Meal Planning 101

Let's Keep In Touch

2013-05-05T17:05:00.001-06:00

I'm sure most of you know by now, but there will be no more Google Reader by July 1st. That made me so sad because I subscribe to all of the blogs I read in Google Reader! Since it will soon be gone by the wayside, those of us still using it need to go elsewhere.

Blog Lovin' is a blog reader and they have a handy little button that imports all your subscribed blogs from Google Reader for you! It was super easy and took less than a minute. To stay up to date with Meal Planning 101, I suggest you follow my blog with Bloglovin.

Feedly is another blog reader and will also import your blogs from Google Reader. After trying both, I think I liked feedly better. It was the most like Google Reader and the easier of the two to get used to. But it's up to you!

If blog readers aren't your thing, here are some more ways for us to keep in touch:

Pinterest

I pin all my new recipes on my Pinterest board Meal Planning 101 so you can follow me there. I also post lots of other food that is inspiring me, recipes that I tried and liked, my meal plan links, and any recipes I'm using that week in my meal plan. Here's the link to my boards to check them all out!

Facebook

Meal Planning 101 has it's own facebook page updated when new posts go up or when I have interesting pics or statuses to post.

Twitter

If facebook isn't your thing, I am also on Twitter.

Instagram

While I hardly ever post anything food related, if you are interested in following me on Instagram my user name is kindrabirss.

So lets keep in touch! I promise I'll post more things on the blog very soon ;)

Butter Chicken (my slow cooker version adapted for the stove top)

2013-04-03T13:50:00.000-06:00

Oh my gosh, this is such a long overdue post! I've been meaning to add this as well as update the terrible butter chicken photos I had before but it has truly taken me forever and a day to do it. But now I have! Yay me.

My Slow Cooker Butter Chicken recipe has become the second most popular recipe on my blog (coming in behind Slow Cooker Tikka Masala). I think the reason is that it's so easy to just chuck everything into the crockpot and be done with it and the other reason is that its so dang delicious!

But what happens when the slow cooker no longer becomes convenient? What if you plan on making this recipe for dinner or for company and you forget to get it in the slow cooker in the morning? (Not that I've done this a dozen times or anything). Nope, there's no reason to make something else, just cook it on the stove top!

I find myself using this method quite a lot since I sometimes forget to get my act together and get it in the slow cooker in the morning. This will take an hour or two to simmer as opposed to 4-8 hours in the crockpot, so if you find yourself short on time, try this.

Recipe adapted from Lisa Kremer

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Serves 4

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp oil

1 lb boneless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

15 green cardamom pods (strung together with needle and thread or put in cheese cloth. Can also substitute 2 tsp ground cardamom)

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp cayenne powder (optional) It’s really hot if you add this

2 tsp tandoori masala

1 tsp garam masala

1 tbsp curry paste (I like Patak’s mild curry paste)

1 400ml can coconut milk

1 5.5 fl oz can of tomato paste

1 cup plain yogurt (optional)

Salt to taste

In a large frying pan over medium high heat add the butter, oil, chicken, onions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and saute for about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent and the chicken has a bit of color on it. Add the cardamom, curry powder, tandoori masala, and garam masala and cook the spices until fragrant about 1 minute. Add the curry paste and cook for another 30 seconds to a minute. Add the coconut milk and tomato paste and stir well to combine. Let come up to a boil and then turn heat down to low and cover with a lid (the large frying pan I use doesn't have a lid, so I cover with tinfoil). Simmer for 1-2 hours (longer is better), stirring occasionally. Season well with salt and stir in plain yogurt if using. Serve over basmati rice with naan bread and garnish with cilantro if desired.

Click here for printable version of Butter Chicken

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THE RESULTS?

This is just as good as the original and I love that if I forget to put it in the slow cooker we can still eat it for supper that night. I wrote in this recipe that the yogurt is optional because recently I have found myself not adding it. I leave it out when I make it for vegan friends and don't really miss it, so I started doing the same when I make it on the stove top. I actually find that the spices and flavors are more potent and the yogurt mellows them out (which is a good trick if you made it a bit too spicy :)

If you are looking for ideas for where to find these spices, curry pastes and masalas, or you want to know if you can sub cream instead of coconut milk, etc, check the Results section of the original post where I put the answers to a lot of frequently asked questions.

Meal Plan 57 - A Kid-Friendly Week

2013-03-04T09:53:00.000-07:00

Click here to get a printable version of this week's meal plan and recipes

Grocery List:

The grocery list is color coordinated by meal so you can easily pick and choose which meals you would like to make. Either print and use the grocery list as is and make all the meals I have planned, or easily cross off the meals and corresponding ingredients you would rather not make.

Click here to get a printable version of this week's grocery list

Good Monday morning to you! We had a winter storm here last night so everything is covered in snow, the kids are bundled up in their pj's with blankets watching a movie, and I'm sipping on my second cup of coffee. I kind of love a snow day when I don't have to go anywhere :) The lazy morning and lack of distraction means I can post a new meal plan for you.

It got me thinking when I posted about not catering to my kids tastes when I meal plan; I wonder what it would be like if I planned a whole week of meals that my kids love? Probably peaceful! Haha. So that's what I'm bringing to you this week. While you or your kids may not enjoy the same things mine do, I think it's a pretty kid friendly meal plan all around. Enjoy!

Day 1: Smoked Cheddar Stuffed Burgers and Fries
If you ask my kids "what do you want to eat?" they shout in unison "Burgers and Fries! Burgers and Fries!" This recipe is great because you make more burgers than you need and use the leftovers to get a head start on day 2 and day 3's suppers.

Day 2: Pizza Grilled Cheese and Vegetable Beef Soup
Grilled cheese and soup go so well together! Make a quick beef and vegetable soup with leftover burgers from the night before and your kids will love these pizza grilled cheese sandwiches.

Day 3 : Spaghetti and Meatballs with Ceasar Salad
A super quick and easy meal. I remember when I made it for my family and there was not ONE SINGLE COMPLAINT, and I thought "I need to make meals like this more often." And it's super quick and easy too.

Day 4 : Buffalo Chicken Taquitos with Cilantro Lime Rice and Veggies with Dip
My kids love finger food and dipping things in ranch dressing, so these taquitos and veggies with dip are perfect. Leave out the cilantro and lime in the rice for a buttery kid-friendly rice side dish.

Day 5: Broccoli Sausage Rotini
Do your kids love broccoli like mine do? I think cooked broccoli is the favorite veggie around this house, and when you combine it with flavorful sausage and pasta, everyone goes wild.

For more meal plan ideas, check out my complete list of meal plans or check out Org Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

Pizza Grilled Cheese

2013-02-15T00:30:00.000-07:00

This was a recipe I came across on Pinterest and as soon as I did I was like "DUH! Of course you should put some pepperoni in a grilled cheese. Of course you should swap out regular butter for garlic butter. Of course you should dip it in pizza sauce when you are done!"

Yep, definitely something I wished I would have thought of first.

Recipe from Blog Chef
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Serves 4

¼ cup butter, softened
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon oregano
8 slices of bread
1 package sliced pepperoni
1-1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
Pizza sauce (for dipping)

In a small bowl, mix together butter, garlic powder and oregano. Smooth onto one side of each piece of bread. Heat a frying pan over medium heat, and place buttered bread buttered-side down. Top with a handful of mozzarella cheese (approximately 1/4 cup), and top with slices of pepperoni. Place another piece of bread on top, with the garlic butter facing out. I like to place a lid on top to help melt the cheese. After a couple minutes when the bread is golden brown, flip and cook the other side until golden brown. Repeat with all sandwiches, and serve with a side of pizza sauce for dipping.

Click here for printable version of Pizza Grilled Cheese

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RESULTS?

As soon as I pinned this I made it. It is such a simple concept, yet turns a regular grilled cheese into something special. Kids and adults alike love 'em. My husband was recording in his studio with some friends that had come for a visit, and I realized no one had eaten lunch yet. I went out there and asked if anybody was hungry. My reputation as a food blogger convinces everyone that I anything I make must be magic so they were exclaiming "Sure! I'd love to eat whatever you make Kindra!" but all I could think was "I'm just going to make grilled cheese. It's not like I'm doing anything fancy."

Despite the humbleness of the ingredients and the recipe itself, everyone was raving about what a great sandwich it was. "Best grilled cheese I ever had!"

A great lunch or a quick and easy supper, I would definitely recommend these.

Meal Ideas:

Pizza Grilled Cheese + Soup

Pizza Grilled Cheese + Salad

Chipotle Pork Burrito Bowls (Slow Cooker)

2013-02-13T00:30:00.000-07:00

Can I confess something to you? I really don't meal plan the same way I used to. After years and years of trying out recipes and scheduling out every meal I made, I came to learn from my flops and my successes. I've tried enough different foods now that I can figure out what will taste good together. Because of this, I only meal plan about half of our meals for the week. The other half, I throw fresh produce and meat that I find on sale into my cart, bring it home and let myself be inspired by the ingredients. I can go into detail about this in another post if you like but I'm really loving this shift in my cooking. I really wouldn't recommend this kind of meal planning if you have a crazy life with meetings and dance rehearsals and hockey practices and such to go to, but for me, I love to be creative so transferring that creativity to the kitchen is fun and exciting.

This recipe came about when I looked at my fruit bowl sitting on the counter, with two sad and lonely looking tomatoes in it, and an avocado almost past its prime. I decided to make up some pico de gallo and guacamole. From there, I dug into the freezer where I found a pork loin roast. After defrosting it, I dumped it into my slow cooker with some leftover tomato sauce that needed to be used up in the fridge and for a smokey, slightly spicy hit, I dumped in some of our favorite Chipotle BBQ sauce....and these burrito bowls were born!

They have been a HUGE hit with my family! I've made them a couple times so I could refine the recipe and take photos to post here, and everyone always has happy tummies. It's a great easy, and healthy meal that everyone can be excited about.

Recipe by Meal Planning 101
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Serves 8-10

3 lb pork loin roast
1/2 cup chipotle BBQ sauce
1 8oz can tomato sauce

Cilantro Lime Rice (or regular rice)
Pico de gallo
Guacamole
Sour Cream

Place pork roast in the slow cooker and pour BBQ sauce and tomato sauce over top. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Prepare cilantro lime rice, pico de gallo, and guacamole. With two forks shred the pork. In a bowl place rice with shredded pork and chipotle juices over the top. Top with pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream.

Click here for printable version of Chipotle Pork Burrito Bowls
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RESULTS?
I love it that a meal that is so easy, can also be healthy and delicious too! When I first made these I served them with a brown and wild rice blend instead of the Cilantro Lime Rice, and that works equally as well. I have a rule when we make tacos, sandwiches (or these burrito bowls) that my kids can pick whatever toppings they want for theirs, but the toppings must include at least 2 veggies. Since my oldest daughter hates fresh tomatoes and onions, pico de gallo is out for her. That leaves only guacamole as a topping so I add a bowl of shredded lettuce among the toppings for my family to pick from. She likes to drizzle her bowl with ranch dressing instead of sour cream as well. If you wanted, you could also stir in a can of drained black beans and frozen corn to the shredded pork. Everyone in our family loves that they get to doctor up their own bowl of rice and Chipotle pork the way they want to.

If pork isn't your thing, I think this recipe would work equally as well with a beef roast.

Cilantro Lime Rice

2013-02-11T11:30:00.000-07:00

A couple years ago when I first made Creamy Beef Taquitos, I thought "what the heck do you serve with taquitos to turn them into a meal?" Plain rice seemed too boring. So I started by making a pot of basmati rice, which I always have on hand since we make so much Indian food. I stirred in a couple tablespoons of butter, salt and pepper which made the rice fantastic (it really emphasizes the nuttiness of basmati and reminds me of popcorn), but I still wanted it to have a Mexican influence. I noticed the lime and cilantro still sitting on my counter leftover from making taquitos and threw them both in. Perfect! A great accompaniment to any Mexican meal, or even Asian or Indian dishes.

Recipe by Meal Planning 101

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Serves 4

1 3/4 cup water

1 cup basmati rice

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp lime juice

2-3 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

Kosher salt and pepper

In a medium pot, bring water to a boil. Add rice, turn heat down to medium low, and simmer rice with a lid on for 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Add butter, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper and stir through to combine. Serve.

Click here for printable version of Cilantro Lime Rice

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RESULTS?

I love making this as an easy side dish that is different than just plain rice. The freshness of the lime and cilantro work nicely with main dishes that are rich (like Creamy Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas) or spicy (like Buffalo Chicken Taquitos or Tandoori Chicken) or pretty much any Mexican dish. If you are one of those people that hate cilantro, fresh Italian parsley would be a great substitute - it would still provide you with the same fresh, herbaceous hit. Or really, have you ever just stirred lots of butter, salt and pepper into hot basmati rice? SO GOOD!

I have tons of meal ideas for you, because this Cilantro Lime Rice is a great accompaniment to so many things!

Meal Ideas:

Creamy Beef Taquitos or Buffalo Chicken Taquitos + Cilantro Lime Rice

Shredded Chicken Flautas + Cilantro Lime Rice

Baja Quesadillas + Cilantro Rice

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken + Cilantro Lime Rice

Creamy Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas + Cilantro Lime Rice

Beef and Bean Chimichangas + Cilantro Lime Rice

Coconut-Crusted Chicken Fingers + Cilantro Lime Rice

Tandoori Chicken + Cilantro Lime Rice

Ginger Maple Glazed Chicken + Cilantro Lime Rice

Use Cilantro Lime Rice as a base in Chipotle Pork Burrito Bowls

Buffalo Chicken Taquitos

2013-02-06T07:48:00.000-07:00

I never thought I'd be one of those parents to cook something just because you know your kids will like it. I'm a firm believer in introducing kids to all foods and all tastes and strongly against cooking a separate meal for the kids. They can eat what we eat. My kids have been exposed to so many different foods and love to eat curry, Thai food, gyoza, and many other things. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean they always enjoy it. One doesn't like fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, or onions, while the other one eats any and all veggies but isn't a huge meat fan....and every once in a while I do like a break from the turned up noses and the picky whines.

So as I was brainstorming my meal plan over the weekend, I was thinking of doing something different yet pleasing to the kids (and the adults!) at the same time. Everyone in the family goes crazy when I make Creamy Beef Taquitos so I did a spin on that using chicken breasts I already had in the freezer. While there is Frank's red hot sauce mixed into the filling, it's toned down quite a bit because of the ranch flavoring, cream cheese and mozzarella. It was a great experiment!

Recipe by Meal Planning 101
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Makes 10 taquitos

2 cups cooked, diced or shredded chicken
1/3 cup light cream cheese
2 tbsp dry Ranch seasoning mix
1/3 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese (or Monterey jack)
10 small flour tortillas
Cooking spray
Kosher salt

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add ranch seasoning and Frank's red hot sauce and stir to combine. Add the chicken and cheese and mix. You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Place 2-3 tbsp of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Roll it up as tight as you can. If your tortillas are cracking or breaking, you can microwave them for 10-20 seconds with a damp paper towel over top. Once rolled, place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or brush with a bit of oil and sprinkle some kosher salt on top. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Remove from the oven and serve with ranch for dipping.

*Alternatively if you don't already have cooked chicken you can place 2-3 chicken breasts in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with seasoning salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until cooked through. Dice finely.

Click here for printable version of Buffalo Chicken Taquitos

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RESULTS?

I have this section here called "results" so this isn't one big gush about how totally awesome everything and anything I make is. It's here so I can be real and tell you our true and honest opinions of the recipes. So my kids real and true honest opinions were....they didn't hate it (Haha! That's what my 5 year old said). They ate it without any complaining or coaxing, so that was a plus for Mom. But my husband, the one who's favorite food in the world is hot wings, loved them! In the end it was a great compromise meal. The adults were happy and satisfied while the kids ate them, dipped them in ranch and then asked for more veggies to dip in ranch. Wins all around I think.

Oh and if you are wondering about spice level, I think it's mild with a bit of heat. My kids said it was warm but they didn't complain it was too spicy. My husband, the spice fiend, went to his hot sauce collection and doused his in more hot sauce, while I thought it was perfect.

Meal Ideas:

Buffalo Chicken Taquitos + Cilantro Lime Rice + Veggies and Dip

Buffalo Chicken Taquitos + Ceasar Salad or Garden Salad

Broccoli Sausage Rotini

2013-01-31T13:31:00.000-07:00

While I don't post recipes in this space as often as I'd like, you can be sure that when I do I'm not giving you recipes I've cooked only once then posted, but ones that I've cooked for my family many, MANY times. I find myself cooking these recipes over and over again because they are easy, ingredients I have on hand, economical and taste FANTASTIC. This pasta dish is definitely one of those recipes.

I found this one in last year's March edition of Everyday Food. The day it came in the mail, I immediately salivated over this sausage pasta on the cover and realized I had all the ingredients to make it that night. My husband and kids raved and I couldn't stop myself from seconds. Since then I've made it countless times, always using whatever I have on hand. For pasta, penne, rotini, rigatoni and orrechetti all work, and the mild Italian sausage can be swapped for hot Italian sausage (my fave!) or chicken or turkey Italian sausage (which also works great). If you don't have broccoli, I think kale would work very well in its place, although in that case, I wouldn't add it to the pasta water but chop it up and saute it with the sausage for a couple minutes. I have successfully done that with a bag of baby spinach, although broccoli is my kids favorite. An easy, tasty meal in one!

Recipe from Everyday Food: March 2012
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Serves 6

Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound rotini
2 heads broccoli, cut into florets (about 4 cups)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 tbsp lemon juice
4 anchovy fillets, minced or 2 tsp anchovy paste (this is what I use)
1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed*
Parmesan, grated, for serving

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. In last 2 minutes of cooking, add broccoli and cook until bright green and crisp-tender.

While the pasta is boiling, add sausage to a large frying pan and cook over medium-high, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, garlic, lemon zest and juice, anchovies or anchovy paste, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Drain the pasta and broccoli and reserve 1 cup pasta water. Return pasta and broccoli to pot, along with the cooked sausage and add oil mixture. Toss well to combine, adding enough pasta water to create a thin sauce that coats pasta. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan.

*You can easily substitute hot Italian sausage or chicken or turkey italian sausage for less fat/calories.

Click here for printable version of Broccoli Sausage Rotini

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RESULTS?

There are SO many things for me to love about this pasta dish. The lemon/garlic/anchovy oil is a blast of flavor that combined with the sausage is out-of-this-world good. Sometimes I even add a bit extra lemon because I love it so much. If you feel scared off by the anchovy, don't be! It really is a key component to the flavors of this dish. You won't taste anything fishy, just salty umami flavors. I never have anchovy fillets on hand, but I do keep a tube of anchovy paste in the fridge. It's milder in flavor than the fillets and can be used anytime you make a homemade ceasar dressing, or you want to add an extra oomph to your pasta sauce.

Another thing I love about this is it's a complete meal all on its own. I never fiddle around with making a side salad because there's so much broccoli in each bowl. A serving of this is just under 500 calories and could be even less if you swapped the sausage for chicken or turkey Italian sausage.

Try it! I hope you love it as much as me and my family do.

Coconut Curried Chickpeas and Kale with Roasted Sweet Potatoes

2013-01-02T16:36:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year! We had a fabulous Christmas and New Years surrounded by tons of family. We hosted everyone at our place, so the last day or two has been spent completely VEGGING out. Gotta recover from all the busyness!

This was a recipe I served to my vegetarian-loving brother-in law and his fam. I've actually made this recipe quite often in the last couple months. It's one of those vegetarian meals my husband actually enjoys! When I first made this, it was also one of my first introductions to kale and I'm hooked. I love the way it holds up in soups, stews or curries and doesn't get soggy or slimy.

Packed with nutrition AND flavor this is a great way to eat your veggies (and to start off the new year)!

Recipe adapted from Dinner with Julie

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Serves 4

1 tbsp canola oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1-2 tsp curry paste
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp lemon juice
pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
1 19 oz (540 mL) can chickpeas, drained well
2 cups kale, chopped
1 14 oz (398 mL) can coconut milk (or light coconut milk)
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

4 medium sweet potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tbsp canola oil
salt and pepper

fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and toss with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes.

In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat and cook the onion for about 5 minutes, until soft; add the garlic, ginger, curry paste and chili powder and cook for another minute or two. Add the tomatoes, lemon juice and red chili flakes (if using); cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Add the chickpeas and cook over high heat for a few minutes or until the chickpeas are beginning to turn golden and they are coated with the onion and garlic mixture. Add the kale and cook until it wilts, about 3-4 minutes; add the coconut milk, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until the mixture thickens. Add the salt and cook until it’s as thick or saucy as you like.

Serve coconut curried chickpeas and kale either alongside roasted sweet potatoes or on top.

Click here for printable version of Coconut Curried Chickpeas and Kale with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
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THE RESULTS?
My meat loving husband really likes this dish as do my kids. It's pretty great when you can convince your 3 and 5 year old they love kale, chick peas and sweet potatoes! I like to go easy on the curry paste because I love the creamy flavor of the coconut milk. Sometimes swapping out regular coconut milk for light doesn't work because it makes the final dish too runny. But in this case, it works great and I've done it many times. I usually like to give you guys ideas for how to serve up the recipe and create a meal but this one is a complete meal all on its own! The sweet morsels of sweet potatoes go perfectly with the chick peas and kale.

Meal Plan 56 - Mixin' It Up with Tex Mex

2012-12-03T15:52:00.002-07:00

Click here to get a printable version of this week's meal plan and recipes

Grocery List:

Click here to get a printable version of this week's grocery list

Hey there meal planners! It's been awhile since I've posted a new meal plan for you. I wanted to share a meal plan with newly posted recipes and once I wrote them all down I realized it had a bit of a tex mex theme. Must be what I've been craving lately ;) In any case, I've also been smart and transformed leftovers this week. This not only makes it cheaper, but also easier since last night's dinner gives you a head start on tonight's.

As always, I've only planned 5 nights of meals. I do this so there's leeway for a night of eating out or at a friends place. It also allows you to look at the ingredients leftover over and make dinner out of what you have left. That's totally become my favorite night...I love being creative in the kitchen. I got a great question on my facebook page recently about "throwing a meal together". The easiest place to experiment with doing this (I think) is soup. You can pretty much throw any veggies or leftover meat in a pot with some beef or chicken broth, and/or a can of tomatoes and let it simmer into a delicious dinner. Add pasta, beans, lentils, or rice and some spices. Super easy! Just try to stick with flavors that you know "go together" and all will be well.

Happy eating this week!

Day 1: Slow Cooker Pulled Beef Tacos with Green Onion Slaw
Ahhh these are so good! I'm totally craving them. Don't skip the slaw or pickled jalapenos, they compliment the rich slow cooked beef perfectly.

Day 2: Southwestern Beef and Rice Soup and Mixed Greens with Creamy Lime Cilantro Dressing

No picture for this recipe. It was something I whipped up with my leftover pulled beef. Serve with a nice salad with your favorite dressing or a homemade creamy lime cilantro dressing.

Day 3: Kin's Kickass Chili with Cornbread Muffins
Cater this one to what you have time for: make and let simmer an hour before supper, so assemble and throw in the crock pot to simmer all day.

Day 4: Chili Cheese Mac with Broccoli

Use up the leftover chili and make a cheese macaroni chili. The kids will love it.

Day 5: Easy Roasted Vegetable and Sausage Bake

This is just as the title suggests; EASY! Just toss everything into your roasting pan and let the hot oven do the work.

Bonus: No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

Just for fun, why not make an easy dessert or treat this week? I LOVE this combination of flavors.

For more meal plan ideas, check out my complete list of meal plans or check out Org Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

Slow Cooker Pulled Beef Tacos with Green Onion Slaw

2012-10-29T16:09:00.000-06:00

While I may be on maternity leave and at home with my 3 kids, life can still be busy at times! Tuesdays are the busiest since I drop off my 5 year old at Kindergarten, drive my 3 year old to preschool, come home and feed my baby, go back and pick up my daughter from preschool, lunch, playtime, naptime, go pick up my kindergartener, then drive to ballet so my 3 year old can dance. Whew! We don't walk in the door until 5:15pm so I'm finding my slow cooker to be my best friend on these days.

I'm picky picky when it comes to my slow cooker meals. I hate mushy vegetables and that taste of "overcooked" meat. The thing I love about this recipe is the tangy/earthy coleslaw that wakes up the shredded beef. It not only adds great freshness but a nice crunch too. And the addition of the jalapenos are spot on. Even if you don't like spice I think the pickled jalapenos are worth it to add. Jalapenos, once they have been pickled aren't really that spicy; they have great tanginess and only a little bit of warmth. All three of these together rolled into a soft tortilla shell is perfect.

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

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Makes about 20 tacos

Beef:
3 lbs beef beef blade roast or brisket
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 to 2 chipotle chiles en adobo
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup molasses

Season the beef generously with salt and pepper, to taste. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat just until beginning to smoke. Add the meat and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer the meat to the slow cooker and leave the skillet on the heat. Add garlic, onion, chili powder, coriander, and cumin to drippings in the skillet and stir until fragrant, about one minute. Add vinegar and boil until it’s almost gone (be careful not to breathe in the steaming vinegar fumes), scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in water and pour the mixture over the brisket. Add the tomatoes, chipotles, bay leaves, and molasses. Cover the cooker, set it on LOW, and cook the beef until it pulls apart easily with a fork, about 8 to 10 hours.

Green Onion Slaw:
1 cup green onions, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp mayonnaise
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup pure olive oil
1 head cabbage, finely shredded (or a bag of coleslaw)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Blend green onions, vinegar, mayonnaise, salt, pepper and oil in a blender until emulsified. Place cabbage in a bowl, add the dressing and stir until combined. Fold in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste.

For serving:

Small Soft Tortillas

Pickled Jalapeños

Green Onion Slaw

Pull the meat out of the slow cooker and place on a cutting board. Remove and discard bay leaves from the sauce. Pull the meat apart with two forks and place shredded beef back in the slow cooker with the sauce. Stir to combine.

To serve, use a slotted spoon and scoop about a 1/4 cup of shredded beef onto your tortilla. Top with about a 1/4 cup of green onion slaw and some pickled jalapenos.

Click here for printable version of Slow Cooker Pulled Beef Tacos with Green Onion Slaw

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THE RESULTS?

I love these things! The original recipe called for beef brisket, which you can definitely use if you can find. But here in Western Canada, this is something that just isn't available in our grocery stores. Blade roast makes a great substitute, but I've also used a sirloin roast that worked out great as well. Basically whatever beef roast you like to use and can find on sale will work.

Being two months post-partum with my third child means I'm also working on shedding my baby weight. Two of these tacos work out to be about 530 calories. I'm stoked to eat such a delicious meal and not go overboard either. The hubby and me loved these as well as our two kids. Happy bellies all around!

Leftover Idea:
You can turn leftover sauce and shredded beef into a yummy Southwestern Beef and Rice Soup. Saute some onions, garlic, carrots, celery, etc in a large soup pot. Basically whatever you have in your fridge. I also had some mushrooms and yellow pepper, so I tossed those in too. Then pour in the beef/sauce. I'd say I had probably about a 1/2-3/4 cup of shredded beef (which I cut up smaller before adding) and maybe about a cup of sauce. My crushed tomatoes came in a 28 oz can so I poured the rest of the tomatoes into the pot along with about 6 cups of water. I brought it up to a boil and then added about a 1/2 cup of rice. Turn down to medium low, put a lid on and simmer for about 15 minutes. Season to taste. Add more water or beef stock if you need to. I added a bit more chili powder and cumin to mimic the flavors of the original sauce. You could also add beans or corn. I garnished with some leftover cilantro. Easy-use up your leftovers-soup!

No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

2012-10-24T13:56:00.000-06:00

This year for Thanksgiving (Canadian), I wanted to switch up my usual menu. I wasn't going to have my Dad or my Mother in Law for company and since my Dad is a creature of habit, I never get to deviate from the usual holiday food fare. I took this as an opportunity to experiment with some new recipes to keep our dinner with friends low-key and non-stressful.

Enter the No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake.

All the flavors of a pumpkin pie but in a hard to resist individual cheesecake. And since this is no-bake cheesecake, you don't have to bother with a spring form pan, water bath in the oven, etcetera, etcetera. Just mix, dump, refrigerate.

We loved the little cheesecakes so much I made another batch with the leftover canned pumpkin the following week. A little project for me and my three year old while her big sister was at school.

This is a great recipe if you want to involve your kids in the kitchen. Easy, easy, easy!

Two girls, a kitchen aid mixer and a fun afternoon.

Recipe adapted from Shugary Sweets

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Makes 2 9-inch cheesecakes

14 oz box gingersnap cookies

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 - 8oz packages cream cheese, softened

1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk

1 cup 100% pure pumpkin puree

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 pinch ground cloves

12 oz Cool Whip (or whipped cream)

Pulse cookies in food processor until finely ground. Mix ground cookies with melted butter. Press into bottom of two 9-inch pie plates (or one pie plate plus 8 individual dishes).

Beat cream cheese with sweetened condensed milk for 5 minutes. Mix in pumpkin, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Pour mixture evenly into pie plates and refrigerate for one to two hours until set and cold. Serve with a dollop of cool whip or whipped cream on top.

Click here for printable version of No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

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THE RESULTS?

Like I said we LOVED these. My 3 year old couldn't wait until her sister and Dad were home so she could devour hers. And when she finally did, joy exuded from her whole body!

Excited much? She kept exclaiming how yummy it was and "Dad, Dad, Dad! I made these! And mom helped!

Easy Roasted Vegetable and Sausage Bake

2012-10-16T10:39:00.000-06:00

Earlier this year, when I was working as a teacher full-time, life was ridiculously hectic. When it came time to make dinner I had no energy or desire to cook and often made the easiest thing I possibly could (frozen pizza anyone?). This recipe was born out of that time.

It's not even a recipe really...more of a method. You could add any different combination of vegetables, herbs and sausage here based on your family's likes and what you have on hand. I usually just search through the fridge and pantry and see what needs to be used up and then toss it all in the roasting pan.

And when I say easy, I mean EASY! Easy to prepare, easy to get dinner on the table and easy to clean up. Low effort all around.

Recipe by Meal Planning 101

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Serves 4

5-6 medium potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks

1 cup mushrooms, cut in half

1 red pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks

1 clove garlic, minced

1-2 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

Your favorite seasoning or fresh herb

1 lb chicken apple sausage (or your favorite)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large roasting pan, add the potatoes and whatever vegetables you are choosing to use. Add the garlic, oil and herb or seasoning and toss to coat. Place in the oven and roast for 25-30 minutes.

Remove from oven and place the sausages on top of the veggies. Drizzle with a little bit of oil and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the sausages are cooked.

Serve.

*Veggies you could use:

sweet potatoes
carrots
celery
fennel
onions
squash
zucchini

*Seasoning you could use:

Herb and garlic
Greek
Montreal chicken spice
anything you have in your cupboard!

*Fresh herbs you could use:

thyme
rosemary
parsley or chives sprinkled on at the end

*Sausages you could use:

Sweet or Hot Italian sausages
English style bangers
Turkey Cranberry sausages
Honey Garlic sausages (like Jamie tried)

Click here for printable version of Easy Roasted Vegetable and Sausage Bake

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THE RESULTS?

I love this recipe for so many reasons:

It tastes great.
It's stupidly easy - chop some veggies, throw them in the oven, add sausage. Done.
It's low effort - it takes 5 minutes to prepare.
Easy clean up - you only have to use one cutting board, one knife and one roasting pan so it's low effort and easy clean up when the meal is over.
No special trips to the store - use what you have.

I've tried this recipe so many different ways, always just using up what I have on hand. For example, if I have a recipe with fresh rosemary on my meal plan that week, I'll chop up some fresh rosemary and add it. If I go to the store looking for chicken apple sausages but sweet italian sausages are on sale, I'll get those instead to use in this recipe. It's so flexible!

Meal Ideas:
The point of this recipe is that your whole meal is in one roasting pan. So go ahead and eat this just as it is, all by itself and you've got your starch, protein and veggies all in one. If you've got more time or want to add a little more to it, stick with something simple:

Easy Roasted Vegetable and Sausage Bake + a green veggie (broccoli, asparagus, peas, beans)

Easy Roasted Vegetable and Sausage Bake + a salad

Double-Bacon Mushroom Burgers

2012-09-19T14:23:00.000-06:00

My husband Steve is a burger fiend. Whenever we are at a restaurant, he goes straight for the manliest man burger he can find on the menu and orders it. Something Big and Beefy and Bacony all at once. With Beer. That's his man combo with a side of testosterone on the side.

Awhile back I found some ground sirloin on sale at the grocery store so I picked it up. I came home and discovered a package of peppered bacon in the freezer and a package of mushrooms so this was all shaping up to be the best man burger I could make at home. Garlicky, buttery sauteed mushrooms on a thick patty with bacon, oozing chipotle mayonnaise and bits of purple onion and pickled jalapenos. Even my mouth was salivating at the thought of it!

It turned out to be an AMAZING combination! And of course it paired perfectly with a cerveza....

Recipe by Meal Planning 101

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Makes 6 burgers

8 slices thick-cut pepper bacon
1 1/2 lbs lean ground sirloin
1 egg
1 tbsp grill seasoning
1 tbsp herb and garlic seasoning
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 red onion, finely diced
6 slices cheddar

6 oz (170 g) mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced

6 hamburger buns
Chipotle mayo
Thinly sliced purple onion
Pickles or pickled jalapenos
Lettuce

In a small food processor take 2 strips of the bacon and grind them up (or chop finely). In a large bowl, combine the ground bacon, sirloin, egg, seasonings, bread crumbs and onions until just mixed. Form into 6 burger patties. Heat a grill to medium heat and cook the patties for 10 minutes, flipping once, until cooked through. At the end of the cook time, top the burgers with cheddar and leave on the grill until cheese is melted then remove.

Meanwhile, in a medium saute pan over medium heat, add the butter and a bit of oil. Add the mushrooms. Saute for a couple of minutes, then add the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook the mushrooms until browned and then remove from pan. In the same skillet, cook the remaining 6 strips of bacon until crisp.

To assemble the burgers: Smear the chipotle mayo on the buns, and top with burger patty, a strip of bacon, some mushrooms, onion, jalapenos and lettuce.

Click here for printable version of Double-Bacon Mushroom Burgers

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THE RESULTS?

It goes without saying that my husband fell in love with these burgers, and to be honest, I probably fell even harder for them! I LOVED the garlic butter mushrooms and combined with the bacon, chipotle mayo and pickled jalapeno's I was in heaven. It was a fabulous combination.

Meal Ideas:

Double-Bacon Mushroom Burgers + Creamy Coleslaw

Double-Bacon Mushroom Burgers + Ultimate Oven Fries

Double-Bacon Mushroom Burgers + Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges

Borscht and a Baby...

2012-09-10T14:57:00.001-06:00

Hey there! Sorry for the long break from this lil blog, but I went and gave birth to this adorable hearbreaker:

Copeland Barry Alexander

Between this sweet muffin, my oldest daughter starting Kindergarten and my middle daughter starting preschool, we've been a little busy!

I'm working on some new posts and will respond this afternoon to the tons of comments and questions you've left me. If you left me a comment, check back soon :)

Alright, onto the borscht...have you ever eaten it before? My family is Polish so I grew up eating it, especially in the late summer or early fall when there is tons of fresh veggies to be harvested from the garden. We would go to my Grandma's house where she'd make a huge pot of it and then we'd be eating bowls of the magenta soup blushed with a dollop of sour cream for days upon days. This is our family recipe full of beautiful vegetables, a touch of smokiness from some Farmer sausage and that great earthy finish at the end with some fresh dill.

Recipe by My Dad/Grandma

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Serves 4-6

1 small onion, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

3 carrots, peeled and shredded

2 cups potatoes, peeled and diced

4 cups beets, peeled and diced

1 lb farmer sausage, diced

8 cups chicken stock

2 cups water

2 bay leaves

Fresh dill

Sour cream (for serving)

In a large soup pot over medium heat, add a tablespoon of oil and the onion and celery. Saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the carrots, potatoes, beets, farmer sausage, chicken stock, water and bay leaves. Bring up to a boil then turn heat down to low and simmer for 30-40 minutes.

At the end stir in a couple tablespoons of chopped fresh dill. Taste and season with salt and pepper. When serving, ladle soup into bowls and then place a dollop of sour cream on top.

Click here for printable version of Borscht

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THE RESULTS?

Growing up I ate this soup so often I thought nothing of it. It wasn't until last summer when my Dad came to visit me and brought me bags and bags of his garden bounty that I was reminded of this soup. I asked my Dad to teach me to make it, and my husband and I were slurping it up by the bowlful. "How did I not remember how good this was?!" I exclaimed.

Farmer sausage is a pork sausage that's got a bit of smokiness. A similar sausage or even bacon would be a good substitute if you can't find it. You can for sure leave it out and have it just be a vegetable soup, which is often how my Grandma makes it, but I LOVE the bits of smokey, salty pork sausage in there. Obviously, for a vegetarian soup, leave out the sausage and use vegetable stock instead of chicken.

Meal Ideas:

Borscht + Herb and Cheddar Biscuits

Kin's Kickass Chili

2012-06-28T07:00:00.000-06:00

Recipe originally posted Apr 23, 2008. Photos, text and recipe updated June 27, 2012

Chili is a classic comfort food for me. Growing up whenever my Dad made chili, we always ate it on top of spaghetti noodles with shredded cheddar cheese on top. Now THAT'S comfort food for me! The last time I was at my Dad's he cooked that meal and after one bite I breathed a deep sigh...ahhh home.

Since getting married, my husband and I have created our own traditions and we eat a big bowl of chili with amazing Cornbread Muffins. I LOVE the sweetness of the muffins with the bold, rich flavors of the chili.

The thing I love about chili is how easy it is to make a big batch. There are SO many options for what to do with the chili afterwards, it's a great way to transform leftovers or do something different to switch up your dinner routine. Below I've put together a ton of ideas for you.

Recipe by Meal Planning 101

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Serves 6

1 lb lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
Salt and Pepper
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
3 15oz cans of beans, your choice (I like 1 can of red kidney beans and 2 cans of navy. Black beans, pinto, chickpeas...use whatever you like)
1 can tomato paste
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp VE Poco Picante Salsa Spice (Medium) or crushed red chilies or diced jalapeno pepper
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

In a large pot over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef. Add the onion, celery, garlic, and mushrooms. Continue until the beef is brown and the veggies are soft. Season well with salt and pepper. Add the can of diced tomatoes and tomato paste, cumin and chili powder (and Poco Picante Salsa Mix if you're using it.) Once you stir this in, turn your heat down to low. Let this sit and simmer for at least an hour.

In the last ten minutes of cooking stir in some frozen corn, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. Taste and adjust seasonings before serving.

*Adapted to the Slow Cooker : Brown all the meat and veggies in a frying pan, then add to the slow cooker. Add all the beans, tomatoes, tomato paste and spices and turn on high for 4-5 hours or low 6-8 hours. A few minutes before eating, stir in the frozen corn, brown sugar and balsamic.

Click here for printable version of Kin's Kickass Chili

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THE RESULTS?
Over the years, I've been continually tweaking my chili recipe. I loved the sweetness that the little pops of corn added, so I played around a bit with adding sweetness to the tomato gravy. Sometimes I swap out one of the cans of beans for a can of pork 'n beans or baked beans, and other times I just add a tablespoon of brown sugar. To balance out the sweetness I always add a splash of vinegar. It cuts through the richness of the broth as well.

Meal Ideas:

Kin's Kickass Chili + Cornbread Muffins

Kin's Kickass Chili + Cheddar Biscuits

Cowboy Spaghetti : Kin's Kickass Chili over cooked spaghetti topped with shredded cheddar

Ideas for Leftovers:

Chili Cheese Mac - Cook 2 cups of dry macaroni in salted boiling water until al dente and drain. While macaroni is cooking, make cheese sauce by melting 2 tbsp of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp of flour and whisk for a couple minutes to let the flour cook down. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of milk and stir to combine. Simmer a couple minutes until thickened then stir in 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese and season with salt and pepper. Stir in 2 cups of leftover chili, then pour the chili cheese sauce over the cooked macaroni and stir together to combine. Serve.

Chili Cheese Macaroni Casserole - spread cooked macaroni noodles in the bottom of a casserole dish and top with chili. Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Baja Salad - On a bed of lettuce layer some warm chili, tomatoes, avocado, shredded cheese, and a sprinkling of fritos. Drizzle with Chipotle Ranch or Creamy Lime Cilantro Dressing.

Chili Cheese Fries - Bake fries and season with seasoning salt when they come out of the oven. Plate up some fries and top with hot chili, shredded cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, chopped green onions and finely chopped jalapenos if desired.

Chili Cheese Dip - Spread a package of softened cream cheese on the bottom of a pie plate. Top with 2 cups of chili and 1 cup of shredded cheddar. Microwave for 3 minutes until hot or bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Top with chopped green onions and diced tomatoes. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping.

Chili Dogs - Cook hot dog and place in a hot dog bun. Top with chili, shredded cheddar, chopped onions, and mustard.

Chili Cheese Burritos - On a large flour tortilla scoop some warmed chili down the center. Top with shredded cheese and pickled jalapenos. Roll into a burrito. You could even pop this into the microwave for 10-20 seconds just to melt the cheese and heat everything through. Serve with sour cream for dipping.

Cookbook Review : The Looneyspoons Collection and Giveaway

2012-06-27T16:30:00.001-06:00

The Looneyspoons Collection

I just love the Podleski sisters. I fell in love with them on their TV show Eat, Shrink and Be Merry and have been cooking from their cookbooks ever since. When their new cookbook came out in November, combining all the best recipes from their last 3 cookbooks, updating them so they weren't using out-dated "dieting" trends and giving us even more of what we loved from them before, I was sold. I bought my dad the cookbook for his Christmas gift (secretly hoping he was doing the same for me :). I was surprised to see that no one had reviewed this new cookbook yet, so I sent off an email to the sisters, hoping I could do just that for them. And to my surprise....they responded! And they said they would love to send me a copy of their cookbook! A week later when I was laid out on the couch in the worst pain of my life battling kidney stones, a package showed up at my door. My new cookbook was inside and it totally brightened my (pain-filled) day.

I have loved testing out recipes from this book. Of course, I had hoped to have reviewed this cookbook months ago, but passing kidney stones, being pregnant with baby number three, and working as a teacher full-time kind of dampened that thought. Nonetheless, I'm stoked to share this cookbook with you now. It's fabulous (as I suspected).

Any small beefs I had with their last cookbook was totally improved upon for this one: there are TONS of mouthwatering photographs to give you a visual as to what the finished dish should look like, it's laid out really nicely and well-organized and remember those cheesy punny recipe titles? Yep still there. But it wouldn't be a Podleski sisters cookbook without them! What they did do that I love though, is put the description of the recipe underneath the title in much bigger font, so it's easy to see what the recipe is.

For me, it all comes down to the taste of the food in the end. So how did these recipes measure up?

Beef Noodle Doodle (pg 75) is an Asian beef noodle soup full of flavor and nice textures. It cooked up quickly and gives you these great flavors reminiscent of beef pho on a busy weeknight. Another soup recipe I tried (from the "Ladle Gaga" chapter no less), was Rome on the Range (pg 68) which delivered delicious mini meatballs in a roasted tomato and red pepper broth. It was a great rich-tasting soup and a perfect use of my Farmer's Market veggies.

The Nutcrocker (pg 152) was easy to throw in my slow cooker and was a family-pleasing meal of peanut chicken served up on rice. All the ingredients were ones that I always have on hand like salsa, peanut butter, honey, soy sauce and orange juice and came together quickly in the morning before work.

Stick 'em Up! (pg 188) was another recipe I tried and I absolutely fell in love with these Lemon Basil Grilled Shrimp Skewers. They are fantastically easy to throw all the marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag (like lemon juice, garlic, honey, balsamic vinegar, and fresh basil) and let them sit for an hour or so. Once you thread them on skewers they take only minutes on the grill and they are done.

Rice 'n' Easy Casserole (pg 260) Can you tell my theme for choosing recipes? Easy, easy, EASY! What was great is that I didn't have to look very hard to find easy recipes that I could still make when I was tired from a long day teaching. This Cheesy Broccoli, Cauliflower and Rice Casserole made a great side dish and potluck offering and of course was a cinch to throw together. It tasted great and I came home with a clean casserole dish!

A friend of mine bought this cookbook after she read my review of Eat, Shrink and Be Merry, and so I've got to taste even more recipes because of her. At our last Community Group dinner she made Mom's Famous No-Peek Chicken (pg 150). It is a Baked Chicken and Rice Casserole that she was able to triple and feed 20 people with almost no work involved! We all loved the comforting dish and it's one that I will definitely make again. At another get together, my friend brought cinnamon rolls with cream cheese drizzled all over the top. As we were all devouring them and exclaiming how great they were, she informed me they were Rolls Royce (pg 292) and they were made with whole wheat flour, flax and much less butter and sugar than you would think. Despite the whole grains they weren't heavy and they had wonderful flavor.

All in all, I am loving The Looneyspoons Collection. It's got more of the same great nutrition facts, food tidbits and comical humor as before, just with more pictures and (as always) awesome food. I definitely recommend this cookbook.

Since I love it so much I would LOVE to giveaway a copy to one of you. To win, just leave me a comment here and tell me: what is your favorite EASY recipe to make that is still healthy? The contest closes on July 4th, and I'll pick a winner at random and contact you via email, so make sure you have an email address in your comment.

P.S. This is my first giveaway!

Meal Plan 55 - A Looneyspoons Week

2012-06-24T07:00:00.000-06:00

Click here to get a printable version of this week's meal plan and recipes

Grocery List:

Click here to get a printable version of this week's grocery list

This week I decided to plan a week of Looneyspoons recipes from the cookbook I'm reviewing. The great thing about these recipes is that they are flavorful, easy, and healthy. I also purposely chose recipes where you could use some of the same ingredients for more than one recipe; that's a great way to plan your week smartly.

Day 1: Roasted Chicken Thighs with Rice 'n' Easy Casserole

This creamy, cheesy, broccoli, cauliflower and rice casserole is easy to throw together. Toss some chicken in your favorite spice mixture and roast them alongside the casserole for a no-brainer meal.

Day 2: Asian Beef Noodle Soup
This flavorful recipe is ready in less than 30 minutes and hits all the right notes when you are craving a good Asian soup.

Day 3: Lemon Basil Grilled Shrimp over Roasted Chicken Wild Rice and Grilled Asparagus

I freakin' love these shrimp! The marinade is fantastic and they take only a few minutes to grill up. Throw some asparagus on the grill alongside it, and serve with the leftover package of roasted chicken and wild rice mix from earlier in the week and you've got a super tasty and easy meal.

Day 4: Beijing Beauty Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Crunchy Peanut Slaw

This pork recipe along with the slaw allows you to use a lot of the same ingredients you used earlier in the week in the soup, yet in a completely different format with different tastes.

Day 5: Slow Cooker Peanut Chicken over Rice with Peas

This one's a no-effort meal for the end of the week when you're tired.

For more great meal ideas, check out my complete list of meal plans.

Rice 'n' Easy Casserole

2012-06-23T10:13:00.000-06:00

This year that I worked full time I cooked differently than I have in the past. Gone were the elaborate 10 step recipes and in swooped easy throw-in-the-oven casseroles, slow cooker meals and low effort roasting pans (and quite a few frozen pizzas). This recipe for a cheesy rice and broccoli casserole is not one that I would have normally picked when perusing a cookbook, but it totally fit the bill when it came to dinner time.

It's also not a typical recipe you'd find in a "low-fat, healthy eating" cookbook. I know some may scoff at the use of cream of mushroom soup and a prepackaged flavored rice, but for a busy family it's nice to have a recipe that utilizes these ingredients in a healthiER way. Most recipes I found online for this same casserole utilized butter, more rice and less veggies, and more than triple the amount of full-fat cheese.

This was a good, comforting, creamy side dish alongside some simply roasted chicken.

Recipe from The Looneyspoons Collection

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Serves 6

1 pkg (6.3 oz/180 g) Uncle Ben's Long Grain & Wild Rice original recipe (I couldn't find this product, so I used 1 cup of Uncle Ben's Natural Select Roasted Chicken & Wild Rice)

2 10oz. cans of reduced-fat cream of mushroom soup

3/4 cup light old cheddar (sharp), shredded

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 1/2 cups broccoli florets, cut small

1 1/2 cups cauliflower florets, cut small

Prepare rice according to package directions, omitting butter. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together soup, cheese and Dijon mustard. Mix well. Spray a medium casserole dish with cooking spray. Layer half the soup mixture over bottom, top with half the broccoli and cauliflower, followed by half the rice. Repeat layers. Cover and bake for 1 hour. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Click here for printable version of Rice 'n' Easy Casserole

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THE RESULTS?

As I said before, this dish was comforting, creamy and easy to throw together. It becomes a really no-fuss meal when you roast some spiced chicken thighs alongside the casserole...you've got a complete meal with no extra work. This was also a great potluck contribution, and I brought home a completely empty casserole dish.

Meal Ideas:

Rice 'n' Easy Casserole + Simple Lemon Oregano Roasted Chicken

Rice 'n' Easy Casserole + Crunchy-Oven Fried Chicken

Asian Beef Noodle Soup

2012-06-22T07:00:00.000-06:00

Over the Easter break, I took my kids to my Dad's and we visited for the week. My Dad is a totally adventurous eater like me; he loves to cook and try new things. I told him we should pick a recipe from
The Looneyspoons Collection so I could have another recipe to review. He picked this soup.

It was a cinch to throw together and was ready in less than 30 minutes. I've learned from eating other Asian soups that it's nice to add sauces and accompaniments on the table for everyone to doctor up their own bowl, like Thai Sukiyaki or Ba Mee Giao Moo Dang. My Dad went with a bit of sriacha for heat and an extra squeeze of lime juice, while I did the same, but also added another hint of hoisin sauce. We both LOVED this soup! It tasted fantastic. The beauty of well done Asian dishes is the blend of sweet, salty, sour and hot, and this definitely delivers that (if you add some sriacha of course). Apparently I added too much sriacha hot sauce to my brothers bowl, so he didn't enjoy it all that much. Hey, he SAID he liked heat!

Recipe from The Looneyspoons Collection

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Serves 6

4 oz (113 g) uncooked soba noodles, whole wheat spaghetti or rice vermicelli

6 cups reduced sodium beef broth

3 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp ginger root, grated

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

12 oz beef tenderloin, thinly sliced (or use flank steak)

3 cups baby spinach leaves, chopped or thinly sliced bok choy

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup bean sprouts

For serving:

Lime wedges

Sriacha hot sauce

Hoisin sauce

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain well, rinse with cold water and drain again. Set aside until soup is ready to serve.

In a arge pot, combine beef broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ginger root, sesame oil and lime juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes.

Add beef, spinach (or bok choy), green onions, mint and basil. Simmer for 5 more minutes, just until beef is cooked through. Taste soup and add salt and pepper if desired.

To serve soup, place some cooked noodles in the bottom of a soup bowl. Top with a few bean sprouts and ladle hot soup over top. Serve immediately, with extra lime wedges, sriacha, and hoisin sauce at the table for each person to doctor their own bowl.

Click here for printable version of Asian Beef Noodle Soup

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THE RESULTS?

A fantastic Asian soup. All the fresh herbs and the crunchiness of bean sprouts and bok choy with the brightness of the lime and the savoriness of the broth....YUM! Personally I'm not a fan of soba noodles, so we went with a wide rice vermicelli and I love the texture that bok choy adds to soups (think won ton soup) so I went with that option as well.

You've heard me get on my soap box about hoisin sauce before, but if you haven't, my absolute favorite brand is Asian Family. It doesn't have any Chinese 5-spice in it, which means there's no cinnamon/licorice flavors. It's a sweet, bold flavored Asian BBQ sauce and it's wonderful. If you need ideas of how to use up your bottle of hoisin sauce, here are some of my favorites:

Lemon Basil Grilled Shrimp

2012-06-21T07:00:00.000-06:00

This should really be renamed "Best, Most Delicious Grilled Shrimp Ever". It is soooooo fantastic. I couldn't stop eating it.

Recipe from The Looneyspoons Collection

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Serves 8

Marinade:
1/3 cup basil leaves, minced
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter, melted
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp liquid honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger root, grated
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 lbs uncooked large or jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (leave tails intact)
8 12-inch metal skewers

Combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Place shrimp in a large, heavy-duty resealable plastic bag. Pour marinade over shrimp and seal bag. Turn bag several times to coat shrimp with marinade. Marinate in fridge for an hour.

Preheat grill to high. Thread shrimp onto skewers (5 or 6 shrimp per skewer, depending on size of shrimp). Discard marinade. Brush grill rack lightly with oil. Grill shrimp for about 2 minutes per side, just until shrimp turns pink and no gray remains. Be careful not to overcook shrimp or they will be rubbery. Serve.

Click here for printable version of Lemon Basil Grilled Shrimp

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THE RESULTS?

Do yourself a favor and make this shrimp. The marinade is wonderful, both tart from the lemon, fresh and earthy from the herbs and sweet from the balsamic and honey. DANG! It's a cinch to throw all the ingredients into a ziplock bag and while there is a one hour marinating time, once you grill them they take less than 5 minutes. I served it with a rice pilaf (store-bought Uncle Ben's, thankyouverymuch) and some asparagus we threw on the grill along with the shrimp. Super simple, super easy and friggin' tasty.

Meal Ideas:

Lemon Basil Grilled Shrimp + Rice Pilaf + Grilled Vegetables

Lemon Basil Grilled Shrimp + Citrus Spinach Salad

Slow Cooker Peanut Chicken

2012-06-20T09:11:00.000-06:00

School is done! It's very bittersweet. I will miss my preschool kids so much and the awesome people I work with, but I am really looking forward to a year of maternity leave, spending time with my kids and taking care of this new babe that's due to be born in August. Hopefully I'll be here more often...I miss this place. My husband just started a blog about music called The Listening and he's been putting me to shame! His blog catch line is "an album a day keeps the radio away" and he's actually been posting an album a day, even writing four or five posts at a time and scheduling them to post during the week. He's committed I tell ya.

Anyways, back to the food. Waaaaaaaaaaay back at Christmas time, I had bought the cookbook The Looneyspoons Collection for my Dad as a gift. He's a big fan (and so am I) but I was surprised to see that there were no online reviews of the cookbook. This brand new release by the Podleski sisters had been out since the beginning of November and there was no feedback anywhere. I got the bright idea to email them and ask the sisters if they could send me a copy of their cookbook for me to review. And to my surprise...they said YES! I got the cookbook in the mail a week later and have bookmarked over 20 recipes in this beautiful book and have been cooking away these past 6 months.

This slow cooker recipe came to my rescue when I was (obviously) ridiculously busy with work and needing to feed my family. Being able to throw a bunch of things in the slow cooker and leave for the day is such a lifesaver.

Recipe from The Looneyspoons Collection
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Serves 6

1 cup salsa

1/3 cup light peanut butter

2 tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate

1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp liquid honey

1 tbsp ginger root, grated

1/2 tsp curry powder

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 1/4 lbs or 1 kg)

Garnish:

Chopped peanuts

Chopped green onions

Whisk together the salsa, peanut butter, orange juice concentrate, soy sauce, honey, ginger root and curry powder in the crock of a slow cooker. Place chicken thighs over sauce. Turn pieces to coat both sides with sauce. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or high heat setting 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until chicken is tender. Do not over cook. Serve over rice and garnish with chopped green onions and peanuts.

Click here for printable version of Slow Cooker Peanut Chicken

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THE RESULTS?

The flavor of the sauce on this chicken is really good. Unfortunately, I overcooked my chicken. I was planning on being home at the 6 hour mark to turn off my slow cooker, and a busy day turned into the chicken being in there for 8 1/2 hours. That was much too long for those poor chicken thighs and they got that overcooked, unpleasant texture. It's a really kid friendly recipe though, as my kids still really enjoyed it, since it had that familiar nutty flavor of peanut butter. The chopped peanuts and green onions are optional, but in my opinion they are totally necessary to brighten up the flavors and add texture. They are such a fantastic addition to the chicken and sauce.

Whether it's a busy work day, a chilly fall day or a hot summer day and you don't want to heat up your kitchen, try this slow cooker chicken. It's a nice change up from regular crock pot fare.

Meal Ideas:

Slow Cooker Peanut Chicken + Rice + Peas or Broccoli

Authentic Mexican Tacos

2012-06-05T07:00:00.000-06:00

Originally posted March 13, 2009. Photos and text updated June 5, 2012.

Years ago my husband introduced me to Authentic Mexican Tacos. He had spent some time in Mexico in his teens. He pretty much has the worst memory in the history of mankind ever and basically remembers only two things about his time there: his first kiss to a girl older than him in a lime orchard under the stars (talk about a dream!)... and these tacos.

"So they're just meat, onions, cilantro and guacamole?" I'd ask.

"Yep. But they're amazing."

He wasn't kidding. Something magical happens when those simple ingredients collide with a corn tortilla. But they can't just be any corn tortillas...you gotta make sure they are good ones. I know that in the U.S. they are available everywhere, but here in Canada they are harder to find. We've tried corn tortillas from Safeway and they were so awful the texture was like rubber and the taste wasn't much better than cardboard. The corn tortillas we used this time were from our Asian Supermarket that carries a lot of International foods. Corn tortillas have been redeemed for me.

Recipe by Meal Planning 101
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Serves 4

I used flour tortillas instead of corn in these pictures because that's what I had on hand. I think they taste better with corn (and more authentic too :) )

2 lb sirloin or flank steak
Grill seasoning (or salt and pepper)
2 limes, cut into wedges
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 bunch cilantro
12 corn tortillas
Guacamole
Pico de Gallo (optional)

Slice beef thinly across the grain. In a frying pan over high heat add a tbsp of oil. You want the pan hot so it sears the beef. Add 1/3 of the beef, seasoning well with grill seasoning (or salt and pepper. Authentic taco's are made just with salt, but the grill seasoning gives it an added "oomph" that is really great.) When the beef is browned remove from pan; this should only take a couple minutes. Continue to cook the rest of the beef in batches. When the beef comes out of the pan squeeze lime juice all over.

*Alternatively, you can sprinkle your favorite steak with the grill seasoning and throw it onto a hot BBQ for 3-5 minutes per side (as per your liking). Remove the steak from the grill and squeeze with fresh lime. Let sit for a few minutes to let the juices redistribute, then slice the steak thinly across the grain. I like to cook the meat this way in the summertime when I can be outside.

In a dry pan over medium heat, warm a corn tortilla. We like to heat them as we make them so we keep getting up and down from the table to heat up a tortilla and then assemble and eat. If you don't want to do this, just put a stack of them on a plate with a damp towel over top and microwave for a few seconds.

To assemble a taco, lay beef across the tortilla and sprinkle over onions. Squeeze a wedge of lime over. Scoop on some guacamole and finish with a few sprigs of cilantro. I'm not a fan of raw onions, so I like to eat mine with beef, guacamole, pico de gallo and cilantro.

Click here for printable version of Authentic Mexican Tacos.
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THE RESULTS?
Heck yes, these are amazing! I had authentic taco's once at my hubby's favorite Mexican restaurant and I found them somewhat bland. But these are soooooo not bland. The combination of the lime and grill seasoning on the beef as well as the pico de gallo and guacamole make these so freakin' delicious. We both scarfed down as many taco's as our stomachs would handle. According to Steve: "This is what Jesus will serve us when we get to heaven."

Meal Ideas:

Authentic Mexican Tacos + Refried Beans

Authentic Mexican Tacos + Mixed Greens drizzled with Creamy Lime Cilantro Dressing

Instead of serving the steak, guacamole and pico de gallo in corn tortillas, serve them on a crunchy tostada.

Pico de Gallo

2012-06-03T16:45:00.001-06:00

Originally posted Feb 12, 2009. Photo's and text updated June 3, 2012.

I'm sorry I dropped off the face of the earth again! This always seems to happen when work gets crazy, and being in the final few weeks of preschool while 7 months pregnant has made it extra hectic. Two more weeks of putting my nose to the grindstone and I can officially relax and enjoy my summer and my family before this baby comes.

In the meantime, I thought I'd pop in quick and post new photos of this fantastic pico de gallo recipe. The old ones were HORRRRRID. Like, really bad. It's nice to be able to update and improve them :)

A couple Saturday's ago, I was in the throes of a huge preschool Mother's Day project. My house had gone to pot, the laundry had mountainized, there was still a ton of preschool work to be done....and I was single parenting for the day! I decided to ignore all the chores that were calling my name, pack up the girls and head to the Farmer's Market. It turned into such a lovely day! I let my girls pick out some fresh produce and we came home with some beautiful red and yellow cocktail tomatoes (nothing like those pinkish-orange anemic ones we find in the grocery store), red and green jalapeno's and some fresh cilantro. Fresh pico de gallo was definitely in order! The sweet and juicy greenhouse tomatoes tasted like gold amongst the raw pungent onions, peppery cilantro, lime and chile. I served it up on some Authentic Mexican Tacos, but found myself scooping it up later in the evening on tortilla chips and not being able to control myself.

As an appetizer with chips, or as a condiment for your fave Mexican foods, you must make some pico de gallo this summer.

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Makes about 1 1/2 cups

2-3 large ripe tomatotes, diced

1/2 medium red onion, diced (or about 6 green onions)

1/2 jalapeno, deseeded and finely chopped (this is the heat level I like, so adjust to your own tastes)

1 tbsp lime juice

1 clove garlic, finely minced or grated

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Salt and pepper

Dice the tomatoes and add to a bowl. I like to deseed my tomatoes, but that's because I deseed tomatoes for everything I make...I'm not a fan of the goopy stuff. Feel free to just chop them without deseeding because it's not totally necessary for this recipe. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and stir to mix thoroughly. Taste and adjust salt, lime juice, cilantro and/or jalapeno to your liking. Serve with taco's or as dip for tortilla chips.

Click here for printable version of Pico de Gallo
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THE RESULTS?
Really fresh and really delicious. What I like about making pico de gallo is that it's a dish that you don't really need a recipe for. You just chop ingredients and mix them together. Yes, you have to make sure all the flavors are in balance but the nice thing is you can alter and adjust to your own tastes. I like that. I also love that it's a perfect use for fresh summer produce.

Here's some ideas of what to do with it:

Serve as a condiment with Shredded Chicken Flautas, or your favorite quesadillas or burritos.

Serve it up on Authentic Mexican Taco's

Layer it into your favorite Layered Mexican dip

Stir some into gaucamole for a chunkier dip

Grill chicken breasts with lime and grill seasoning and pile pico de gallo on top. Or slice chicken into a salad and top with pico de gallo and other favorite veggies. Creamy Lime Cilantro Dressing drizzled on top would taste fabulous.

Top on nachos.

Meal Plan 54 - Spring Rejuvenation

2012-04-21T17:00:00.000-06:00

Click here to get a printable version of this week's meal plan and recipes

Grocery List:

Click here to get a printable version of this week's grocery list

I took a much needed break over my Easter holidays....no preschool work, no blog, no housework, just family and rest. Aaaaah. I feel so rejuvenated! The spring weather totally helps as well. I was able to sit outside in the warm sun this afternoon while I typed up this post. Enjoy this new meal plan, and look forward to some brand new recipes this week that I've been reviewing for a new cookbook review. Bring on the spring veggies, salads and fresh flavors!

Day 1: Red and White Beef Manicotti with Garlic Bread and Ceasar Salad
You could totally serve this manicotti with some mixed greens and drizzle it with a simple vinaigrette, but I decided to go all out and be totally decadent with this meal for my family. This is a good one!

Day 2: Blackened Chicken Salad with Creamy Honey Mustard Dressing
It's finally SPRING so lighter meals are a must. Just because this is a salad for dinner, does NOT mean it is lacking in flavor. This is a bold, flavorful, fantastic main dish salad.

Day 3: Thai Larp
One of my favorite Thai dishes, this larp (pronounced "lap") has wonderfully seasoned ground meat (beef, chicken or pork, your choice) with jasmine rice rolled in lettuce leaves or napa cabbage. If you love lettuce wraps, try this authentic Thai recipe!

Day 4: Chicken al Diavlo Penne with Mixed Greens drizzled with Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil
This is one of my family's favorite pasta dishes ever. We either eat it on it's own, or with a simple salad. I'm going to use up whatever lettuce is left in my fridge to make a lovely mixed green salad dressing simply with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Day 5: Lemon Chicken and Fried Rice
When you are craving Chinese take-out, both these recipes are fantastic at home substitutes. They aren't loaded with sugar, salt and msg and cost a fraction of what they would at a restaurant. AND they actually TASTE like they came from a Chinese restaurant. Score!

For more great meal plans, check out my complete list of meal plans.