Monday Meal Planning 6.28.10

This week is going to be more than a little crazy, so recipes we've planned are quick, easy, and pretty much dictated by my recent cravings. Being pregnant has it's perks; all I have to do is say I'm craving something and no one complains about the plan for that day.

Monday: BBQ Pork, Cole Slaw, fresh veggies

I made so much pork last week that we're still eating it this week. That's fine, though, because it's delicious! The bonus this week will be some pickles that I just bought for an extra side.

Tuesday: Prosciutto Pasta, Roasted Green Beans

So, the one craving that's been a constant my entire pregnancy so far? Green beans. I want them all the time. Luckily I love my family enough to not make them eat green beans at every meal. They can deal with once a week, and it gives me something to look forward to.

Wednesday: New York Dogs, Sweet Potato Fries

Based on this month's Food Network Magazine feature, New York dogs are steamed hot dogs (we'll probably boil then pan fry ours), topped with saurkraut and spicy brown mustard. Yes please! Pickles on the side again with these.

Thursday: Pan Braised Chicken with Chimichurri, Rice Pilaf, fresh peas from my parents' garden

(I would totally make the skirt steak linked to with the chimichurri sauce, but I can't deal with well-done steak, so I'll happily wait until after September for medium-rare goodness.)

Friday: Pizza and fresh veggies

Again, using the Pioneer Woman's pizza dough recipe, and I'm going to give this sauce recipe a try. Toppings will be whatever leftover veggies or meats we have in the fridge (although, right now, sausage and mushroom pizza sounds pretty darn good). We might also make something with our CSA share for the week (so excited its finally starting!).

Sixty Minute Rolls

For as long as I can remember, for every special occasion (and often for everyday meals) my mom has made these rolls. The rolls are so easy to make that even the most yeast-phobic bakers can easily master this recipe. They're light, slightly sweet, and in my opinion, best when steaming hot and slathered with butter. And sometimes honey.

As a bonus, you can roll out the dough, top it with softened butte,r sugar, and cinnamon, then roll up, slice, and bake as directed for delicious quick cinnamon rolls. See? I told you these were awesome!

Sixty Minute Rolls


(Can be halved)

3 1/2 to 4 1/2 c. unsifted, all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 packages dry yeast
1 c. milk
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. butter

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix 1 1/2 c. flour, sugar, salt, and undissolved dry yeast.

Combine milk, water, and butter in a sauce pan. Heat over low heat until liquids are very warm (120 - 130 degrees F). (This step can be done in the microwave.) Butter does not need to melt. Gradually add this mixture to the flour mixture and beat for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 c. flour, beat 2 minutes. Stir in enough additional flour to make a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured board; knead until smooth and elastic, about five minutes.

Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; place bowl in a pan of water at about 98 degrees F. Let rise 15 minutes.

Turn dough out onto floured board. Divide into half and shape; place into lightly greased 9" x 13" pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from draft, 14 minutes.

Bake at 425 degrees F for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown on top and baked through.

Monday Meal Planning 6.21.10

Woohoo! It's the first day of summer! I don't know if you can tell, but I'm pretty darn excited! I also am feeling so much better these days, now that about 90% of the first trimester yuckiness is gone, and so I've been much better about cooking again. We're still on our kick of trying to reduce the amount of food we end up throwing away, so this week is full of meals that get double duty, with the leftovers from one meal showing up again in another meal. One last thing before I get to the plan: Our CSA finally starts next week and I could not be more excited. Be prepared for lots and lots of vegetables showing up in our plan soon (even more than normal; I know!).

Monday: Rotisserie Chicken, Green Beans, 60 Minute Rolls

If I were really on top of things this week I would have made my own "fauxtisserie" chicken. Alas, I am not quite back up to 100% yet, so straight from the store it is. Plus I usually only make those when whole chickens are on sale, and I haven't seen them on sale for a while now. We're roasting the green beans this week instead of steaming them (that way we can get away with telling Gabbie they're green bean "fries" and she'll eat a ton of them (hopefully)), and I promise, promise, promise I will share my rolls recipe this week. Promise! They're so good and easy.

Tuesday: Cold Sesame Noodles, Egg Rolls

I'll make the noodles tonight so they'll be ready for dinner when we get home tomorrow. The egg rolls are of the frozen variety, which work just fine for me! Although, Aaron will probably convince me to let him pick up egg rolls from our favorite Chinese restaurant, because they're just so much better.

Wednesday: Spicy Shredded Pork, Tortillas and taco fixings, Spanish Rice

Aaron requests this pretty much every week, but I only give in about once every month or so. He's lucky this week, because he's getting exactly what he wants. This recipe has topped our previous favorite smoky beef tacos on his list of favorite Mexican dishes I make.

Thursday: BBQ Chicken Pizza, Salad

For the pizza I'll use The Pioneer Woman's pizza crust recipe, and top it with bbq sauce, shredded leftover rotisserie chicken, thinly sliced red onion, a mix of mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, and top it with green onions when it comes out of the oven. I cannot wait to dig into this!

Friday: Pulled Pork and Coleslaw Sandwiches, cucumber salad

I know, barbeque two days in a row. I guess my excuse is I'm dragging our Father's Day celebration out into a week-long man-pleasing-food party. We'll mix the leftover pork with BBQ sauce, and throw it on a bun with some cole slaw. Man, I love that combination! Slightly spicy and vinegary tender meat, plus the creamy sweet crunch of the cole slaw. Food heaven, I swear.

Saturday: Vegetable Jalfrezi, Basmati Rice

I have been craving a good curry lately, and I'm really hoping this one fits the bill. It looks fantastic, and reading the recipe leaves me practically drooling, so I'm really looking forward to making this. Mmmm....

Artichoke-Stuffed Portobellos

A couple of weeks ago there were exactly two things that sounded appetizing to me: artichoke dip and mushrooms. I knew I wanted to do something that used both these things, so I decided to take the easy way out: I stuffed portobello mushroom caps with artichoke dip, and lo, it was fantastic. So easy too! I can see using smaller "baby bellas" and making them as a party dish. As it was, they were fantastic served with some french bread for soaking up the extras. This is definitely something we'll eat again and again.

Also, sorry for the lack of pictures, because it really was quite a pretty dish. It just smelled and looked so good we couldn't stop ourselves from digging right in and eating all of this right then and there.

Artichoke-Stuffed Portobellos

For the artichoke dip:
One large jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. mayonaise
1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese

Remaining ingredients:
4 large portobello mushroom caps, stems removed and gills (black stuff) scraped out with a spoon
olive oil
salt and pepper

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together all artichoke dip ingredients. Drizzle both sides of portobellos with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place top-side down on a baking sheet and divide the dip equally among the four mushrooms. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until dip is bubbling and starting to brown on top. Serve with slices of fresh baguette.

P.S. If you would prefer, you can forgo the mushrooms, and spread the dip in a small casserole dish, baking as described above. This is a delicious dip, best served with buttery crackers.

Monday Meal Planning - 6.14.10

Ah, meal planning. I have had such good intentions lately, but have not been quite so good with the follow-through. Last week I had a full plan and grocery list together, and I don't think a single dish on the list happened. It's so frusterating when that happens! We had also planned to go to a local "Taste of Greece" night in town, an event put on by a nearby Greek Orthodox Church, but they ran out of food by the time we got there. Talk about dissapointment!

Of course, I forgot all about our craving for Greek food when putting together this week's plan. Instead I focused more on using ingredients in more than one dish so we can hopefully waste less food, and also on dishes that are more hot-weather friendly since it's supposed to be in the 80s most of this week. Even though it's hot, I sure do love summer!

On to the plan:

Monday: Sloppy Joes, Sweet Potato Fries, Broccoli Bacon salad

Tuesday: Twice Baked Potatoes, Salad

Wednesday: BLATs, leftover Broccoli Bacon Salad, Chips

Thursday: No-Bake Lasagna, Salad

Friday: Chicken Salad on Croissants, sliced veggies (carrots, cucumbers, peppers, etc.)

I also really, really want to bake this week. Something quick and summery, possibly fruity, but I can't decide what. Any suggestions?