Meal Plan Week of 10/27/13-11/2/13

Happy Saturday to you all!

This week's menu I decided to link up some of my previous recipes. I realized that it's nice to have a weekly menu sometimes but it would be even nicer if you knew how to make some of the recipes.

Have a great weekend!

27	28	29	30	31	1	2
SUNDAY	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY
Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast
egg white	oatmeal	egg	scrambled	orange	scrm egg	french
sandwich	almond milk	toast	eggs	coffee cake	apple/milk	toast
fruit	banana	berries	banana	berries	smoothie	banana
tea	tea	tea	tea	tea	tea	tea
Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
turkey	avocado	cucumber	turkey	chicken	bean	veggie
chili	orange	radish	veggie	salad	salad	mac &
cornbread	chicken wrap	salad	wrap	cheese	veggies	cheese
water	water	water	water	water	water	water
Dinner	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner
stuffed	spagetti	turkey	leftovers	chicken	shrimp	sante fe
acorn squash	squash	asparagus	squash	enchiladas	avocado	chicken
salad	salad	sw potato	salad	salad	salad	chowder
water	water	water	water	water	water	water
Snack	Snack	Snack	Snack	Snack	Snack	Snack
yogurt	trailmix	cheese	trailmix	quac dip	PB celery	veggies
almonds	carrots	grapes	peaches	veggies	trailmix	trailmix
bread pudding	ice cream	popcorn	PB celery	fruit pizza	ice cream	GF granola

Turkey Pizza Quesadillas

Quesadillas are one of my kid’s favorite meals. It’s also one of my favorites because they are so easy to make. We love regular chicken or cheese quesadillas but I wanted to change things up a bit. I decided to make an Italian version instead and it worked! The pasta sauce helps hold the ingredients together inside the tortilla and the seasonings in the turkey really make this taste similar to pizza. It’s just a simple and tasty version of one of our favorite meals!

8 6” corn tortilla shells

1/3 lb of ground turkey
1 tsp basil
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp garlic, minced
1/3 cup pasta sauce
¼ cup mushrooms, sliced
¼ cup bell pepper, chopped
1 cup spinach
½ cup shredded cheese

• In a large skillet, brown turkey and add in basil, oregano and garlic.
• On a preheated griddle, place tortilla shells. Spread pasta sauce over 4 of the shells.
• Layer cooked turkey, mushrooms, peppers, spinach and cheese onto the pasta sauce covered shells.
• Top with the remaining plain shells and cook on each side until slightly brown.

Avocado Quesadillas

Quesadillas are a quick and easy solution for dinner, lunch or even breakfast. Some nights we are just too busy to have a fancy dinner but I won’t sacrifice nutritious foods for junk. Quesadillas can be easily modified for whatever you have on hand or whatever you want to eat. These are super easy to make and are on the table in less than 30 minutes. It goes even faster if you have some leftover chicken or meat that is already cooked. We typically grill or bake an extra chicken breast or two on the weekends so we have a quick fix meat to add with our dinners during the week. Saves lots of time and reduces stress!

8 6” corn tortillas

1 chicken breast, cooked & shredded
1 avocado, finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp cilantro
¼ cup onion, diced
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup shredded cheese
Toppings if desired – tomatoes, salsa, ranch dressing, etc

• In a large skillet, sauté onion and garlic until tender. Add in chicken breast and cilantro.
• On a griddle (or another skillet), warm corn tortillas on each side for about 2 minutes per side.
• Spread  a little sour cream over each tortilla to help ingredients stick to tortillas.
• On four of the tortilla shells, sprinkle shredded cheese. Then over the cheese, sprinkle chicken breast mixture. Sprinkle avocados on top of the chicken.
• Top each with another tortilla shell.
• Remove quesadillas from heat and cut into four quarters.
• Serve with whatever toppings or sauces you’d like. Makes 4 quesadillas.

Fried Rice with Veggies

There once was a time when my husband and I were poor college kids just trying to prove our parents wrong and make it. I’m pretty sure during that time we had stir fry of some kind at least twice a week. Every time I make stir-fry or fried rice I have to reminisce about those days. Anyway – I’ve progressed from plain white rice, frozen veggies and jarred sauces. I have now upgraded to brown rice, fresh veggies and homemade sauces. Oh how I’ve grown.. ha..

1 cup of cooked brown rice

½ cup broccoli, chopped
½ cup cauliflower, chopped
¼ cup onion, diced
½ cup yellow squash, chopped
¼ cup mushrooms, chopped
¼ cup water chestnuts, chopped
½ tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp olive oil
¼ cup water
Sauce
¼ cup GF soy sauce
¼ cup brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
½ tsp fresh ginger, minced

• In a large skillet, sauté broccoli, cauliflower, onion, squash, mushrooms and water chestnuts in olive oil. Pour sesame oil into veggies while they are cooking.
• After the veggies have cooked for a few minutes, add in the water to get a little steam to help soften them. Continue cooking the veggies until they are crisp tender, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients until well blended. Once veggies are cooked, add in rice.
• Pour sauce over rice and veggies and cook for an additional 5 minutes for the flavors to mix.
• NOTE: You can really cook whatever vegetables you want in this- add in some zucchini, kale, bean sprouts, corn, etc.
• Also, a sprinkle of some peanuts on top gives it a little extra tasty crunch!

Smoky Chickpea Salad

Sometimes a quick, light salad will do just the trick for dinner on a warm summer night. I eat salad on a daily basis – for lunch, dinner, snack or all three. I do get a little bored with them though so I try to find new ways to freshen them up. I am fine with having a salad for dinner with a small piece of bread or something. However, my hungry son and husband can’t live off of lettuce. The chickpeas in the salad add a little protein and also add a little something extra to plain ol’ lettuce. The boys of course prefer Ranch dressing, but I like a simple vinegar/olive oil vinaigrette.

1 can chickpeas rinsed

1 tsp paprika
¼ tsp liquid smoke
½ tsp garlic salt
1 tsp honey
¼ cup roasted red pepper, chopped
¼ cup leeks, chopped
1 bunch of romaine lettuce, chopped
2 slices smoked provolone cheese, chopped

• In a large skillet, combine chickpeas, paprika, smoke, garlic salt and honey and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine lettuce, leeks, peppers and cheese in a large serving bowl.
• After the chickpeas have cooled for a bit, pour them over salad. Best if served immediately.

Honey Mustard Pressure Cooker Chicken

I have a new found love for my pressure cooker. We eat chicken a lot and my electric pressure cooker can cook a frozen chicken breast in about 20 minutes. It’s fantastic. I’ve been struggling to get a sauce right in it though, but this turned out great!

3-4 frozen chicken breasts

½ cup honey
¼ cup mustard (or use ½ cup bottled honey mustard instead of honey & mustard)
¼ cup sweet & spicy mustard
¼ cup water
1 tsp garlic salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp tapioca (or corn) starch

• Place frozen chicken breasts in the pressure cooker.
• In a small bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients except starch. Pour sauce mixture over chicken.
• Cook on the “pressure” cook setting for 20 minutes. After the chicken is done, remove and make sure it has reached the right temperature. If it hasn’t, pressure cook for a few more minutes.
• Once chicken is cooked through, finish sauce on “brown” setting. Add the tapioca or corn starch and stir until blended.
• Cook for about 5 minutes stirring constantly or until it starts to thicken. Chop the chicken into bite size pieces and return to the sauce. Serve by itself or over rice.

Egg Plant Parmesan & Homemade Bread Crumbs

This is another one of my husband’s creations. He really is such a huge help at meal times! One evening, I had to work late and the meal plan just indicated Eggplant Parmesan. A lot of times, my recipes are just something I create on the fly as I am rummaging through the fridge finding something for dinner. I can’t lie, I usually just cook some pasta, cut up some veggies, find a can of sauce and call it good. He actually made his own tomato sauce (since we don’t by regular spaghetti sauce anymore) and had everything ready when I got home. Let me tell you, this smelled delicious! I don’t know what it is about spaghetti but we think it tastes even better the next day!

1 clove roasted garlic, minced

1 can diced tomatoes, or about 1 cup fresh diced tomatoes
1 small can of tomato paste
¼ cup water
1 tsp basil or rosemary
1 small egg plant cut into ¼” slices
1 egg,
1 cup GF bread crumbs (see homemade recipe below)
1 Tbsp olive oil
6 servings of cooked rice pasta (or other pasta)
6 ¼” slices of mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

• Combine the garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, water and basil in a saucepan. This will be your “spaghetti” sauce. Cook on low while cooking the eggplant
• Beat egg in a small bowl. Add the bread crumbs into a separate bowl. Dip the eggplant slices into the egg until covered. Then dip the eggplant in the bread crumbs until the eggplant is covered with crumbs.
• Place battered eggplant into a hot skillet with olive oil. Repeat with remaining eggplant slices. Pan “fry” until both sides of the eggplant is lightly brown and crispy.
• In a greased 9x13” pan, put cooked pasta. On top of pasta, pour on tomato sauce. Place the slices of eggplant on top of sauce in a single layer.
• Place the slices of mozzarella on top of the eggplant. Sprinkle a thin layer of parmesan cheese on top of dish.
• Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted

HOMEMADE GLUTEN-FREE BREAD CRUMBS

Use these on top of casseroles for a nice crunch or as a coating for baked veggies or meats. You could even make a stuffing if desired. I created this after part of a loaf of my gluten free bread dried out in the fridge and became very crumbly. No sense in wasting it!

3-5 slices of dry gluten free bread, broke into small pieces

1/2 cup of cornmeal

1 Tbsp of dried parsley

1 tsp of dried thyme

½ tsp of garlic salt

¼ tsp of black pepper, paprika, cayenne, etc

• Place pieces of bread on to a cookie sheet. Let set overnight or even longer if your bread is still too moist. You basically want your bread pieces very hard and dry, enough so that you get small crumbs when you try to break it.
• In a food processor (or with your hands), pulse your bread pieces until they become find crumbs.
• Mix in cornmeal and spices. Store in a sealed container.
• NOTE: If you are making more of an Italian dish, use black pepper. If you are wanting to make something spicy or smokier tasting, use the paprika or cayenne. These breadcrumbs can be used to coat anything so just add the spices you prefer to get the flavor you want.

Italian Veggie Pizza

So tonight the weather was extremely rare. Typically at the end of July it is close to the 100°F mark and dry as a bone… However, last week it rained (significantly) everyday and this weekend has been wonderful – temps in the 80’s. Tonight it is about 73°F with a light rain. It makes me ready for fall. Also – “Shrek” is on TV so in honor of the lovely weather and one of our favorite movies, we decided to make Gingerbread Man Veggie Pizza and snuggle on the couch. My mother-in-law recently gave me a big gingerbread man cookie pan and I have had no use for it (obviously it is the middle of summer – no gingerbread cookies here). Anyway it worked perfect tonight.

1 GF pizza crust mix (homemade or bought – tonight we used Hodgson Mill’s packaged mix)

1 cup pizza/marinara/spaghetti sauce (we made our own – I’ll post later)
4- ¼” slices of egg plant, cut into small strips
3 oz sliced mushrooms (about 12-1/8” strips
¼ cup sliced zucchini
¼ cup diced onion
1 Tbsp olive oil
½  tsp parsley
½ tsp basil
1 cup shredded cheese (we used apple smoked Gruyere cheese)
Parmesan cheese

• Make pizza crust according to package instructions. Spread onto greased pizza pan or cookie sheet and let rise for about 20 minutes. Pre-bake for about 10 minutes.
• While crust is pre-baking, eggplant, mushrooms, zucchini, parsley and basil in the olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes (veggies will still be slightly crisp – this is what you want).
• Once crust is ready, add sauce and toppings. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and parmesan cheese evenly. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until crust is crisp and cheese is melted.
• NOTE: You can use other veggies if you’d like, but this is what we had on hand. Feel free to add in pepperoni or sausage, etc.
• NOTE: After filling up our gingerbread pan with pizza dough, we had about enough dough to make a 8 inch pizza. Otherwise, depending on the crust mix you have, this should make about 2 – 12 inch pizzas.