Meals for Week of November 8, 2010

So it's not Winter yet, in fact the weather here at the e-mealplanning World Wide Headquarters has warmed up to the upper 70's.  But I'm pushing ahead with Fall and Winter meals.  With that in mind, I came across a little article about nutritious "super" Winter foods.  Check out the article here.

Meals for the Week of November 8, 2010

Pasta with Butternut Squash and Pecans- This is a great meatless meal, or it could be a side dish if you wanted.

Quick Chicken Tostadas- These are super easy to prepare.  You can find ready-made tostadas where you find tortillas, or make a lighter kind by baking corn tortillas in the oven until crisp. 

Pumpkin Gnocchi- Give this a try and make gnocchi from scratch.  It’s actually not too difficult. 

Burger Sliders- Fun for kids and inexpensive to make.  Use ground turkey instead of beef if you prefer.  Serve with sweet potato fries and a salad.

Curried Squash & Chicken Soup- You can control the heat with adding a little of the red curry paste at a time, a little goes a long way.  I found a jar of paste made by Thai Kitchen in the Asian food section of the supermarket.   The recipe is written to serve 2, but you can easily just double it to serve more or to have leftovers for lunch.

Herb Garden Chicken Slow Cooker Recipe- Very easy recipe for a whole chicken in the slow cooker.  You can cook sides dishes separately or throw some vegetables to cook along with it.

Turkey Meatball and Tortellini Soup-  I came up with this soup just staring into my freezer.  I had ground turkey and a package of tortellini, some Trader Joe’s frozen green beans, a few other veggies and canned diced tomatoes.    My family loved it because it was actually a soup that was filling as a meal all on its own.  And every time I’ve made it, it’s been a little different just based on what vegetables I have.

Chicken with Artichokes and Angel Hair- This recipe calls for capers, which add a great little tart and salty flavor to the dish.  You can leave them out if you want or add something else like mushrooms.

Spaghetti with Shrimp and Bacon-  Fast and simple dish that calls for just 2 strips of bacon to add a little smoky flavor.  You could also just use ham or pancetta if you wanted.



Side Dishes
Salad with Beets and Yogurt Dressing- Salad is hard for me in colder weather.  I’m just really not interested in the effort to fix a salad.  Eat out at a salad bar?  No problem.  But at home, I am not so good.  But this salad is really simple and utilizes beets, which I have recently fallen in love with.  Greek yogurt is a fantastic base for a dressing, but if you prefer, use whatever dressing you like.

Roasted Cauliflower- Simple and delicious.

Cran-Berry Green Tea Smoothie- I like the use of brewed green tea in this smoothie; it’s a great way to start the day.