It's What's for Dinner: lunch salads

I may keep having babies just to keep having people bring meals.  

We have been spoiled these past 4 weeks.  But I've needed to figure out some good lunches to have on hand and my friend Trader Joe once again does not disappoint.  Recently discovered several ready-made salads and this salad takes the cake!

Spinach, quinoa, garbanzo beans, edamame, cranberries, tomatoes, carrots and a carrot, ginger dressing that is amazing.  It would be a great one to try to make at home too!

It's What's for Dinner: Chicken Nachos

Non-dairy version pictured since hubby has been off dairy for 3 weeks to cure his headaches.

-Put 3 chicken breasts, frozen corn, one can of black beans and a jar of salsa in to crockpot for 4-6 hours

-Layer chips, chicken mixture, lettuce salsa and sour cream

It's What's for Dinner: (during football season)

I've been "google-ing" ingredients in my fridge lately.  Who knew I could find a recipe that called for ground beef and cream cheese- yum!  No surprise I found this one on www.southernfood.com.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced, optional
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
• 1 can (4 ounces) mild chile peppers, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 2 cans (8-ounces each) tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 16 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut in cubes
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder, mild to medium heat

*Brown the beef with the onions (and jalapeno-optional) and then add all ingredients to the crock pot.  Cook on low for 2 hours and serve with chips.

It's What's for Lunch: Italian Caprese Salad

Another addicting salad:

Italian Caprese Salad

mixed greens

grape tomatoes

mozarella balls (soaked in olive oil and italian seasoning)

balsamic vinegar

olive oil

*Items are "to taste" so experiment away!

It's What's for Lunch: all week!

Two recipes from two friends that I cannot stop eating for lunch.

So healthy and delicious.

Arugula Salad

Arugula

Lemon Juice 

Olive Oil

Salt 

Pepper

Feta cheese

*All ingredients are "to taste" so experiment away!

Chicken Avocado Salad

1 can of shredded chicken

1/3 c greek yogurt

1/4 c feta cheese (or cojita cheese)

diced onion (to taste)
3 TBS salsa verde

1/4 c chopped cilantro

1 avocado de-pitted and diced

1 pinch cumin

salt (to taste)

juice of 1 lime

Mix and serve on bread or crackers

It's What's for Dinner: for the month!

Now that I can eat something again besides popsicles, ramen (I know, horrid) and saltines I am discovering something that is saving me time, money and sanity.

Monthly meal planning (or in my case, 2 week planning)

We are trying to stick to our grocery budget and this is the first month of success and I feel like we've eaten better meals.  

Here were some of my hang-ups about doing this...and how I've gotten around those...

1)  Q: What if I don't want to eat what I planned for the night?

A: Easy.  Switch it up last minute.  Most meals have been made on different nights than originally planned because what baby wants, baby gets right now.

2) Q: Do I have to fill it out on a calendar?

A: You can...like this one HERE

or in my case, I just made a big list of the meal options for the first 2 weeks (and then the second 2 weeks) and picked one per night.

3) Q: How does it really save me money?

A: For me, 80% of the battle of cooking is knowing that the ingredients are in my fridge and knowing what to make.  Otherwise, going out sounds just too easy.

This kept us from going out and also helped us use almost everything in our fridge.

One other pointer-- before planning for the month, I got a few new recipes from a couple of friends.  This helped inspire me to get creative in the kitchen again instead of my same old 10 meals.

It's What's for Dinner: healthy nachos

It's not easy to get back in the swing of making dinner after 3 weeks of vacation and mom's home cooking.  Thank you, Trader Joe's once again.

Pile up: 

-Black Bean and Quinoa chips

- Chicken Asada

- Shredded cheese

-Lettuce

- Tomatoes

- Onion

-Salsa

-Sour Cream

-Queso dip

**All ingredients from Trader Joe's

 

It's What's for Dinner: Southern Comfort

I am so uninspired to cook lately so here's an easy dinner that gives the appearance of effort being made.

 

Feta Baked Chicken:

Top frozen chicken breasts with feta cheese (preferably the tomato-herbed flavor), a squeeze of lemon juice, black pepper and a dash of oregano.  Bake at 400 degrees covered with aluminum foil for the first 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes)

Easy Mac n cheese:

Cook noodles of your choice according to package instructions.

Put a layer of noodles at the bottom of a 9x11 inch pan.

Sprinkle some salt and pepper on noodles.

Cover with shredded cheese of your choice.

Repeat both layers.

Pour 1 cup of half and half over the top.

Dot with a couple of pieces of butter.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

Green beans:

Steam and top with butter, rosemary and thyme

It's What's For Dinner: family night out

A wise friend of mine with kids a little older than Graham told me once that I wouldn't regret nights out with my family.  She said that while it costs a little more, it's an investment.  

Last night was one of those nights.  Somehow when you know there aren't dishes to do or other distractions, you end up savoring conversation more and slowing down.  And while going to a restaurant with a 2 year old often ends in spilled drinks and stained clothing (both of which happened last night), it sure is refreshing if you just go in expecting it.

If you live in the area, I highly recommend downtown Durham and especially the DPAC area.  We even caught part of the Durham Bulls baseball game from the Tobacco Road deck.

 

In case the pics were starting to look too ideal :)

Unfortunately he could not blow hard enough to move this pinwheel.  Disappointing.

It's What's for Dinner: Summer Salad

I'm always looking for salad recipes that can be a whole meal.  This one is hubby approved!

 

Used a chicken recipe that looks like it could top a salad

 

Dipped pre-cooked chicken in a 1/4 c of flour mixed with a dash of salt and pepper and heated in olive oil (flipping once) for 5 min.

 

Sauteed red onion (sliced thinly) in 1/2 c of olive oil and 1/2 c of balsamic vinegar mixture

 

But chicken and onions on top of spinach.

Drizzle with a little olive oil and balsamic and top with feta cheese (not shown)

Delish. 

It's What's for Dinner: Sauteed sweet potatoes

Our oven has been broken for 4 weeks so I am getting good at sauteing things that I normally bake.

Here's one:

Saute thinly sliced sweet potatoes with olive oil, crushed garlic and salt for about 10 minutes.

Delicious!

It's What's for Dinner: Strawberry Steak Salad

Great way to use leftover steak!

Just combine:

Romaine lettuce

Feta Cheese

Steak pieces

Chopped onion

Diced strawberries

And top with a balsamic vinaigrette of your choice.

Yum!

It's What's for Dinner: Homemade Passion Tea Lemonade

It's not rocket science to make this one since the name says it all but I thought you may want to know the ratios!

- Place 4 Passion Tea (tazo) tea bags in a standard pitcher (I tape the strings with scotch tape to the side so I don't have to fish them out later)

-Fill 1/2 the pitcher with almost boiling water. Let steep for 4 min.

- Add pink lemonade, leaving just enough room for some ice

-Add sugar to taste (I like mine with no sugar)

Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving

It's What's for Dinner: Lemon Garlic Parmesan Pasta

I stumbled into this recipe when we were moving and had very little food in our fridge and freezer.

It is so easy and delicious!

Saute 3 TBS of olive oil with 2 cloves of garlic and 1/2 onion chopped.

Add chicken to the mixture once onions are slightly cooked and cook til chicken is browned.

Add 2 TBS of lemon juice, a dash of salt and pepper, and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

Boil noodles

Steam broccoli

Combine and top with more parmesan cheese and a dash of red pepper flakes.

It's What's for Dinner: frozen spices

I did just find a garden plot in our yard (yay!) but let's face it, those spices won't be growing for awhile so until then...

Have you tried frozen spices?! Changing my life! Or at least how fast I make dinner :)

It's What's for Dinner: Calzones

I've mentioned before that I love Trader Joe's ready-made pizza crust.
Turns out it is perfect for calzones too!

It's What's for Dinner: Crockpot Curry

My favorite food as a 2 year old was Thai food and I still LOVE it.

Here is the easiest curry recipe ever.

Just add this:

to a crock pot full of:
potatoes (the teeny tiny potatoes from TJ's are my favorite)
1 yellow onion chopped
3 frozen chicken breasts

Cook on high for 4 hours

It's What's for Dinner: Black and Blue Burgers

Hands down. Best burger I've ever made.
Found this recipe at Apple A Day (click to see detailed recipe)

But here's some pics to get you hooked!

"Carmelizing" onions (Did you know it only takes oil, salt and pepper and a dash of balsamic?!?)

Remember, grass fed beef. Seriously tastes incredible. And have I mentioned that it's good for you!

I have to confess I ate mine without blue cheese but my husband fell in love with me all over again for buying it.

The spread is just a mayo and balsamic mixture

Layering ingredients

Whipped up some frozen grilled asparagus (from TJ's of course) and topped with parmesan

Little man approved