Menu 2

Monday:  Chicken Salsa Soup

Tuesday: Shrimp $ Spaghetti in Coconut Broth

Wednesday: Brats & Hot Dogs - Baked Beans - Fresh Veggies

Thursday: Chicken & Stuffing Skillet - Mixed Veggies

Friday:  order out

Saturday:  seconds

Sunday:  Canadian Bacon Omelets with green peppers, onions and cheese - fresh fruit

Blueberry Banana Bread

I am a carbohydrate lover.  I can't help it.  So when I had 2 'beyond eating by themselves' bananas on the counter I decided to make some banana bread.  I have a little muffin and bread magazine so I decided to check it out for a new recipe.  I found Blueberry Banana Bread.  Yummy!  The juicy blueberries make this already moist bread even more moist.  The recipe makes two loaves and we finished off one of them right away and then I had to dip into the next one before bed!

I am having trouble with bread baking lately.  I can't seem to get the middle of the loaf done without getting the ends over done.  I understand this is somewhat to be expected but mine seem to go to the extreme.  The ends of the loaves were very dry while the top middle was still raw.  While I kind of like a little raw dough (guilty pleasure!) I still should be able to prepare a proper loaf.  I might have to search for new pans or move my oven racks lower.  Time to experiment.  Bring on zucchini season!

Nummy, huh?  Definitely!

Hot Tomato Stir Fry

This was a winner.  Everyone loved it!  We do have a love for chinese food in this house, but I don't often make it from scratch.  Hot Tomato Stir Fry is a keeper though.  And more importantly, the sauce recipe is the biggest winner.  I have previously bought pre-made stir fry sauce and haven't been disappointed but never really pleased.  This recipe was so easy, I don't think I will ever buy pre-made again!  2 Tb oyster sauce, 2 Tb soy sauce and 1 1/2 tsp corn starch.  How easy is that?!?!  There are limitless combinations for stir fry and it usually only takes 20 minutes to throw it all together.

That would be my complaint for this recipe.  It stated that it would only take 20 minutes to make.  Although the fresh tomatoes tasted awesome in the stir fry, it took forever to prep them.  There is really no way around that as if you didn't skin and seed them the sauce would be way to runny, but I wanted to have dinner ready at a specific time (Chris had to get to work).  If I had just been cooking without a time frame in mind it would not have been that big of a deal.

I substituted boneless beef ribs for the filet mignon.  I can't afford filet mignon for a stir fry or anything else for that matter!  The beef ribs were a mistake.  I LOVE boneless beef ribs but they require a slow, long cooking time to break down the fat and muscle and what not (I am pretending to know what I mean when really I just know they taste fantastic in stews and the crockpot!).  Stir frying is not their calling.  Next time I will pick some sort of steak to use.

Nummy, huh?  Absolutely!

Curried Chicken Pitas

Curried Chicken Pitas were a hit with me and Chris and not so much with the kids.  I am pretty sure that it was the curry powder that they didn't like.  Bennett was a trooper and ate most of his.  He complained while he did it, but I guess we'll call it a win.  Harrison complained through his entire meal and we will continue to work on the 'suffer in silence' part!

I think what I liked most about this recipe was the chicken/grape/pecan combination.  I have had other salads with that combination and have always liked them so when I came across this recipe it seemed like a natural fit.  We will definitely have it again during the summer months and in the mean time I am going to search for another curry recipe to see if I can get the kids more familiar with that spice.

The Chilled Leek and Squash Soup was another story.  I really enjoyed the process of making this soup and especially liked the 5 ingredient part.  There was something gratifying about seeing the leeks and squash in the pan.  What I didn't like was the texture of the soup after it was made.  Gritty and stringy.  I wondered if I hadn't cooked it long enough.  I decided to strain the soup.  This was a definite help.  I liked the soup but it was still warm from cooking so I popped it in the fridge for dinner.  When I got the soup back out, I was very disappointed.  I did not like it at all.  I had to go to work so I will have some leftover in the next couple days to see if I like it reheated.

Nummy, huh?  This one split down the middle.

Menu Planning

So I am starting this little food adventure with some menu planning.  I got the idea from a website called Simple Mom and she recommended taking a look at I'm an Organizing Junkie for further tips.  I'm an Organizing Junkie is a great resource on other peoples weekly menus.  Over 300 people post their menus on Menu Plan Monday.  Anyway, I created my own spreadsheet (it looks a lot like hers) and went on my way to planning our families next two weeks of meals. 

When I was all done, I felt very satisfied and very overwhelmed.  I couldn't figure out why I felt overwhelmed.  I think it was because now I actually had to follow through with this plan.  Part of the reason I am doing this is to save my family money.  This means no more take-out!  And part of the reason for starting this blog is so that hopefully someone will read it and guilt will help me to continue to plan our meals.

One great suggestion in menu planning is setting up specific days for specific types of food.  I did this and mine are:  Monday - soup, salad &/or sandwich, Tuesday - pasta or rice, Wednesday - grill, Thursday - crock pot or casserole, Friday - pizza, Saturday - leftovers, and Sunday - breakfast for dinner.  I think this will keep variety in our lives and help when looking for recipes.  Another was to have a two-week rotating menu and I personally didn't like that idea.  I think it would be easier in planning, but it would limit me in trying new recipes and introducing new foods to the kids.  

This weeks nummies are:

Monday - Chilled Leek & Yellow Squash Soup

Curried Chicken Pitas

Tuesday - Hot Tomato Stir Fry

Wednesday - Huli-huli Pork

Vegetable Ribbon Pasta

Thursday - Firecracker Enchiladas

Garden Goulash

Friday - Homemade Pepperoni Pizza

Saturday - Leftover Buffet

Sunday - Sausage Egg and Cheese Turnovers & Fruit

It's a start.  I took a lot of recipes from Rachael Ray this week.  I don't like everything that she makes but went back through some of my magazines and decided to give some more things a try.  I am a little over ambitious this week as I have not tried any of these recipes (except for the pizza!).  It's probably because I was all gung-ho about the process!  I also think that I can see already that I am going to have to add another leftover day.  But, I am trying to be mindful of leftovers and halving most recipes.  I don't want to add another leftover day because I am happy with the rotation of meal types.  Only time will tell!

Nummy, huh?!?!

Getting Started

Kaitlyn Beth is my favorite niece.  AND she just happens to be one of the cutest kids I know.  While on vacation recently, she asked me "Nummy, huh?" and I thought it was so cute.  She really enjoys food and hopes that you do as well.  She constantly asks "Nummy, huh?" and waits for you to tell her that you enjoy the food too!  

The goal of this blog is to record recipes and dishes that my family enjoys and that I enjoy making.  I love diversity in food and really want that for my own children.  Hopefully this blog will inspire me to continue to make new things, enjoy new things and share new things.  Again, here's to hoping!