Menu Monday

Tuesday dinner: Latin-Style Pork (crockpot, adapted from Family Circle)

1 boneless pork loin roast (about 3 pounds), cut in half lengthwise (I used 2 pork tenderloin from TJ's)

2 large yellow bell peppers, seeded & sliced

1 med. onion, thinly sliced

1 -14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 TBS capers, drained

1 TBS ground cumin

1/2 tea cinnamon

3 garlic cloves, sliced

1 TBS sliced pickled jalapenos

1/2 tea salt

cooked white rice

Combine all ingredients (except rice) in crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours OR low for 6 hours. Remove pork and shred. Mix pork back in with crockpot mixture and serve over rice. I served with broccoli rabe (which is coming out our ears!) on the side.

Wednesday dinner: Tortellini and Sausage Stew (crockpot, adapted from Family Circle)

4 sweet Italian chicken sausages, casings removed (TJ's carries)

1 -28 oz. can crushed tomatoes with basil, garlic & oregano (I used TJ's traditional marinara)

1 -9 oz. package frozen cut green beans

1 large onion

1/2 tea Italian seasoning

1 package of refrigerated cheese tortellini (TJ's carries)

1 TBS chopped fresh oregano

Combine crumbled sausage (uncooked) tomatoes, green beans, onion and Italian seasoning in crockpot bowl. Cover and cook 3 hours on high OR 6 hours on low. When there is 20 minutes remaining, stir in tortellini, oregano and 1 cup water. Continue cooking. Serve.

Thursday dinner: Latin Pork Quesadillas

I used the left over pork from Tuesday night to make yummy quesadillas. I filled them with cheese, black beans and pork, topped them with salsa,sour cream and avocado.

Friday dinner: Curried Chickpeas with Couscous (crockpot, adapted from Family Circle)

3 medium carrots, finely chopped

4 cups cauliflower florets (about 3/4 pound)

2 -15 oz. cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 cup frozen peas

1 med. onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

3/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 cup vegetable broth

3/4 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup fresh chopped basil

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup dry couscous

1 pound ground beef, cooked (I added this to the recipe, it originally was a vegetarian recipe)

In crockpot, stir together carrots, cauliflower, chickpeas, peas, onion, garlic, curry powder, coriander and red pepper flakes and ground beef if using (I'm sure cooked chicken would taste good in this, too). Pour vegetable brother and coconut milk on top. Cover and cook for 3 hours on high OR 6 hours on low.

Prepare couscous per package directions. Serve chickpeas over couscous and sprinkle chopped fresh basil on top.

Saturday dinner: Whole Wheat Tomato, Basil, Mozzarella Raviolis

Tonight I was babysitting, so I made it easy on DH and picked up these new raviolis from Costco this afternoon. However, I was looking forward to leftovers when I got home and there weren't any....guess it went over well.

SUNDAY DINNER - Macaroni & Cheese!

After a wonderful day in SF watching these guys:

I was in no mood to cook! Well, that and we got home at 6pm...no time to make a home-cooked meal and still be in bed at 7. So, we relied on an old standby:But it wasn't all that bad, I added a smoothie to the table, too.
Smoothie:

plain yogurt

frozen organic blackberries (new at Costco)

frozen organic blueberries (Costco)

frozen organic strawberries (TJ's)

bananas

flax powder (Costco)

hemp protein powder (TJ's)

Very Green powder (TJ's)

honey for my hunnies

And it's even served in a dish! That's courtesy of DH, I usually serve straight from the pot. He likes to make it look pretty, and since he did the cooking tonight, he can serve it any way he likes! Thanks babe.

Monday dinner: Chicken in a Pot with Garlic w/ dinner rolls

I love Rachel Ray! Did you know that she publishes a weekly dinner menu with a shopping list and 7 recipes, sent to your inbox? How easy is that? Some weeks I print out the entire shopping list and buy every ingredient and then prepare every dinner she suggests. It's super easy cause you don't have to do any thinking or prepare a grocery list. And then with one shopping trip, I have 7 meals planned! The fun thing, too, is that we try many dishes that I have never made before. Why don't I do this every week? Well, the meals can be a bit time-consuming. Some of them, not all. And also some weeks it's nice to just rely on our old standbys for fast, easy meals. But this week, we're going for Rachel. So here goes......

Chicken w/garlic (from Rachel Ray):

One 4 1/2-pound chicken
2 halved lemons
35 unpeeled cloves garlic
4 chopped sprigs rosemary
4 slices crusty bread

Preheat the oven to 325°. In a large dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add one 4½-pound chicken, breast side down, and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Turn, then squeeze 2 halved lemons over the bird before stuffing into the cavity; drizzle 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil on top and season with salt and pepper. Cover and roast for 30 minutes. Scatter 35 unpeeled cloves garlic and 4 chopped sprigs rosemary around the chicken, cover and roast for 30 minutes more. Uncover the pot, increase the oven temperature to 375° and roast until the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced with a knife, about 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter; using a slotted spoon, transfer the garlic to the platter as well. Dip 4 slices crusty bread into the pan juices, then toast until crisp. Serve with the chicken and roasted garlic.

Homemade dinner rolls:

I got this recipe from Simple Daily Recipes. Looks easy and yummy, this will be a first attempt.

1 package quick-acting active dry yeast
1 1/3 cup milk (105º to 115ºF degrees)
3 to 3 1/2 cups flour or whole wheat flour

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon melted butter
coarse salt

Dissolve yeast in warm milk with sugar in electric mixer bowl. Stir in 1 cup flour, oil, and salt. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour, scraping dough from side of bowl, until soft dough forms. Cover and let rise in warm place until double, about 45 minutes.
Heat oven 400ºF degrees. Prep a 12 cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Punch down dough in center and fold over a few times. Pinch off 1 inch balls of dough and quickly roll in palm of hands. Put 3 balls to one muffin cup; brush with melted butter; sprinkle with coarse salt.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until crust is light golden brown. Immediately remove from pan. Store loosely covered.

We all enjoyed the rolls. I brushed them with butter and also with the juices from the chicken, instead of crusty bread like the directions mentioned. I baked them for 10 min. with just butter on top and then brushed the chicken juices (with olive oil, rosemary, garlic) and cooked for 5 more min. They were a hit!

Broccoli Rabe:

Of course I finish off the plates with some broccoli rabe on the side. Prepared as usual, lots of olive oil on the stove top for 15 minutes or so...sprinkle with coarse salt (we have been using pink salt) Can drizzle with a little honey for an extra treat...or for picky toddlers.