Menu Sunday

It's back! After a nearly 6-week hiatus, I am back with a menu for the upcoming week. I have to admit that hubster and I really haven't grocery shopped in a couple weeks, so it's been tough to make meals. Every once in a while we get in this kick to 'eat everything in the kitchen, so we can start fresh at Jewel-Osco.

My co-workers know when it's one of those weeks because I'll bring a sweet potato, apple sauce and a granola bar for lunch. Healthy? Yes. Filling? No.

Our food cabinet is just.about.empty...

Alright. It's time to get to the goods. I present, the menu...

Butternut Squash Lasagna via Cheeky Kitchen
Buffalo Mac & Cheese via Sweet Tooth Sweet Life
Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili w/ Sweet Potatoes via The Daily Dish (via Real Simple) 
Risotto w/ Butternut Squash, Leeks & Basil via City Girl Chicago (1/2 of recipe and using orzo instead) 




What are you eating this week?

Veggie Craving

Call me crazy, but I've been obsessed with veggies lately. 3 months ago I tried sauteed mushrooms for the first time and have been hooked ever since.

Hubster likes to buy a lot of fresh veggies, but sometimes they go bad before we eat them all.

I didn't get home from work until 8pm tonight and didn't really eat a dinner. As I was staring into my fridge trying to figure out what to make for myself (hubster had his monthly 'boys' dinner tonight), I saw a ton of veggies staring right back at me. I thought, why not just saute some veggies for dinner? Behold...

Quick Veggie Skillet

• WHATEVER VEGGIES YOU HAVE IN YOUR HOUSE! 
• Your favorite seasoning 

It's that simple. Here are the ingredients I used tonight: 

• mushrooms (yum)
• cherry tomatoes
• broccoli
• chopped onion (leftover from a meal earlier in the week)
• minced garlic (see below)
• EVOO or a small scraping of butter 

Of course, I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. It just looked too good and I ate it right up! This fool-proof recipe is now a staple in my go-to quick meal memory bank.

Also, if this ingredient is not in your pantry, put it on your next shopping list:

For real. Buy this now. This ingredient has changed the way I cook. First of all, I love garlic. Fresh garlic is delicious, but let's be honest... it's a pain in the buttocks to chop. Who has the time and who likes it sticking to their fingers? Not me!

This jar was a mere $3 bucks and lasts for a long time. I use this jarred garlic for salsa, chicken, tacos, veggies... you name it. It's an instant boost of flavor and saves so much time. Hook yourself up with a bottle.

How do you like to cook veggies?

Menu

I'm trying to stick with a new habit of creating a lunch/dinner menu before I go grocery shopping. Last night I spent a good hour reading through some saved recipes and picked out some new things to cook up this week. Here's what hubster and I will be eating this week (lunches will consist of leftovers)...

Stuffed Shells (via All Recipes)
Quick Skillet Steak with Onions & Mushrooms (via Daily Dish Blog & Skinny Taste)
Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken (via Skinny Taste)
Chicken Rollatini with Spinach & Parmesan (via Skinny Taste)

No dinner is necessary for Friday night because we'll be headed out of town for a wedding. = )

There is one cabinet in my kitchen that is filled with things that haven't been touched in weeks months. You know, items that you buy because they're on sale and you're convinced you'll make some great meal with them. Though none of my meals listed above will be created from items in my mystery cabinet, I vow to go through and use the items by Halloween. Honestly, it's mostly side dish items (ex. whipped potatoes, rice, scalloped potatoes, blah blah blah).

What are you eating this week? What are your go to recipes for busy nights?

Menu

One thing I vow to do starting this fall (well, starting now), is to prep my week's menu on Sunday afternoons. I'm going to start making larger dinners so hubster and I can take leftovers for lunch during the week. Lately I've been eating PB&Crunchy J for lunch, but I would much rather heat up a nice meaty dish from dinner.

So, here is the menu that we will be enjoying this week:


Tonight
Pork Medallions with sweet potatoes

Monday 
Lunch: Sunday night leftovers
Dinner: Ground Turkey Chili (Go Bears!)

Tuesday
Lunch: Chili leftovers
Dinner: Chicken Stir Fry w/ Rice

Wednesday
Lunch: Stir fry left overs
Dinner: Cola Pork Chops

Thursday
Lunch: Pork Chop leftovers
Dinner: Homemade Carmelized Onion & Goat Cheese Pizza (boss' recipe)

Friday is a freebie day. What are you eating this week?

Breakfast of Champs

Yesterday I made another recipe out of my Crate and Barrel cookbook, Easy Breakfast & Brunch. It's basically an open-face omelet with only the freshest ingredients. 

I bought a 10 inch quiche dish from Crate and Barrel (only $8.95) and used 7 eggs. First I used Pam to coat the dish so the omelet would come right out (which it did). I mixed in some fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, scallions and fresh feta cheese. Mix it all together, pour in the pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. So simple, so delicious. 

Next time I make this, I'm going to make it a meat lovers edition. I'll toss in some pancetta and hot sausage. What would you put in your open face omelet? 

Lemon & Blueberry Muffins

This past weekends my in-laws were in town to visit. No visit is complete until we shop at the Michigan Avenue Crate & Barrel. While there, I pointed out to hubster this cookbook that I've been longing for. Little did I know that my mother-in-law took note. She surprised me with the book later that night over dinner! She bought me "Easy Breakfast & Brunch". Breakfast/Brunch is a family tradition (on my side). There is nothing better than waking up on a Sunday morning to dad cooking breakfast. I personally love his peppercorn bacon, cinnamon french toast and potatoes-o-brien. Perfection.

{ photo from CrateandBarrel.com } 

I made my first recipe from the book last night. I baked lemon blueberry muffins and they were delicious! I used fresh lemon juice and a little bit of the lemon zest to flavor the homemade batter, as well as fresh blueberries. 

Next on the recipe lineup: cornmeal and bacon breakfast stacks

Holiday Delight

Watching the Food Network on Saturday mornings is one of my favorite things to do (especially when it's chilly outside). Last Saturday I caught an episode of 5 Ingredient Fix  that highlighted recipes for a "Posh Potluck". I watched the host make chocolate truffles and I was determined to try the recipe. 5 ingredients? Sounds simple (and it was). 

Official Recipe

Ingredients 

• 1/3 cup cream
• 14 ounces white chocolate, chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups coconut, toasted and finely ground

Directions 
Put the white chocolate in a large bowl.

Add the heavy cream to a heavy-bottomed saucepan and warm it over very low heat. Put the white chocolate into a bowl and pour in the hot cream. Whisk until all of the chocolate has melted. Add the butter and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Refrigerate the ganache for about 1 to 2 hours, just enough to be able to form it into balls.

Use a tablespoon or small scoop to measure even amounts of ganache into small balls. Put the balls on a parchment or silicone mat lined sheet tray. Refrigerate for 1 hour to firm up before the next step.

Melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler (or a microwave). Dip each ball in the melted chocolate (2 forks make it easier to fish out dipped chocolate balls). Put the coconut into a medium bowl and add the ganache balls. Toss to cover them in the coconut, then put them on a wire rack over a parchment lined tray to dry. Allow the truffles to set for about 10 minutes before devouring.

PHOTO STEPS! 

** I forgot to take a picture of the first 2 steps (boiling the cream and melting the white chocolate...oops!) 

{ 1 inch white chocolate balls } 

{ use a spoon to coat the white chocolate balls with melted dark chocolate } 

{ allow the coated truffles to dry on a rack } 

{ melt white chocolate for an extra decor element } 

{ use a fork to drizzle white chocolate on the truffles } 

{ enjoy! } 

This was my first time making truffles at home and I thought they turned out great! They were quite delicious and I already have a few ideas for my next batch. I may add a little flavor extract or use coconut/hazelnut flakes. 

I plan to make a larger batch and give them away to family, friends and co-workers for a holiday surprise!