Weekly Menu - Week 17

{Printable menu with links!}
This week there I'm trying some recipes from a new cookbook, Veganomics.  A friend of mine let me borrow it and I quickly broke it in by copying about 20 recipes from it.  The Cassoulet and Banana Bread are both from it and I can already report the Banana Bread was delicious!  The boys both thoroughly enjoyed it, even with my modifications to use whole wheat flour.  I actually preferred the amped up nutty flavor the wheat provided.  
I didn't include the delicious Mother's Day dish Wes made for me on Sunday.  We gobbled it up before I snapped a picture of it, but here's a link to the recipe.  He served it with a grilled caesar salad and a decadent bruscetta with goat cheese, toasted macadamia nuts, and a honey drizzle.  Heavenly.  It was certainly a treat to have such a special meal on Mother's Day.  What a guy :)  

Weekly Recipe - Week 16

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Weekly Menu - Week 15

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Weekly Menu - Week 14

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There are a few items that always make my mouth water.  Basically, anything involving bread of any form always gets me excited about dinner (and leftovers for lunch the next day).  You may notice that we consume our fair share of carbs.  As much as I'd like to steer away, they manage to find their way back to my menu week after week.  
I'm literally on pins and needles excited to try this guacamole grilled cheese.  I've read about it on numerous blogs and it just looks and sounds heavenly.  It kind of makes me laugh how excited I am about anything with guacamole in it because there was a time in my life when I wouldn't have touched the stuff and probably gagged if it was even next to me.  Now we have something with avocado every week!  I'm glad I finally came around.
All of these dishes with tomatoes have me longing for vine-ripened tomatoes, fresh from my backyard.  I know in a few months I'll be sweating and wishing for the cooler temps again.  Alas, the grass is always greener on the other side!
Happy cooking and happy noshing!

Weekly Menu - Week 13

{Printable menu with links!}

My notes:  
I'm using non-meat alternatives for both the rice bowl and the chicken sandwiches.  For those of you not familiar with these products, I can tell you both the Gardein Chipotle Lime Strips and the Quorn Chicken Patties are definite winners.  The best part?  You don't have to worry about biting into a gristle or other mystery meat!
Most of these meals are either quick to prepare or can be made ahead.  We have some extra-curricular activity almost every night this week!  This is my first attempt to prove the nay sayers wrong that you can put a meal on the table and not have to eat fast food when your kids are involved in sports and other after school activities.  Stay tuned next week to see if we made it!

Weekly Menu - Week 12

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I dusted off a few cookbooks for this week's menu, thus the lack of links to recipes.  I'll hopefully be sharing how great they were in the coming weeks!  Until then, please enjoy the links for the lettuce wraps and spring rolls from Half Baked Harvest!

Weekly Menu - Week 11

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Taco Cupcakes with 3 Bean Salad

Maple Sweet Potato Pecan Burgers with  Broccoli Salad

One Pot Mac & Cheese Light & Fluffy Whole Wheat Pancakes
And for an extra treat...

Peanut Butter Pie

Weekly Menu - Week 10

{printable with links}

Notes:

via

The Chickpea Potpie has resurfaced because I never got around to making it 2 weeks ago.  Please note, this one has to be babysat and therefore, can only be made on the weekends at our house.

via

I plan to sub out the ground turkey in this Chili Mac with ground meat alternatives.  I've been craving chili lately, so I'm hoping this fits the bill.

This lentil meatloaf is a great alternative to the traditional ground beef version.  The texture is similar, and the taste doesn't suffer from a lack of meat protein.  I also love that it makes enough that you have leftovers or enough to freeze for another day.

This cobb salad is a great way to usher in Spring!  

These tacos are a family favorite.  We'll be sharing them with some friends this week, as they make quite a bit.  It's a great no-fuss recipe to serve to dinner guests and actually be able to participate in the conversation.  Add in some refried beans, rice, and guacamole and you've got yourself a Mexican Fiesta!
Bon appetit!

Weekly Menu #9

After fighting the never ending stomach bug for what seems like weeks, I think we were all in need of some comfort food.  For us, that means some tried and true favorites that we know and love.  Comfort foods don't have to mean tons of grease or fattening foods, but I'll admit those do sound pretty tempting from time to time.  Moderation!
So for the next couple of weeks, I'm going to be scouring my own site in search of hidden gems.  Recipes I've forgotten about or brushed to the side that I know are family favorites.  I have a laundry list already, so this should make my meal planning that much easier!  I hope you'll enjoy some of our favorites.

{Printable with links}

Weekly Menu - #8

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The only notes I have for this week are related to products.  If you haven't seen or tried Gardein's line of products, I strongly encourage you to do so!  I'll agree that many fake meat products have odd consistencies.  It's not an issue for me, but someone else that I live with doesn't feel quite the same.  However, these chicken strips are baked in the oven and I would bet 9 out of 10 people would not know the difference in a blind taste test.  They really are that good!  Don't take my word for it, Yard House has just recently partnered up with them to sell their products in their restaurants (one is coming to Cincinnati soon).

Weekly Menu - Week 7

{Printable with links!}
One of my old roommates was part Filipino and she and her mom made the best food.  One of the dishes she made a lot, besides Filipino eggrolls, was Pancit.  I regret never participating in the preparation so I could learn the tricks, but this recipe tastes pretty similar.  I get the noodles from a local Asian market and they really do make a difference.
The portobello sandwiches are just a hodge podge of whatever I have on hand.  This time, I plan to smear goat cheese on the buns, add some spinach leaves and roasted red pepper.  I'll marinate the mushrooms in some balsamic, spices, and olive oil, before grilling on the stove.  
The shrimp and grits are a recipe that I can't find online.  They are from a local blogger dinner that Kate, from A Healthy Passion, treated us to.  I have an old standby but I'm anxious to try to recreate her version.  Hopefully I can get close because hers was fantastic!
Both the vegetable squares and the wheat berry salad are from the November 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times.  I couldn't find them on their website though.  I'll try to post them later if they are worthy.    

Weekly Menu - Week 6

I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing my weekly menus with you and hope you're enjoying reading them as well.  As Joe so aptly pointed out, we do love our Mexican!  When I sit down to write the menu, Mexican and Italian are always the first things that come to mind.  I think because it's easy to make them vegetarian, it's generally easy to whip up, and we usually have the ingredients on hand.  So, yes, we do love our Mexican!   Have you noticed anything else about our menus?  I'd love to hear your feedback!

{Printable version with links!}

Weekly Menu - Week 5

{Printable version with links}
This week's menu features several recipes without links.  The frittata is slightly adapted from Bon Appetit's Mushroom & Bacon Frittata.  The Cornbread and Pinto Bean Sheperd's Pie is from the Jan/Feb 2013 issue of Vegetarian Times.  The chicken parm will be made using Quorn patties (eggplant for me).  
Most of these are new recipes for me, so I'm chartering into new territory as well!  Very exciting.  Stay tuned for reviews and winning recipes.

Weekly Recipe - Week 4

Hopefully by now you're well on your way to a healthy weekly meal plan.  Even if you fall off the wagon a couple of times, you're still doing great!  You have to allow yourself a little wiggle room - you can't be too hard on yourself or you won't want to stick with it.  So hang in there, it will get to the point where it's just second nature and you won't dread it.  Dare I say you might even enjoy it?!  Maybe that's a stretch.  It really will make your life so much easier and your waistline is bound to thank you as well!

{Printable menu with links!}

Weekly Menu - Week 3

Here it is, the much anticipated weekly menu!  There are some great comfort foods on here - many of which are new-to-me recipes.  I'm anxious to try them and report back.  Hope you find some inspiration this week.

         {Printable menu - with links}

Weekly Menu - Week 2

Last week's menu had a bit more meat than we typically eat.  I guess I wanted to ease you into the vegetarian world!  This week is meat free, but not dairy free.  What can I say, I like so many others, am addicted to cheese.  There I said it.  My hope is that you'll be able to get a few ideas or inspiration from my menu this week.  Don't forget, there are a few notes and tips under the menu, as well as printable versions of both the menu (with links) and a grocery list.  

       {printable menu (with links)}           {printable grocery list}

Notes:

I will be omitting the meat from the vegetable soup and adding/subtracting a few of our personal preferences.  I include this recipe because it's a great one and it's a great base for you to build on.  We add frozen lima beans and kidney beans, and omit the barley and cabbage.  My grocery list assumes you have frozen corn, peas, and lima beans, as well as the spices. The pesto grilled cheese will simply be some homemade basil pesto, frozen from the summer, and sliced organic white cheddar.  Nothing fancy. Make sure you don't over steam your broccoli or you will lose a ton of nutrients.  3-4 minutes should really do the trick.  And a steam basket would be preferred to dropping the broccoli down in the water. I will be using a homemade enchilada sauce for the Bean Burritos, so plan your grocery list accordingly.  I did not add salsa to the list because if you followed my menu and grocery list last week, you'll have some left over.  Same for the tortilla chips. For the garden taco salad, I plan to start with a romaine base and then add chopped cherry tomatoes, mango, sliced avocado, and thawed frozen corn.  I will whip up a simple vinaigrette with red wine vinegar, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and avocado oil (or evoo). **Need more inspiration?  Join me over at In No Simple Language and Mirabelle Creations.