Meals for the Week of April 8, 2013

Well I finally dusted off this blog and have written something after 4 months.  And looking back, even though I'd written several theme related posts I noticed that the last time I'd written a weekly meal plan post was in August!  So, my apologies for being so absent.  I've certainly been cooking a lot, I've been working with Mama Bootcamp, helping clients with finding new healthy recipes and making meal plans, facilitating cooking sessions for freezer meals and cooking for clients and my own family.  But I really don't want to neglect my blog and I've probably written that statement here before and yet I still neglect it.  So here it is, Spring as arrived, and so I should re-commit myself to making more of an effort.  I have been trying new recipes and I have ideas for things to write about so it's time to actually put them on the blog.

 

 

 

Some of my recent Instagram photos- home made bread, beef and broccoli for a client, homemade salsa, roasted veggies for soup, fruit and peanut butter dip, kale salad

So I have a great set of recipes for you to try.  My intention with these was how busy spring time can be for families.  Baseball or softball practices and weeknight games, swim team, and dance rehearsals.  Lots of evenings where you get home late or need to get dinner on the table quickly.  There's several crock pot recipes that will yield leftovers, some quick cooking meals and meals you can make ahead of time and re-heat.  I also tried to have some things that would use some of the same ingredients to help your grocery shopping budget.  Give them a try and let me know how they are!

Need to see them?  Here's the Pinterest Board- April 8 Recipes

Meals for the Week of April 8, 2013

Grilled Salmon Salad with Fresh Strawberries- This main dish salad is perfect for Spring.  It’s light but with a good source of protein. 

Asian Pulled Pork Sliders- You may already make pulled pork using your crock pot, this recipe is change in the flavors and although in this blog post she made them for a party (which would be great!) it’s an easy weeknight dinner for you and plenty of leftovers for lunches or another dinner.

 
Chili Taco Casserole- This is my recipe that I adapted to make it a little healthier and made from scratch.  The original recipe used canned chili, but if you already make your own chili, then you can either make it using leftover chili or just follow the recipe because it is still very easy.  This is a good meal to make in advance and re-heat or double it so you can have it again another night.  

Shredded Beef Tacos- Another crock pot meal for you that will most likely provide two dinners.  Simple shredded beef that you can use for tacos, which I love instead of ground beef now and then.  But you could also make burritos, or make enchiladas, eat it over a salad, there are lots of options. 

Easy Marinara Sauce- This is my recipe for marinara sauce.  I’ve started make a large batch (this recipe is easy to double) at the start of the month and then having spaghetti twice and plus using some sauce for something else like a lasagna or Chicken Parmesan.

 
Honey Chipotle Turkey Meatballs- This is a very simple recipe, you could make the meatballs in advance and freeze them, then use them either with the honey chipotle sauce or some other sauce you might want.

 

Cilantro Lime Chicken-  This is a crock pot meal that you can prep the entire thing in advance in a bag and then just put it in the crock pot in the morning.  Then you can serve it with tortillas or over rice for a burrito bowl.  Easy! 

Orange Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry- No need for take out!  This is delicious and I really like the suggestion that you cook some of the vegetables in advance by steaming or boiling them making them crisp tender for the stir fry.  She also has suggestions for making it sweeter or spicier if you like it that way.  

Cheeseburger Macaroni- This is like one of those boxed meal helpers, except from scratch and it’s not processed.  It’s uses taco seasoning, but you could also make it with just seasoning the meat with garlic and onions and using plain diced tomatoes if you don’t want the taco flavor, or skip using a taco seasoning mix and just season with chili powder, cumin, garlic and onion.

Lime and Coconut Chicken- This is a lime and coconut milk curry that is very easy to make and very tasty.  The longer you can marinate it, the better.  And then you take the marinade and boil it to be a sauce you pour over the chicken.   I suggest grilling the chicken if you can.  I then chop it up and put over rice, then pour over the sauce. 

Cheeseburger Casserole- A very kid-friendly meal that could be made ahead if you want to.  This is a light version that’s 261 calories in a 1 cup serving.  

Broccoli and Cheese Twice Baked Potatoes- This can certainly be a meatless meal or a side dish with some grilled chicken.  It’s a lower calorie recipe and a great meal with some good vitamins and minerals.  And you actually mix cooked cauliflower into the potato mixture that you then put back into the baked potatoes.  So it’s more veggies than just the broccoli on top!