A Week of Menus - Easy, Peasy, Freezy Meals

{Grand Canyon Image from the NPS website}

Hey everyone! If you follow me on Facebook, then you know I was out of town for a couple of days. My family and I decided to go to the Grand Canyon - it was a fun trip, but a lot (!) more driving than I realized. And, since it's the first major road trip we have ever taken as a family (there were 8 of us), I think we were a little unrealistic (overly-optimistic???) on how long it would take, how few breaks we would need, how long a stop at a gas station could actually end up taking.....

But, it was fun!!

Sorry for the late-ness of these menus - we didn't actually get home until Monday night and we just finally got our rental car returned last night. And now we are ready to eat a home-cooked dinner!! But, since I am still in vacation mode, I am using some meals that are VERY fast and easy and some others that I have socked away in the freezer so that getting dinner on the table goes faster. (This is a great idea for when you KNOW you may not have time to cook next week or next month - you can just make double of some recipes that you think will freeze well, wrap them up, stick them in the freezer and in a couple of weeks, you have TONS of pre-cooked food that just needs to be defrosted during the day and then re-heated when it's dinner time!)

BUT - on to the menus (:

Monday

{Stir Fry with Noodles}

Cheese and Refried Bean "Quesadillas"

Tuesday
Bean Burritos

Wednesday
Garden Burgers and Broccoli

Thursday
Frozen Black Eyed Peas
Green Salads
Dinner Rolls

Friday
Tofu Stir Fry with Noodles
(using frozen stir-fry mixed vegetable bag)

Saturday
Dinner Out

Sunday
Pasta Dinner
Green Salad
Garlic Bread

Do you have any summer vacation plans?? Leave me a comment and let me know what they are!
More later! (:

Pumpkin Cannellini Bean Soup

I got the idea from this recipe from BHG.com. I added the additional spices, because I thought it needed a small flavor boost, but otherwise, this is their recipe. This is perfect for fall - - it's creamy, light, but filling. The extra spices give this the smell of fall cooking and the pumpkin clinches the fall theme!

Pumpkin Cannellini Bean Soup

1 can pumpkin puree
1 can coconut milk (stirred to mix)
1 can cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can vegetable broth (or 2 cups of homemade)
1 tsp dried sage
salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Additional spices: pinch of nutmeg, cayenne pepper or paprika, ground thyme

Combine all ingredients except salt and pepper into a large sauce pan over medium heat and stir to combine. Heat (but do not boil) for approximately 10 minutes, or until warm. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Add additional spices for a little flavor kick!!

What is your favorite fall soup?

Do you like to party with other creative types? Join me at some of these places this week!

More later! :)

A Week of Menus

I have so much fun with Halloween every year!! This was one of Miss No-No's lunches - the bat and pumpkin were made with cookie cutters (nut butter - I can't send her to school with PB, so I use cashew butter instead - and Jelly sandwiches) and the bat's eyes are raisins that I rolled down a little bit (with a spice jar), cut in 1/2 and then "glued" on with extra nut butter. I also used cupcake toppers as decoration (however, it looks like I took the picture before I added those in - lol).

Here's a look at what I have planned for dinners this week:

Monday

Chili and Cornbread

Tuesday

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Spinach and White Beans

Wednesday

Pan-fried Tofu with Fried Rice and Sauteed Greens

Thursday

Tacos or Burritos

Carrot Sticks

Friday

Garden Burgers and

Left Over Bonanza

Saturday

Dinner Out

Sunday

Pasta Dinner with Green Salads

We are eating a lot of greens and spinach this week. I got overzealous while I was at Costco and convinced myself that we could eat a whole HUGE bag of spinach AND broccoli - I have NO idea what I was thinking.... Maybe if I was feeding six of us that would have worked out, but with only 2-1/2 mouths to feed, we are having to put spinach and broccoli into nearly every meal!!

Here's the notes:

1. Chili and Cornbread - This chili is my mom's recipe and it's sooooo fast and easy: Heat a large sauce pan over medium heat, add 1 T. oil, let warm, add in 1 diced onion, stir to mix with oil and let cook (stirring occasionally) until onions are soft, about 7 - 10 minutes, add in chili seasoning (I make my own from a recipe I got a recipes.com, but my mom uses a store-bought spice pack and it tastes the same), stir to combine. Add 1 package of Yves (brand) Smart Ground (a ground beef substitute), stir to combine. Let cook for about 5 minutes. Add 1 Tbs flour (sprinkled over the Smart Ground), stir to combine. Let cook for 3 - 4 minutes or until all flour is dissolved. Add in two cans of diced / chopped tomatoes and 2 cans of pinto or chili beans, stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then cover, turn heat down to low and let simmer for as long as you can (at least 10 - 15 minutes). This recipe makes enough for four with left overs for lunch the next day. Served with cornbread and a salad, it's a complete and easy meal!

2. Baked sweet potatoes with spinach and beans - I "bake" my sweet potatoes in the microwave until I can get a fork through the middles easily, then I cover them with a little bit of olive oil and put them in the toaster oven on broil for a few minutes. In a saute pan, add some olive oil, some crushed garlic, let cook for about 30 seconds and then add in as much spinach as your pan holds (it will look like a ton, but put about 3x what you think you can eat - believe me, it will shrink down to almost nothing!! When the spinach has wilted down for a few minutes and is bright green, add in one can of white beans (rinsed and drained), let the beans warm up, add in some salt and pepper (and maybe a little nutmeg). Serve with sweet potatoes - or - slice sweet potatoes, cut out insides, mix together with spinach and bean mixture and then pile back in.

3. Fried Rice - this recipe has been adapted over time from a recipe that I got at RachaelRay.com. Basically, I take (pre-cooked, cooled) brown rice, put it in a saute pan, with a small amount of heated oil, let it get warmed up, add in some small veggies (diced carrots, peas, diced green beans or whatever else I have on hand), let them cook up for approximately 5 minutes, add in some soy sauce (or Braggs), add some sliced green onions, stir to mix it all up, remove the pan from the heat, top with some sesame oil (mix again) and then serve.

How was your Halloween? Did you see any tricks or any treats???

More later!! :)

A Week of Menus

This week is hectic in our house (what else is new????). We were busy all weekend and I didn't get a chance to do much pre-prepping of our dinners.... But, we did some very fun crafts this weekend, which I will be sharing with you all very soon!! :)

Unfortunately, when momma's tired and the little one is left to her own devices (last night) to get ready for bed, this is what happens:

In her defense, I asked her to put on her nightgown and she DID put on her nightgown, BUT she also added a lei, a wand, and this crazy hat that she got from Grandma!!! ...no wonder it took her so long to get ready!!! But, it's hard to argue with a face that sweet, happy, and proud. So she got to brush her teeth in her Hawaiian lei, church-ready hat, fairy princess wand, and ready for bed outfit - lol. <~ and that is what I LOVE about having her in my life.

Anyways, DINNERS will at least be about what is fast and easy this week! ;)
Here's what I am planning:

Monday
Nori Rolls with Quinoa

Tuesday
(Mushroom) Taco Night

Wednesday
Tomato Soup and (slightly) Grilled Asparagus Spears

Thursday
Stir Fry with Noodles

Friday
Garden Burgers with Salad

Saturday
Dinner at Mom and Dad's

Sunday
Avocado Pasta with Make-your-own Salad and Garlic Bread

1. I usually do Nori Rolls with Rice, but I don't have any pre-made... And all I have is brown rice and wild rice. Since those both take about 35 minutes to make "on the spot", I am subbing in quinoa (which my daughter loves) because I can make it really quick. Quinoa is great - if you haven't heard of it, or tried it yet, it's probably sold in your local grocery store. It was a Mayan staple and it's one of the few grains that has an amazingly high protein content making it an awesome super food - and it cooks in 15 minutes!!!
2. I do the slightly grilled asparagus spears quick and easy: toss trimmed spears with a little bit of light olive oil, some pepper, and seasonings (rosemary, thyme, basil, parsley, garlic powder, and onion powder - just a pinch of each makes a great combo for veggies) and then grill on a covered grill pan for just a few minutes - you want them to be green and crisp (not soggy). Squirt them with a little bit of lemon juice and let them cool off and they are delicious!

What are YOU having for dinner this week?

More later!! :)

Colcannan Veggie-Style

I had this beautiful cabbage from my CSA basket - so I decided to try something where I could use up most of it at once...sometimes, things like cabbage tend to get pushed to the back of my fridge since they aren't every day staples. Whenever I find something old and no longer usable, I always feel bad - I think I should have thought of something before I let that go to waste.

I found this recipe in an old Whole Foods "magazine". Why I was saving that issue, I have noooo idea, but it was full of cabbage recipes, which worked out good for me!! I adapted it slightly to fit what I had in my cupboard, but otherwise, it's true to form.

I used tempeh here - - it's a soy bean product (read: vegetarian substitute for meat). It used to only be sold in health food stores and Whole Foods, but now I can buy it at my local Ralphs grocery store if I need to.

Colcannan Veggie-Style
1/2 head of cabbage, thinly sliced

1/2 onion, diced
1 package tempeh, cubed
1/2 cup of veggie broth
2 large baking potatoes, scrubbed (but not peeled or diced)

Prick potatoes with a fork a couple of times, put in a glass baking dish, cover with a wet paper towel and add a little bit of water in the dish. Microwave on baked potato setting or for 7 - 10 minutes until a fork goes all the way through with little or no resistance.

Meanwhile, saute tempeh cubes in canola oil until browned on both sides; add in onion, let cook (stirring occasionally) until translucent, about 5 - 7 minutes, add in veggie broth, bring to a simmer and let cook for another 5 - 7 minutes, until liquid is mostly evaporated. Add in sliced cabbage and stir to combine pan ingredients and wilt cabbage.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon on top of split and baked potatoes.

Serves 3 - 4

You could add a cheesy-type sauce on top to make the whole thing more creamy. You can see how nice it looks when you DO add the sauce. However, THIS particular sauce did not come out good (boo-hoo), so I won't give you the recipe or tell you where I got it. But, I will say, add your own sauce to up the flavor of this dish.

This also makes nice, easy leftovers. If you add some fruit, you have a complete meal!

Have you ever used tempeh?
What do you make with it?


I'm linking up at these awesome parties!
More later!!