Recipe: Pesto Pita Pizza

Yum! This is one of those recipes that's super easy to make but incredibly flavorful and delicious to eat. This came right out of my Cooking With Trader Joe's Cookbook: Dinner's Done book but can be made with ingredients found in any grocery store.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 standard-size (7-inch diameter) pita pockets
3 Tbsp pesto (either store-bought or homemade)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 ripe tomato, diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Place pitas on baking sheet, lightly sprayed with cooking oil.
3. Spread 2 Tbsp pesto on each pita. Top each with 1/4 cup of cheese.
4. Remove from oven and top with tomato and basil.

Eat and enjoy!

Recipe: Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

I'm probably a few days too late with this post but if you still have leftover Thanksgiving turkey and are wondering what to do with it, I highly suggest making it into this soup from allrecipes.com. (Or, you can plan ahead and keep some turkey from Christmas if you make it then too.)

We had everything on hand already except for the wild rice. I happen to be shopping at Cost Plus World Market and came across this grain and pasta medley. It was perfect for the soup. The surprise ingredient is the almonds and they give this soup a wonderful crunch. It's really delicious!

Serves 8

Ingredients:
2/3 cup uncooked wild rice
2 cups water

6 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups turkey (or chicken) broth
1/3 cup shredded carrot
2 cups chopped cooked turkey
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped slivered almonds
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
3/4 cup half-and-half cream


Directions:

1. Bring the wild rice and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender but not mushy, 40 to 45 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid, fluff the rice with a fork, and cook uncovered 5 minutes more. Set the cooked rice aside.
   *Alternatively, follow the instructions listed on the wild rice of your choosing.*
2. Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook and stir the onion and celery until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Gradually add the flour to the turkey broth and pour in the pot. Stir in the carrot. Bring the mixture to a simmer, and cook, whisking constantly, until the stock is thick and smooth and the carrot is tender, about 2 more minutes.
3. Stir in the cooked wild rice, turkey, salt, pepper, and almonds. Return to a simmer, and cook 2 more minutes to heat the ingredients. Stir in the lemon juice and half-and-half; bring the soup almost to a boil, and serve hot.

Recipe: Chicken Bombs

Way back when [A] and I lived in the city we had a group of friends that would get together every week for something called Supper Club. We would rotate to a different house each week and that couple would host dinner for the group while we'd all watch Lost. It was so fun and a great way to try new recipes. One of our favorites recipes was from our friends who have since moved to Portland, OR. (Funny side note, we continued this tradition of watching Lost with our Besties after we moved from the city and into the suburbs and those friends have also moved to the west coast too and when I was out there visiting in February I made Chicken Bombs for them.) I'm not 100% sure that this was their exact recipe but it's as close as we can remember and it sure tastes as good!

Makes 8

Ingredients

• 2 cooked chicken breasts seasoned to your taste (I use salt, pepper and Grill Mates Montreal Chicken Seasoning from McCormick)
  You can either shred or dice the chicken. (For a quick method to make shredded chicken, try this recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.)
• 1 package cream cheese, softened (I use the 1/3 less fat variety)
• 2 containers crescent rolls (I use the reduced fat version)
• 3 or 4 green onions, sliced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Mix the chicken, onions and softened cream cheese in a bowl. Set aside.

Open the crescent rolls and break the dough in half at the perforated line. Keep the crescent triangles together so you have four rectangles per container. Pinch the triangles together and flatten the dough a bit. You don't want the seams to burst open when you're wrapping your bomb. Do the same for the other container of rolls.

Scoop the chicken mixture into a line down the middle of each rectangle. Fold the two long sides to meet in the middle and pinch together. Pinch the short sides shut and pat the whole thing down a bit.

Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with a vegetable and you have a quick, delicious dinner. Enjoy :)

Recipe: Maraschino Cherry Cake

Just after Easter I blogged about an amazing coconut cake I made. Well, while I was making that one, [K] was crafting a recipe all her own.

(Don't mind the check marks. She was adding those as we made the cake.)

I thought she did a really great job coming up with the list of ingredients all on her own and I won't lie, I thought it sounded like a really delicious cake. So I searched the internet for a cake recipe that would most closely follow her original recipe and this is the one we came up with, Maraschino Cherry Cake. The only major difference between this one and the cake we made is that [K] requested chocolate frosting and then decided she didn't like it and had me cut her pieces out before I frosted the cake which is why half of the cake below is missing. (I cut out hers and [E]s before frosting it so no, she didn't get half the cake to herself.)

Maraschino Cherry Cake
(Serves 10; 404 calories per slice - ouch but yummy anyway)

Ingredients

• 10 oz jar of maraschino cherries, drained but reserve the juice
• White cake mix (or a homemade white cake)
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 8 oz. tub of Cool Whip Light, defrosted
• *Optional* 3.4 oz pkg. Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding Mix
• *Optional* 1/4 cup milk

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prep 2 round cake pans. (I learned from my Mom after making the Coconut Cake that a great way to get your cakes out of the pan cleanly is to trace the bottom of the pans on sheets of parchment paper, cut them out, spray the inside bottom of your pan with non-stick spray, press the parchment paper down on the bottom, then spray the parchment paper. When the cakes have cooled about 10 minutes, use a knife to go around the edges and invert your cake onto the cooling rack. The cake will slide right out of the pan and the paper will peel off easily. It works great!)
2. Cut the cherries into small pieces. I think I cut each cherry into about 8 pieces.
3. Put the cake mix in a mixer bowl. Add enough water to the cherry juice to bring the liquid to 1 cup.  Pour that into the cake mix. Add the cherry pieces, vanilla, and eggs to the bowl and mix until well combined.  Pour into the prepared cake pans.
4. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when you test the center.
5. Cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then remove to cooling racks. (See my note in step 1.)
6. After completely cool, frost with your choice of frosting or Cool Whip. To make Chocolate Cool Whip, add the package of dry Chocolate Instant Pudding Mix and 1/4 cup milk to the Cool Whip and stir until combined.

When finished, show it to your daughter and laugh at the fake surprised expression on her face :)

She actually helped me make most of this cake although her main form of "helping" was testing the maraschino cherries to make sure they were tasty enough for her cake. I love that she is interested in creating recipes and enjoys making things. I hope this is something she and I can continue to do for many years to come.

Easter Dinner Recipes

Hi! I hope you had a wonderful Easter filled with family, food, and candy!

We had such a fantastic Easter. It was a smaller group (only 17) and that meant it was a bit more relaxed and we could spend more time talking to everyone and less time in the kitchen. My Mom, as usual, had a ton of food in addition to all of the amazing dishes people brought with them. One of the highlights of any party is my aunt and uncles broccoli. I think they just steam it and add some adobo seasoning. Every time they make it the bowl is empty by the time everyone has gone through the buffet. This year I wanted to compliment their dish by offering another simple, yet flavorful, vegetable.

I originally saw this recipe on a friends Facebook page and thought it looked amazing. I made it exactly as stated and ended up having to throw most of it away. You see, I was home alone the day I made it and the original recipe uses Buffalo Wing sauce and ever since giving birth to our oldest daughter, I just can't handle spicy food anymore. However, luckily I tried the cauliflower BEFORE adding the sauce and it was so delicious I knew I'd be making it like that again. So, without further adieu, I present:

Cauliflower Buffalo Bites (without the Buffalo)
(from the website: Good Dinner Mom)

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 large head cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets
• Olive oil to drizzle
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper
  
  This is where I stop but if you want to make the Buffalo version, here are the additional ingredients.
• 1 tablespoon melted butter (Use coconut oil for vegan option)
• ⅔ cup Frank’s Buffalo Wing Style hot sauce or other hot wing sauce of choice

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 450F degrees.
2. Place cauliflower florets into plastic bag. Drizzle olive oil over florets to barely coat.
3. Add garlic powder, salt and pepper. Close bag and toss ingredients around so all florets are coated.
   (*Side note: I've used garlic salt instead of powder and then omitted the ¼ teaspoon salt and it's worked out just fine.)
4. Place on ungreased cookie sheet or baking pan and bake on middle rack for 15 minutes, turning florets once during baking. Check them at the 10 minute mark for desired tenderness. You don’t want them to be soggy!
   
   Again, this is where I stop and they are SO delicious but here is the Buffalo version as well.
   
5. Remove florets from oven. Melt butter in medium glass bowl. Add hot sauce to butter. Toss cauliflower and stir to cover all florets with hot sauce.
6. Return to oven and cook for additional 5 minutes.

 I was so excited to hear people complimenting my cauliflower and even more excited to tell them just how easy it is to make it. I made a double batch for Easter and there was very little left.


The second dish I made was so incredible, there was none left and my uncle even had two pieces. He can be a very honest critic and he was "mmm'ing" like nobody's business. That had to be the most rewarding compliment!

I originally saw this recipe in People magazine (I know, weird spot to find a cake recipe) and thought it looked delicious so I decided to make it for Easter. Then, randomly, I saw an ad for it on some web page I was surfing and looked at it online. The great thing about finding a recipe online is that often times there are reviews / comments and occasionally the comments contain ways to improve upon the original recipe. This was one of those times. (I followed the advice of 'Pupsmom09' on page 3.)

Classic Angel Flake Coconut Cake
(from the website: Kraft Recipes)

Serves 18

Ingredients

• 1 pkg. yellow cake mix (I'm sure you can substitute a homemade yellow cake if you would rather not use a mix.)
• 3 eggs (for cake mix)
• 7-oz. pkg. flaked coconut, divided
• 1 can coconut milk (I used the Trader Joe's Light canned stuff)
• milk
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla
• 3.4 oz. pkg. JELL-O Coconut Cream Flavor Instant Pudding
• 3.4 oz. pkg. JELL-O White Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 8 oz. tub COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Prepare cake batter and bake as directed on package for 2 (9-inch) round layers, substituting 2/3 of the water in the cake mix with coconut milk, adding 2/3 cup flaked coconut, 1/4 cup milk, and dry coconut pudding mix into batter before pouring into prepared pans.
3. While still hot, poke small holes in your layers and baste them with coconut milk.
4. Cool cakes in pans 10 min. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely.
5. Meanwhile, beat dry white chocolate pudding mix, powdered sugar, 2/3 cup coconut milk, and 1/3 cup milk in large bowl with whisk 2 min. (Pudding will be thick.) Stir in COOL WHIP. Refrigerate until ready to assemble cake.
6. Stack cake layers on plate, filling with 1 cup of the pudding mixture and 3/4 cup of the flaked coconut. Frost top and side of cake with remaining pudding mixture. Press remaining flaked coconut into pudding mixture. Refrigerate 1 hour.

 I was lucky enough to have made this cake not only for everyone to enjoy at Easter, but also as a birthday cake for my amazing God-niece who turned 7 (how did that happen so fast?!?) and my uncle, who's birthday is on the 27th.

(Isn't it cool how the Batgirl symbol glows from the candle light?)

I hope you have the chance to try out these recipes and if you do, please let me know what you think.

Recipe: Lemon Chicken Breast

Hello Folks! About two weeks ago I wrote a post about an app I've been using called Lose It! and two cook books I've been using to make 400 or less calorie meals.

This past weekend I was out of town visiting my bestie, her husband and their beautiful new baby. While I was gone, A did some grocery shopping. One of the meals he was going to make was Lemon Thyme Chicken. He didn't have the chance to make it while I was gone so I decided I would make it last night. A quick Google search landed me on this recipe from The Food Network and I'll tell you what, it was delicious! Even K was happy to eat it. She's not the most picky eater and she will usually eat chicken but since it was something new I wasn't sure how she would like it. Thankfully she loved it! The other great thing about it is it falls under their "Healthy" category and it is under 400 calories.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
  (We used a moscato which is a sweet white wine which was delicious.)
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 boneless chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each)
  (The original recipe called for the chicken breasts to have the skin on. I prefer no skin and the recipe works for skinless chicken as well.)
• 1 lemon

DirectionsPreheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don't allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt and pour into a 9 by 12-inch baking dish.

Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them (skin side up) over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn't browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Serve hot with the pan juices.


Nutritional InformationCalories: 393  |  Total Fat: 19.5 g  |  Saturated Fat: 3 g
Protein: 49 g   |  Total Carbohydrates: 3 g  |  Sugar: 0 g
Fiber: 0.5 g     |  Cholesterol: 145 mg  |  Sodium: 745 mg


We made this with a side of broccoli and I used that to soak up the extra pan juices - so good!

Recipe: Slow Cooker Applesauce

Oh my, this applesauce is SO good and the best part is, there's no sugar added! According to the website where I got this recipe, My Whole Food Life, "Slow cooking the apples allows for the natural sugars to come out. Plus, adding spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla makes the dish seem sweet without having to add any sugar."

10 apples peeled, cored and cubed
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 heaping tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup water

Throw everything in the slow cooker. Cook on high for the first hour, stirring occasionally. Then turn to low and cook for another 6 hours or so. The longer you cook it, the better. We like ours chunky but if you like it smoother you can blend it at the end. That’s it, and your house will smell amazing too!

Recipe: Slow Cooker Apple Crisp

As you may recall we recently went apple picking so I have lots and lots of apples to use in various recipes. The first three recipes I feature here are going to be utilizing a slow cooker because it's just so simple to toss all of the ingredients in and forget it the rest of the day.

This first recipe came from the website, Repeat Crafter Me. It's a great site that my sister-in-law introduced me to when she made our family matching owl hats last Christmas.

This apple crisp was easy to make, very tasty, and reheats well. My only complaint with it is that it uses a lot of butter. However, if you are looking for a hands-off, no fuss recipe, this is it.

6 apples peeled and sliced thin
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup quick oats
2 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup softened butter

Place the sliced apples inside the slow cooker. Mix the remaining ingredients together and put on top of the apples (do not stir). Cover and cook on LOW about 6 hours.

I served ours with vanilla ice cream which I highly recommend.

Enjoy! - J

Recipe: Easy Eggplant Parmesan

On Tuesdays in our town is the local Farmers Market. I love walking down there and admiring the fresh produce. It's a small town so it's a small Farmers Market but I always manage to walk away with something. This particular Tuesday it was two beautiful looking eggplants. Aren't eggplants just the most gorgeous purple color? I love them. I wasn't sure what I was going to make with them but I bought them anyway and I'm so glad I did.

Easy Eggplant Parmesan
(I apologize that I don't have a tantalizing photo of the dish but I didn't think to take one before we devoured it. As soon as we make it again I'll take a picture and amend this post.)

Makes 6 servings

- 2 eggplants (peeled and cut into discs)
- sea salt
- 2 egg whites, 1 whole egg, beaten
- bread crumbs (Italian seasoned or add dried basil, oregano and parsley to plain breadcrumbs) *I added about 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese to my bread crumbs as well.
- olive oil
- grated parmesan cheese
- shredded mozzarella (8 oz bag if you're being good, 16 oz if you like cheese; or better yet, shred your own and use as little or as much as you want)
- 1 jar spaghetti sauce (or make fresh if you prefer). We use Mids brand and it's really, really good.
- fresh basil (or dried but fresh tastes better)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Lay the eggplant slices on a baking sheet and sprinkle them with sea salt. Let them sit for 30 minutes or until you see moisture beading on the top.
3. Rinse the slices and pat them dry.
4. Coat your baking sheet in olive oil.
5. Dip the slices in egg, then the bread crumbs. Place them in a single layer on the baking sheet and cook for 7 minutes per side.
6. Turn the oven down to 325 degrees.
7. In a 9"x13" baking dish spread spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices in the sauce and then sprinkle with Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat with the remaining slices, ending with the cheese. If you're using dried basil, sprinkle that on now. If you're using fresh, add it after it's been cooked.
8. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

This was SO good. It was the first time I've ever cooked or eaten eggplant and I was delighted with the results. Not only did it taste amazing but it was really easy to make. Plus, seeing as it's baked and not fried, I'm guessing it's fairly healthy. Well, I guess that depends on how much cheese you use but I think it would still be delicious even if you went easy on the cheese. Good luck and happy cooking!

Weekly Meal Plan - Week 7

Monday: Ham and Broccoli Quiche

Tuesday: Spaghetti Squash with french bread

Wednesday: Broccoli Cheese Soup in bread bowls

Thursday: Lasagna with sauteed spinach

Friday: Mushroom Bean Burgers on pretzel buns with wedge salad

Saturday: Veggie Garden Pizza (make it up as you go along)

Sunday: Leftover Lasagna

And just for fun: Rum Cake

Smashing a snowball on Daddy's head.

Chilly Papa (at Chili's). I love how K's foot is up-turned.

Tight squeeze hug for Daddy.

Building a tower out of puzzle pieces.

Weekly Meal Plan - Week 6

Somehow we ended up not eating several of the meals from last week. I think we had more leftovers than I had anticipated plus I went out to dinner with the Ladies on Friday. Here is what we have for this week:

Monday: Leftover Rotisserie Chicken Wraps (this is a recipe I got from a free booklet at the local grocery store by my parents during Christmas) with corn

Tuesday: Turkey Meatloaf with roasted asparagus

Wednesday: Pico de Gallo Chicken Quesadillas (I never made these last week)

Thursday: Leftover White Bean and Sausage Saute

Friday: Simple Turkey Chili (I never made this last week)

Saturday: Leftover Turkey Meatloaf with peas

Sunday: Leftover Chili with green beans

I think since I'm accounting for more leftovers that I should be more accurate on my menu this week.
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In other news, K is doing AMAZING with Operation Underpants. She doesn't even bat an eye having to wear the undies. My cousin recommended just plainly stating that she would be wearing underpants and not giving her the option between diapers and underwear and that really worked. About 2 days before we made the switch I started talking to her about it saying "On Monday you'll be wearing big girl underpants from now on. Isn't that exciting?" Of course she would say "no" but she was smiling so it was more of a game than a tantrum or anything. I would casually mention it a few times each day and by that Monday it was no big deal at all. We've even been able to go on several longer outings with no accidents at all. I bring along her little stand-alone potty and keep it in the van and in between every few stores or parks, etc. I have her try and go and every time she's gone. Plus, she's really great about telling us if she has to go. I will ask her periodically if it seems to me that it's been a long time since she went last but if she says "no" I say "ok" and don't pressure her to go. Usually a few minutes after I ask she'll tell me she has to go. I think that has a lot to do with her desire to be more independent and make the decision to go by herself. Anyway, A and I are so incredibly proud of her. We don't have the potty chart anymore and we stopped any rewards for going too (she used to get two fruit snacks for tinkle and four for poopies). Now I just periodically give her a fruit snack pack for no reason and she seems happy with that. She hasn't even asked about them once.

We've had some really nice weather here this past week so we took advantage and went for some walks after Daddy got home from work.

There's nothing quite like a moonlit stroll with the family.

This was our first time out of the house since we went to undies so we
brought the potty with us, just in case.

She was killing me with this stroller. It might be hard to tell but she's
RUNNING with it. She looked like a crazy shopping cart lady.

The sunset was gorgeous.

And it kept getting prettier as the night went on.

Warmer temperatures + small piles of leftover snow = PUDDLES!

I love her reflection in this one.

There was lots of running.

Lots and LOTS of running.

And plenty of splashing too.

The hardest part was getting her to keep her fingers
out of her mouth after touching the water. Yuck!

Weekly Meal Plan - Week 5

Monday: Creamy rice, chicken and spinach
Tuesday: Creamy bow-tie pasta with chicken and broccoli
Wednesday: Lentil Soup
Thursday: Left overs
Friday: Pico de Gallo chicken quesadillas
Saturday: Simple turkey chili
Sunday: Probably more left overs or order pizza

So Operation Underpants is going very well. Day 1 had as many accidents as it had successes but today (day 2) there were only two minor accidents where she started going but alerted me to it and was able to finish going on the potty. I'm really proud of her. She has been doing so great with potty training. She is the one who had the interest in the beginning to want to do it and even when she was still wearing diapers she would (frequently, but not always) tell us before she had to go. When I gave her 'naked time' she never had an accident. Maybe I should have gone right to undies from diapers instead of nudie booty in between but honestly, I still think she is doing amazing. I'm sure it's a bit confusing for a kiddo to go from wearing something absorbent that doesn't matter if you tinkle in it to wearing cloth undies that don't hold liquid. I'm guessing tomorrow that she'll have even less accidents although we're going to stay home for the rest of the week to make sure she really understands.

Weekly Meal Plan - Week 4

Hey look, for once I'm on time with my meal plan! This past weeks grocery total was a record low for us so that was cool and from the looks of my grocery list for this week it's going to be another cheap trip to Kroger. Yay!

Monday: Alphabet Pasta with Great Northern Beans, Italian bread and broccoli

Tuesday: Spinach salad with strawberries and walnuts

Wednesday: Leftover creole with brown rice

Thursday: Asian chicken stir fry

Friday: Lentil soup (recipe from This Week for Dinner)

Saturday: Creamy bow-tie pasta with chicken and broccoli (recipe from allrecipes.com)

Sunday: Creamy rice, chicken and spinach (recipe from allrecipes.com) - I'm trying to use up some cream cheese with these last two recipes

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Everything else is going well here. My parents are coming to visit soon so we're all very excited about that. K is doing wonderfully. Everyday she talks more, asks more questions, gets taller... I'm getting ready to start her in 4T clothing. This girl is going to be taller than me in a matter of years. =D  Her tushy is basically all healed although it's still red and splotchy. I'm hoping this will fade over time and isn't going to be a scar. We're looking forward to spending some time with friends this week. Even though we had some rough weather last week we were still able to go to the mall playground, Toys R Us to visit the toys, and to Barnes and Noble to play with the trains. She's filled another potty chart so I have some trains on order. We're going to have to figure something out because if she continues going potty as much as she is, we're going to end up with WAY too many trains. At what point do you stop giving rewards for potty training? Also, does anyone have a suggestion on how to get a kiddo to wear underpants? She does great if she isn't wearing anything on the bottom but she doesn't want to wear underpants. I don't know if they feel uncomfortable to her or what but I don't have any ideas. I'm hoping someone else out there might have a suggestion, please!!!

Weekly Meal Plan - Week 3

So here it is already Wednesday and I still haven't posted my weekly meal plan. However, I do have one good excuse, we lost our power last night for several hours right when I was beginning to write my post.

Somehow our plan last week didn't exactly go as, well... planned. I'm not sure how but we had a lot of meals still left over to make this week from last week. So, here's what we're doing this week:
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Tuesday: Chicken Pesto Pasta. I was supposed to make green beans too but I didn't get them done in time so unfortunately we didn't have a vegetable last night

Wednesday: Soft tacos with chimichurri rice and corn

Thursday: Trader Joe's Asian style chicken with chicken fried rice and peas

Friday: Alphabet pasta with great white beans and green beans and Italian bread

Saturday: Sloppy Joe's and broccoli

Sunday: Spinach stuffed shells with Italian bread and broccoli

Monday: Sausage creole with multigrain rice pilaf and red pepper
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Here are a few pictures that I've taken recently:

It's a little blurry but I still think it's cute.

She decided she needed *a few* more friends to sleep with the other night.

Buzz and Woody are in Time Out. I'm not sure what they did though ;)

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Below are some plastic place mats I got in the Dollar section of Target and they are GREAT!!! We use washable Crayola crayons on them and a couple sheets of stickers and they keep K quiet and busy for quite some time. These are great for use in a restaurant or during church (which is where we use them most often). Both mats are double sided so it can take her quite some time to color all four sides. The only glitch I've noticed with them so far is I gave K some older cheap stickers one time and when I peeled them off it took a bit of the red coloring off. It isn't that big of a deal and she doesn't seem to notice or mind. They had at least one other design at our Target and I might get it. They are an inexpensive way to keep her happy :)

This is the one that had some of the red come off with the stickers.

Weekly Meal Plan - Week 2

I'm sorry this is late. I should have had this posted yesterday but really, Sunday afternoon would have been best. Unfortunately that didn't happen but here it is, nonetheless. I've taken out the breakfasts and lunches because I'm guessing they aren't as interesting as the dinners.

Monday: Leftover Italian Beef sandwiches (yummy Portillos!)

Tuesday: Chicken, spinach, tomato & mozzarella cheese
This is a recipe A invented and it's super simple yet very tasty. You can make your chicken anyway you like it. Tonight I sprinkled both sides of the tenderloins with Montreal Chicken Seasoning and then grilled it up on the Foreman Grill. While that is cooking, halve grape or cherry tomatoes, as many or as few as you want and then add them to a skillet over medium heat with about a tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Let those soften up just a bit and then add half a bag of baby spinach. Cover the skillet and let that wilt. When your chicken is done, cut it into bite size pieces. Add the rest of the spinach and let that wilt as well. When all of the spinach is added and wilted down, add the chicken and a handful of mozzarella cheese. Stir that around until the cheese starts melting and then take it off the heat. The cheese will continue to melt a bit. Spoon it on your plates and enjoy!

Wednesday: Lipton Onion Soup Baked Chicken (I have an extra packet of the stuff) with mashed sweet potatoes (I never made them last week)

Thursday: Nachos made with Zesty Cheese & Bean Dip, black olives, salsa, sour cream and Tostitos Natural Yellow Corn Chips

Friday: Chicken Caprese - a Rachel Ray recipe recommended by my wonderful friend

Saturday: Chicken Pesto Pasta (I never made it from last week) & green beans

Sunday: Soft tacos made with Quorn and leftovers from the nachos and Chimichurri rice from Trader Joe's

There we go. Hopefully all goes to plan. The only day that might go awry is Sunday because we're (hopefully) going out with some friends we haven't seen in forever but I don't know what time of day and if it will involve eating so we shall see.


This is most likely what I'll be making on Monday of next week since I already have the stuff (can you tell I went to Trader Joe's this week?)

Monday: Asian Style Chicken Stir Fry and Chicken Fried Rice from Trader Joe's

I think I have one other rice side dish that I'll be making next week with some chicken dish since I have a bag of frozen chicken breasts and most are so huge that I cut them in half for us so they last pretty long.

Well I'll make another update next week. Hopefully I'll get it out a little earlier but if not, start with that Trader Joe's stir fry ;)

Weekly meal planning - week 1

A and I are trying to be more organized in the new year. He's taken on our finances and I'm doing meal planning. I originally found the idea at this website (Living Locurto) and in large part at this site (This Week For Dinner). Supposedly meal planning helps save money since you have a definite plan and helps you lose weight since you are writing out everything you eat.

Part of the idea for this week is using up food from the last time I went shopping. I figure everyone can benefit from new meal ideas so here is our weekly meal plan for this week:

Monday
B: (A-grapefruit, strawberries), (J-pear), (K-strawberries, blueberries, banana)
L: (A-leftover Chinese, watermelon), (J-bagel w/ butter), (K-string cheese, hot dog bun, carrots; she ate lunch while in the shopping cart today.)
D: Slow cooker beef stroganoff & broccoli spears and yellow squash

Tuesday
B: (A-grapefruit, oatmeal), (J-orange, oatmeal), (K-blueberries, apple, cereal)
L: (A/J-split a Progresso soup and half grilled cheese), (K-half grilled cheese & tomato soup with corn)
D: Turkey in cream sauce & mashed sweet potatoes

Wednesday
B: (A-grapefruit, strawberries), (J-orange, strawberries), (K-strawberries, peach, waffle)
L: (A/J-leftover stroganoff & broccoli), (K-noodles, carrots, hot dog (she wasn't a big fan of the stroganoff))
D: Sundried tomato pasta salad with chicken & peas

Thursday
B: (A-grapefruit, oatmeal), (J-orange, oatmeal), (K-blueberries, banana, cereal)
L: leftover turkey & sweet potatoes (Hopefully K likes this. If not, she'll have grilled cheese and carrots)
D: Uno's Pizza (deep dish pizza to commemorate the fourth anniversary of our first date) & veggie medley

Friday
B: (A-grapefruit, waffle), (J-orange, waffle), (K-peach, waffle, apple)
L: leftover tomato pasta salad & peas
D: Chicken pesto pasta & corn

Saturday
B: Waffles, bananas, applesauce
L: leftover pizza & veggie medley
D: food on the road (after Toy Story 3 on Ice - Yay!)

Sunday
B: (A/J-scrambled eggs, bacon & toast), (K-peach, blueberries, cereal)
L: leftover chicken pesto pasta & corn
D: (A/J-spinach salad with warm bacon dressing), (K-hot dog with bun, carrots, string cheese)

We always let K try our stuff and occasionally we're surprised by what she likes. However, we always have a back-up plan :)

All of pasta is whole wheat as are the hot dog buns ;) I'll post our plan next week, hopefully on Sunday instead of Monday in case you're looking for ideas. Feel free to post any recipes or meal plans you have going on!

Christmas with the JAKS

This past Sunday we hosted Christmas dinner. After it was all done, I turned to the Hubs and commented, "It's stressful and crazy but I know why my Mom does it." You see, my Mom hosts pretty much every major holiday at my parents house and it's not just for nine people like ours was, it's more like 30 or so. I don't know how she manages to pull off such amazing meals and wonderful opportunities for everyone to get together but some how she does, every single time. So, thanks Mom!

For our dinner I decided to go with the ever traditional Christmas feast of Chicken Parmigiana, broccoli, rolls, Texas sheet cake, Hubby's famous kolacky's (sounds like kolatchkies), and melted snowman cookies. All in all I'd say everything turned out pretty darn yummy. I think next year, to save ourselves a bit of time and headache, we'll make something that cooks in the oven instead of on the stove top but the chicken parm turn out so yummy that I really can't complain and considering we started out with only 6 chicken breasts and still ended up with leftovers (since we pounded them thin and then cut them in half) it was a good budget-conscious meal as well.

Here are a few picture from our day:

Chef Hubs cooking the chicken

My melted snowmen cookies. I was pretty proud of how they turned out.
You have to have a twisted sense of humor to think they are funny but I love them.
I'm not the best at decorating but that's the cool thing about these, you don't have to be!

I used Fruit Roll-Ups for the scarves and Mini M&M's
for the buttons. The rest is Wilton's decorating gel.

The Bear got a Toy Story Mr. Potato Head set. It comes with two "heads" and all the
pieces to make Spud Lightyear, Jessie, and Woody. She loves it. Thanks Grandpa!

This was another huge hit from Grandpa. After she
opened it she carried the comforter up to her room,
made me put it on her bed and then told me to turn
out the lights and close the door. She wanted to go
to sleep with it right that second!

This beautiful pink blanket was made by K's amazing cousin.
Isn't it awesome? I can't believe she made it! It's very soft and snuggly :)