Menu Plan 12/20-12/26

Sunday:  Sandwiches and Leftovers
Big Christmas program at the church tonight.  Light dinner.

Monday:  Beef Stew with Carrots, Mushrooms, and Potatoes

Tuesday:  Chicken Cobb Pasta Salad
Not quite sure what sort of dressing I'll do with this, but I think I'll let the kids build their own.  They like it when they get to choose the ingredients.  I'll probably add some extra veggies (like broccoli, bell pepper slices, and carrot matchsticks)

Wednesday:  Kofta/Meatball Kebabs with Quinoa Pilaf, Hummus, and Crudites

Thursday:  White Chicken Chili
We're going to a party in the evening with h'ors d'oeuvres and such, so we'll just have a light dinner.  We used to try and do the fancy Christmas eve dinner with the kids, but this is so much more relaxing. 

Friday:  Dinner with family & leftovers

Saturday:  Traveling

Pork & Pineapple Stirfry

This recipe is hardly authentic, but it is inspired by southeast Asian ingredients and flavor combinations.  I've learned that many southeast Asian cuisines don't rely on soy sauce as much (if at all) as more traditional "Chinese" (at least as presented in the US) recipes.  

Pork & Pineapple Stirfry (serves 4)
1-2 T oil
3/4 lb of pork loin, cubed
1 sm. yellow onion, sliced
1 sm. green bell pepper, chopped
1 c sliced mushrooms
zest of 1 large lime
juice of 1 large lime (~ 1/4 c)
1 t fish sauce
1 garlic clove, diced
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 t salt
1 t honey
1 1/2c fresh pineapple chunks

1. Heat heavy pan over high/ medium-high heat.  Add about half the oil and the onions, peppers, and mushrooms.  Cook til the onions soften (the peppers will be still a little crisp).  Remove from pan and reserve.
2. Add a bit more oil, if needed, and add pork.  Cook til done.  
3. My pork let off a lot of liquid.  I let that sit on the heat for a moment to cook down a bit.  Then I add the sauce ingredients (everything else except the pineapple).  When the garlic starts to become fragrant, add in the vegetables, pork, and pineapple chunks.  Heat through.  

Serve over rice.  Optional garnishes would be peanuts, lime wedges, bean sprouts, etc.  Sriracha or other Asian hot sauce is also a nice touch if you like spicy things. 

Menu Plan 12/12 - 12/19

Menu planning has been a real struggle the last few weeks.  This week is similarly uninspired.  Add to that the fact that DH kindly volunteered to go grocery shopping before I made a list and came back with "stuff".  So I'm going to blame any randomness on that. 

Saturday:  Crispy Beef Tacos w/ Corn
DH discovered a couple brands of "safe" taco shells, so we thought we'd give them a try with the kids.  Normally we do soft tacos or ersatz taco salads.  DD really enjoyed making her own tacos, spooning in sauce and cheese, etc.  DS wasn't so impressed, but he really loves refried beans (Rosarita Vegetarian) so he was happy.

Sunday:  Sandwiches & Leftovers
After a big lunch out, I wasn't in the mood to cook.

Monday: FFYN
This is going to be a crazy night.  DH and I are both helping with a Christmas party from 5-7.  The kids will be in the nursery at church...not sure what any of us are going to eat.  I'll probably just pack something in lunchboxes for the kids that's quick and easy.

Tuesday:  Beef Stroganof over Rice
I may end up tweaking this recipe some more...if the modifications are worth posting, I'll update the original post.

Wednesday:  Carrot Souffle, Green Beans, & Roast Potato Wedges
This veggie dinner consists of things that were bumped from last week's plan when we took the pot roast over to my in-laws and let them fix the sides.  

Thursday:  Chili w/ Corn on the Cob
I was realizing I've never posted my chili recipe.  Maybe if the stars are properly aligned this week, I'll get it linked in here.

Friday:  Pork StirFry

Saturday:  Ranch Chicken Burgers w/ Oven Baked Fries and Broccoli
I did a version of these back in September.  Not quite sure what I'm going to serve them on...maybe DS will just get his sans-bread and the rest of us will have buns.

Menu Plan 12/7-12/12

The Crock-Pot Herb Pork Roast was awesome last week.  The Pumpkin Pudding is a good idea but the kids thought it tasted too healthy.  I'm going to try again modifying it to be a little less virtuous -- and probably involving chocolate! 

The Chicken Souiza was a little disappointing -- good flavors, but I think it lost something with my dairy-free mods.  The cornbread also took much longer to cook than expected (and was too sweet for me), so I'm going to experiment with that.  

Monday:  Butternut Squash Soup w/ Sausages

Tuesday:  Roast Chicken w/ Wild Rice & Cranberry Pilaf & Broccoli

Wednesday:  Dinner out

Thursday:  Quick Paella
Using up leftover roast chicken and sausages to make an easy version of paella.

Friday:  Pot Roast w/ Roast Potatoes and Carrot Souffle
Some tried and true winter winners.

Saturday:  Hot Beef over Mashed Potatoes w/ Green Beans
Another leftover user -- Pot Roast from the night before + some instant mashed potatoes and canned/frozen green beans.

Menu Plan 11/28-12/6

The biggest hit of last week was Friday's dinner.  Meatball Kebabs plus our new favorite recipe -- Oven Baked Fries.  We rounded the meal out with assorted fresh veggies (baby carrots, grape tomatos, olives, and some marinated cucumbers). 

My personal favorite however was the Turkey Curry, but that was much less popular with the under 6 crowd.

We're still eating on our not Thanksgiving turkey so I've got 2 more turkey leftover menus this week.  


Sunday Lunch:  Turkey Tacos w/ Cranberry Salsa
My favorite dish at Thanksgiving this year was a raw cranberry relish that one of DH's cousins made.  It had jalapeno, cilantro, diced red bell peppers, onion, and orange juice.  Really a cranberry salsa.  I didn't get the exact recipe, but I think I'll try and replicate it this week. We still have plenty of turkey breast to get rid of.  I'm linking to a recipe that I found online.  The cranberry salsa is a little different, but it can serve as a stand-in until I work out my own recipe.

Sunday Dinner:  Crock-Pot Herb Pork Roast w/ Baked Apples and Roasted Carrots and Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pudding
This pork roast looks excellent.  However, having tried the insert the garlic clove pieces into the roast technique before to mixed results, I'm going to instead microplane the garlic and use it in the rub.  The pumpkin pudding recipe I'm going to make without the protein powder.  I'm thinking it's going to be sort of like Pumpkin Panna Cotta.

Monday:  Pork & Noodle StirFry
I'm going to save a bit of the pork roast to make a stir-fry.  Asian-style sauces are always a bit of a challenge with our dietary restrictions, so I may just have to pull out some ingredients beforehand for DS who will be happy with things plain. 

Tuesday:  Turkey Souiza over Cornbread with Sauteed Greens
I should call this my south by southwest meal.  I'm modifying the turkey recipe -- adding some coconut milk into regular corn for the "creamed corn" and some coconut milk yogurt for the sour cream probably with a little extra lemon juice to give it some tang.  My usual cornbread recipe has eggs and AP flour in it, so I'm going to try a gluten-free recipe I found on recipezaar.

Wednesday: Dinner at Church
They're having very not DS-safe chicken and dumplings, so I'll pack him his own dinner. 

Thursday:  Pumpkin Risotto w/ Grilled Chicken-Apple Sausage & Green Salad
I love risotto and this recipe sounds like fun.  I'll probably use butternut squash unless I can find a pie pumpkin at the store.    

Friday:  Leftovers
I'm going out for a girls' night out!  DH and the kids can clean out the fridge or raid the pantry.

Saturday:  Out
DH and I are going to a party.  The kids will probably just each hotdogs or similar.

Oven Baked Fries

We have been making sweet potato fries for quite awhile but have never really taken the time to work out a technique for classic french fries.  Frozen fries and tater tots are hard to find because almost all of them involve soybean oil.  We used to buy some great frozen fries from Alexia, but our usual source (Costco) hasn't had them in lately.  Plus they're not cheap...this is certainly MUCH cheaper.

We've tried frying a few times, but it's such a mess and I hate the smell of grease.  Blech!  So the oven it is and with a french fry cutter and a rimmed baking sheet with a rack it's pretty easy.

Oven Baked Fries (serves 3-4)
4 small russet potatoes* (4-6" long), peeled
1 T olive oil
1 t kosher salt
herbs/seasoning salt (opt)
*the size that comes in the 5lb bags not the big baking potatoes

1. Preheat the oven to 450F.  
2. Cut the potatoes using a french fry cutter (smaller sized squares work better) and place them in a large microwave safe dish.  I usually use an 8" square pyrex.
3. Microwave the potatoes for 5-7 min (depending on the strength of your microwave).  Ours is fairly wimpy so I went with 7.
4. While they're still in the pyrex add the olive oil and seasonings and turn them to coat. 
5. Place a baking rack on a large (9x13+) rimmed baking sheet.
6. Using tongs place the fries on the baking rack in a single layer.  This is a little tedious, but if you do it now you won't have to do any turning later.
7. Bake for 15-20 min. til done.  

That's it.  They're soft on the inside and reasonably crispy on the outside.  It's not like deep-frying but it is a passable substitute.

Kofta/ Meatball Kebabs

Yet another bastardization of a classic ethnic dish.  These are great just plain, or you could thread them along with veggies for a more complete meal.  My kids really like these.

Kofta (serves 4)
~1lb ground meat* (I've used beef, turkey, lamb)
1 t onion powder
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t cinnamon
3/4t Hungarian paprika
*These turn out better with slightly fattier meat - 85/15

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a rimmed baking sheet with lightly oiled aluminum foil.
   
2. Place spices in a large bowl and mix well.
3. Add in meat and mix thoroughly.
4. Shape into small approx. 1" meatballs.
5. Thread onto skewers (I've found metal ones work best) and place on the prepared baking pan.
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes.  Remove and drain on paper towels for a few minutes.

These are great served over rice or couscous.  Or you could put them in pita with hummus, tahini, or tzatziki.