Weekly Meal Plan #77

SUNDAY was...
Playground, movie night, & take-out!

MONDAY
*new* Herb Citrus Roast Chicken

TUESDAY
Chicken & Spinach Stuffed Shells
taking a batch for a friend who had a new baby

WEDNESDAY
*new* Oven Fried Tilapia with Cheesy Polenta with warm spinach salad

THURSDAY
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
We have some friends coming over before Trick or Treating, so either I'm going to match a big batch of Turkey chili OR... just order pizza

FRIDAY
Lemon Garlic Shrimp & Grits

SATURDAY
It's gameday! Maybe I'll try out a new Crockpot recipe so I don't have to do anything after the game!

 Andoulli Sausage, Red Beans, and Rice

 Chef Salad

Panko crusted Tilapia

{Pinned there, Done that} Balsamic Roast Beef

I've been looking for some new crockpot recipes as we keep getting busier and busier with after school activities. I stumbled upon this recipe for Balsamic Roast Beef from Add a Pinch by way of Pinterest (of course). We tried it and loved it! It was sweeter than my usual crockpot roast recipe but it was a hit.

In case the recipe gets lost online somewhere, here it is...
(original recipe)
Balsamic Roast Beef
Author: Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch

Ingredients
1 3-4 pound boneless roast beef (chuck or round roast)
1 cup beef broth
½ cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, chopped
Instructions
Place roast beef into the insert of your slow cooker. In a 2-cup measuring cup, mix together all remaining ingredients. Pour over roast beef and set the timer for your slow cooker. (4 hours on High or 6-8 hours on Low)
Once roast beef has cooked, remove from slow cooker with tongs into a serving dish. Break apart lightly with two forks and then ladle about ¼ – ½ cup of gravy over roast beef.

Store remaining gravy in an airtight container in the refrigerator for another use.

Weekly Meal Plan #76

SUNDAY was...
a Travel day getting home at 8pm, so we had cheese quesadillas and chicken noodle soup

MONDAY
Andoulli Sausage, Red Beans, and Rice

TUESDAY
Chef Salad

WEDNESDAY
*new* Salmon Cakes with Lemon, Dill, and homemade Dijon Sauce (pin)

THURSDAY
Heading out to a country concert, woohoo!! I may make a pork tenderloin so we can have some pork sliders while tailgating

FRIDAY
may be heading out for a Halloween event... maybe not. So homemade pizza if not

SATURDAY
Birthday party AND Halloween party at night... something quick!

Recap

Grilled salmon with zucchini crips, sweet potato tots, and green beans

Crockpot Balsamic Roast Beef with parmesan asparagus and sweet potato

Go PINK in October!

As I'm SURE you all know, the month of October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. A dear girlfriend of mine is a breast cancer survivor, so for the entire month of October I will be wearing this pink hair extension in my hair to show my support and to raise awareness!

In surfing the internet, I came across http://pinkforoctober.org where you can find facebook cover photos, buttons and bages to show your support.


 For more information, visit The National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Parmesan Zucchini Crisps {Food Network: Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger}

Parmesan Zucchini Crisps

My mom emailed me this recipe the other day with RAVE reviews, and since I trust my mother's opinion without a doubt I naturally had to try it. They were WONDERFUL! I have a hard time breaking out of the simple (or rather, typical) sides such as plain green beans, plain broccoli, mashed potatoes (instant and homemade), corn on the cob, sweet potatoes (and fries), wild rice, mushrooms, salad.... ok I think thats it. I mean we have some variety, but none of it is exciting. I haven't even made an acorn squash, which I hear is like SUPER easy, I stick to what I know.

That said, we don't really have zucchini much; all the more reason to give this recipe a shot. So I made this last night and the hubs, mother-in-law, and myself LOVED these (not as popular with the girls, but we'll try again). We will definitely be making these again.

Recipe Src: Food Network: Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger
Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 medium zucchini (about 1 pound total)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (3/4-ounce)
1/4 1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs  panko 
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Slice the zucchini into 1/4-inch thick rounds. In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini with the oil. In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan, bread crumbs, salt, and a few turns of pepper. Dip each round into the Parmesan mixture, coating it evenly on both sides, pressing the coating on to stick, and place in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake the zucchini rounds until browned and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove with spatula. Serve immediately.

Weekly Meal Plan #75

So I actually had a meal plan last week... but never got around to posting... woops.

So last 2 weeks we had:

 Parm Crusted Chicken

 Surf n Turf Salad

 Whole Roasted Chicken

 Taco Night

Panko Crusted Tilapia

This week is going to be:
SUNDAY
Grilled chicken Caesar Salad

MONDAY
Ball park food! We are going to the Rays baseball game!
Tampa vs Boston Game3

TUESDAY
Chili

WEDNESDAY
Balsamic Roast Beef (new)

THURSDAY
Burgers with Zucchini Parm chips

FRIDAY
Pizza Night

SATURDAY
Football day!

{Pinned there, Done that} Zucchini Chips

I was feeling quite inspired the other day, so while at the grocery store, after spying a zucchini -- I decided to come home and make Zucchini Chips that I had pinned a short while ago from Table for Two Blog.

My 4 year old wasn't so much a fan, however... the hubby AND my 2 year old loved them.

My mistake, however, was that I let them cool a bit too much; in other words, I left them out over night and they were a pile of soggy non-crispy zucchini chips by morning. SO BY ALL MEANS, store these in an airtight container As. Soon. As. They. Are. Cool. 

Actually, hubby had a few right before bed (thanks hunny for not reminding me to put them away) and he said they were already beginning to get a bit soft.

Anyway, incase this recipe gets lost somewhere online, here it is...

Zucchini Chips

Src: Table for Two Blog

INGREDIENTS:
1 large zucchini
2 tbsp. olive oil
Salt

INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Line two large baking sheets (I used two 17" baking sheets) with silicon baking mats or parchment paper.
Slice your zucchini on a mandolin. Use middle thickness.
After you slice your zucchini, place the slices on a sheet of paper towels and take another paper towel and sandwich the zucchini slices and press on them. This helps draw out the liquid so it'll cook a bit faster.
Line up the zucchini slices on the prepared baking sheet tightly next to each other in a straight line, making sure not to overlap them.
In a small bowl, pour your olive oil in and take a pastry brush to brush the olive oil on each zucchini slice.
Sprinkle salt throughout the baking sheet. Do NOT over-season, in fact, it's better to use less salt initially because the slices will shrink; so if you over-season, it'll be way too salty! You can always add more later.
Bake for 2+ hours until they start to brown and aren't soggy and are crisp.
Let cool before removing and serving.
Keep in an airtight container for no more than 3 days.