Over the past few weeks I have been on a mission to plan my meals, shop at the grocery store a few times a week (instead of everyday because I am not prepared) and to try new things. So far I have been pretty successful. Still working hard, yet living by grace. :)
I was also talking with my sister who was in a rut about food and decided I would email some menu ideas to her that were easy and we had eaten in the last week or so. Plus, another idea that I am doing is calling a friend or two that I appreciate their cooking, asking what they have had for dinner and then adding their menu to ours! It sure has saved me from hours of planning and also we have added new things to our plates-yay!
Below I am going to post a few things so that I don't forget some yummy new foods we tried and/or to help anyone out that is also stuck!
Oh and my friend, Kristin (thank you!) pointed me to this site-100 Days of Real Food and it is WONDERFUL. Please check it out if you have a desire to learn about foods or get good ideas for healthy menu item or to take their 10 day challenge to not eat processed foods! If I could have written something like this I would have! Of course she is a much better written then I ever will be and more organized :)...high fives to the author Lisa! A sweet site. Go check it out! :)
Foods we have enjoyed lately:
2. Anything with sweet potatoes. These as well are in season and full of nutrients! We have tried sweet potato biscuits, sweet potato smoothies and sweet potato cookies. Next on the docket is sweet potato hummus and a soup! Everything has been a delicious amount of sweet and also very moist. Cookie recipe-I changed the pumpkin to sweet potato, flour was spelt and used honey granulars instead of sugar, cutting down the sweetener to 1/2 cup which was plenty since it was a 'sweet' potato. :) Biscuit recipe-yummo. I used spelt again and honey granulars with good success!
3. Smoothies. We've done smoothies in the past and then it just fell away. Probably when Owen was born, I was to wiped out and so the smoothies stopped. But after seeing gorgeous photos on Pinterest I was reminded of what a great nutrient benefit these are to our diet. Plus it really really helps us all get enough liquid into our bodies in the winter. We've tried this green one which is light and yummy and then have made some blueberries/raspberries ones that are tasty. I try to add some extra Vitamin C powder, flax seeds and probiotics for our systems to have a boost.
And lastly....here are some of what has been on our menu these past two weeks!
1. Pizza, salad and sweet potato cookies
2. Taco Salad (buying and cooking extra for sloppy Joes), and dressed up Pico.
3. Pinwheel chicken, salad and sweet potato cookies
4. Left overs
5. Sloppy Joes-(seasoned with your favorite bar b sue sauce!), peas and baked/seasoned potatoes
6. Spicy Veggie Chili and sweet potato biscuits
7. Grilled DELICIOUS chicken and Potatoes from Bobby Flay-recipe below from our friends the Muses! It is SO worth putting this recipe into your 'to try' box. Justin tried this and IMMEDIATELY he said, DELICIOUS and he said...I over ate and LOVED it! :) Oh and the sauce is great on subs or as a salad dressing or a dipping sauce. Make sure you read through the directions, but know it is easy peasy!
8. Chipolte....love that place. :)
9. Spaghetti and meatballs, bread, salad
10. Lentil soup with chicken sausage and sourdough bread
Recipe for you!
SOOOO good Bobby Flay Dinner!!!
Grilled Chicken with Roasted Garlic-Oregano Vinaigrette and Grilled Potatoes--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ingredients:
For the roasted garlic-oregano vinaigrette: (I made this the day before)
8 cloves roasted garlic
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves-I used dried for this one
2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes...-forgot this ooops!
For the grilled chicken and potatoes:
12 fingerling potatoes, scrubbed
Kosher/sea salt
Olive oil
4 (8-ounce) bone-in chicken breasts
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Keep some fresh oregano sprigs, for garnish-optional
Fresh some fresh parsley sprigs, for garnish-optional
For the roasted garlic-oregano vinaigrette
Combine garlic, vinegar, oregano, parsley, honey and salt in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil and process until emulsified. Stir in the red chile flakes.
For the grilled chicken and potatoes:
Place potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until a paring knife inserted comes out with some resistance. Do not cook the potatoes all the way through because they will continue cooking on the grill. Drain well and when cool enough to handle, slice in half lengthwise.
Heat the grill to medium. (I do think this recipe would also work baked in the oven if you don't have a grill)
Brush the chicken and potatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken on the grill, skin-side down and grill until golden brown and slightly charred, 6 to 7 minutes. Turn the chicken over and continue grilling until just cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. A few minutes before the chicken has finished cooking, place the potatoes on the grill, cut-side down and cook until lightly golden brown, about 2 minutes Turn over and continue grilling about a minute longer. (*FYI-the chicken took about 25 minutes for me, a bit longer then the recipe says and I put the potatoes in a sauté pan on the grill to finish the cooking.)
Remove the chicken and potatoes to a platter and immediately drizzle with the roasted garlic-oregano vinaigrette. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with oregano sprigs and parsley sprigs.
EAT!
Ok that is all I have folks. I hope someone can glean from this post...and if not, it will be a great reminder for us!
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