#1: Hawaiian Roll Sandwiches with Turkey and Muenster, Fruit of Choice
#2: Lemon Pepper Chicken, Braised Green Beans, Fruit of Choice
#3: Hamburgers, Sweet Potato Fries, Fruit of Choice
#4: Romaine Salad with Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Shredded Carrot, Turkey, and Cheese
#5: Breakfast for Dinner (Pancakes or Waffles, Eggs, Fruit of Choice)
#6: Leftovers
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Find more inspiring dinner menus at I’m An Organizing Junkie.
Filed under: Uncategorized
We have decided recently to start taking measures to make our lives healthier. I’m trying some new recipes this week (without meat!) that we could start incorporating as healthier substitutes to what we usually eat. The menu is shorter this week because on Friday, we are taking off to Texas so Katie can meet our family!
#1: Chile Cornmeal Crusted Catfish, Coleslaw (are there enough Cs in this meal?)
#2: Chicken Breast, Green Beans
#3: Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes, Basil, Feta, and Kalamata Olives, Green Salad
#4: Omelets with Sundried Tomatoes, Spinach, Red Bell Pepper, and Parmesan
#5: Chinese Takeout!
After a long hiatus, I hope to be coming back (if not at least to give ideas for menu planning)! I had my daughter Katie just over two months ago, and now more than ever we’re trying to save money! Menu planning is definitely helping us with that.
1: One Pot Mac & Cheese, Green Salad
2: Tuna Melts, Chips
3: Taco Soup
4: Raspberry Dump Chicken, Green Beans
5: Garlic Butter Shrimp, Orzo Salad with Parsley and Grape Tomatoes
6: Pizza Pretzels with Marinara, Green Salad
7: Beef Enchiladas, Refried Beans, Chips & Guacamole
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Find more fascinating menus at I’m an Organizing Junkie.
Nothing too special being made this week, although I’m excited to try a copycat of Panera’s Broccoli-Cheese soup from this book.
Sunday: Shake n Bake Chicken, Macaroni & Cheese, Steamed Broccoli
Monday: Hawaiian Rolls with Cracked Pepper Turkey, Panera’s Broccoli-Cheese Soup
Tuesday: Spaghetti with Meatsauce, Breadsticks
Wednesday: Baked Potatoes, Salad
Thursday: Taco Soup
Friday: Breakfast for Dinner (Biscuits, Scrambled Eggs, Grapes)
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Find much more inspiring (:-p) menus this week at I’m an Organizing Junkie.
PDFFiled under: Uncategorized
I’ve been looking for a way to cook salmon that wouldn’t be too hard to throw together. Fortunately, the Kraft Foods website provided me with a recipe for which I had everything on hand, except the fish! This was super easy and not surprisingly, delicious! The flavor of the mustard really compliments the stronger salmon flavor.
Easy Crusted Salmon (from KraftFoods.com) My notes in red!!
- 2 tablespoons Grey Poupon Country Dijon Mustard Oops! I accidentally used 2 teaspoons, and my mixture came out rather unspreadable.
- 8 RITZ Crackers, crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 2 salmon fillets (1/2 lb.) I used skinless salmon, and it came out beautifully!
- Heat oven to 400°F. Mix mustard, cracker crumbs, and thyme.
- Place fish, skin side down, on foil-covered baking sheet; spread with mustard mixture.
- Bake 10 min. or until fish flakes easily with fork. 10 minutes was not nearly enough time for my fillets. I used the rule to cook the fillets 15 minutes for every inch of thickness (mine were roughly 1″ thick) and this worked nicely.
I don’t know why we call these by this name. They’re not exactly cheap. But that is what we call them, and they’re great for a night when you want something really snacky/easy.
Poor Man’s Nachos
- Bag of Tostito’s Mini Rounds
- 1-2 cans Fritos Bean Dip
- 1 bag Shredded Mexican Cheese
- Spread chips out over microwave-safe plate.
- With back of spoon, spread bean dip over each chip. Be liberal!!!
- Sprinkle shredded cheese over chips–however much you want is fine!
- Microwave 45-60 seconds, or until cheese is melted and chips are warmed through.
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I never claimed to be healthy! And these definitely aren’t! Phil has apparently eaten these for years and introduced them to me when we got married. They’re great for a night when I get off late (which fortunately doesn’t happen often anymore), or if we’re just pooped after a long day.
This week, I’m trying to clean out my freezer–I have TONS of things in there. Basically, the only meal I have to really buy the main things for are the meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Fortunately for me, my favorite meatloaf is one that I don’t even have to do anything fun with. My favorite meatloaf is the Hormel brand that you just pop in the microwave. I would rather have this any day over a homemade meatloaf. I think it has to do with texture (I like the taste of almost everything–I have to fight with not liking a food because of texture constantly).
Sunday: Cheeseburgers, Fries
Monday: Grilled Cheese, Chips
Tuesday: Taco Soup, Chips and Salsa
Wednesday: Shake N Bake Chicken, Green Beans
Thursday: Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes
Friday: Easy Crusted Salmon, Steamed Broccoli, Wheat Roll
Filed under: Uncategorized
Hey everyone! I want to try something new with the blog that would allow you to print a recipe or menu (and maybe even grocery lists on down the road) with ease. I’ve uploaded my Parmesan Risotto recipe to Scribd and linked to it into this post. I would love to embed it; however, it clutters up the blog, so until Apture is compatible with WordPress.com, I will have to just link for now. I would love your feedback so I can see if this is something that people would use.
Printable Version of Parmesan Risotto for Two
Filed under: Weekly Menu
Not too much fun stuff being cooked this week. We are prepping for a trip to San Antonio to see Phil’s family this weekend, so I decided to keep it simple and easy (with the exception of Wednesday night–Risotto = yum!).
Monday: Grilled Cheese, Chips, Grapes
Tuesday: French Bread Pizza (on sale this week!), Salad
Wednesday: Parmesan Risotto for Two, Salad
Thursday – Saturday: Who knows! All I know is we’ll be eating some goooooood Mexican food (and hopefully some BBQ too)!
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See more menus over at I’m an Organizing Junkie.
I *love* watching Hell’s Kitchen on Tuesday nights. I love the intensity in the kitchen, and then tension I feel when one of the chefs has to bring something (especially a risotto) up for service. Will it be well seasoned? Will Chef Ramsay throw the whole pan in the trash? It’s always a close call, and you can almost never tell which he is going to lean.
Because of this, many people I know (ahem, Krista!) have been discouraged from trying risotto, including myself. I decided to bite the bullet, however, and I’m so glad I did! I certainly didn’t expect it to come out well the first time, but lo and behold, I had a wonderful creamy, parmesan-y risotto in my bowl when I was finished.
I didn’t follow a certain recipe, just gathered tons of information from various readings about risotto. So, another recipe all my own! In fact, this is the first time (ever!) that I have cooked off the top of my head, just going by what I know. A major triumph in the kitchen today.
Okay, okay, on with it!!!
Parmesan Risotto for Two
Ingredients:
- 1 32-ounce box chicken broth
- 1-2 tablespoons Extra Virgin olive oil
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- Salt & pepper
- Parsley (fresh or dried)
Directions:
- Warm the chicken broth in a 2-3 quart saucepan over medium heat. In a medium sized sauté pan, heat the olive oil on medium. Sauté onion and garlic until onion is nearly translucent, 4-5 minutes.
- Add the rice and stir to coat. Toast the rice for 2-3 minutes until you can hear the grains clicking against each other. The rice should not be browned. Pour in the water while stirring, and let the rice absorb all liquid.
- Turn the heat under the rice mixture to medium-high. Ladle the broth into the rice until the rice is covered. Stir frequently (but not constantly) until the rice has absorbed the moisture.
- When the rice does not immediately come back together as you stir, add more broth to cover. Again, stir until the rice has absorbed the liquid. The rice should start to look creamy around this time.
- Add more broth as needed, tasting as you go to determine whether the rice is cooked through. The rice should be al dente–firm but not crunchy. This process should take 15-20 minutes from the time you add the water.
- Take the sauté pan off the heat, and add the two tablespoons of butter, stirring to incorporate. Add the parmesan, once again stirring until thoroughly mixed. Add salt & pepper, if needed.
- Garnish with parsley.
The Yummy Side of Life... 