Review of Menu 4

REVIEW for the Menu for Week 4:

*There were some really YUMMY meals to think about making!

·         Pad Thai

o   http://allrecipes.com/recipe/a-pad-thai-worth-making/detail.aspx

o   REVIEW:  This was my first attempt at making this much loved dish.  We have had our fair share of Pad Thai from a range of restaurants.  I figured buying the specific ingredients for the dish would pay off since I would most likely try the dish again.  Overall, I think I will get better at the timing of cooking the dish.  As with many “stir fry” dishes, the hot wok makes for some quick cooking.  I didn’t have everything quite set up to just throw in as I went (and I had to keep referring to the recipe) which ate up time and ended in up my chicken and shrimp to be over cooked. 

o   Did we like it?  YES!  Will I make it again?  YES!  I think that I will get better at timing the dish and it will go more smoothly next time.

·         Crockpot Italian Chicken with Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread

o   http://www.crockadoodledo.blogspot.com/2012/04/italian-chicken.html

o   http://amandathevirtuouswife.blogspot.com/2012/03/garlic-parmesan-pull-apart-bread.html 

o   REVIEW:  The crockpot chicken recipe was delicious and different than most of the typical creamy dishes that I end up making in the crockpot.  I added celery and mushrooms to the recipe because I am a sucker for veggies.  I didn’t have Italian dressing on hand, so I made my own powder mix which I then mixed with oil and vinegar and added it to the crockpot.  The Italian dressing recipe made more powder than needed, so I have it saved in a little container in the spice cupboard for future use.  The bread was different enough, and very simple that I would probably make it again as well.

o   Did we like it?  Yes.  Will I make it again?  Yes.

o   CHANGES:  I made my own dressing to add to the crockpot chicken. ITALIAN DRESSING RECIPE: 

·         1 tbs garlic salt

·         1 tbs onion powder

·         1 tbs white sugar

·         2 tbs dried oregano

·         1 tbs black pepper

·         1 tbs dried basil

·         1 tbs dried parsley (which I didn’t add bc I didn’t have it)

·         ¼ tbs celery salt

·         2 tbs salt

Use 1-2 tbs of the mixture and add to ¼ c white vinegar, 2/3 c oil (veg or canola), and 2 tbs water.  *Store the rest of the seasonings in a dry, sealed container.

·         Chicken Fajitas

o   REVIEW:  A staple in our house since it is so easy and we often have the ingredients on hand.

·         CHEAP AND EASY:  Tuna Melts and Kraft Mac and Cheese

o   REVIEW:  Really!?!?!  Yes, we always enjoy our cheap and easy meal!  J

·         Macaroni and Beef and Cheese 

o   http://ruhlman.com/2010/05/macaroni-and-beef-with-cheese-%E2%80%94-childhood-love/

o   REVIEW:  I actually made this dish after work (which was a concern because I was pushing time to get it done for dinner).  I got the meat browned and tossed it all together pretty quickly and then was able to sit down and play with my daughter for a bit before dinner time while it cooked in the oven.  Overall, we enjoyed this for two nights in a row.  I changed the spices; I just couldn’t decide what flavor I wanted, so I made it up!  It was great.  My husband said that the meat tasted like meat pie. 

o   Did we like it? YES!  Will I make it again?  YES!

o   CHANGES:

·         SPICES:  I added 1 tbs salt, 2 tbs chili powder, 2 tbs dried basil, 1 tbs cumin, and 1 tbs curry powder was added to the browning meat.
  

·         Dessert: Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Crust Pie

o   http://www.restlesschipotle.com/2012/03/peanut-butter-pie-with-pretzel-crust/

o   REVIEW:  OH MY GOSH!!  This pie is killer!!  I made it and took it to a friend’s house for dinner.  Everyone loved it!  It is so worth making and really wasn’t difficult.  SO WORTH IT!!!

Review of Menu for Week 1

With the completion of week 1 under my belt, I thought I would write a few quick words about the dishes.  Please add any comments on week 1 dishes you made so that we can all compare notes!  :)

Week 1 Menu:

Pizza

Chicken Philly Pasta

Slammin' Salmon with Risotto

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Mashed Potatoes

Chicken Marsala with Roasted Veggies

-Pizza:  We do the cheap and easy Kroger pizza crust mix and always have sauce and pizza cheese on hand.  It allows for a quick last minute meal and prevents us from ordering out.  As expected, it was good.  :)  I need to start making my own crust....I know it really makes it so much more enjoyable.
Did I like it?  yes.  Will I use this again?  yes.  Changes?  always.  :)

-Chicken Philly Pasta:  As I stated before in an earlier post, I went a little crazy by adding to whole jalapenos which made it too hot.  I probably will add one next time since we like a little zip in our meals. 
Did I like it?  yes.  Will I use this again?  probably (although my husband didn't care for it)  Changes?  I would like to use a gooier cheese (possibly a melting Mexican cheese or more of an Italian blend added).  I also added a splash of Celery Seeds and will add 1 jalapeno.

-Slammin' Salmon with Risotto (added grilled asparagus):  This was a good meal.  I marinated the fish for about 4 hours.  I was surprised that it didn't have a ton of flavor, but the flavor was good.  I used a similar marinade on the asparagus and we LOVED it!  (check my Risotto Virgin post for details).  The risotto was easy enough and was so good.  This was my favorite meal of the week.
Did I like it?  YES!  Will I use this again?  YES!!  Changes?  Maybe more garlic to the fish marinade, but that's because I'm a garlic freak.

-Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Mashed Potatoes:  Another good meal.  My husband never had had an Italian style cabbage roll; he was used to the more vinegar based rolls.  He enjoyed this meal and even went for seconds.  I liked that I made a freezer meal for future ease. 
Did I like it?  yes.  Will I use it again?  yes.  Changes?  I'm going to look for a vinegar cabbage roll recipe (my husband is trying to track down his grandmother's recipe) and give that a try too.

-Chicken Marsala with Roasted Vegetables:  This was another good meal.  The chicken Marsala was quick and relatively easy.  The roasted vegetables had a lot of flavor (with the jar of roasted red peppers and basil).  I enjoyed the vegetables a lot.  I used dried basil since that is what I had, but I would really like to try it with fresh...I think it would be even better.  I used sweet potatoes, carrots, zucchini, onions, and mushrooms in my mix.  Also, I burnt the daylights out of the first yam/sweet potato I roasted after only roasting it for 30 mins (the way the recipes says to do it).  I threw it out and started over again, only roasting it 15 mins and then another 20 mins with the softer veggies.  The sweet potatoes were really good in it.
Did I like it?  yes.  Will I use it again?  yes.  Changes?  Alter the roasting time as listed above.  I enjoyed the change in veggies that I used, but I think that any would be good. 

Overall, I think that it was a successful first week.  Since it is summer (and I'm a teacher), I've had more time to dedicate to the planning and executing of these meals.  It will be interesting to see what happens when I go back to work full time.  I'm sure some of the meals will be a little simpler, but I promise not to drop the quality and taste!! 

I'm thinking of adding a dessert recipe for the week (which I did for week 2) and possibly a breakfast option (either one for grab-n-go meals throughout the week or a weekend breakfast meal).  What do you think?  Also, does the 5 meals for the week work for people?  Is it too much or two little?  Should I add a crockpot meal each week too?  Let me know your thoughts!

Week 2 Menu : Delicous dinners throughout the week

Menu for Week 2:

*Weekly menus plan for one meal out and one night of leftovers.

·         Broiled Tilapia Parmesan with Scalloped Hasselback Potatoes

·         Artichoke Spinach Lasagna

·         Grilled Chicken with Summer Vegetable Tian

·         Taco Pie with Grilled Corn Salad

·         Crockpot Coca Cola BBQ Chicken with corn bread

·         ***Plus a Dessert Recipe:  No-Bake Boston Cream Pie

Shopping List:

*Print this off and check off the items that you already have in your pantry.  Then either take this list or create a simpler one to the grocery to shop for the week of dinners.

Basic Pantry/Kitchen Items:

·         Parmesan Cheese (shredded/powdered)

·         Butter

·         Mayonnaise

·         Lemon juice

·         Black pepper

·         Salt

·         Onion  powder

·         Garlic powder

·         Dried basil

·         Olive oil

·         Cooking spray

·         Season salt (or poultry seasonings)

·         Garlic

·         Eggs (5)

·         Sugar

·         Vanilla

Spices/ Baking Items:

·         rosemary

·         thyme

·         taco seasoning packet

·         Cocoa powder

·         Confectioners’/Powdered sugar

Dairy/Refrigerator Items:

·         Parmigiano-Reggiano Sliced thin (a few slices)

·         Shredded Mozzarella cheese (3 cups)

·         Feta Cheese crumbles (4 oz)  can be herb/garlic

·         Shredded Italian cheese (1 cup)

·         Shredded Cheddar cheese (1 cup)

·         Milk

·         Sour cream

·         4 cups Half and Half

·         Heavy cream

Can/Dry Good Items:

·         1 pkg of Lasagna noodles

·         Can of vegetable broth

·         Can of artichoke hearts

·         Jar of tomato pasta sauce

·         Salsa

·         Bottle of BBQ sauce

·         1 can of Coca Cola

·         Mashed potato flakes

·         20 oz of Graham Crackers

           Corn Bread Mix **Make sure you get the items needed for whichever mix you choose.  I like the mixes that use a can of cream of corn since they are a sweeter and less-dry corn bread.

Meat:

·         Tilapia fillets (I buy frozen fillets)

·         Chicken breasts- enough for 2 meals (I buy frozen breasts)

·         1-2 lbs of lean ground beef

Produce Items:

·         Yellow Potatoes Lg. (1 per person + another one)

·         Zucchini

·         Yellow squash

·         Lettuce

·         2 tomatoes

·         2 Roma/plum tomatoes

·         6 ears of corn

·         Green pepper

·         Jalapeno (if liked in salsa)

·         Cilantro

·         Lemon

Freezer:

·         10 oz pkg of frozen chopped spinach

Dinner:  Broiled Tilapia Parmesan with Scalloped Hasselback Potatoes

Link to the Tilapia Parm recipe….http://allrecipes.com/recipe/broiled-tilapia-parmesan/detail.aspx

Link to the Potato recipe….http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/sidedishes/scalloped-hasselback-potatoes/

Link to the photo steps (super handy) Potato recipe ….http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2011/10/scalloped-hasselback-potatoes/

Dinner:  Artichoke Spinach Lasagna

Link to the recipe….http://allrecipes.com/recipe/artichoke-spinach-lasagna/detail.aspx

Dinner:  Grilled Chicken with Summer Vegetable Tian

Grill the chicken any way you like.

Link to the recipe….http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/2011/08/summer-vegetable-tian-660-recipe-110.html

Dinner:  Taco Pie with Grilled Corn Salad

Link to the recipe….http://bsrecipe.blogspot.com/2012/06/real-taco-pie.html

Link to the recipe….http://allrecipes.com/recipe/grilled-corn-salad/detail.aspx

Dinner:  Crockpot Coca Cola BBQ Chicken with Corn Bread

Link to the recipe….http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/07/slow-cooker-coca-cola-barbecue-chicken.html

Dessert:  No-Bake Boston Cream Pie

Link to the recipe….http://www.thekitchn.com/-cookbook-recipe-137474