Monday Meal Planning 8.6.12

Although we were out of town for the weekend, and that usually precludes me from assembling a meal plan for the coming week, I actually had a chance to put together a plan while stuck under a sleeping toddler yesterday afternoon. She was so exhausted from all the fun we had on Saturday that I couldn't keep her awake no matter how hard I tried. Then, when we got home, the September issue of Food Network Magazine was in our mail box, and so I edited a little as I looked through the magazine.

Here's what we're eating this week!

Monday: Chicken with Arugula Pesto

Gabbie wanted chicken for dinner, and this recipe looked fantastic, so it took the first place in our meal plan for the week.

Tuesday: Blackened Tilapia with Black-Eyed-Pea Salad, Baked Sweet Potatoes

Aaron and the girls really like fish, and I'm trying to like it, so we've decided to incorporate one fish dinner per week into our menu. Last week we had some fantastic salmon with lemon butter caper sauce (I actually went back for seconds, it was so good), and so I thought we'd try this recipe for our fish dinner this week.

Wednesday: Taco Rice

A family favorite, that we haven't had in a while. I'm looking forward to it this week!

Thursday: Grilled Brats, Broccoli, and French Fries

Simple, delicious grilled meal for Aaron to prepare while I'm out running.

Friday: Bacon Pizza Pasta, Salad

I've been eyeing this recipe for a couple of weeks now. It's actually supposed to be cooler this weekend, so it is the perfect chance to try it out!

I haven't decided on meals for Saturday or Sunday, yet, and chances are we'll actually be out and about so I won't have to cook (bonus!).

Chili-Lime Salmon with Southwestern Black Bean Salad

Man, oh, man is this poor website neglected lately. Between being sick, daycare emergencies, and trying to find a darned pair of sandals in August, I’ve been keeping myself pretty busy and out of the kitchen. I swear I’m going back in there soon though. All of those CSA vegetables won’t cook themselves, so someone has to get on in there!

This recipe, however, has nothing to do with any CSA vegetables, but it is pretty darn delicious. I’ve been trying to eat much healthier lately (which has been working oh-so-well, especially since the scale was up this morning at my doctor’s appointment – darn!), and have been mostly succeeding. This meal is definitely very healthy, and we enjoyed it just as much as the non-healthy meals we sometimes eat. Not only that, it’s simple, and there’s a very minimal amount of cooking or chopping required.

First, make this Southwestern Black Bean Salad. It’s easy, and wonderfully fresh tasting. Amy pointed me in the direction of that website, and I’ve been drooling over the wonderful, and healthy, recipes ever since. Even Gabbie loved this, although she did separate out all the different items and made sure we got every speck of cilantro (it’s green! Get it away!) off of her plate before eating it. Plus, beans are her favorite food and one of the only non-dairy sources of protein we get in her, so this was perfect.

Then, make the following salmon recipe and serve it along side. We all ate this too, even though I don’t usually like fish and Gabbie had never eaten any before, and enjoyed it a lot.

Voila! A delicious, healthy meal is done in a hurry!

Chili-Lime Salmon

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 lb. salmon filets

Juice of ½ lime

Salt

Pepper

Chili powder

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Squeeze lime juice over flesh side of filets. Season with salt, pepper, and a generous amount of chili powder. When pan is hot, add olive oil, and swirl to coat the pan. Add the fish, flesh side down, and cook to create a nice crust. Flip over and cook until the fish is cooked through. Serve aside Southwestern Black Bean Salad.