New Year - Fresh Start Menu #3

This week of January has been incredibly busy. In addition to an incredibly full week, we have really felt winter embrace us this week. This morning, we were greeted with a -19 degree windchill. We have been using these frigid temperatures as an excuse to enjoy lots of hot tea and hot cocoa at our house.

My husband has been soaking up some much warmer weather in Vegas (for work, lucky guy) and the boys and I are enjoying a week of simple and delicious "comfort food" meals. Here is what is on our plate for this week:

Meal #1: Ultimate Comfort Food!

Savory Chicken and Noodles

Cuties (the little mini oranges)

Garden Salad

Meal #2: Soups on!

Hearty Beef and Barley Vegetable Stew

French loaf

Blackberry Cobbler

Meal #3: Done in 15 Minutes!

Homemade Hamburger Helper

Green beans

Cottage cheese

Meal #4: Freezer Pleaser Meal!

Chicken Stroganoff

Egg Noodles

Sweet corn

Stay warm - and enjoy whatever is on your plate this week.

New Year - Fresh Start Menu #2

January is well on its way ... and our busy routine has returned (in full force). This week while I was menu-planning, I found myself drawn to Pinterest for inspiration. I love pinning recipes from blogs that I like to follow - so that I can remember to actually *try* the recipe at some point in time. Well... this is the week for trying new recipes that I have pinned - or that were inspired from recipes that I found on Pinterest.

Meal #1

Tater Tot Nachos

Mandarin Oranges

Meal #2

Spaghetti Baked in Garlic Bread

Garden Salad

Meal #3

Buttermilk Baked Chicken

Garlic-Parmesan Oven Fries

Green Beans

Meal #4

Creamy Artichoke Chicken Lasagna

Spinach salad with blush wine vinaigrette

Bread Sticks

I hope you find some inspiration by the menu (entirely inspired by items pinned on my Pinterest board "Recipes I Want To Try". I will be reviewing these recipes at some point to let you know how I modified them (if at all) and what my family thought of them.

Have a great week!

A Tasteful Christmas (Pictoral)

Christmas always inspires me to make lots of goodies for my family. Here are a few of our breakfasts from Christmas eve and Christmas day.

Glazed Doughnuts (Baked)

Nutella Stuffed French Toast with Strawberry Syrup

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Merry Christmas!

Rigatoni with Meat Sauce

I love reading cook books. I love trying new recipes. When I came across this recipe, written by Devin Alexander (host of Healthy Decadence), I knew I had to try it. At first taste, our family proclaimed it a new favorite. This meat sauce is savory and lick-the-plate delicious (just ask my youngest son...).

I (personally) like that this recipe is so easy to adapt to what ingredients you have on hand. It is

a recipe that relies heavily on "pantry" items - so I can make it without making a special trip to the grocery store. I also enjoy that I can change the dish by adding a few simple ingredients (like

veggies) or by changing the protein (ground turkey is delicious, as is grilled chicken). When I am

trying to work on cooking ahead, or preparing a meal for my freezer, I will double the sauce recipe (as it is wonderful for French Bread pizzas, meatball subs, etc.)

I encourage you to make this dish your own - and enjoy every delicious bite!

Rigatoni with Meat Sauce (serves 4 - big servings - at ~404 calories per serving)

Adapted from Devin Alexander

8 oz dried rigatoni pasta, cooked and drained (I used macaroni this time)

1 pound lean ground beef

1 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)

1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup finely chopped onions

Drizzling of extra virgin olive oil

28 oz crushed tomatoes

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp sugar (or to taste)

2 T. grated Parmesan cheese

Drizzle a large pan with olive oil. Saute the onions and garlic. Set aside. Cook the ground beef with the fennel, red pepper flakes, garlic powder and salt. When cooked completely (you should not need to drain), add the onions and garlic and stir to combine. Add crushed tomatoes, oregano, and sugar and stir to combine. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes (the longer it cooks, the more flavorful it will be). Before serving, add the cooked pasta to the meat sauce and stir. Top with 2 T. grated Parmesan cheese.

Variations

**Veggies that we like to add are: mushrooms, zucchini, shredded carrots, corn

***Proteins that we like to add are: grilled chicken, cannelloni or black beans, and ground turkey

New Year - Fresh Start Menu #1

January always holds such excitement for me: The anticipation of what the new year will bring and the desire to start it out on the right foot. I am not really big on New Year's resolutions and I do not make any resolutions each new year. I really enjoy menu planning - and sharing recipe treasures that I find or that are in my personal favorite collection. With this first menu, I focused on lighter dishes with fresh flavors. I also selected meals that would not take too much time to prepare. Happy New Year!

Meal #1

Bacon Wrapped Tilapia

Garlicky Smashed Roasted Reds

Green Beans

Meal #2

Chicken Parmesan Pizza

Spinach Salad with Honey Mustard Yogurt Dressing

Meal #3

Skinny Shrimp Scampi

Parslied Lemon Rice

Broccoli Florets

Meal #4

Rigatoni with Meat Sauce

Sauteed Zucchini

French Loaf

Wishing you and your family all the best as you embark upon all of the delicious possibilities that 2012 has to offer. Enjoy!

Artichoke Chicken Casserole

This new recipe won the approval of my two toughest critics ... my sons (who even asked for second helpings). It was really easy ... and could even be assembled ahead of time to bake later. I may play around with some of the seasonings to "perfect" this ... but this was really good just the way the recipe originally was printed. Thank you Taste of Home magazine for another great recipe!



Artichoke Chicken Casserole from Taste of Home magazine
2 cups of bow tie pasta, uncooked
2 cups of cooked chicken
1 cup of Parmesan (I used Asiago ... did not have Parmesan)
1 cup of mayonnaise
1 clove of garlic, minced (I used 2 cloves)
1 can of artichoke hearts (packed in water), drained
1/3 cup of milk
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1/2 tsp of onion powder (I used a garlic/onion blend seasoning)
1/2 tsp of black pepper (I am not sure exactly how much I used ... I just used my grinder)
1 cup of Garlic/Onion Croutons, coarsely crumbled

Cook the pasta. Drain. Set aside.

Combine chicken, cheese, mayo, artichokes, milk, cream of chicken soup, and seasonings. Fold in the cooked pasta. Place in a greased 2 quart casserole dish. Top with the crushed croutons. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.


I hope you all enjoy this as much as we did!

Autumn Splendor - Menu #1

September. It is SEPTEMBER! I am welcoming in the crisp morning air, the back-to-school excitement, warm drinks on the back porch swing, and all of the wonderful family traditions that this time of year bring. I am also returning to blog-dom ... breaking out fantastic favorites and trying new recipes. I can't wait to really break out my favorite soup recipes and to plan our annual Autumn party. Needless to say ... I am excited to welcome Autumn.

Here is what is on our plate for the next week (or so...)

Meal #1:
Lemon-Basil Roasted Chicken
Roasted Baby Potatoes
Garlicky Green Beans
French Loaf

Meal #2:
Stuffed Peppers
Three-Cheese Tomato Tart
Salad

Meal #3:
French Dip Au Jus served on Mini-French Loaves
Parmesan Oven Fries
Apple Sauce (crock-pot recipe)

Meal #4:
Chicken Artichoke Casserole
Fruit Salad

Meal #5:
Salsa Sloppy Joes
Ranch Pasta Salad

Meal #6:
Bacon-Chicken Club Pizza
Bread Sticks
Fruit


I hope that you all enjoy the first glimpses of Autumn ... and the wonderful flavors that it brings. Have a great week!