Meatloaf Muffins

Courtesy of Stunninghubs Blog
orignal recipe here


1.25 lbs ground turkey (I used hamburger)
1 bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
1 onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup mushrooms, diced
1 zucchini, sliced and diced
1 egg white
1/4 cup oat bran
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp thyme or sage
sea salt & black pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, optional

Mix all ingredients and divide into 12 meatballs. Place in muffin pan and bake on 350 for 40 minutes

Summer Menu

Monday
Honey Lime Chicken Skewers
Grilled Corn
Watermelon

Tuesday
Grilled Steak
Pasta, Grape & Broccoli Salad

Wednesday
Tacos/Taco Salad
Avocado Corn Salad

Thursday
Grilled Chicken
Asian Inspired Salad
Cantaloupe

Friday
Hot Dogs
Roasted Veggies
Cranberry & Avocado Salad

Saturday
Salmon
roasted asparagus
orange slices & pineapple

Sunday
Chicken Divan Casserole
Fruit Salad

Baked potato serve with chili topped with cheese & sour cream.
Side: Steamed broccoli

Menu Apr 2-8

Taco Soup serve with strawberries and whip cream
Roast serve with mashed potatoes and fruit salad
BBQ chicken sandwiches serve with celery & zucchini sticks and dip & clemintines
Baked Penne (new recipe!) serve with green salad and grapes
Chicken Noodle Soup serve with corn bread
Left Overs
Sandwiches

Menu Mar 12-17

Mon: Pork Roast serve with mashed potatoes & broccoli

Tues: Black Beans serve with rice, guacamole & chips

Wed: Stuffed Peppers serve with rice, & asparagus

Thur: Chicken Stew

Fri: Butternut Squash Soup

Sat: White Bean Chicken Chile

Menu Jan 29 - Feb 5

Left Over Corn Chowder garnish with bacon & shredded cheese

Black Beans & Rice with Chicken and Apple Salsa

Minestrone Soup

Beef & Veggie Stir Fry

Chicken Divan

Tuscan Tomato soup & Grilled Cheese

L.O. Chicken Divan

Stew

Jan 16-28 Dinner Menu

Bean & Cheese Quesadillas serve with guacamole & fresh peppers and mango & strawberries

Left over Chicken Divan serve with fresh fruit

Spaghetti and meatballs serve with roasted yellow squash & zucchini

chicken Noodle soup serve with cornbread and fresh cantaloupe

BLT sandwiches serve with veggie tray

Taco Soup serve with Frijto chips

Sweet & Sour Chicken over rice serve with salad 

Salmon serve with rice and asparagus & orange slices

Roast serve with roasted carrots, mashed potatoes & fruit salad

Beef & Veggie Stir Fry serve with fresh pineapple

Corn Chowder serve with corn bread & salad & fresh fruit

BBQ Sandwiches serve with carrot sticks, salad & fresh fruit

Stew serve with salad

Baked Salmon Fillets

courtesy of Lori Bement
allrecipes.com

4 (4oz) fillets salmon
3 Tbsp prepared dijon-style mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup italian-style bread crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line shallow baking pan with foil or parchment paper. Place salmon skin-side down on foil. Spread a thin layer of mustard on the top of each fillet, and season with salt and pepper. Top with bread crumbs, then drizzle with melted butter. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 min or until salmon flakes easily with a fork.

Dinner Menu June 12th

Roast w/mashed potatoes, roasted carrots

Salmon w/roasted asparagus and rice

Chicken Stir Fry

Spaghetti w/tomato basil sauce

Black Beans w/rice and roasted squash

Thai Beef Salad

Spaghetti & Meatballs and Tomato-Basil Sauce

This recipe was so delicious! The tomato-basil sauce was so easy to make. I didn't have pine nuts so I didn't use them.

Spaghetti Meatballs and Tomato-Basil Sauce

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray, 2008

Prep Time:

30 min

Inactive Prep Time:

hr min

Cook Time:

50 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 meatballs per person for dipping with sauce.

Ingredients

1/2 pound spaghetti, broken into pieces
Salt
1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
1 large bunch parsley, leaves only
1 bunch basil, leaves only
2/3 to 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a couple of handfuls
2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, about 1/3 cup plus some for liberal drizzling
2 pounds ground sirloin
1 large egg
A couple handfuls bread crumbs
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped or grated

1 cup beef stock
1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes (recommended: San Marzano)

Directions

Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
Bring a medium sauce pot of water to a boil over high heat, salt water and cook pasta to al dente 7 minutes or
so, drain and quick-cool on a baking sheet.

While pasta cooks, toast pine nuts. Make a thick herb pesto by placing the herbs, cheese, garlic and nuts in
food processor with salt and pepper. Turn processor on and stream in about 1/3 cup olive oil - make the pesto
very thick.

Place meat in a bowl. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Add cooked pasta, egg, bread crumbs and half the
pesto to the meat. Mix to combine and form into 16 balls, and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Let the spaghetti pop out of meatballs like porcupine quills. Coat balls with a little olive oil and roast 12
to 15 minutes until firm and golden in color. Remove from the oven and place on a serving platter.

While meat roasts heat a healthy drizzle olive oil in a sauce pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and
carrots, season with salt and pepper, and saute for 5 minutes. Stir in the stock, add tomatoes and crush with
the back of a wooden spoon. Cook for 5 minutes more, then stir in remaining pesto and transfer to a serving
bowl or 4 individual ramekins for dipping.

more on Menu Planning

I'm crazy but I am a seasonal eater....That means I love to eat food that goes with the season. For example, fall and winter I crave soups. But I can't even think about eating soup in the summer. Too hot for soup. During the Summer I want fresh garden tomatoes and meat from the grill.

My ultimate menu planning would be seasonal menu's...My simple version is: Two weeks worth of menus per season that I rotate for 3 months.

I grew up on a family favorite casserole, Chicken Divan. But, after so many times of eating this...blah..None of us wanted to see another pan of it. I figure we will actually enjoy Chicken Divan 3 months out of the year. (more than that...blah) I love salads but there comes a point if I see one more salad...my stomach says, "No more". In the spring I want strawberries...In the summer I want peaches. And it doesn't seem right to eat anything pumpkin unless the leaves are changing.

Seasonal Menu's...that's my style of menu planning.

Come up with 2 weeks worth of meals. Now rotate this for three months. Basically, you just have to have 4-2 weeks worth of meals and you are set for the entire year!

Here's how I break up the months:

1) Sept, Oct, Nov

2) Dec, Jan, Feb

3) March, April, May

4) June, July, Aug

It all depends on the weather!

Grilled Chicken

Grilled Chicken (can use drumsticks, breasts or thighs)

roasted zucchini & summer squash

rice

fresh canelope

Simple Menu Planning

Simplify...Simplify....Simplify

My day goes much better if I have planned dinner in advance. No longer can I pull something together at last minute!

Here is a plan, I'm going to put to the test for the next little while:

Monday: Chicken

Tuesday: Fish

Wednesday: Beans

Thursday: Pasta/hamburger

Friday: Salad/Pizza

Saturday: Soup/Sandwiches

Sunday: Roast/Red meat

With this plan all I have to do is make sure I have the meat, beans or pasta on hand and decide how we want to eat it. Sounds Simple to me!

Apple 'N Cheddar Chicken Salad

Apple 'n Cheddar Chicken Salad

served with:

whole grain bread

fresh fruit (grapes or watermelon)

corn

Pasta with Fresh Tomato-Basil Sauce

served with roasted zucchini & yellow squash

Since my kids don't like things mixed I put aside noodles for them before I mix in the Tomato-Basil sauce.

Cheesy Noodles w/ Pesto Sauce

We call the Costco tortiline noodles in the yellow bag "cheesy noodles". I love to serve this with their roasted chicken. I just tear bite sizes pieces off and combine with cooked noodles. Toss with Pesto sauce. It's also delicious to serve with roasted tomatoes and green beens.

My kids don't like the Pesto sauce so I just serve everything separate for them.

Roasted Chicken

Roasted Chicken

serve with roasted asparagus or green beans

rice

applesauce

Sunday Roast

Sunday Roast

roasted red potatoes, onions, carrots

pretzel jello salad

Spaghetti

Spaghetti noodles with meat/marinara sauce

serve with roasted zuchini & yellow squash

garlic bread (optional!)

BLT Sandwiches

Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Sandwiches (add provolone cheese, avocado & turkey)

Serve with cottage cheese & fresh strawberries