Okay, so some of you have noticed the crazy dry erase board in my kitchen. You know the one – it sits on the counter and lists the dinners we’re going to have for the next two weeks. And some of you have been kind enough to express (feign?) interest and some have even asked me to email you the meals to help with your meal planning. And so here is my little blog, TwoWeeksataTime, in which I will post the dinners that I’m making for the next, you guessed it, two weeks. Of course, I only plan out 10 meals (sometimes one or two more) because I figure Saturdays and Sundays are crazy enough that we can just wing it. Also, I’ll try and make sure I link all the recipes to the appropriate source, but you should know that I really don’t pay much attention to recipes. They’re more like a starting point for me. I substitute, I add/delete, and pretty much do whatever it takes to make it something healthy (we don’t do red meat and rarely do pork), well-balanced (if there is nothing green in a dish I will find some way to add something green or red to it), and palatable for me and my boys. Also I usually make things to feed at least 6 as I need to pack lunch for me and the kids every day (Michael is on his own at lunchtime). But this way, I don’t have to think about what to make every day, I can do two large grocery trips a month, with only a couple runs to the store for more milk and fruit. I can work around our ridiculous schedules and don’t have to resort to eating plain spaghetti every night because I forgot to defrost the ground turkey and we didn’t think to buy more sauce. This isn’t exactly the type of meals that would make Martha Stewart proud, but they work for us (plus I can save those meals up for company!) It also means that if you ask me on Monday what I’ll be eating the following Thursday, I’ll know. And now, you will too.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Buffalo Chicken Pot Pie
This is an adaptation of Rachael Ray’s Buffalo BBQ Pulled Chicken with Blue Cheese Cornbread Topper but I made it with blue cheese mashed potatoes instead of cornbread because for some unknown reason K and B don’t like corn bread. I really like RR’s recipes though – true, they aren’t high cuisine and they’re not exactly the stuff I would make for company, but they’re from scratch, can be modified to be healthy, and she’s true to her word, because they are quick.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Crockpot Chicken ala King
Parent Teacher Conferences for B tonight which means just one thing: Crock Pot. I changed this around a bit so its chicken breasts, onion, celery, portabella mushrooms, cream of celery, poultry seasoning, garlic, and 3/4 cup of skim milk on high for 4 hours in the crockpot. Add peas about 20 minutes before serving on top of rice or oven biscuits. I generally try and stay away from processed foods but every once in a while I’ll use Campbell’s 99% fat free cream of mushroom or cream of celery. It just makes life easier and its not that bad for you.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Turkey Picadillo
This is so VERY VERY GOOD. I mean it. I make it with orange and yellow bell peppers, double the black beans and skip the raisins (too raisin-y for me) but otherwise stick to the recipe and it is delish. I serve it over rice although apparently it can be eaten on buns too. Seriously, make this.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Chicken and Rice Casserole
We do a lot of chicken in our house. And because K typically refuses to eat pasta, we eat a lot of rice. Luckily this woman has a lot of great recipes. Seriously – check out her website. I have yet to find a bad recipe on there.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Crockpot Sloppy Joes
Michael is in charge as I head up to the Poconos for a weekend away with some girlfriends (yay!) and so I leave him with the easiest dinner in the world. Ground turkey, sloppy joe sauce, I usually add a can of diced tomatoes and maybe sneak in a red pepper. Serve with baked fries and edamame.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Tuna Puttanesca
A lot of Rachael Ray recipes this week – I tend to go through phases. This one is especially good because a) the boys love it as it has olives and capers in it and b) it can be made entirely with things out of the pantry, yet still tastes really fresh. I don’t use tuna packed in oil, mainly because I’m too lazy and its easier to buy fresh water tuna, and I probably double (or triple) the amount of capers and olives. Oh and we serve it with spaghetti as that is the only pasta K seems to eat.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Greek Chicken over Orzo with Roasted Broccoli
Okay, so the Greek chicken is really this recipe from Real Simple, except I’m going to make it with grape tomatoes instead of zucchini (although I’ve had it with zucchini too and its wonderful). And then for a side I’m making Roasted Broccoli, which if you haven’t done this yet, get to it. It also works really well for Cauliflower and for Asparagus. Such an easy way to make really yummy, really fresh vegetables.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Moroccan Chicken over Couscous
Another Rachael Ray recipe. I do this without the nuts as the boys can’t take nuts to school. And you’ll notice more olives – which they love – but really I try and do dishes with the same ingredients so I don’t have to buy a big jar of olives for one recipe and then have them go bad (not likely, but still).
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Tamale Pie
There are lots of versions of this and you really don’t need to follow a recipe for it but if you need one, this one is nice.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Crock pot Chicken Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken)
I use half the butter and Lite Coconut Milk to make this a little healthier. And for some reason I always like peas and cauliflower in my curry so I add that when I get home from work just before making the rice. Also, that website is pretty much the go-to place for all things crockpot.
So there you have it. 10 meals for the next two weeks. So if you want to stop by our house for dinner you can pick according to what you’d like to eat!
P.S. Even though I don’t plan for Saturdays, if you’re reading this you are most likely a friend and so I have to mention that Saturday, January 28th is the Polar Bear Plunge! And its not too late to donate!
Tags: blue cheese, calendar, chicken pot pie, crockpot, ground turkey, martha stewart, meal planning, parenting, recipes
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