I am. There's no two ways about it.. I can't even manage a weekly feature with no photos!! I've been feeling exceptionally busy lately - I got a promotion at work and I'm juggling two jobs at the same time until they fill my position. Doing my training in Sales while trying to keep up the front desk work makes my head feel all explodey by the end of the day and I procrastinate writing, or just plain forget until I'm too tired to form a complete sentence.
So here's a half baked Meal Plan Monday for you...
Monday we had the most amazing pork shoulder roast. It cooks for 16 hours with nothing extra but a tablespoon or two of liquid smoke. Original recipe can be found here. If you don't understand by now, I LOVE my crock pot. I don't know how I managed without one until last year (oh yeah, I ate out 3/4 of the time). This roast falls apart on your fork and is soooo juicy and tender I thought there was some kind of magic kitchen elf that had appeared.
Tonight was an eat out night... they do happen every once and a while, and I look on the bright side that there are no extra dirty dishes when that happens.
Wednesday: The Tomato soup from last week didn't get made, so I'll throw that in the slow cooker for a while and whip up some delicious classic grilled cheese sandwiches.
Thursday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday: I have a basic idea of what I want to make for the latter half of the week. The Butternut Squash Carbonara didn't get made AGAIN last week, but luckily butternut squash lasts for a long time. Or I may sub out this delicious looking Slow Cooker Squash Lasagna. I want to give this Roasted Vegetable Strudel a try, and I have some phyllo dough in the freezer just for the occasion. and finally the boy requested the Chicken Corn Chowder again this week (which is fine with me, since I'm a little worn out on the cabbage rolls that were his last obsession.)
I did manage to take some pictures this week (food and fashion related), and I have some DIY/Craft post ideas stored up, so maybe I'll actually get around to them and give folks something to read.
Thanks for checking in.
<3 E
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
Meal Plan Monday
Welcome to the second installment of Meeeeaaaaal Plaaaaaan Mondaaaaaayyyyyyy!!! (Imagine that as said by a stadium announcer)
We did REALLY well staying on plan last week. Saturday night we ended up going to hang out with some friends and instead of a formal dinner we had wine and some delicious dips. I made a spinach and artichoke dip that is to die for, and our friends made a beer cheese dip with Fosters. A large loaf of crusty Italian bread and some flavored tortilla chips filled up my belly so dinner was unnecessary.
Monday's chorizo and sweet potato enchiladas were AMAZE-BALLS. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about canned enchilada sauce, but the old el paso kind was remarkably tasty. The spicy sausage and sweet potatoes melded sooo well together.
Tuesday's pork chops and Thursday's cabbage rolls were re-peat meal from the week before at request of the boy - still just as amazing as the first time. He's obsessed with the cabbage rolls so we made lots of extra to have for lunches.
The 40 clove chicken was new and delicious. The whole cloves of garlic just melted in your mouth without being too spicy, and I used chicken thighs, so the dark meat added extra flavor and stayed so juicy that when you went to pick it up with the fork it just fell apart.
I had also made the Autumn Penne before and it was equally as yummy. Next time I will probably double the brussel sprouts - we LOVE brussel sprouts in our house, so there were no where near enough for the leftovers, and the pasta is sooo much better with them.
I used a different Chicken Corn Chowder recipe from the one I listed before. I had made the other one and the boy thought it lacked flavor... so I tried different, and it was much better. Super chunky and very flavorful. The bacon bits were good, you could probably do without the cheese if you were trying to save calories, but the green onions on top are a MUST.
We didn't get around to the carbonara, but I worked it into the meal plan for this week so we don't waste the ingredients.
This week I will try to actually take photos of what I make this week (provided it actually looks appetizing).
But nevertheless here is the plan:
Monday: Jambalaya (Requested by the boy, I used this recipe as a starter)
Tuesday: Asian Turkey Meatballs and probably a side of garlicky wilted spinach
Wednesday: One Pot Stovetop Mac & Cheese
Thursday: Chicken with Leeks and Sun Dried Tomatoes
Friday: Butternut Squash Carbonara (Didn't eat this meal last week, still have the ingredients)
Saturday: Chorizo Sweet Potato Enchiladas
Sunday: Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup
Some of the recipe's are healthier than last week - I'm working my way back toward weight watchers and counting my points, and heavy cream soups don't really factor into that, but are soooo good in the winter.
Till next time (hopefully before the next MPM!)
<3 E
We did REALLY well staying on plan last week. Saturday night we ended up going to hang out with some friends and instead of a formal dinner we had wine and some delicious dips. I made a spinach and artichoke dip that is to die for, and our friends made a beer cheese dip with Fosters. A large loaf of crusty Italian bread and some flavored tortilla chips filled up my belly so dinner was unnecessary.
Monday's chorizo and sweet potato enchiladas were AMAZE-BALLS. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about canned enchilada sauce, but the old el paso kind was remarkably tasty. The spicy sausage and sweet potatoes melded sooo well together.
Tuesday's pork chops and Thursday's cabbage rolls were re-peat meal from the week before at request of the boy - still just as amazing as the first time. He's obsessed with the cabbage rolls so we made lots of extra to have for lunches.
The 40 clove chicken was new and delicious. The whole cloves of garlic just melted in your mouth without being too spicy, and I used chicken thighs, so the dark meat added extra flavor and stayed so juicy that when you went to pick it up with the fork it just fell apart.
I had also made the Autumn Penne before and it was equally as yummy. Next time I will probably double the brussel sprouts - we LOVE brussel sprouts in our house, so there were no where near enough for the leftovers, and the pasta is sooo much better with them.
I used a different Chicken Corn Chowder recipe from the one I listed before. I had made the other one and the boy thought it lacked flavor... so I tried different, and it was much better. Super chunky and very flavorful. The bacon bits were good, you could probably do without the cheese if you were trying to save calories, but the green onions on top are a MUST.
We didn't get around to the carbonara, but I worked it into the meal plan for this week so we don't waste the ingredients.
This week I will try to actually take photos of what I make this week (provided it actually looks appetizing).
But nevertheless here is the plan:
Monday: Jambalaya (Requested by the boy, I used this recipe as a starter)
Tuesday: Asian Turkey Meatballs and probably a side of garlicky wilted spinach
Wednesday: One Pot Stovetop Mac & Cheese
Thursday: Chicken with Leeks and Sun Dried Tomatoes
Friday: Butternut Squash Carbonara (Didn't eat this meal last week, still have the ingredients)
Saturday: Chorizo Sweet Potato Enchiladas
Sunday: Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup
Some of the recipe's are healthier than last week - I'm working my way back toward weight watchers and counting my points, and heavy cream soups don't really factor into that, but are soooo good in the winter.
Till next time (hopefully before the next MPM!)
<3 E
Monday, January 2, 2012
Meal Plan Monday
Happy New Year!
Since I've been such a bad blogger so far (only 2 posts at the beginning of December?! Come on Erika!) I'm making it one of my goals for the new year to post more regularly. To help me with that I'm instituting "Meal Plan Monday". This is something I do in real life already - it helps me to know what I'm going to be cooking when I come home from work every day, and to know that I already have all the ingredients in my pantry and fridge. I don't like to buy in bulk - it always seems to go bad before I use it, even in the freezer (hello frostburnt meats). So I make my meal plan, and my specific shopping list to buy only the ingredients I will need for the week.
I try to make things that are healthy and delicious, but sometimes I'll settle for just plain delicious... It's not always perfect for my weight loss goals, but I've learned that if I'm on a perpetual diet where I'm not allowed to eat the things that I want then I will always fail. So I try to use lighter recipes of things that I love, and sometimes I let myself splurge.
So today's Meal Plan Monday lineup:
Monday: Chorizo Sweet Potato Echiladas
Tuesday: Honey Garlic Crunch Pork Chops and Sauteed Brussel Sprouts
Wednesday: 40 Clove Chicken and Roasted Parmesan Green Beans
Thursday: Cabbage Rolls with Idahoan Mashed Potatoes (I can't make EVERYTHING from scratch!)
Friday: Autumn Penne With Brussel Sprouts
Saturday: Chicken Corn Chowder
Sunday: Butternut Squash Carbonara
Weekday breakfast: Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
Most of the things I make come from recipes found online - so whenever possible I'll link to the recipe I used, or write it in a post.
Some of these are things I've made before (Honey Garlic Crunch Pork Chops and Cabbage Rolls requested by the boy), and some are new, so I'll try and update and let you know how they go!
Thanks for checking in
<3 E
Since I've been such a bad blogger so far (only 2 posts at the beginning of December?! Come on Erika!) I'm making it one of my goals for the new year to post more regularly. To help me with that I'm instituting "Meal Plan Monday". This is something I do in real life already - it helps me to know what I'm going to be cooking when I come home from work every day, and to know that I already have all the ingredients in my pantry and fridge. I don't like to buy in bulk - it always seems to go bad before I use it, even in the freezer (hello frostburnt meats). So I make my meal plan, and my specific shopping list to buy only the ingredients I will need for the week.
I try to make things that are healthy and delicious, but sometimes I'll settle for just plain delicious... It's not always perfect for my weight loss goals, but I've learned that if I'm on a perpetual diet where I'm not allowed to eat the things that I want then I will always fail. So I try to use lighter recipes of things that I love, and sometimes I let myself splurge.
So today's Meal Plan Monday lineup:
Monday: Chorizo Sweet Potato Echiladas
Tuesday: Honey Garlic Crunch Pork Chops and Sauteed Brussel Sprouts
Wednesday: 40 Clove Chicken and Roasted Parmesan Green Beans
Thursday: Cabbage Rolls with Idahoan Mashed Potatoes (I can't make EVERYTHING from scratch!)
Friday: Autumn Penne With Brussel Sprouts
Saturday: Chicken Corn Chowder
Sunday: Butternut Squash Carbonara
Weekday breakfast: Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
Most of the things I make come from recipes found online - so whenever possible I'll link to the recipe I used, or write it in a post.
Some of these are things I've made before (Honey Garlic Crunch Pork Chops and Cabbage Rolls requested by the boy), and some are new, so I'll try and update and let you know how they go!
Thanks for checking in
<3 E
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