Tag Archives: Health

Mediterranean Quinoa with Shrimp and Vegetables

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Dec 5 Dinner Blog

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I was unable to shop on Sunday for the week.  I was away and didn’t even get a chance to prepare a menu and master shopping list.  Usually a recipe for disaster.

But my sister saved me.  As we were talking, she mentioned this couscous dish that she loves and reinvents throughout the week.  My curiosity was piqued!  As I pushed the cart through the grocery store, she walked me through the recipe and I gathered all the ingredients.  I could feel the stress of not having a shopping list in hand melt away.

This is a very easy recipe that can be put together quickly and tweaked throughout the week to keep it fresh.

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Mediterranean Quinoa with Shrimp and Vegetables

Serves 2 Adults and 2 Kids for 2 Meals with enough for about 2 lunches

Rating:  10 all around!

3 C Quinoa

1/4 C Olive oil

Juice of one lemon and zest from 1/2 lemon

Salt and pepper

1 Cucumber, diced in small cubes

Feta Cheese

12 Pitted Olives

1 Onion, diced

1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes

3/4 C Black Beans from can or other shelf stable container

1.5 lbs Peeled, deveined Shrimp

1.75 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, baked, grilled, or somehow cooked and diced. (for the second meal)

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Instructions

1.  Prepare quinoa according to package directions. Set aside.

2.  Juice lemon, zest 1/2 of a lemon and mix in small bowl with olive oil.  Set aside.

3. Dice cucumber, olives, and onion. Slice cherry tomatoes in half lengthwise.  Set aside.

4.  Saute onion until soft and clear.  Set aside. Cook shrimp in same skillet with a bit of olive oil.  If you have any other vegetables you want to finish up, feel free to add.  I added some left over diced bell pepper.

5. Once shrimp turns pink (3-4 minutes), it is time to put dinner together.  Mix lemon-olive oil mixture into quinoa.  Add cucumber, feta, olives, cherry tomatoes and black beans.  Mix well.  Then add shrimp and serve! (If this is the second meal, add the chicken and serve!)

6.  Easy and delicious!  But the best part is that you can reinvent the meal two days later with chicken!  You could even add other vegetables such as squash or broccoli to give it a different taste!

Ratings

Everyone rated this dish a 10!  Now that’s a winner!

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11-29-11 Dinner…

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11-29-11 Dinner Blog

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It’s a 10!

Getting Way Ahead of Schedule

I made tonight’s soup earlier in the day.  I had about an hour and decided to get all the prep done for as much of the week as possible.  This is something I could have done ahead of time on Sunday or even Monday evening.  Getting things done ahead of schedule always feels good, considering that I feel I am forever catching up and running behind…

Pre-Prep for Tonight’s Dinner

I made Dilled Vegetable-Barley Soup, in keeping with my goal of making one vegetarian dish a week. It is not a slow cooker recipe so it is probably a good one to make ahead of time when you can leave it on the stove and busy yourself with something else.  I, for instance, prepared other meals. Starting with what we were eating tonight, I first prepared the barley.  It’s a 1:2 barley water ratio.  I put in ¾ of a cup of barley and 1 ½ cups of water and brought it to a boil.  Then I turned down the heat to simmer and cooked for about 30 minutes.

While this was cooking, I also boiled water for Wednesday’s Orzo dinner and made the orzo. Continuing to multi-task, I prepared the rest of the soup.

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I sautéed the onions, salt and bay leaf.  Then added the carrots and celery. Unfortunately my grocery store was out of the pre-chopped carrot/celery/onion containers – major bummer – so I had to cut everything up.  I highly recommend that if you don’t need “chopping therapy” – and looking at the glass as half full, something good has got to come from chopping vegetables– buy them pre-chopped.  It saves a lot of time!

Finally, I added the vegetable stock, mushrooms, white wine, dill weed, pepper, and tamari sauce and let the mixture simmer for 1 ½ hours.  When the barley was tender I added it to the soup pot. Pre-Prep for Wednesday and Thursday’s Dinner While waiting for the barley to finish, I prepared the tomato-saffron topping for the orzo.  At this point I was drowning in food and felt that I had plenty for the rest of the week.  I wasn’t sure that I needed Wednesday’s Pastel de Papa dish, a ground beef and potato casserole, but I figured that I would make it anyway and if I ended up not needing it, I would freeze it for another week.

While I waited for the potatoes to boil, I quickly made the oatmeal muffins for tonight’s dinner.  Yes, I used a box.  Yes, I am proud of that.  Yes, they are delicious! There are lots of great box mixes out there.  I happen to like Dr. Oetker’s brand, and they are easy to adapt to the vegan requirements I must follow due to my daughter’s allergies.  I use flaxseed meal and water (3:1 ratio) for the egg, and rice milk or coconut milk for regular milk.  Just to be more healthy and less caloric, instead of using oil, I substitute equal amounts of applesauce.

That was another half hour of my time, but now tonight’s dinner is completely ready and I know that the Pastel de Papa will come in handy (twice!) as I made 2 8×8 casseroles.  So all I need to do is pop one in the oven, make a side salad, and sit down to eat!  …I can’t wait to write that blog entry!!!

The Verdict For Dilled-Vegetable-Barley Soup

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It’s a 10 all around!  Everyone, including our special friend who joined us for dinner gave the meal a resounding 10.  The soup, the muffins, everything!  I served the soup with some grated manchenga cheese but you could also add toasted sunflower seeds or parsley.  Everyone had a second portion of soup, including my son, who “detests” mushrooms (which is why I chopped them up really well).  This is a thick soup, almost stew-like.  In “The Enchanted Broccoli Forest” cookbook, the source of this recipe, author Mollie Katzen writes that some people might prefer to approach this barley soup with a knife and fork!  A vegetarian dish, this is a very hearty, healthy, easy, delicious and satisfying soup!

This is one you really must try!!!!!

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The Recipe Dilled Vegetable-Barley Soup

Source: The Enchanted Broccoli Forest Cookbook

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

3/4 C Raw pearl barley

1.5 C Water

1 T Butter

1 Onion chopped

1 t Salt

1 Bay leaf

3 Large carrots, chopped

1/2 Bunch celery, chopped

8 C Vegetable Stock or water (I buy 32 oz of regular vegetable stock and 32 oz of low sodium vegetable stock in shelf-stable containers)

1/2 lb. Mushrooms, chopped (I chop them so they are unrecognizable)

6 T Dry White Wine

1.5 t (2-3 T fresh) Dill Weed

1/4 t Fresh black pepper

1.5 t Tamari Sauce

Instructions

1.  Place barley and 1 Cup water together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes until barley is tender. Set aside.  (You could do this even 2 days before and keep in fridge)

2.  In a soup pot, saute onion, salt and bay leaf in butter until onion is soft and clear.  Add carrots and celery cooking over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients including barley.

3.  Cover soup and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

4.  Try not to eat it right away as it is even better the second day!

5.  Serve with whole grain bread or healthy muffins. Top w toasted sunflower seeds, chopped parsley, or parmesean/manchenga cheese.

New and Improved Orzo, Chicken, Peas and Saffron

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12-1-11 Dinner Blog

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Serving the leftovers was the way to go. Making a 3rd dish was just too much work and there was plenty of the orzo dish to go around.  I rarely serve the exact same thing twice in a row, but I am doing it today.  Will the ratings go down?  I expect a less than enthusiastic response from my daughter.
Improving My Odds
While last night’s dinner was good, I kept comparing it to the paella that I make.  So this afternoon, I took a look at the recipe and noticed that my paella includes smoked paprika.  Based on the amount of the orzo dish I had left, I added 1/2 t, mixed it in, and returned it to the refrigerator.  Time will tell…
Dinner in Minutes
Time to get dinner on.  Instead of sliced apples as I originally thought, I remembered I had cut up pineapple in the refrigerator.  I made a small spinach salad for my husband and I, topped with pineapple and pomegranate seeds, and served just the pineapple and pomegranate seeds to the kids – a small consolation for the instant replay meal…
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Then I warmed the Orzo Mixture (with smoked paprika) in a soup pot and served!
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The Verdict
New and Improved!  While yesterday’s dish was really good, this was fantastic!  My son and husband (who came home late, hence the empty dish above), increased their rating to 9.5.  My son, suggesting that adding shrimp would send this dish off the charts, contemplated rating tonight’s dinner a 10…  (You could also add a spicy chorizo… YUM!) My daughter, not surprisingly, thought the dinner was good but did not change her rating from yesterday.  As she said, “8.5 is a good rating, Mom.”  She doesn’t hand out 9’s and 10’s easily…  In my opinion, I agree that the meal was even better than yesterday.  I think the smoked paprika really helped blend the flavors and I will adapt the recipe accordingly.

The Recipe

Orzo with Chicken, Peas with Saffron and Smoked Paprika

Serves 6-8 ( 2 Adults and 2 Kids with leftovers for 2-3 more meals)

Adapted from “Vegetarian Entertaining”

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Ingredients

1.5 lbs. Boneless skinless chicken breast, baked or grilled (hopefully this is leftover chicken that you cooked earlier in the week.)

2 T Olive oil

4 Shallots, minced

2 Bell Peppers chopped

3 C Canned Tomatoes or tomatoes in a non-can, shelf-stable container

1 T Saffron threads, soaked in 1/4 C warm water

1 t Smoked Paprika

1/3 C Dry White wine

3/4 lb. Orzo

2 C Frozen Peas

1 t salt

1/4 t pepper

Grated parmesan or manchenga cheese

Optional Additions

1/2 – 1 lb. Shrimp

1/2 – 1 lb. Chorizo (spicy or mild), cooked

Instructions

1. Prepare the Orzo per package directions. When tender, set aside.

2.  In a large sauce pan, Sauté shallots in olive oil until soft.

3. Add bell peppers and blend.

4. Stir in tomatoes, saffron with soaking water, and White wine.

5. Simmer until most of the liquid evaporates, about 8-10 min.  Be careful not to burn the mixture.

6. Dice chicken.

7. Cook peas in microwave for 1 1/2 –  2 minutes.

8. Once liquid is mostly evaporated from tomato mixture, add peas, and chicken and any optional ingredients. Chorizo should be cooked before you add it to the pot.  Shrimp will cook in 3-4 minutes in the mixture. The shrimp will turn pink when it is cooked.

9. Serve w parmesan or manchenga cheese.

10. Don’t be surprised if you start thinking about paella and a trip to Spain…  Really!

New and Improved Orzo, Chicken, Peas and Saffron

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12-1-11 Dinner Blog

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Serving the leftovers was the way to go. Making a 3rd dish was just too much work and there was plenty of the orzo dish to go around.  I rarely serve the exact same thing twice in a row, but I am doing it today.  Will the ratings go down?  I expect a less than enthusiastic response from my daughter.
Improving My Odds
While last night’s dinner was good, I kept comparing it to the paella that I make.  So this afternoon, I took a look at the recipe and noticed that my paella includes smoked paprika.  Based on the amount of the orzo dish I had left, I added 1/2 t, mixed it in, and returned it to the refrigerator.  Time will tell…
Dinner in Minutes
Time to get dinner on.  Instead of sliced apples as I originally thought, I remembered I had cut up pineapple in the refrigerator.  I made a small spinach salad for my husband and I, topped with pineapple and pomegranate seeds, and served just the pineapple and pomegranate seeds to the kids – a small consolation for the instant replay meal…
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Then I warmed the Orzo Mixture (with smoked paprika) in a soup pot and served!
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The Verdict
New and Improved!  While yesterday’s dish was really good, this was fantastic!  My son and husband (who came home late, hence the empty dish above), increased their rating to 9.5.  My son, suggesting that adding shrimp would send this dish off the charts, contemplated rating tonight’s dinner a 10…  (You could also add a spicy chorizo… YUM!) My daughter, not surprisingly, thought the dinner was good but did not change her rating from yesterday.  As she said, “8.5 is a good rating, Mom.”  She doesn’t hand out 9’s and 10’s easily…  In my opinion, I agree that the meal was even better than yesterday.  I think the smoked paprika really helped blend the flavors and I will adapt the recipe accordingly.

The Recipe

Orzo with Chicken, Peas with Saffron and Smoked Paprika

Serves 6-8 ( 2 Adults and 2 Kids with leftovers for 2-3 more meals)

Adapted from “Vegetarian Entertaining”

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Ingredients

1.5 lbs. Boneless skinless chicken breast, baked or grilled (hopefully this is leftover chicken that you cooked earlier in the week.)

2 T Olive oil

4 Shallots, minced

2 Bell Peppers chopped

3 C Canned Tomatoes or tomatoes in a non-can, shelf-stable container

1 T Saffron threads, soaked in 1/4 C warm water

1 t Smoked Paprika

1/3 C Dry White wine

3/4 lb. Orzo

2 C Frozen Peas

1 t salt

1/4 t pepper

Grated parmesan or manchenga cheese

Optional Additions

1/2 – 1 lb. Shrimp

1/2 – 1 lb. Chorizo (spicy or mild), cooked

Instructions

1. Prepare the Orzo per package directions. When tender, set aside.

2.  In a large sauce pan, Sauté shallots in olive oil until soft.

3. Add bell peppers and blend.

4. Stir in tomatoes, saffron with soaking water, and White wine.

5. Simmer until most of the liquid evaporates, about 8-10 min.  Be careful not to burn the mixture.

6. Dice chicken.

7. Cook peas in microwave for 1 1/2-  2 minutes.

8. Once liquid is mostly evaporated from tomato mixture, add peas, and chicken and any optional ingredients. Chorizo should be cooked.  Shrimp will cook in 3-4 minutes in the mixture. The shrimp will turn pink when it is cooked.

9. Serve w parmesan or manchenga cheese.

10. Don’t be surprised if you start thinking about paella and a trip to Spain…  Really!

Orange Garlic Chicken, Brown Rice, and Green Beans

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Nov 28 Dinner Blog:

Orange Garlic Chicken – 4 Servings

Orange Garlic Chicken

Tonight I was lucky to get home at 7:05.  I was even luckier that dinner was basically ready.  When I left the house at 2:45, I had the chicken in the slow cooker, brown rice in the rice cooker, leaving only the frozen green beans to warm in the microwave. Pre-prep earlier in the day paid off.

This afternoon I spent about 20 minutes, washing and preparing the chicken in the slow cooker and getting the brown rice in the rice cooker.  First I measured out the thyme, pressed the garlic cloves, and mixed them together. Next I washed all the chicken and rubbed the thyme garlic mixture on the chicken. Once in the slow cooker, I stirred orange juice concentrate and balsamic vinegar and the rest of the thyme-garlic mixture together.  Finally, I spooned the mixture over the chicken, and set the slow cooker to low for 5 hours.  Once the chicken was done, I put brown rice and water in the rice cooker and left.

When I returned at 7, I warmed the beans in the microwave and served the meal.

Orange Garlic Chicken For 4

The Verdict

The meal received 8’s and 9’s and everyone thought it had good flavor, but I didn’t think it was my best meal.  I don’t know if Melanie Barsuk’s negative comments about slow cookers are rubbing off on me, but I really think that chicken doesn’t do as well in a slow cooker as it does in the oven.  Perhaps I am being too harsh – everyone liked it – but the chicken didn’t stay together as well as I would have liked. It would have been very difficult to cube, for instance…

I would like to “Dare to Compare” and try my luck making the same recipe in the oven…

Nov 28-Dec 1 Menu and Master Shopping List

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Miss me? I have been absent for a few weeks but now I am back!  While I didn’t write, we had many great menus which I promise to share.

This week, I am borrowing and modifying recipes from some cookbooks that I have had for a long time – some for more than 15 years!  As always, I am keeping it healthy, simple, easy and delicious!

This Week’s Menu

Monday: Orange Garlic Chicken (From Fix it and Forget it), Brown Rice, and Green Beans.

Tuesday: Dilled Vegetable-Barley Soup (from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest), and Oatmeal Muffins.

Wednesday:  Pastel de Papa with Mashed Cauliflower (An Argentinian recipe modified from One Bowl- One Dish Meals from around the World), and a side salad.

Thursday: Orzo with Peas, Saffron and Leftover Orange Garlic Chicken (Modified from “Vegetarian Entertaining”).

Shopping List

For 2 Adults and 2 Children

Entrees

3 lbs. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 3/4 lbs. Ground beef

Veggies

1/2 C Minced onion

1 Medium carrot

1 Medium stalk celery

1/4 lb. Chopped mushrooms

3 Large Idaho potatoes

26 Garlic cloves

2 Large red onions

5 Bell peppers – different colors if not too expensive

2 Large Tomatoes

12 Green Olives, pitted

4 shallots

Cauliflower

Fruit – Enough for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

1 Pineapple

8 Kiwi

8 Apples

5 Pears

Dry Goods

1/2 C Raw Barley

2/3 C Raisins

4 C Tomatoes, canned or in shelf stable container

1 T Saffron Threads

4 C Vegetable broth

1 1/2 lbs. Orzo

Brown rice

Muffin mix

Salt

Pepper

1 Bay leaf

6 T Dry White Wine

1.5 t Dried Dill Weed

1 t Tamari sauce

4 T Olive oil

1.5 t Dried Thyme

2 T Balsamic vinegar

1/3 C Dry White Wine

Dairy

4 T Butter

1/3 C Milk

1/2 C Plain yogurt

Parmesan or manchenga cheese

Frozen

1 C Orange Juice Concentrate

1 C Frozen Peas

Frozen green beans


Broiled Turkey Burgers with Caramelized Onions, Roasted Beets, and a Side Salad

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Broiling: An Alternative to Grilling or Skillet Cooking:  10-18-11 Dinner Blog

Broiled Turkey Burgers with Caramelized Onions, Roasted Beets, and a Side Salad

Today I got lucky.  Reprieve from yesterday… I didn’t have the late lacrosse carpool so it was with “managed freneticsism” that I prepared dinner.

I was able to do some pre-prep last night after dinner.  Turning the oven to 400, I roasted the beets for tonight. I washed the beets, cut off the tops and the root, covered them in foil, and put them in a roasting pan for a little over an hour – until I could pierce the beet easily with a fork.

Dinner prep tonight, therefore, was pretty easy.  It was a matter of making and cooking the turkey burgers, warming the beets, and making a side salad.

First I mixed 1 ¾ T of Braggs Liquid Aminos and 1 ¾ T of Worcestershire Sauce into 2 lbs of ground turkey (dark meat).  I made 8 – ¼ lb. patties which, like the last time, were sticky and wet feeling.  Don’t be tempted by the urge to add bread crumbs or flour.  They will turn out fine.

I got out the beets, took off the foil and peeled the skin off the beets.  Then I sliced them, and warmed the beets in the microwave for about a minute. Depending on the strength of your microwave they may need to cook longer. If they are still cold, microwave them for another 45 seconds.  If you need to warm again, judge how cold they are and go for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Turkey Burger Patties and Beets Ready to be Cooked/Warmed

Instead of grilling, I broiled the burgers in the oven.  My mom used to make burgers this way during the winter when we didn’t have access to our barbecue.  Ahead of her time, she never cooked burgers (or bacon) in a skillet.  She always broiled both on a rack, letting the grease drip down into the roasting pan.  Wanting my recipes to be healthy and accessible to all geographies and housing possibilities, I decided to try the broiler. I put the burgers in the broiler and watched carefully with one eye, while I prepared the rest of the meal.

Then I cut the onions and started cooking them on the stove at medium heat with a bit of olive oil. Once they were soft, 4 minutes or so, I added 2 t of balsamic vinegar and 1 t of brown sugar.  I turned the heat way down and left them until dinner was ready, stirring occasionally.

Checking the burgers, it was time to flip after about 3-4 minutes.

Then I cut a tomato, portioned some greens and topped with cashews. You could top with any topping you have at home.  Sunflower seeds, green onion, carrots, strawberries, etc.

Then the burgers were ready.  I served each on a mini whole wheat roll with a dollop of caramelized onions on top (except for my son who had his caramelized onions on the side), and we sat down to eat!

Broiled Turkey Burgers with Caramelized Onions, Roasted Beets and a Side Salad- 3 Servings

The Verdict

Everyone, except my son, really liked the dinner and rated it a 9.  My son rated it a 7 ¾.  He said they were good but they weren’t as good as the last time.  Could the grill make a difference for him?  No one else seemed to think so… Maybe it was because he did not put his delicious caramelized onions on his burger like his mother suggested…

Broiled Turkey Burgers with Caramelized Onions, Roasted Beets and a Side Salad - Kids Portion

My husband who came home later, thought they were excellent.  So, if there isn’t a grill around, don’t put the turkey burgers in a skillet.  Put them under the broiler!

Food From a Farm: Roasted Chicken (Store bought), Snap Peas, Tomato, and Grapes

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Oct 17 Dinner Blog

Roasted Chicken, Snap Peas, Tomato, and Grapes

Getting home from the grocery store, we were all starving and a bit cranky.  Thank good ness for store-bought roasted chickens when you are in a pinch.

While the kids washed their hands, I portioned chicken, snap peas, tomato and grapes on to each plate.  The kids prefer the dark meat.  My husband and I prefer the white meat. It was easy to make everyone happy.  Presto!  In less than 5 minutes we were sitting down to dinner!!

Roasted Chicken, Snap Peas, Tomato, and Grapes - 3 Servings

The Verdict:

9’s all around!  I think anything I would have served at that point would have tasted good, but the meal really was delicious.  The chicken was moist and tender, the grapes were sweet, the snap peas crunchy, and the tomatoes were incredibly flavorful.

Teaching Moment:  I talk to my kids about “Food from a Farm” versus “Food from a Factory”.  I tell them my goal is to give them as much food from a farm as possible.  Meals like tonight’s is a great conversation starter.  This is a “Food from a Farm” meal. Serving food as it looks growing on the vine – so simple, so easy, so fast – yet so delicious!

Roasted Chicken, Snap Peas, Tomato, and Grapes - Adult Portion

Recipe

Roasted Chicken (Store Bought),  Snap Peas, Tomato, and Grapes

For 2 Adults and 2 Kids – will probably be enough leftovers for 2 lunches

Ingredients
1 Store Bought Roasted Chicken

1/2 lb. Sugar Snap Peas

2 Tomatoes

1 Big Bunch Grapes

Instructions to Make Magic – especially good when you are in a pinch!:

1. Take chicken out of the bag and portion across plates

2. De-string snap peas (break tip and pull, a string will come off), Cut 2 tomatoes, wash grapes, and portion on plates

3. Serve and congratulate yourself for pulling a rabbit out of a hat!

ICE Menu: In Case of Emergency! Oct 17-20 Menu and Shopping List

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This week did not start out well. It was Monday at 5:15, and I was in the café area of the grocery store with my kids. I had them doing homework and I was frantically planning my menu and shopping list for the week. I felt that I had hit an all time low. My kids doing homework in the grocery store?! I was somewhat reassured that I wouldn’t be seen – surely my friends who are a bit more together than I, were probably home making their Chinese Chicken Salad (Last week’s Monday night dinner). …A tiara and cape would be really useful right now…

What to make this week? The fleeting thoughts throughout the day of menu possibilities quickly went out the window. It was time for the ICE Menu: In Case of Emergency!

Monday: Roasted Chicken (store bought), Tomatoes, Sugar Snap Peas, and Grapes
Tuesday: Turkey Burgers with Caramelized Onions, Beets, Tomatoes, and Side Salad
Wednesday: Roasted Chicken over Rice, and Roasted Butternut Squash
Thursday: By Request: Breakfast for Dinner – Buckwheat Pancakes with Hemp -Granola, Chicken Maple Sausages, and Frittata with Asparagus, Tomato, Left Over Caramelized Onion and Butternut Squash

Roasted chickens are amazingly good – I like to save these for emergency situations. I can pull a rabbit out of a hat (actually a hot, savory roasted chicken out of a bag), add a few easy sides and sit down to a feast! I can reinvent this meal two days later over rice. The turkey burgers, a proven winner, are really, really fast. And breakfast for dinner – who could turn those angelic kids, sitting across from me, diligently doing homework in the grocery store?!

Shopping List
For 2 Adults and 2 Kids – with some leftovers for lunches; Includes Fruit for breakfast and lunch

Entrees
2 Roasted Chickens
2 lbs. Ground Turkey, dark meat
1 box Chicken Maple Sausage, Frozen, Fully-Cooked

Vegetables
Sugar Snap Peas – enough for 1 dinner and lunches (paired w hummus it is great in kids’ school lunches)
5 Tomatoes
3 Onions, medium sized, halved and cut into thin strips
6 Beets
Greens For Salad – enough for 1 dinner and lunches
Asparagus

Fruit
1 Big Bunch Grapes
1 Large Bunch Bananas
8 Kiwi
3 Mango
8 Apples

Dry Goods (You probably have a lot of this in your pantry from previous weeks)
1 1/3 C Buckwheat Flour
2/3 C Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
¾ lb. Hemp Plus Granola (from bulk section)
Maple Syrup
2 T Honey
Salt
1-2 T Vegetable Oil
Canola or Olive Oil Cooking Spray
1 ¾ T Braggs Liquid Aminos
1 ¾ T Worcestershire Sauce
2 t Balsamic Vinegar
1 t Brown Sugar
1 C rice – white or brown
Sunflower seeds or cashews to top salad

Dairy
3 T Butter or Earth Balance
4 Eggs or Egg Substitute (I use 1 T flaxseed meal w 3 T Water for each egg)
6 Eggs for Fritatta

Bakery
Mini rolls for Turkey Burgers

Final: Oct 10-13 Weekly Menu and Master Shopping List

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This is an easy menu to shop and prepare.  Lots of opportunities for pre-prep early in the week, which is nice because somehow by Wednesday, chaos seems to engulf our home.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Weekly Menu

Monday: Chinese Chicken Salad

Tuesday: Tortilla Soup

Wednesday: Baked chicken, Peas, Fruit, and Side Salad

Thursday: Tortilla Soup – The encore presentation!

Tortilla Soup

Master Shopping List

Entrees

5.0 lbs. Boneless skinless chicken breast

Vegetables

3 Anaheim peppers

2 Bell peppers

1 Large onion

1 Bunch, cilantro

4 Radishes

Romaine Lettuce, 1 large or 3 small heads

4 Tomatoes

1 pint Cherry Tomatoes

1 bunch green onions

Fruit

3 T Lime Juice

1 Lime

2 Avocados

6 Mandarins or other sweet orange

Fruit for breakfast, lunch and dinner:

5 Pears

8 Apples

1 Pineapple

Grapes

Bananas

Dry Goods

Canola oil or olive oil spray

Canola or Olive Oil

2 t Ground cumin

8 C Chicken broth, one low sodium

1 28 oz. Can or shelf stable container of diced tomatoes

1 4 oz. Can mild chiles

Salt

Soyaki Marinade

2 Packs Ramen Noodles (noodles only – throw seasoning packet away)

½ C Slivered almonds

1/8 C Sesame seeds

Sweet chili sauce – you may have some left over from a couple of weeks ago…

Dairy

¼ C Butter or vegetable spread

Cheddar cheese (optional)

Frozen

1 Bag frozen corn

1 Bag frozen peas

Bakery

10-12 Corn Tortillas (or you can use flour if you prefer)

Recipes

Baked Chicken, Peas, Fruit and Side Salad

Chinese Chicken Salad

For 2 Adults and 2 Kids (with a little left over for a couple of lunches)

Ingredients:

1.75 lbs. of Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (enough for a couple of lunches too)

3/4 C Island Teriyaki Sauce

6 Mandarin Oranges or other sweet orange

2 Green onions (green part only)

1 Tomato

¼ – 1/3 C Butter or Earth Balance

2 packs of Ramen Noodles – Noodles only – discard the seasoning packet

¾ C Sliced Almonds

¼ C Sesame Seeds

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400

  1. Wash and cut the chicken and place in a lightly sprayed roasting pan.
  2. Pour Island Teriyaki sauce on top and mix.
  3. Cook in oven for 15 minutes.
  4. In the meantime wash and cut romaine, oranges, green onion, and tomato
  5. Separately, melt the butter and add crushed Ramen Noodles.
  6. Once noodles begin to brown, add sliced almonds, and sesame seeds, mix, and remove from heat.
  7. Build the salad, beginning with a portion of greens, topping with oranges, green onion, tomato, and chicken.
  8. Lightly add dressing and top with crunchies.
  9. Serve and get excited about having another serving at lunch tomorrow!

Tortilla Soup Recipe

For 2 meals + lunches for 2 adults and 2 kids

10-12 Corn tortillas halved and thinly sliced

Canola or olive oil cooking spray

1 T Canola oil

3 Anaheim or poblano peppers, diced

2 Peppers, red, yellow, or orange, diced

1 Onion, diced

2-3 t Ground cumin

2 1/2 lbs Boneless, skinless chicken breast (you can also use dark meat if you prefer)

8 C Low sodium chicken broth

1  – 14 oz Can diced tomatoes or other shelf stable container of diced tomatoes

1 – 14 oz Can diced tomatoes w chiles or buy a regular can of diced tomatoes and a 4 oz Can of chiles (I buy mild for the kids)

1 Bag of frozen corn

3 T Lime juice

1/2 C Cheddar cheese

1/4 C Cilantro, chopped

1 lime, sliced into wedges (optional but I usually include)

1 Ripe avocado (optional but yummy)

2 Very thinly sliced radishes (optional, but adds a great accent)

Salt as needed – wait until just before you serve to decide on if you should add any. depending on the broth you use, you may not.  I always add a little bit and check.  Little bit and check.

1.  Preheat oven to 400.

2. Thinly slice tortillas and place in a lightly sprayed roasting pan. Lightly spray and salt the tortilla strips and put them in the oven.

3. Dice the peppers and onions, checking on the tortilla strips every 4-5 minutes stirring them around and pulling the strips apart so they can get crispy faster. The tortilla strips will take about 12-15 minutes.

Important to note:  steps 2 and three can be done earlier in the day or even a day ahead of time.  If you do pre-prep, be sure to store the tortilla strips in an airtight container.

4. Heat oil in soup pot over medium heat and add peppers and onions, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to soften, 3-5 minutes.

5.  Add cumin and stir it in for one minute.  This allows the cumin to really soak in the peppers and onions. 95% of the work is done.

6. Add the tomatoes in their juices, broth, corn, and chicken.  Add the chicken breasts whole.  You will shred them once cooked.

7. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15-20 min until chicken cooks through.

8. Pull each chicken breast out, one at a time.  I put the chicken in the lid of the soup pot to minimize dirty dishes and clean up.

9. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken. Hold the chicken steady with one fork and shred the meat with the other. Do this for each chicken breast, returning the shredded chicken to the pot before taking another breast out.

10. Taste test the soup and check to see if it needs salt.  If so, add a small bit, stir and taste.  A small bit, stir and taste, until you are satisfied.

11.  Add the limejuice, stir, and serve, with cilantro, lime wedge, avocado, radishes (if you added these two items), and baked tortilla strips.

12. Tortilla soup anywhere else will never taste the same…

P.S.  The jackpot is that the soup will taste even better the next night or the night after, when all the flavors have mellowed further. You can even make the entire recipe one or two days ahead and save yourself a lot of time on “cooking day”.

Recipe:  Baked chicken, Peas, Fruit, and Side Salad

For 2 Adults and 2 Kids (plus a couple of lunches)

Ingredients

1.75 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breast

Canola or Olive oil spray

Sweet chili sauce

Frozen Peas (enough for a family of 4)

Pineapple

Salad and fixings

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350

  1. Wash and cut chicken into 3” pieces and place in a lightly sprayed roasting or baking pan.
  2. Bake for 15 minutes
  3. Cut pineapple, cook peas in microwave for 2-3 minutes, and make a small side salad with your choice of fixings.  I used sunflower seeds and thinly sliced radishes. Portion the sides on plates.
  4. Check chicken for doneness.  If chicken springs back to the touch, like testing a cake for doneness, it is ready.
  5. Serve!
  6. If you are having chicken another night during the week, cook both portions of chicken the first night. It makes the second night all that much easier!