For dinner this week...

Another week, another menu...

Monday: Jamie Oliver's shells with bacon and peas (Recipe HERE.)
Danielle passed this one on to me and I am obsessed with it. The mint is the surprise key ingredient and you will die about it. (A couple of my tips--I don't think you need to add olive oil and butter to the pan when you're about to cook bacon (did I dare just speak against the Naked Chef?!). Also, how to make your own creme fraiche here.)

Tuesday: Chopped Cobb Salad with Blue Cheese (Recipe from My Kitchen Cafe HERE.)
I spent part of last week in Portland and enjoyed a delicious wedge salad (along with fresh, local clams--yum!) for lunch one day. I'm excited to try Melanie's recipe in my effort to relive its goodness. (Try adding some cooked chicken if you're worried about needing more of a meal.)

Wednesday: Nachos
I didn't figure you needed a recipe for this one. Wednesday nights are muy hectic around here. Fast and simple is the name of the game. (Make sure to add beans for protein and fiber!)

Thursday: Quinoa Chili (Recipe HERE.)
I've shared this one before. It was originally scouted out by my cousin, Christina,and is probably the most popular recipe my husband ever blogged about.

Friday: Grilled mushroom, garlic, sage, and swiss cheese sandwiches (Recipe HERE.)
This is another one passed on to us by Christina. My husband made these sandwiches for his coworkers at a retreat last week and everyone raved about them for days. They are so, so good! Serve with tomato soup. (I use swiss cheese; you'll note the original recipe calls for something more special.)

Saturday: Who knows?
My Saturday to-do list is always too full of garage clean outs and yardwork and some fun family activities to be bothered with a meal plan. Leftovers or Papa Murphy's are always good...

Sunday: Pot roast (My husband's instructions HERE.)
Last night I sprawled out on the couch and whined, "it's been weeks since I had a great Sunday dinner! I just want someone to feed me pot roast and mashed potatoes!" To which my husband reminded me that I am almost thirty years old and maybe I should make my own Sunday dinner. Oh, fine! ;)

Buen provecho!
-anne

***Mustard Seed Co. jewelry winner posted below - scroll down to see if you're lucky!

On the menu

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When my first trimester yuck kicked in this past July, I completely fell off the menu planning and cooking wagon. Now that I'm friends with food again I'm ready to properly feed my family! Here's my menu for this week. Hope it helps make your week a bit easier.

Monday: Farfalle with tomatoes and basil (Recipe HERE.)
I am obsessed with this meal. We make it constantly (especially with homegrown tomatoes on), always adding some zucc or eggplant from the garden. The way to really kick it up a notch is to serve it with a large dollop of fresh pesto. (I love Ina Garten's recipe.)

Tuesday: Fresh zucchini soup (Recipe HERE.)
I don't know about you, but I still have zuccs coming out my ears. Here's a great way to use the ones that got a little too big. Great with a sandwich for a quick and easy dinner.

Wednesday: Spinach pomegranate salad with apples and walnuts (Recipe from Pinch My Salt HERE.)
I love this food blog and this salad looks divine. I think it would be great served with a chicken breast.

Thursday: Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas (Recipe from My Kitchen Cafe HERE.)
I've been wanting an enchilada recipe that delivers the creamy comfort minus the cream of chicken soup (i.e. minus all the sodium, preservatives, etc). I can't wait to try this one Melanie worked up!

Friday: Homemade pizza (My favorite dough recipe HERE.)
And add an oreo milkshake for an extra fun Friday family night!

This week for dinner

Get out your shopping lists. Here's some help to avoid the bewitching hour (4 p.m.) this week...

xo,
anne

Monday: Cafe Rio-esque Pork Salad (Recipe HERE)
For those of us who love the pork salad, but don't live near the restaurant!

Tuesday: Open-faced chicken sandwich with pesto, mozerella, and tomato
Slice open Ciabatta bread (Costco's is great), toast it, spread with pesto (Costco's is the only acceptable store-bought kind, in my humble opinion), top with grilled chicken breast, sliced tomato, sliced mozerrella, and greens. Totally simple, but YUM.

Wednesday: Easy night! Leftovers or bean burritos
(My favorite way to jazz them up-add grilled onions and green peppers.)

Thursday: North African Chicken and Vegetables with Couscous (Recipe HERE)
This is a staple in our home. It is also fabulous without the chicken, if you prefer the vegetarian option.

Friday: Garlic Tuna Pasta with Asparagus (Melanie of My Kitchen Cafe's Recipe HERE)
I love tuna. I love asparagus. I cannot wait to try this recipe!

Skillet Pork Tenderloin Stroganoff from Melanie of My Kitchen Cafe

Since I unloaded all my dinnertime tips on you already, I thought it might be helpful to share a delicious, quick, healthy and hearty recipe that makes a perfect weeknight meal. Minimal prep, minimal fuss - and a whole lot of yummy goodness.

Additionally, here are a few of the meals that are some of my family's favorites. They appear often in our dinnertime roundup and fit the bill for a no-frazzle dinner.

Grilled Island Chicken
Red Chile Chicken with Black Beans and Rice
Creamy Orzo with Chicken, Red Peppers and Mushrooms
Quick and Delicious Asian Noodles
Smoked Turkey, Brie and Apple Panini
Balsamic Chicken Noodle Bowl
Chicken Enchilada Pasta
Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

Enjoy!

Skillet Pork Tenderloin Stroganoff

*Serves 4-6

2 tablespoons canola oil
10 ounces white button mushrooms, quartered
1 large pork tenderloin (about 1 pound), cut into 3/4-inch chunks
Salt and pepper
1 yellow onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/4 cup sour cream

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until they are browned and most of the liquid has evaporated, 6-7 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl.

Pat the pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Add the other 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet and let it get hot over medium heat. Add the pork and cook, flipping occasionally, until it is no longer pink, about 5-6 minutes. Transfer the pork to the bowl with the mushrooms leaving as much oil behind in the skillet as possible.

Add the onion to the empty skillet and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook until it is golden, about 1 minute. Whisk in the chicken broth and ketchup and simmer until the mixture is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and pork and cook until all the ingredients are heated through, about 1 minute. Let the mixture cool slightly and then whisk in the sour cream. Serve over hot egg noodles or steamed rice.

Diffusing Dinner Stress with Bloom Guest Melanie of My Kitchen Cafe

I discovered My Kitchen Cafe through a friend's recommendation, who discovered it through a friend's recommendation; it's the kind of trusted food blog you want to recommend. I know I can count on Melanie for delicious meal ideas that won't break the bank or send me googling to read up on obscure ingredients. We're so excited she agreed to make a Bloom appearance (lucky us!) Today she's sharing some tips for reducing the crazy around dinner prep. Come back tomorrow for some delicious dinner menus and a yummy new recipe! Thanks a million for being here, Melanie...

creamy orzo with chicken, mushrooms & red pepper

Am I the only one that dreads the hours from about 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.? Anyone, anyone? Instead of peace and harmony, singing angels and lots of love, this hour and a half, give or take a little, is usually filled with chaos, mess and complete frazzle. Kids getting off the bus, needing help with homework, a diaper change here and there, little fingers wanting to “help,” and a myriad of other interruptions make dinnertime the hardest time of the day for me.

Believe it or not, two years ago, the chaos in my home was even worse! I was so sick of feeling this way that I decided to do something about it and I made some little changes. Thanks to a few easy tips, I don’t fear preparing dinner and actually look forward to it (ok, sometimes):

Tip #1: Have a plan…

I’m big on menu planning. It saves me from subjecting my family to 5 buck pizzas every night for dinner. When I know what is on the menu, it takes one half of the frazzle away. I sit down and plan my menu two weeks at a time, mostly because that’s how we get paid and also, it means I don’t have to drag the kids to the store every week. This gives me two weeks of meals, which means 14 days of not having to stress about what on earth I am going to make for dinner. I tape the finished menu plan on the side of my fridge in easy-viewing range and I check it out the night before or morning of and mentally get ready for what I’ll be making for dinner. If you are interested, here is the template I use. I love it. It has saved me from major menu planning woe.

Tip #2: Have a realistic plan…

Speaking of love, I also love lobster tails. And filet mignon. And triple chocolate mousse cake. But guess what? Those menu choices don’t really fit into my life right now. Budget-wise, time-wise, and crazy-toddler-wise. Your plan for dinner should be realistic depending on your phase of life, how much time and money you have, whether you work during the day or not, and really, most importantly, what you like to eat. Sure pinto beans are cheap and healthy, but if you (or your children) want to vomit at the very thought, then you probably should stay away from pinto bean casserole (if there really is such a thing). Make a realistic menu plan based on all of your circumstances and it will make dinnertime that much easier.

Tip #3: Have a backup plan…

In the most perfect world, something will still come up to turn my menu plan on it’s head on any given day. A rescheduled baseball practice, me deciding I’m just not in the mood for Tuesday night’s menu pick, sick children, the list goes on and on. This is where a few backup meals come in very handy. I don’t write these down on my menu plan but I always know in the back of my head that although I didn’t schedule it on my two week menu, I have the ingredients for a quicker meal to fill in for what was previously scheduled. A few of our favorite backup meals are pasta noodles with butter, freshly grated parmesan cheese and black pepper, frozen burritos, grilled tuna or ham and cheese sandwiches, buttermilk waffles and fruit smoothies…you get the idea.

Tip #4: Prepare in advance…

I mentioned in #1 that I glance at my menu plan the night before or morning of – this helps me make a list of things that might need to be done in advance (i.e. marinating meat, etc.). Additionally it keeps me aware of the dishes that can be made (and sometimes fully prepared!) while my kids nap or watch Diego so that the late afternoon isn’t so crazy. Sometimes while my kids are eating their mid-morning snack at the counter, I’ll whip out the green pepper and onion that need to be chopped for dinner and practice my knife-wielding skills while they munch on their string cheese and pretzels. Two ingredients down, baby. If you work full-time and don’t have morning/early afternoon hours to prepare, many times, ingredients can be chopped and prepared the night before.

Tip #5: Include easy-peasy…

Lest you think that a menu plan needs to be packed with the extraordinary meals every night, think again! Throughout my 14-day menu, I have at least two nights for leftovers, perhaps one night for a Little Caesar’s run, and one or two nights for ultra-simple meals like grilled cheese and fresh veggies. Those nights are the oasis. The dreamy nights – the nights I can build up my reserve and tackle a “real” dinner the next night. Don’t be afraid to simplify. It makes life and dinner…well, simple!

I hope these tips have armed you with a few ways to take the frazzle out of dinnertime. I'm sure there are a million more - like creative ways to let your kiddos help. Feel free to share any of your tips in the comments. I’m always looking for new ways to de-frazzle myself. Happy menu planning and may your dinnertime hours be ones of peace, harmony and love!

This Week for Dinner

Good morning, Monday!

For me, Monday is laundry day. It is tidy-up-after-the-crazy-weekend-day. And, most importantly, it is menu planning day.

Em and I are big believers when it comes to meal planning. We think it makes meals healthier and cheaper, and rids our lives of the 4 p.m. 'what's for dinner?' stress.

We hope our menu plans rid you of your 4 p.m. of stress, too.

This week's menu:

Monday: Calzones (recipe HERE)
(For wheat version, try THIS dough recipe.)

Tuesday: Baked Ziti with Spinach and Tomatoes (Recipe HERE)
(I haven't tried this one yet, but found the recipe from Stephmodo, who recommends adding more pasta than the recipe calls for. Doesn't it sound delish?)

Wednesday: Broccoli soup (recipe HERE, substituting cooked broccoli for spinach)

Thursday: Grilled Fish Tacos (Rachael Ray's recipe HERE)
(I prefer to use corn tortillas rather than flour, and cabbage in place of lettuce.)

Friday: Easy night! Grilled cheese sandwiches and milkshakes with the family (or, have the sitter make the sandwiches and head out on date night with your lovey!)

AND! Need a treat for Family Night or craving a springtime sweet? Make this incredible lime sorbet. I love it almost as much as I love my husband.

Happy Monday!
-Anne

Menu Planning 101 with Bloom Guest Amanda

As promised, Amanda on menu planning. Prepare to be inspired:

Growing up, my mom would always exhaustedly ask, “What should we have for dinner?” You could hear the weariness in her voice, and it wasn’t until I had a family of my own that I completely understood her reaction to the task of getting dinner on the table. When I was pregnant with my first, I think I fixed the same Chicken Enchilada Casserole twice a week, just because my pregnant brain couldn’t conjure up anything different. Believe me—that got REALLY old. Somewhere between pregnancies 3 and 4, I’d had it with cooking altogether, but there’s no way we could afford to have Mr. Applebee fixing our meals every night. I decided to get myself organized, and that’s when my obsession with meal planning began.

Hopefully some of these tips I share with you will help you in your efforts to save time, energy, money, and let’s face it—SANITY—as we strive to nourish our families physically just as we do spiritually and emotionally.

1. CREATE A MASTER LIST
Have you ever had this happen to you? You’re trying to figure out what to make for dinner, when all of a sudden something comes to mind and you think, “Wow! We haven’t had that in forever! Why didn’t I think of that before?” And then, of course you forget about it for another 6 months. I spent an afternoon writing down every single main dish we enjoy eating. Sounds daunting, but it’s not. I divided them into categories: Chicken, Seafood, Beef, Pork, and Vegetarian. Now when I go to make my menu, all I have to do is look at my list (which gets added to as I find new recipes we like) and I have an entire directory of meals and a variety to choose from instead of trying to recall the cache of meal ideas somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind.

2. LOOK THROUGH ADS
Why give away your money buying things that aren’t on sale, when EVERY product goes on sale at one time or another? (I believe it’s every 3 or 4 months.) In my area there’s a great website called grocerysmarts.com. After entering your area’s password, it will actually pull up every item listed in every ad for every store in the area, plus show you what coupons are available for that item. It really is brilliant. I know there are other websites out there similar to this, but this is the one I use here in Northern Utah. So, now I quickly go through and click on the ones that have the biggest savings and, referring to my Master List, proceed to make a menu off those items. The beauty of getting ads from all stores is that there are a couple of stores, like Albertson’s and Walmart that do price-matching, so you don’t have to drag your kids to 14 different places to get your great deals, only to have that offset by the money you’d spend on gas.

3. COOK IT ONCE, USE IT TWICE
I make sure when I’m planning my menu to include things that can be used twice. For example, if we’re grilling chicken breasts, I’ll cook up some extras so that I can use the cooked chicken in another recipe later on. Likewise, with a Sunday Roast or Roasted Chicken, I always buy them bigger so I have enough meat leftover to make Shredded Beef Burritos or Kentucky Hot Browns the next day. I plan to use my leftovers so they don’t get lost in the back of the fridge where they’re no longer recognizable. This same concept can be used when prepping veggies. If you’re chopping up a bunch of them for a soup, do twice as much and store them in zippies in the fridge. Along these same lines (and like an earlier BLOOM post), doubling a meal to freeze one for later use is super easy and time saving. And really, who couldn’t use that extra time for some snuggle & story time with your little ones?

4. PLAN IT OUT
Whether you shop weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, make sure you’re making your grocery list off the menu you’ve planned. Because we live on a variable income, we can’t count on paychecks every 2 weeks. I plan my menus and shop monthly, with added trips to the market at the end of the month for fresher items if funds allow. Otherwise, we supplement with canned & bottled food. Using my menu to shop assures that I can create meals for my family without worrying that I’m missing ingredients.

5. BE FLEXIBLE
You can’t always predict what kind of day you’re going to have, or what kind of food you’ll be in the mood for. Because of this, I’ll sometimes choose to prepare something different than what was planned, but I always swap it out for another meal on my menu. This relieves a lot of stress if unexpected things come up during your day. For this reason, I don’t plan for every meal to be gourmet & take all afternoon to create. I try to keep a good balance between easy to prepare & get to the table (the slow cooker & freezer are your friends!) and more complicated dishes that push you to try new techniques & create exciting dishes for your family.

6. GET THE KIDS INVOLVED
My children each have a night assigned to them where they are responsible to help with dinner, and this begins at its inception. As I’m planning my menu, the kids get to choose what meals they want to make on their nights. You would not believe the pride that exudes from each of my girls as they serve the meal that they decided on and helped to create! I can’t tell you what a precious feeling it is to hear your children praising and thanking their sibling for a delicious meal. Your heart will SOAR!

This is a taste of what works for me. I know not everyone can stand the uber-planning that goes into my meals every month, but if there’s one thing that makes it all work, it’s the Master List. If for nothing other than being able to reference it, decide what ingredients you have on hand, and get a meal on the table, it’s such a huge help. It’s also great for planning food storage. Pick out 7 or 14 or even 21 different meals that have ingredients that would store easily and you’ve got a great start on getting a supply of food for your pantry or long-term storage. I always buy enough ingredients for an extra meal or two each time I shop. I just can’t say enough about what it means to have food on hand when you really need it.

Now it’s your turn. What things have worked for you as you feed your family? `

This Week's Menu

As I've mentioned before, if I don't plan dinners ahead of time, I turn into a stress case around 4 p.m. Also, we've had a lot of requests for ways to save money and still eat well, and I can tell you that planning menus has definitely impacted my pocketbook in a positive way.

Here's what this week's menu looks like:

Monday: Quinoa Chili (recipe HERE)

Tuesday: Rigatoni with Sausage and Peppers (recipe HERE)

Wednesday: Easy Night-- Omelettes (My fave ingredients=sauteed onions, zucchini,
spinach, tomato, mushrooms, and cheddar or feta cheese.)

Thursday: Lentil and Rice Salad (Talk about economical and healthy--we start with a layer of brown rice (cooking instructions HERE), then brown lentils (cooking instructions HERE), followed by greens, diced cucumber, green pepper, tomato, and avocado, then topped with a dollop of cottage cheese and dressed with soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. This is one of our favorite meals and you feel so happy after dinner about the favor you just did your body!)

Friday: Homemade Pizza (my favorite crust recipe HERE)

Let me know if you have any questions. These meals are all delish--hope you love!
XO,
anne

***Scroll down for the freezer-meals giveaway winner!***

Freeze Ahead Meals

If the topic of this post makes you want to die of boredom...stick with it for a minute. There is a giveaway below!

I should start off by saying I am not pregnant. But as part of my New Year’s resolution to attack life with gumption, I’d really like to be at some point in the future. And although I am extremely grateful that I've had the opportunity once already, pregnancy is pretty rough for me. With my daughter I spent a lot of time throwing up and the rest of the time feeling like I was going to die. Is that dramatic enough for you? While I was pregnant with her I had the constant thought, “I can never do this again because there is no way I could take care of another child and be this sick”. So I keep putting it off, pushing back the date of when we’ll eventually start trying for baby number 2 because I am scared.

But no more! 2010 is the year of no excuses. So I have told myself to buck up. Life is hard sometimes and I just have to figure out a way through it.

So as part of my (multi-faceted) plan, before I get pregnant I’d like to freeze enough meals for 4 months, so my poor child will at least be fed through the worst of it.

But I need your help! I know there are whole websites devoted to this subject, but I’d love to hear from you. It’s always funner to use a new recipe that is tried and tested. So what are your favorite freezable meals? They can be simple. They can be unconventional. They can be breakfast, lunch, or dinner. And I’d love some vegetarian ideas.

I am not super savvy in this area of meal preparation but I have a few tricks I live by:

1. Instead of making a huge recipe and having tons of leftovers that will probably go to waste before they get finished, I prepare the whole recipe (or double it sometimes) and only cook what we will eat and freeze the rest to be cooked later. It’s more appetizing as a brand new meal than a crusty leftover.
2. I freeze things in the container they will eventually be cooked in. Then when they are frozen I pop them out (run a little hot water on the back of the dish) and store them in a plastic bag or food save them. Then when its time to cook them, it's easy to just pop them in their dish and toss them in the oven. Its convenient to do this with multiple meals at once.
   
3. I often make large pots of things like homemade macaroni and cheese with veggies for my daughter’s lunch and then freeze it in individual portions. I use plastic sandwich bags and spread them flat so they thaw more easily. It’s a life-saver on those days when I have no time or have run out of ideas of things to feed her. I just grab one and place it in a bowl of hot water, which thaws and heats it just right.

So please post your best-loved freezable recipe, including freezing directions, in the comments section. And make sure you come back and see what others have posted and try a few.

And as a little incentive, each recipe will earn you a spot in a drawing for a copy of this sewing book, “One Yard Wonders”.



I realize it has absolutely nothing to do with frozen meals, but I happen to have my hands on a few copies, and thought you might like it. Plus there are several cute apron patterns in it, and since you are surely going to feel like a domestic goddess after whipping your freezer into shape, you’ll deserve to look like one too.

Or if you aren’t interested in winning the book…do it for the sake of my unborn child;)

Submission deadline is Sunday 10:00PM MST.
Winner announced Monday.

Thanks and Love,
Danielle

What's for dinner?

(image from CuisineNie)

I am married to a chef. (Can you say 'intimidating?') When I became a full-time stay-at-home-mother, my husband, Taylor, passed the dinner reigns on to me, and I was overwhelmed. Whereas Taylor can open the fridge, pull out 4 seemingly unrelated ingredients, and whip up a restaurant-worthy meal, I depend heavily on planning ahead and following recipes with the utmost exactness!

I have found menu planning SO helpful in avoiding the 'open-the-fridge-at-4p.m.-and-get-stressed' routine. Here's what I do. Once a week, before my trip to the grocery store, I look through my favorite recipe clippings, cookbooks, and websites to find inspiration. I try to keep in mind the things I have in my fridge or freezer that need to be used, and also keep in mind if there is anything fresh from the garden that I can use. I schedule out my dinners for the next week, and then write all the ingredients I need on my grocery list. When I do it right, I am excited about dinner time, instead of stressed. I love it!

I thought it might be helpful to share my menu with you from time to time, so you can benefit, too. Here is this week's list:

Monday: Roasted chicken (instructions HERE (but don't worry about a roasting rack--you can just do it in the pan), roasted red potatoes (Cut in bite-sized pieces, place on a cookie sheet, and sprinkle generously with olive oil and salt. You can just roast them in the oven at the same time as the chicken!), and green salad.

Tuesday: Nie's strawberry and arugula salad (recipe HERE), homemade chicken soup (you can make the broth from last night's chicken! Recipe HERE), and bread.

Wednesday: Simple night (every week needs one and my Wednesdays are crazy!) Plan A: leftovers. Plan B: breakfast for dinner (waffles or french toast!)

Thursday: Nie's zucchini and mushroom tacos (recipe HERE)

Friday: Homemade pizza (my favorite wheat crust recipe HERE)

Happy dining!
-Anne