Monday Meal Planning 9.20.10

Another Monday is here and even though I'm completely sick of spending my evenings making meals that my toddler REFUSES TO EAT, I still have a meal plan ready to go. We tried to do a mix of "Things that Gabbie Will Eat" (which changes from moment to moment) and "Things that Mom and Dad Like" which does not include things like plain rice separated from plain peas. I mean, those things are okay and all, but I prefer a little more flavor in my meals.

(Can you tell it was a difficult weekend eating-wise?)

Anyway, on to the plan!

Monday: Swiss Chard Stew, Rice, Naan, Fruit Salad

We have a beautiful bunch of swiss chard from our CSA share last week, and this recipe is perfect for using up a lot of swiss chard. Both Aaron and I have been craving Indian food for a while and instead of dealing with another infuriating toddler/restuarant trip, we thought we'd make a few meals at home (hence why there's two Indian-style meals this week).

Tuesday: Pasta with Smoky Bacon and Pea Sauce, salad

We didn't get to this last week because we never made the trip to the specialty butcher to get the pancetta. Aaron picked some up on Saturday morning for two reasons - one, the meatballs I made on Saturday contain pancetta, and those were a much higher priority, and two, the specialty butcher is also the best place to buy a six pack of micro-brews. Priorities! He has them!

Wenesday: Three Packet Pot Roast, Fruit Salad

Last winter I made this pot roast a few times and Gabbie couldn't get enough of it. Unfortunately Aaron is not fond of pot roast, to say the least, so I don't get to make it as often as I'd like. This one is so easy and delicious, and I can't wait to dive in on Wednesday night!

Thursday: Indian Style Curry with Potatoes, Caulflower, and Chickpeas, Rice Pilaf

I asked Aaron for a meal idea to make up for the pot roast, and his answer was "Something Indian-ish with Cauliflower." I had just downloaded the Cooks Illustrated app for my phone, and when I searched for cauliflower, this came up. We'll try it and see how it goes. It certainly sounds delicious!

Friday: Beef Enchiladas, Spanish Rice, Salad

The purpose of these is to use up the pot roast leftovers, since my usual leftover eater is certain not to touch them with a ten foot pole. He loves these enchiladas, however, so it's a win-win!

Saturday: Chicago Style Pizza, Antipasta, Fruit Platter

Lately I have been dreaming of the pizza I ate at Pizza Due in Chicago last year, once during each of my two Chicago trips, and I decided it's high time to try to make something similar at home. Now, I just need to find a good recipe.

Toddler Lunch Ideas
Due to aforementioned crappy eating this weekend, Gabbie is restricted to healthy choices (aka no treats or ice cream), with her only sweet choices being yogurt and fruit. Not that this makes a big difference to what she eats for lunch, since we don't usually serve up treats at lunch time. We've decided that the best we can do is offer her a variety of healthy choices and hopefully she'll learn that if she's hungry she has to eat what's available to her, and also that there aren't rewards for eating your dinner except that you are full.

Monday: Soy Dog, Broccoli, Cheese, Banana
Tuesday: Bean and Cheese Quesadilla, Carrot Sticks, Mandarin Oranges
Wednesday: Cheese, Crackers, Raisins, Kiwi
Thursday: English Muffin Pizza, Broccoli, Yogurt
Friday: Pot Roast Leftovers, Roll, Kiwi

Monday Meal Planning 9.13.10

Fall has arrived suddenly here in Michigan, which has been making me crave things like baked goods, soups, and pastas much more than even usual. This has also coincided with my work load getting ever so slightly lighter, success in potty training, and everyone just generally being in a much better mood (probably because we're not so hot and sweaty like we were all summer).

I also think there's a touch of nesting thrown into all of this too, because all I want to do is provide my family with a nice organized home and hearty meals. I didn't really have a nesting phase with Gabbie, so this is new territory for me. I like it, and I'm going to run with it while the desire is there. I have a huge list of recipes to share, and I'm hoping to have more time to share them starting this week, but let's start smaller - I actually made a meal plan this week! And here it is:

Monday: Corn Tortilla Crusted Chicken Tenders, Roasted Broccoli

Gabbie has developed the normal-kid taste for chicken nuggets, so I'm hoping this will help fulfill her want for them in a slightly healthier way. I saw this recipe in Everyday Food, thought of the huge bag of corn tortillas in my pantry, and figured this would be a good way to solve a few problems. Gabbie is also still in love with broccoli, and since it's also a favorite of Aaron's and mine, and we have a couple bunches from the CSA, it solved yet another dinner conundrum. I'm hoping this meal goes over as well as I envision.

Tuesday: Sweet and Sour Eggplant, Rice Noodles, Lima Beans

I know that the eggplant dish and the lima beans don't sound like they necessarily go together; however, I'm throwing the beans in there because Gabbie usually looks at me like I'm trying to kill her when I put any eggplant down in front of her, I figure she needs something other than rice noodles to fill up her belly. We also usually eat some cut up fruit with dinner to make sure she's getting enough nutrients outside of the white carbs she so strongly prefers.

Wednesday: Mini Shell Pasta with a Creamy Smoked Bacon and Pea Sauce

With pasta, bacon, and peas being three things Gabbie will usually eat, this should be a satisfying one dish meal. I'll probably add in more peas than it calls for just to get more green things in our diet.

Thursday: Grilled Cheese with Tomatoes and Avocado, Corn on the Cob, Grapes

Yet another use up the CSA goodies type meal. I mash up an avocado, and spread that on one slice of the bread, top it with a tomato slice or two, some cheddar or provelone and, in Aaron's case, a few slices of ham. Top it with another slice of bread and grill in a well-buttered pan, adding in more butter as you flip the sandwich. This is the type of meal we would have called a Garden Meal growing up, and they're my favorite kind of meal in the summer and fall months!

Friday: Mediteranean Mostaciolli, Bread

This is a hearty, meaty sauce, with sour, sweet, and salty notes, making it incredibly satisfying. Plus, there's lots of veggies in there too, which means it makes the mom in me feel better about serving pasta yet again this week.

Saturday: Meatball Subs, Veggies and Dip

On Saturdays during the fall, we eat our dinner early while watching the 3:30 football game of the day. Both my husband and I root for our own teams (MSU for me, U of M for him), which means football takes up the majority of our Saturdays. Since he's a much bigger fan than I am, I don't mind spending some of that time cooking up a delicious meal. We always have veggies and dip on hand for game time snacking, as well as usually some sort of snack mix and something sweet to celebrate our victories (or nurse our hurting hearts in the case of defeats).

The meatballs listed above are seriously the best I've ever made. I'll make sure to take pictures and post the recipe (I should have done that when I wrote about them last year), because I promise you'll want to try these!

Toddler Lunches:

So, last time I posted a few new things to try with Gabbie. The egg salad did not go over well, to say the least. Aaron liked it though, so at least it got eaten. We never got to the Mexican roll-ups, and ate the tortillas during a burrito dinner instead, so I'll have to try those (and post the recipe) sometime in the future.

Monday: Ham and Cheese on Garlic Naan (all cut into a heart shape with a cookie cutter), fruit leather, carrots, and pretzels

Tuesday: Leftover Chicken Tenders (provided they go over well), Rice, Peas, and Grapes

Wednesday: PB&J Roll-Up (using a flour tortilla), Lima Beans (again, depends on how well she likes them), Apple Sauce

Thursday: Whole Grain Waffle, Yogurt, Fruit Salad with strawberries, blueberries, and mandarin oranges

Friday: "Noodles and Sauce" (pasta with spaghetti sauce), Green Beans, Garlic Naan fingers

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

My deep love affair with the Artisan Bread in 5 Brioche recipe continues unabated. This stuff is magical! Not only does it make a fine loaf of bread just the way it is (and even better grilled and topped with a delicious egg salad), you can use it to make fantastic cinnamon rolls, hot dog buns, and this heavenly cinnamon swirl bread:

The really best part of all of this is how absolutely easy it is. Really! Even with 60 hour work weeks, trying to enjoy this pregnancy, redecorating our upstairs, and having to take a certain someone to the potty every thirty minutes or so, I can still mix up a batch of this dough and turn it into something spectacular.

Due to above mentioned 60 hour work weeks, I'm going to just link you to the recipe today. I made it exactly as written and it turned out beautifully. I can't wait to use it to make french toast as described on the linked page.  My husband is bound to get jealous of how much I love this recipe (or at least gain a pound or five). This weekend I'm thinking I'm going to use it to make some Monkey Bread. Or maybe tomorrow. It just sounds so fantastic!