Tuesday, January 30, 2018

What's For Dinner #5

I sure haven't listed a lot of green vegetables on here! I don't love many vegetables on their own, so I try to incorporate them into the meal. But, I always keep on hand bags of frozen vegetables that my daughter likes and will heat up a small portion of thse for her each night. She also loves cold carrots and cucumbers (without Ranch) and eats those as her veggie or a big helping with her snack and then skips the extra veggie at dinner.

This week's meals include:

Meal #1
Pulled Pork over Mac and Cheese

I always have pork tenderloin on hand. You can buy them in a four pack for around $20 at Costco or Sams and I just divide them into quart baggies and freeze them. We make sandwiches with them or I love it over mac and cheese. I have leftover mac and cheese from my favorite recipe in the fridge, so we'll be having it with that this time around. This recipes makes a ton- so I half it and we still eat it twice!

Meal #2
Chicken Pot Pie

I'm trying this one for the first time. I love that it uses rotisserie chicken and that it makes two. Perfect for the freezer when we have a busy week.

This is also the perfect hide all the vegetables meal! I love pot pie and have a number of recipes I like. If you haven't had this Turkey Pot Pie, you must change that. It is so so good!

Meal #3
Baked Penne with Garlic Bread

I am using my favorite Pioneer Woman's spaghetti sauce for the penne. I just thaw the portion I had frozen perviously and then stir it in with boiled penne noodles and some mozzarella cheese and bake it until warm and gooey. It is super simple meal for homework night!

We are also having leftovers one night and dinner out because it is girls weekend! Hooray for a fun friend filled time!


Monday, January 22, 2018

What's for Dinner #4

This week is really simple meals and most everything came from my Trader Joe's run. I have found a few staple items from them that I love, so about once every 4-6 weeks we have a TJ week of simple meals. This week involves sickness, travel and a few late afternoons so it was the perfect TJ week.

Meal #1
Chicken Nachos with Homemade Charro Beans
Simple cheese qusadillas

I like making this buffet style and everyone can pile on what they want. We used the shredded chicken I had frozen last week from chicken tacos and added cheese, beans, and pico de gallo. You can add as many toppings as you want- cilantro, guacamole, sour cream.

Homemade Charro Beans
When my Mom comes to visit, she always makes us a big pot of beans and we freeze them in family size side portions. I love her beans, but she hasn't been able to visit recently so I asked my chef friend Kristin for a charro bean recipe. Hers are excellent also and I cooked them all day Sunday.

Bag of Pinto Beans
1 finely chopped onion
3T garlic (I used Dorat frozen cubes of garlic)
pinch of salt
2T tomato paste
32 oz. chicken stock
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 bunch cilantro
1t cumin
1t salt
1/2t pepper
1t chili powder

Soak a bag of pinto beans in water for 4-6 hours. I dumped these in water before leaving for church and they were ready by mid-afternoon.

In a large pot, saute  onion, garlic and a little salt.

Add tomato paste, stir and cook for 2-3 minutes to soften the paste and spread it through the onion mix. Add chicken stock and diced tomatoes. Stir well.

Add beans, cilantro, cumin, salt, pepper, chili powder.

Cook on low for 4-6 hours or in crockpot on low for 6-8 hours. Stir about every 30 minutes and add water if needed.

Meal #2
TJ Grilled Chicken Sausage
TJ frozen Mac & Cheese Balls
Sauteed brussel sprouts- I like that these are prepped and ready to throw in the pan! We like to mix them with chopped nuts and dried cranberries.



















Meal #3
TJ fresh Beef Ravioli
Green salad
Garlic toast

This is Abby's favorite, so I always get it when I am there!

Meal #4
Brisket Sliders
Baked Potatoes

Making brisket takes forever and usually costs too much or makes too much for us. I will often make my own sides and have Marcus get a 1/2 pound from the local BBQ place on the way home. I thought I'd try this one from TJ this week. It was reasonably priced and will be great on buns or on top of the baked potatoes.


Meal #5
Asian night :)
Frozen vegetable fried rice
Potstickers
Edamame

I love love love Trader Joe's fried rice! You just throw it in the skillet and toss until warm. Combined with frozen potstickers and edamame and you have an easy Asian night!


This isn't a healthy week at all, but it should give you some easy frozen options to stock up on from Trader Joes. 

While you are there, get these. They are my favorite! They taste like a garlic and paprika version of cheddar goldfish. Yummy!




Saturday, January 13, 2018

What's For Dinner #3

Here are four dinners we plan to eat this week!

Dinner #1
Shredded Chicken Soft Tacos
Chips and Guacamole
Frozen Veggie

Shredded chicken is so easy in the crockpot. Put 2-3 breasts in the crockpot with a jar of cheap salsa and cook on low for 4 hours. It will easily shred with a fork or you can put it in your Kitchenaid mixer with the paddle attachment and shred is easily. I love to double up recipes like this and freeze the shredded chicken for another meal.

Dinner #2
Cheeseburger Pie
Tater Tots
thawed bag of Peaches

This is Abby's very favorite dish that I make :)

Dinner #3
Creamy Tomato Soup
Beer Bread (mix from Trader Joe's)

I've never made this soup before but I love the ingredients in it, so I had to give it a try. We love cheese tortellini in soup!

Dinner #4
Easy Slow Cooker Ribs
Euna Mae's Mac and Cheese
Frozen Veggie

These ribs are high on Marcus' list of favorite things I make. I don't eat meat on a bone, so he breaks mine apart and I just have a yummy stack of BBQ! The mac and cheese recipe is my favorite! I half it and it makes the perfect 8x8 for our family to eat on twice. The full recipe has been taken to many a potluck and always comes home empty!

Friday, January 5, 2018

What's for Dinner #2

Thank you all for the positive feedback on the new dinner series! It's always fun to peek inside other people's lives and I'm happy to share our menu. If you have a favorite go-to dinner, please share with me so I can try it too!

I normally shop on Fridays, so this week's post is for Sunday-Thursday.

Sunday
Easy packaged mashed potatoes

This recipe isn't hard, but makes me feel like a successful cook! I totally recommend it for a Sunday dinner when you are home for a long cooking meal.

Monday
bread

Abby is over soup and rolls her eyes when I tell her it is for dinner and yet she loves baked potatoes so I'm going to win her over with this one. I haven't made it before, but the list of ingredients sold me!

Tuesday
Pork Tenderloin with Hollandaise sauce (just the Knorr packet)
Trader Joe's frozen gnocchi in marinara
Green Beans

I made this tenderloin a couple of times per month. I make it for dinner guests, parties, meals for others and even had it for Christmas Eve this year. It is easy and you can't go wrong with it!

1 pork tenderloin (I buy the 4 pack at Sam's and then baggie them individually in the freezer)
Oregano
Basil
Morton's Seasoning Blend (yellow bottle- mix of salt, pepper, garlic powder)

Cover pork tenderloin in three spices. Really coat it, sprinkle it all over. Bake on cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes at 350. We usually slice it thick around 20 minutes and let it finish up. Serve with Knorr packet of hollandiase sauce. 


Wednesday
Can of Charro Beans
Frozen Spanish Rice

I made these enchiladas a few weeks ago and froze half of them, so I get to just pop them in the oven this time around. I freeze dishes all the time. I don't like leftovers as in eat the same meal twice after it sits in the fridge, but I like making a 13x9 dish in two 8x8 dishes and cooking one and freezing the other.

Thursday
It is brinner night! I love breakfast but we don't get to do it in the mornings often, so tonight it is!
Scrambled Eggs
Bacon

I like dishes like this because you can reheat it for breakfast on Saturday morning!


Tuesday, January 2, 2018

What's for Dinner #1

I have had some requests recently to bring back the blog from personal friends looking for new meal ideas. I'll be honest, I need meal ideas sometimes too and thought it would be nice to be able to jump back on the blog when meal planning and have a list of our favorites to pick from.

I hope to find time to do this regularly and will be sure to update on the blog's Facebook page when I post so you'll see it and can meal plan using some of our family favorites.

Monday
Baked Chicken 
Frozen Peas


Tuesday
JW Marriott Cornbread

I had this cornbread at a hotel recently and it was the best- ever! The chef wrote down the recipe for me. It is the perfect sweet cornbread!

1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 t baking soda
1 c cornmeal
1 c all purpose flour
1/2 t kosher salt

Preheat over to 375 and grease baking pan. Melt butter in skillet, remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add the eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir mixture into pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour and salt and blend until it isn't lumpy. Pour batter into baking pan and bake for 30-40 minutes.

*This makes a ton of chili and we normally eat half and freeze half; however, this time around we are taking a meal to a friend. It is perfect for sharing!

Wednesday
EASY DINNER NIGHT! Whenever I need a quick and easy dinner night (normally on Tuesday when Abby is in dance), I rely on Trader Joe's meals. We plan to have either their beef ravioli with salad or frozen Mandarin chicken, fried rice and edamame.

Thursday
Frozen Garlic Bread
Fresh Green Beans

This recipe includes 5 pounds of beef, so it makes a TON! I make it on a Sunday afternoon when we are home and then freeze it in quart sized baggies. I can typically get 6 dinners from this sauce. I will use it for spaghetti, baked penne, lasagna. It works for it all and is super tasty.

Friday
No Peek Beef Tips with Rice

2 lb cubed stew meat
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1  packet brown gravy mix
1  packet lipton dry onion soup mix
4 oz can mushrooms (I leave these out!)
1 cup water  

Add cubed meat to a 9 x 13 inch pan. In a large bowl mix the remaining ingredients together and pour over the meat. Add mushrooms and stir to coat. Cover with foil and bake at 300 degrees for 3 Hours. Do not remove foil until done. Serve over rice, mashed potatoes or egg noodles. Servings 6-8

Extra
Our babysitter made these for us once and now they are a favorite!