• Prepare the sweet potato pie (from making pie crust & baking the sweet potato all the way through cooling the pies) and put them into the fridge.

The Big Day:
I wanted dinner to come together about 7:00PM, so I started well in advance. I made sure to pull my prepared items out of the fridge with enough time for the baking dishes to warm up a little. I didn't want to put my ceramic and glass dishes into the oven directly from the fridge. Here's what I did:

• 5:30PM Season chicken
• 5:40PM Place chicken in oven
• 6:10PM Place butternut squash in oven
• 6:15PM Put potatoes on to boil
• 6:30PM Check chicken, cover with foil if browning too much
• 6:30PM Top green bean casserole with onions & bake
• 6:30PM Add cheese to butternut squash, continue to bake
• 6:40PM Drain potatoes, add milk & butter, mash & season to taste
• 6:45PM Start stovetop
• 6:45PM Remove chicken from oven, tent with foil, & rest 15 minutes
• 7:00PM Remove green bean casserole and butternut squash from oven
• 7:00PM Serve dinner

This was a fantastic 2 person dinner. We had leftovers of everything, but they were devoured within a few days. The chicken turned out fabulously, and I'll definitely be using that recipe again! The green bean casserole was about what I expected. I would prefer my green beans steamed and seasoned with butter, salt and pepper next time. My husband really enjoyed them though, and commented about the tasty bacon! Have you ever cooked a Thanksgiving (or other holiday) dinner for a small group of people? What did you do?

Weekly Bag Breakfasts & Lunches: Mon, Nov. 19 - Fri, Nov. 23

Mon, Nov. 19:
Breakfast - Chai tea and Stoneyfield Vanilla Whole Milk Yogurt with Blueberries
Lunch - Spinach Salad, Stuffing, a Cheddar Cheese Stick, and Clementines

Tues, Nov. 20:
Breakfast - Chai tea and Granola bar
Lunch - Leftover stuffed flour tortilla, Salad, and a Clementine


Weds, Nov. 21:
Breakfast - Chai tea and Stoneyfield Vanilla Whole Milk Yogurt with Blueberries
Lunch - Grocery Store Fried Chicken 


Thurs, Nov 22:
Off work today
Breakfast - Coffee, Sausage Biscuits and Tater Tots (I used Grands biscuits and frozen tots because we had to be out of the house early, and my husband is far from a morning person so I wanted food in his tummy quick!)
Lunch - Thanksgiving Lunch with my family! I brought Creamed Onions, and used a family recipe my mother [altered to her taste and then] passed down.


Fri, Nov. 23:
Off work today, but I went to volunteer from 12:30 - 4PM. I slept in late so I just had a brunch before volunteering.
Brunch - Coffee, Everything Bagel with Veggie Cream Cheese, Colby Cheeze-its, 2 Clementines.

Weekly Bag Breakfasts & Lunches: Mon, Nov. 12 - Fri, Nov. 16

Mon, Nov. 12:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and  Pear with Blueberries
Lunch - Macaroni, BBQ Pulled Pork, and Salad


Tues, Nov. 13:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Kraze Chocolate Cereal
Lunch - Leftover Asian Pasta Stir Fry and a Mandarin Orange Cup


Weds, Nov. 14:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Chocolate Croissant (the co-director of my workplace brought in a dozen!)
Lunch - Spiral Ham and Stuffing


Thurs, Nov. 15:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Yogurt with Blueberries
Lunch - 1 Small Slice Leftover BBQ Pizza, Leftover Mac n' Cheese, and Spinach Salad


Fri, Nov. 16: 
Breakfast - Coffee and Trail Mix
Lunch - Subway Melt Sub

Weekly Meal Plan: Weds, Nov. 14 - Tues, Nov. 21

Weds, Nov. 14:
Pork Sausage, Spinach, Mushroom and Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells

Also: shred the remaining Crock Pot Pork and put it into a bag with lemon juice, taco seasoning, and taco sauce and marinade in the refrigerator. Move split chicken breasts from freezer to fridge.


Thurs, Nov. 15:
Shredded Pork Fajita Nachos


Fri, Nov. 16:
Pizza and Garlic Cheese Bread, per my husband's request


Sat, Nov. 17:
Another week where we didn't go grocery shopping until Saturday. We still ate pretty Wednesday through Friday! For dinner Saturday we had:
Roast Split Chicken Breasts with Potatoes, Carrots, and Celery


Sun, Nov. 18:
Ham, Potato and Cheese Puff Pastry with Green Beans

Also make: extra Mashed Potatoes for Southwestern Stuffed Anaheim Peppers & Brownies out of the box.


Mon, Nov. 19:
Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Anaheim Peppers, Saffron Rice, and Salad
(Substitute Leftover Mashed Potatoes for Beans, mix Bacon into Filling, saute Onions and Leftover Green Beans into Rice)
Also make: flour tortillas stuffed with extra filling, rolled up, and baked 10 - 15 minutes.


Tues, Nov. 20:
Leftover Roast Chicken, Roast Sweet Potatoes, Scarlet Turnips, Butternut Squash, and Onions over Leftover Saffron Rice

Weekly Meal Plan: Weds, Nov. 7 - Tues, Nov. 13

Earlier in the week I was searching for something to make with my recently purchased lemon curd and Nutella, and I stumbled across this recipe for Lemon Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache. This sounded far too good to pass up, so I put the ingredients on my shopping list! Meanwhile, I continued dredging on because I was certain I could find a delicious recipe that used both Lemon Curd and Nutella, but alas the internet failed me. Instead I improvised and made some Mini Lemon-Nutella Puffs inspired by this recipe for Mini Nutella Puffs. They turned out mighty tasty!

I've also had a major hankering for K & W Cafeteria Mac and Cheese, so I found this recipe online and will absolutely positively be making this sometime this week!


Weds, Nov. 7:
We didn't make it to the grocery store until Saturday this week. Today we had to utilize stuff we had at home. We had:
Freezer Popcorn Chicken, Freezer Fries, and Roast Delicata Squash


Thurs, Nov. 8:
Fast Take-out Dinner before Family Birthday Outing :)


Fri, Nov. 9:
Pizza and Garlic Cheese Bread


Sat, Nov. 10:
We finally went grocery shopping! Thank goodness! For dinner we had:
Yakitori Chicken Skewers, Mac and Cheese, Green Salad, and French Bread

I also started the dough and prepped the filling for the Pumpkin Rolls, which I served to my husband, as well as my brother and my vegetarian parents when they came over Sunday morning.

My friend came over and we had a great time making:
Lemon Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache

Sun, Nov. 11:
My husband had a friend over today and he had dinner with us. I served:
Crockpot Roast Pork and Potatoes with Steamed Asparagus and French Bread


Mon, Nov. 12:
Asian Pork Noodle Sautee
With leftover Yakitori Chicken Skewers instead of Pork; Mushroom and Baby Corn instead of Broccoli.


Tues, Nov. 13:
BBQ Pork Pizza with Bell Pepper, Onion and Mushrooms, served with Green Salad
With leftover Crockpot Roast Pork.

Weekly Bag Breakfasts & Lunches: Mon, Nov. 5 - Fri, Nov. 9

Mon, Nov. 5:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Vanilla Yogurt with Pear Slices and/or Kellog's Kraze Chocolate Cereal
Lunch - Chicken Salad Sandwich, Hummus with Pita Chips, and a Tangerine

Tue, Nov. 6:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Mandarin Orange Cup
Lunch - Chicken Corn Chowder with BBQ Fritos


Wed, Nov. 7:
Breakfast - Coffee, Grapefruit
Lunch - Hummus with Pita Chips and a Pear


Thu, Nov. 8:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Oatmeal with Fresh Berries
Lunch - Chipotle Burrito Bowl

 
Fri, Nov. 9:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Kraze Chocolate Cereal
Lunch - Leftover Chipotle Burrito Bowl

Weekly Meal Plan: Weds, Oct. 31 - Tues, Nov. 6

This week we tried something completely new: we bought 2 rotisserie chickens instead of raw chicken. Rotisserie chickens were on sale for $4.99 at our grocery store, which was a better deal that an whole chicken or a 3-pack of split chicken breasts (which are the cuts I tend to buy). We did make one fatal error this week though; we accidentally left a bag of groceries at the store, and this bag included most of our vegetables. :( We ate out a few times, and I had fewer vegetables in these meals than I tend to have, but I think we made it through the week with some healthy and delicious meals!


Wed, Oct. 31:
BBQ Chicken Sandwiches with Steamed Green Beans and Buttered Turnips with Mixed Herbs


Thurs, Nov. 1:
Rotisserie Chicken and Stuffing


Fri, Nov. 2:
BBQ Chicken Pizza with Bell Peppers and Red Onion


Sat, Nov. 3:
Chinese Take-out


Sun, Nov. 4:
Thai Chicken and Bell Pepper Curry over Jasmine Rice

Also make: Chicken Corn Chowder and Chicken Salad (for lunch Mon.)


Mon, Nov. 5:
Modified Simple Squash Risotto (Substituted White Acorn Squash for Butternut, and Added Shredded Chicken Breast Meat)


Tues, Nov. 6:
Chicken Nachos with Yellow Rice

Weekly Bag Breakfasts & Lunches: Mon, Oct. 29 - Fri, Nov. 2

Mon, Oct. 29:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Strawberry Lemon Scone (from Whole Foods)
Lunch - Carrots, Pita Chips and Hummus with Cheddar Cheese Stick


Tues, Oct. 30:
Breakfast - Coffee and Raspberry Yogurt
Lunch - Pepper Ham and Colby Sandwich on Hawaiian Sweet Bread and a Cheddar Cheese Stick


Weds, Oct. 31:
Breakfast - Coffee and Kashi Chocolate Soft-baked Square
Lunch - Leftover Indian Chicken Jalfreezi with Garlic Naan Bread


Thurs, Nov. 1:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and
Lunch - Pita Chips, Bell Peppers and Hummus with Cheddar Cheese Stick and Flamin' Hot Munchies


Fri, Nov. 2:
Breakfast - Chai Tea and Strawberry Yogurt
Lunch - Chic-fil-A Chic-n-Strips Salad

Weekly Meal Plan: Weds, Oct. 24 - Tues, Oct. 30

Wed, Oct. 24:
Cheese & Roasted Garlic Stuffed Tortellini with Chicken Breast, Mushrooms & Parmesan


Thurs, Oct. 25:
Mexican Take-out (because the hubby was hungry & in a hurry once we left the grocery store!)


Fri, Oct. 26:
Brats and Beer Cheddar Chowder (I made a half recipe and added 2 russet potatoes to the soup) served with butter croissants


Sat, Oct. 27:
Roast Whole Chicken with Baked Potatoes and Green Beans


Sun, Oct. 28:
Chicken, Zucchini, Mushroom & Bell Pepper Jalfreezi with Naan bread


Mon, Oct. 29:
Chicken Fajitas with Chili Spiced Delicata Squash


Tues, Oct. 30:
Roast Split Chicken Breasts with Stuffed Turban Squash (I altered the amounts of bread crumbs and didn't include the brown sugar)

Made from Scratch Challenge!

So I recently came across a series of posts over at TheKitchn.com that discuss a question I have about many foods: make it from scratch, or buy it? I always prefer making from scratch because I like to know what is going into my foods as much as possible. Sometimes I feel like the "prep" part of my cooking takes a lot longer than traditional recipes suggest, but to me it's worth it.

Over at TheKitchn they discussed several items, and I dug through them for some items I've rarely (or never) attempted to make, which they suggested be made from scratch. I'm going to attempt to make each of these items, and I'll report my success and tips in future posts. The things I will be making from scratch includes:


Pie Crust
I'll admit I've made pie crust before. I especially love Martha Stewart's Cheese Short Crust. However, I've only ever used it to make her Cherry Tomato, Bocconcini, and Zucchini Pie (hint: Bocconcini is basically fresh mozzarella, I had to google it the first time I made the pie!). I've also purchased my fair share of Pillsbury's frozen Deep Dish Pie Crust. It works just fine for my pies and quiches, and (despite what TheKitchn says is typical for frozen pie crusts) I don't find it to be crumbly. I'm excited to make my own pie crusts to freeze for more regular use, because they will take up less space in my freezer and be tastier than purchased crusts! To be honest, I don't even have a pie pan, so before I start baking the crusts I'll have to purchase one!


Pasta
Now this is something I've never made, but have always thought would be fun to do. It does, however, seem incredibly labor intensive. To make matters worse I don't have any of the fancy pasta-making tools like a roller machine, so I'll be rolling mine out with a rolling pin. Because of this I will likely make a pasta that is typically left a bit thicker than usual. It will still be fun to try fresh pasta, which I've never eaten or made, but I'll leave this for a time when I can devote a couple of hours to making the pasta and cleaning up all the flour from rolling it out!


Sandwich Bread
I have attempted to make bread before, and I have terrible luck getting dough to rise. I've considered buying a bread machine simply because I've had such poor luck with making bread from scratch, and the taste of fresh bread is just unbeatable! When I was a child my mother would take my brother and I shopping with her, and we would always stop by a fancy international import store for my parents coffee. My mother would let my brother and I each select one item that was less than $1 to have for ourselves. My brother almost always selected a gorgeous and delectable chocolate truffle, and without fail I would always get a fresh warm mini baguette. The bread isle is still my favorite place in the grocery store; it just smells delicious to me! I'm going to attempt the no-knead recipe suggested by TheKitchn and see if I'm successful, but if not I'll be keeping my eye out for a bread machine!


Beans
I've made lentils from scratch, does that count? Probably not. My family almost always uses canned beans, but my mother will occasionally whip out her pressure cooker and make a batch from scratch. I've never tried, and I've never seen them made in a pot. I'll likely give that or the slow-cooker method a try.


Cheesecake
Cheesecake is something I've never attempted to make myself in any fashion, not even the store bought mix. I have chocolate graham crackers in my pantry, and a fairly steady supply of fresh eggs right now, so I'm excited to make and try a homemade cheesecake. Though I've gotta get a pie pan before I start this as well.


Ketchup
I've never considered making ketchup from scratch. It's just one of those things that you just buy, you know? I'm also not crazy about the fact that the ingredient list includes canned pureed tomatoes. It almost seems like cheating. I think that making ketchup from scratch when you're overrun with fresh farm tomatoes in the summer sounds like a fabulous plan, though. It make take me until next summer to attempt this one, but this winter when I'm selecting and purchasing my seeds (from the Seed Savers Exchange) I'll be keeping this in mind! 


Cake
I've made cake from scratch before with fairly decent success, but I certainly haven't mastered the skill. My supervisor at work makes the most amazingly beautiful and tasty cakes for people's birthdays, and I'm talking seriously amazing cakes here people! For my birthday last year she made a chocolate cake with raspberry compote filling and chocolate frosting. She's also made cakes with cheesecake inside, chocolate ganache dripped over the top, and she makes an amazing coconut tres leches cake! While I tend to make cakes from a box, I always make butter cream frosting from scratch. It will be fun to try making a rich and moist cake from scratch to go with the homemade frosting!

Weekly Meal Plan: Weds, Oct. 17 - Tues, Oct. 23

Wed, Oct. 17:
General Tso's Chicken over Rice with Cabbage & Pork Dumplings
 
Also make: remainder of sausage links and sub for bacon in Make Ahead Muffin Melts
  

Thurs, Oct. 18:
Pizza! Garlic cheese bread! One of our friends is visiting from the mountains, so we went with something that was fast, easy, and liked by all!


 Fri, Oct. 19:
Beer Crockpot Chicken (I used split chicken breasts & cooked on high for minutes); Roast Acorn Squash, Russet Potatoes, Carrots, Leeks, Onions, Garlic Cloves, and

Also make: Roasted Vegetable Soup and Herb Dumplings from the leftover roast veggies (roast extra for this) and pack for lunches, freeze, or eat for dinner another day!

I also made Pear Banana Bread, but I made a half recipe and subbed brown sugar for the white sugar, poured it into a 9" round cake pan, baked for ~25 minutes, and topped with powdered sugar once it was cool.


Sat, Oct. 20:
I ate the Roasted Vegetable Soup with Herb Dumplings, while my husband and friends ate pizza!


Sun, Oct. 21:
Chicken, Peppers & Cheese Enchiladas with Spicy Yellow Rice


Mon, Oct. 22:
It was a long day, so we ate take-out


Tues, Oct. 23:
Leftover Enchiladas with Chips & Queso Dip


Grocery Sale Items Purchased:
English muffins
Ocean Spray 100% Juice cranberry juice
canned diced tomatoes
HT Cheddar
Daisy Sour cream
Cheetos
Split chicken breasts
Grilling Brats
Bacon
Cantaloupe
Pears
Cucumber
Winter squash
Bell Pepper
Mushroom
Zucchini
Red onion

Chicken Fajitas with Avocado Corn Salad

Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4 - 6

 Ingredients:
2 marinated boneless skinless chicken thighs (I purchase these pre-done at my grocery store, but you could easily prepare your own marinade or purchase a bottled marinade and do this step yourself the night before you make this meal)
1 large onion, 1/3 cup chopped and the remainder sliced
1 bell pepper (I used green), in 1/4 inch slices
1 teaspoon taco seasoning
oz sharp cheddar
fajita size flour tortillas
1 oz can pinto beans
1/4 jalapeno, minced OR 1/2 can mild green chilis (depending on your spiciness preference)
1 package saffron rice (I used Mahatma), cooked according to package directions


1 ear of corn, grilled
1 avocado, chopped
2 small or 1 large garden tomato, chopped (fresh good tomatoes are key here - visit your farmer's market!)
2 tablespoons red onion, minced
1 tablespoon cilantro, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon mayonaise
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper


Directions:
Preheat your outdoor grill to medium high heat. Place marinated chicken thighs on grill to receive medium high indirect heat. Grill, turning a few times, until internal temperature reads 175F. While the chicken is cooking place corn ears over direct heat and grill, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes or until husks are charred. Let corn rest 5 minutes, and then shuck corn and set aside to cool.

Melt a scant tablespoon butter in a sauce pan, and saute chopped onion for 3 - 5 minutes. Add jalapeno and saute about 30 seconds. Add pinto beans (including the juice) and stir well. Cook for 5 minutes or until warm and bubbling. Mash beans with a potato masher or fork.

In a saute pan melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium high heat. Add sliced onion, taco seasoning, and saute for 3 - 5 minutes. Add bell pepper, and stir well. Saute another 2 - 3 minutes, or until bottom of peppers begins to brown. Stir well, trying to flip most of the pepper pieces over, and brown the other side for an additional 2 minutes.

With a sharp knife and over a large bowl with high sides slice corn kernels off grilled corn. Turn the knife around and scrape the dull side down the corn cob to remove the pulpy creamy goodness hidden within. Add avocado, tomato, red onion, cilantro, sour cream, and mayonnaise to corn, and stir well to combine. Sprinkle with salt and pepper

Assemble fajitas with refried beans, grilled chicken, Avocado Corn Salad, and cheddar. Serve with Mexican rice.

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Prep time: 10 - 15 minutes | Cook time: 8 - 10 minutes | Servings: 2

Ingredients:
1 - 1 1/2 cups Shredded Rotisserie or Leftover Roast Chicken
2 tablespoons bbq sauce of choice
1 tablespoon minced onion
Sharp Cheddar, sliced
Lettuce or slaw
Kaiser Rolls or Hamburger Buns or Tortillas


Directions:
Combine chicken, bbq sauce, and onion in a medium size bowl and microwave until warm, or combine in a saucepan and warm over low-medium heat.

Pile chicken onto bun, and top with cheddar and lettuce or slaw.

If using tortillas spread chicken into the center of the tortilla making a horizontal line, top with cheddar & lettuce or slaw. Fold in both sides, fold the bottom up, and then roll the tortilla closed.

Weekly Meal Plan: Weds, Oct. 10 - Tues, Oct. 16

Weds, Oct. 10:
Split Chicken Breasts roasted with Potatoes, Onions, Carrots, and Celery; served up with Stovetop Stuffing


Thurs, Oct. 11:
Chicken, Bell Pepper, Onion & Cheese Enchiladas with Yellow Rice and Fresh Avocado Slices 


Fri, Oct. 12:
Chicken with mustard cream sauce (with Mushrooms & Onions), Green Salad and Buttered French bread


Sat, Oct. 13:
Oven BBQ Pork Chops with Parmesan Roasted Butternut Squash and Stovetop Stuffing


Sun, Oct. 14:
Andouille Sausage Jambalaya (minus the shrimp as I didn't have any, and with cheddar added) with Sweet Steamed Baby Carrots


Mon, Oct. 15:
Chicken, Mushrooms, Zucchini, and Onions Jalfreizi over Jasmine rice with Naan bread.


Tue, Oct. 16:
BBQ Chicken Pizza with Mushrooms & Bell Pepper



Grocery Sale Items Purchased:
Split Chicken Breasts
Pears
Potatoes
Avocado
Winter Squash
Bell Pepper
Green Onion
Baby Carrots
Mushrooms
Romain Hearts
Parmesan
Ice Cream
Indian Sauce
Buitoni Pasta (pre-filled refrigerated tortellinis)
Pasta sauce

Autumn Potluck Recipes

We are having a work potluck soon, and I wanted to pick two items that would be both seasonal and frugal. The first dish I chose was something my friend Chelsea told me I just had to try, and I have made it several times and gotten great reviews from my husband and other dinner guests we've had. It's a butternut squash dish that is lovely and savory rather than sweet and pumpkin-pie spiced. I highly recommend you try Epicurious's Parmesan Roasted Butternut Squash.

The other item I chose is something I had never made before, so this past weekend I gave it a test run. I made a half recipe of TheKitchn's Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats for my test run, and I'm not sure if that influenced the amount of time the mixture should have cooled. By the time I added the additional marshmallows the mixture was so cooled the marshmallows didn't melt at all. I think I'll mix them all in at the same time next time, as I'm not a big fan of whole marshmallows in my rice krispies treats. Also stirring in the rice krispies to the cooled marshmallow mixture was extremely difficult, and I think it would have been easier to mix them all together before the mixture was room temperature (possibly lukewarm instead?). I'll try that and hope that my rice krispies treats aren't soggy (as the recipe states they may be if I combine the ingredients prematurely). The overall flavor was great, and the pumpkin taste was delicious! I must say I'm not exactly disappointed that I'll be trying a second test run before giving them away! I'll write an update once I've created the second batch.

Weekly Meal Plan: Weds, Oct. 3 - Tues, Oct. 9

We didn't make it to the grocery store this Wednesday, and did a lot of eating out because we were going on vacation this weekend. We got back Sunday and ordered a pizza for dinner :) I had made a meal plan for this week, but since we didn't go to the store I used a lot of the same meal ideas for the next week.

Sat, Oct. 6th:
Eat out while on family vacation :)


Sun, Oct. 7th:
Pizza!


Mon, Oct. 8th:
Bacon & Mushroom Pasta with Green Salad


Tues, Oct. 9th:
Tomato Basil Chicken Meatballs with Sauteed Onion and Bell Pepper Sauce over Shells Pasta.

Weekly Meal Plan: Weds, Sept. 26 - Tues, Oct. 2

Weds, Sept. 26:
Chicken Fajitas with Avocado Corn Salad

Extra Prep:
While chopping bell pepper & onion, chop extra for Thurs to save time tomorrow!

Thurs, Sept. 27:
An Altered Version of Frito Chili Pie that used pork sausage, bell pepper, and mushrooms!

Extra Prep:
Halve and scoop out spaghetti squash. Brush with olive oil & sprinkle with garlic salt. Cover with Saran wrap.
Optional Prep: Dice onions, carrots, garlic, ginger, or apricots to save even more time Friday.

Fri, Sept. 28:
Chickin Tagine with Apricots, Almonds & Chickpeas and Moroccan Spiced Spaghetti Squash

Sat, Sept. 29:
Roast Chicken with Herb Butter and Roasted Acorn Squash with Chile Vinaigrette

Tip: Have a late brunch, and make this early afternoon for afternoon & evening grazing. No need to make 3 different meals if you don't want to!

Sun, Sept. 30:
Family Birthday Dinner at the In-laws :)

Mon, Oct. 1:
BBQ Chicken Sandwiches with Cilantro Jalapeno Slaw & Freezer Fries

Tues, Oct. 2:
Easy Indian Chicken Curry and Dal Palak with Naan & Basmati Rice

Easy Parmesan Garlic Biscuits

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 8 - 10 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients:
1 cup Bisquick
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup finely shredded Parmesan
1 T butter, plus more for serving
1/4t roasted garlic powder (more or less depending on your preference)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 450F.

Combine 1 cup Bisquick with 1/3 cup milk and mix well. Add Parmesan and stir to combine. Roll dough into ping pong sized balls, flatten between your palms, and place on a foil lined cookie sheet. Mix 1T butter with garlic powder (I recommend Archer Farms Roasted Garlic Powder) and spread on top of biscuits. Bake in the oven for 8 - 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Note: If you buy Parmesan that's "shredded" you'll want to add it to a food processor, blender, or coffee grinder for about 15 - 30 seconds. If you don't have any of those a knife works fine too!

Link: Awesome General Tso's Chicken Recipe!

Check out this recipe for General Tso's Chicken by Mama's Kitchen over on Food.com. The sauce cooks up just like what you would get from a restaurant. After my first meal with it I immediately wanted to try different variations (add sriracha? ginger? sub ponzu for some of the soy sauce?). There's so many options to make this sauce exactly what you want it to be. Oh, and I would saute a little chopped bell pepper and onion into the meal for some veggies (and color!).

Meatballs Eggplant Parmesan

Prep time: 1 hour | Cook time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4 - 6

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup beer
1 medium or 2 small eggplant
1/2 lb. pasta of your choice
1 package Al Fresco Tomato Basil Meatballs (or your choice)
1/2 jar Classico Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce (or your choice)
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2T red wine (optional)
olive oil
canola oil
salt
pepper


Directions:
Combine 1 cup flour with 1 cup beer and whisk until smooth. Set aside for 1 hour.

Place eggplant slices into a colander nestled over a  bowl, and salt well. (Don't worry, you'll rinse this salt off later) Let sit for 30 minutes, then rinse your eggplant and set aside.


Heat 1/2T olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat, and add meatballs. Mix to coat with oil, and fry a few minutes stirring often.

Fill a large pot with water, add salt and oil and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain well, combine with 2t olive oil and set aside.

When meatballs are browned, remove to a plate and set aside. Add 2t olive oil and onion, and saute a few minutes. When onions become translucent add garlic, stir to combine, and saute another minute. Add wine Reduce heat to simmer and add tomato sauce, being careful to avoid splatter. Return meatballs to the pan and mix to coat. Simmer.

Fill a large pot with 1.5 - 2" oil (I use canola) and heat over medium high. Dredge eggplant in 1/2 cup flour mixed with salt and pepper. Coat eggplant with batter and, when the oil is hot, add a few pieces being careful not to crowd them. Fry until golden brown, flipping once half way through cooking.

Place pasta on plate, top with meatballs and sauce, and top that with a few slices of eggplant.

Note: To complete the meal serve with my parmesan garlic biscuits or garlic bread of your very own, and a fresh green salad (Caesar salad would be fantastic).

Inspiration for beer battered eggplant came from Maple Spice, check 'em out!

Chicken Mushroom Mac

Prep time: 20 to 45 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes to 1 hour | Servings: 4 - 6

Ingredients:
1/4 - 1/3 lb pasta, cooked & drained (leftover pasta works great for this!)
8oz sharp cheddar
1/2 cup ricotta
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1/4 teaspoon season salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
 dash cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion, diced
4 medium button mushrooms, sliced
1 cooked chicken breast, chopped into bite size pieces (I deboned a leftover roast chicken breast, and reserved the bones for stock)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a medium sized casserole dish.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium high heat. Saute onion until translucent. Add mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes, or until starting to brown, stirring frequently.

While the mushrooms saute combine ricotta, dried mustard, season salt, pepper, and cayenne in a small bowl. Add milk and stir well.

Reserve 1/4 - 1/3 cup grated cheddar. Combine the rest of the grated cheddar, ricotta mixture, cooked pasta, mushroom mixture, and chicken. Pour into greased casserole dish and gently press down. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove foil and mix well (be sure to stir this gently, as it will be hot!). Top with reserved grated cheddar, and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.

Note: Prep and cook times vary depending on whether you have prepared chicken and pasta on hand. I would recommend this recipe for a weeknight when you've already got leftover cooked chicken in the oven and just want to snaz it up for a fast dinner. Cooking the pasta the day of is easy to do, just set the pot on to boil before you begin to heat the butter for the onions.

If you are cooking your chicken the day of several methods work. Poached chicken would probably be the best, roast chicken is a favorite of mine, and even a sauteed boneless breast would work great in this recipe!

Inspiration recipe found over at Smitten Kitchen, under Easiest Baked Mac-and-Cheese