Our Menu: Week of March 3 to 9

Teryiaki Steak, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Steamed Green Beans
You probably know that one of my rules is, if it swims, I don't eat it, but I also don't eat anything that moos!  The men in my house crave a good BBQ'd steak once in awhile and last weekend was one such occasion, so, Brayden offered to cook dinner!  He marinated steaks in teriyaki sauce for himself and Jason (I had chicken), and he made AMAZING garlic mashed potatoes and steamed green beans.  It was a fabulous dinner, thanks Brayden!

Pasta with Homemade Meat Sauce, Steamed Broccoli and Salad
In our Plan B share last week we received some living basil that smelled so good so I decided to make a batch of pasta sauce with ground chicken.  I try to imitate Rosa's (my sister's mother-in-law) amazing home made sauce and I know it's nowhere near as good, but we like it.  It's very simple - 2 cans of crushed tomatoes, about half a can of water, some sugar, some salt, olive oil and a big handful of fresh basil leaves thrown in whole.  We had the sauce over brown rice spaghetti and some steamed broccoli and a salad on the side.  I made enough sauce to freeze for another couple of meals too. 

Santa Fe Casserole 
This was supposed to be a vegetarian meal, but I had an extra chicken breast thawed, so I cut it up and added it to this casserole.  We really liked this one.  It's very filling with brown rice and beans.  YUMMY!  Here's the recipe.

Mushroom Stroganoff
I have decided to try to make two or three vegetarian meals a week.  My reason is two-fold:  One, to eat healthier by eating less meat (not to mention the environmental impacts of eating meat), and to reduce our grocery bill.  This stroganoff was just as good as one with meat and I would make it again.  I used a mix of cremini and white mushrooms.  We had steamed asparagus with it.  Click here for the recipe.

Vegetarian Burrito Pie
Can you tell we like Mexican food?  This was another vegetarian meal that was really good. Would definitely make it again. Served with a salad.  Here's the recipe.

Butter Chicken with Cauliflower and Chana Masala over Basmati Rice
One of our favourites.  See this post.

Bon Appetit!

Our Menu: Week of February 4-10

Fajitas and Steamed Asparagus

Chicken breasts, peppers, onions, a fajita “kit” if you like, and there’s dinner.  I make my own fajita seasoning, use corn tortillas and add salsa, sour cream and grated cheddar for toppings.  Steam some asparagus on the side and there you have it!

“Schlop” and Salad

This is something I’ve been making for Brayden since he was really young and it’s still one of his favourites.  It started as kind of my own version of “Hamburger Helper” since I prefer not to buy packaged, processed foods like that and it’s really simple.  Brown some ground chicken (or beef if you like) in a large pan on the stove with some olive oil.  Sprinkle in some dried oregano, basil, and salt and pepper, all to taste.  Mince a couple of fresh garlic cloves and add to the mix.  When the chicken is cooked, add 2 cans of diced tomatoes then grate a bunch of fresh parmesan into it.  Sometimes I add mozzarella too, if I have some.  I don’t know measurements, I just keep grating until it looks cheesy enough! Cook a bag of pasta (penne or rotini) and when it’s done, drain it, add it to the mixture and stir it up. Let it all simmer for a bit to let the cheese melt and that’s it.   A note:  I use brown rice penne or rotini, which honestly doesn’t hold up as well in this particular recipe as wheat pasta does, but I use it anyway.  Served with a salad.

Butter Chicken and Cauliflower with Basmati Rice and Salad

See this post!  I skipped the Chana Masala this time as I didn’t have time to make it.

Pork Stir Fry

Jason likes to make a stir fry, so he cooked this one.  He used a pork tenderloin sliced really thin and whatever veggies we had on hand.  A little sesame oil, fresh garlic and an onion for seasoning, along with a splash of Teriyaki sauce and you have a delicious stir fry. Served over sticky rice.

Baked Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese and Salad

Love this!  See this post. 

Baked Chicken, Mushroom and Rice Casserole and Salad

This is a new one out of a cookbook I borrowed from the library called Not Your Mother’s Casseroles.  We really enjoyed this and I would make it again.  The recipe calls for 1 cup of rice, but I used 1 ½ cups and it was just enough to cover the bottom of my casserole dish.  I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but I’d try it with chicken breasts next time.  I should also mention that this isn’t that quick to make so it would be best saved for a weekend or a day when you have more time. 

Casserole Dish:  9-13 inch baking dish or 3-quart casserole

Bake time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked rice (white or brown, see my note above)

1 small sprig fresh rosemary (I used dried and just sprinkled a bit in the bottom of the dish)

2 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Olive oil

½ pound white mushrooms, sliced

1 small white onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 2/3 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon smoked paprika (I used regular paprika)

¾ cup plain yogurt (I think sour cream would work well too, but NOT light – too runny)

Preheat the oven to 350.  Lightly grease the baking dish with olive oil.  Spread the rice in an even layer in the dish, place the sprig of rosemary in the centre (or sprinkle a bit of dried over the rice).

Cut the chicken in bite-sized pieces, season with S and P, and cook in a drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat.  Sauté until brown, remove from pan and place on top of rice in the baking dish.

Add the mushrooms to the skillet and let them cook until they are nice and golden brown.  The longer you let them cook, the better and the more flavourful they will become.  If necessary, add another drizzle of olive oil to the pan and add the onion and garlic.  Cook till he onion is translucent (approx 5 mins).

Raise the heat to high and add the broth.  Bring to a simmer scraping brown bits from the pan.  Remove from heat and stir in the paprika, 1 ½ tsp of salt and the yogurt.

Pour the broth and mushroom mixture over the rice and chicken. Cover the dish tightly with foil or a lid and bake for 55 minutes.  Remove the foil or lid and bake for an additional 5 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.