Sunday, March 27, 2011

This Weeks Menu

Sunday:  Crispy Chicken, Argula Caprese Salad
Panko crusted chicken served on a bed of spicy arugula with a salsa of caprese

Monday: Chicken Pita
Rotiserie chicken, tomatoes, olives, feta in a vinaigrette served with pita & a cucumber raita

Tuesday: Breakfast for Dinner
Scrambled eggs, toast, OJ... what's not to love?

Wednesday: Southwest Turkey Burgers
Had a "senior moment" last week and thought I'd bought the turkey but I forgot and didn't realize until I tried to make 'em... so it's not *really* a repeat

Thursday:  on your own
I've got a work dinner, so you're on your own for Thursday.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Southwest Turkey Burgers

1 # ground turkey
1/2 C smashed tortilla chips (I use plain Tostito's - not flavored ones)
1 Egg
1 jalapeno, seeded/minced
1/2 tsp Cholula sauce (bottled hot sauce - not as hot as Tabasco and, in my opinion, better flavor)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
Mix all together and form patties.  It will be sticky.

Grill the burgers until cooked through (rare is not an option - cook them until they are done).   Place a strip (or two) of cooked bacon over each and top with a slice of pepper jack cheese.  just keep over the heat until melted. 

We serve these on Orowheat Sandwich Thins (in whole wheat) - the burgers are really filling and it's a healthier option.

Top each burger with any combination of the following:
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Avocado
Mayonnaise

As a side, we do a salad of:
1 can black beans, drain/rinse
1 can corn, drained
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
1 bunch Cilantro, rinsed & chopped
1 TB minced red onion
1 jalapeno, seeded/minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
juice of one lime

An easy dinner for a weeknight and actually (well, if you skip the bacon) pretty healthy.

Hope you like it!

Monday, March 21, 2011

The Menu

It's been crazy and I haven't been good about updating the blog.  But it's not going to get any less crazy, so I'm working at being better about organization.

Sunday: Grilled Chicken with bacon, avocado & cheese Good lord but I'm happy to have the grill back out!  Grill boneless/skinless breasts.  Top with bacon, avocado & pepper jack cheese.  Serve with a side of fruit.  Yummers! 

Monday: Greek Salad
A bag of salad, olives, feta, tomatoes, cucumber and a balsamic vinaigrette.  What's not to love?

Tuesday: Spaghetti & Meatballs
We've got to eat this before it gets too hot out and my husbands meatballs are AMAZING.

Wednesday: Southwest Turkey Burgers
Mmm... Topped with avocado & cheese, black bean salsa on the side.  Family favorite!

Thursday: Potato Pie
Hash browns reinvented into a crust filled with sauteed veggies, ham & cheese.  Yum.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Chicken Ranch Salad

1 Bag Salad Greens (I like the butter lettuce blend)
Leftover cooked Chicken, chopped
1 Avocado
Black Beans (1 15 oz can, rinse/drain)
Corn (1 can, drained)
Tomatoes
1 Lime (juice of 1/2, cut the rest into wedges)
Cilantro, 1 bunch, rough chop
BBQ sauce (I love Sweet Baby Ray's)
Ranch Dressing (Hidden Valley Ranch packet, make your own - it's so worth it)

Chop the chicken and toss with BBQ sauce until it's all nicely coated but not drippy.

I do the salads in individual bowls so everyone can tweak it to their tastes.  Here's the basic layout:
In a bowl toss the salad greens, avocado, beans, corn & cilantro with the Ranch dressing.  Then top with chicken, tomatoes and a squeeze of lime. 

If you aren't worried about calorie counts, some Tostitos would be good with this.  Also some bacon bits and mexican cheese would be good.  But I promise - you won't miss them.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Steaks & Mushroom Risotto

Brush steaks with olive oil, salt & pepper.  Grill until desired tenderness.  Leave one steak more rare than you'd normally eat.  Set it aside for the salad later in the week.

Risotto:

1 Shallot - minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 TB butter
1 TB Olive Oil
1 Cup Arborio rice
1 lg box chicken stock (pour it into a large glass measuring cup and heat in microwave until simmering then add bit by bit)
1 Cup grated Parmegianno-Reggiano cheese
Fresh cracked pepper
Sauteed Musrooms

Saute the shallot & garlic in the butter & oil until translucent and tender.  Add in rice and saute for 1-2 minutes.  Pour in chicken broth about 1/4 C at a time and stir until absorbed.  Should take about 30 min for all the chicken broth to be absorbed.  You'll be stirring it a lot (don't leave the kitchen) but you can setp away to do other stuff. 

When the rice is cooked but still has some structure left (al dente but not crunchy), remove from heat, stir in the cheese, pepper and mushrooms (if using) and serve. 

For the mushrooms:
I honestly cannot tell the difference between the Cremini (Baby Bella) and plain old white mushrooms once they've been sauteed.  So I refuse to pay the extra $2 for the fancy ones.  But you can, if you want...
I brush them (don't wash them in water - mushrooms are little sponges and they'll soak up the water & get slimy - ick), then slice them thin. 
In a large saute pan melt about 1 TB butter and 1 TB olive oil until it stops bubbling (you can add in a bit of garlic if you like - yummy!) then add the mushrooms.  They will soak up ALL the liquid right away.  Don't freak out - just leave them be -- the moisture will come back out... keep letting them cook, stirring occasionally, until they've reduced and are done enough to your taste. 

When the risotto is done, just stir in all but a handful of the mushrooms.  Then serve with the rest of the mushrooms on top.  Yummy.

I do a really simple green salad (greens, cucumber, tomato & a sliced red pepper with a vinaigrette) alongside the risotto and then slice the steak thin (goes furture, looks pretty and helps establish healthy portions) and serve it fanned out next to the mushroom risotto.

There will be steak left over for the salad on Wednesday.

This weeks menu

This week has soccer, business travel and other demands on time so we'll be doing meals that are quick, not too much for just two of us and, hopefully, a little bit healthy.

Sunday: Steaks, Mushroom Risotto and a simple green salad
  My husband is travelling this week so he's grilling up extra steak (and some chicken) to save me time during the week. 

Monday: Chicken Ranch Salad
  A family favorite!  "Homemade" ranch dressing makes a HUGE difference

Tuesday: Chicken Quesadillas
  We have a soccer game so these are terrific because I use leftover chicken, canned corn & beans and they're ready in a flash.

Wednesday: Jungle Salad
  Leftover steak, avocado, peppers and a bit of Thai peanut sauce go together to make an amazing salad

Thursday:  Pork Milanese
  My family never seems to get tired of this and it's SO fast (use boneless, thin cut pork cutlets and then pound them thin - they're cooked in about 3 min per side).