in the kitchen-a weekly plan

Why is it so hard to get dinner on the table the last few weeks of the school year?  I managed to get my act together last week! I hope these meal ideas and my notes help you with at least one dinner this week. 

Meal 1::
Best-Ever Barbecued Ribs and Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

I have posted about these ribs before, but this time we were able to throw them on the grill.  Seriously, the BEST ever [the title does not lie!].  The macaroni salad was excellent as the side.  Great for cookouts or potlucks. 

Meal 2::
PF Changs "healthier" Lettuce Wraps

I used San-J Gluten Free Thai Peanut Marinade and Dipping sauce instead of the Hoisin and Bragg Liquid Aminos instead of soy sauce. [Two easy swaps and this is gluten free.]  I doubled the sauce portion of the recipe but didn't mix it in with the turkey.  I simply put it in a bowl so we could put a little sauce on each wrap.  These wraps are packed with flavor-you won't miss any of the fat!

Meal 3::
Spicy Fish and Potato Soup

A light and easy to make soup.  Don't skip the celery leaves, chives and bacon on top.  They make the soup go from good to fantastic!

Meal 4::
Chipotle Short Ribs and Tangy Cabbage Slaw

My grocery story did not have boneless short ribs.  The butcher suggested flat iron steak cut into 2-inch pieces instead.  He did not steer me wrong!  Throw this in the slow cooker and dinner is ready when you are.  Full of flavor, and great when paired with the tang of the slaw. 

{Images 1 and 2 by Where is June?}
{Images 3 and 4 by Raymond Hom for Real Simple}

a weekly plan-top meals

It has been so great to be able to share my weekly dinner plans with you!  The feedback I have received has been so postitive!  We are all so, so busy and having a plan for dinner makes it easier to eat well and stay sane!  Last week was unusual.  The amazing weather kept us busy [in a GREAT way!] all weekend, so I fell short on making my own plan for the week.  With out-of-the-ordinary sunshine, multiple evening events, practice schedules, and my husband out of town on business....I barely pieced together our meals.  So, I decided to share recipes that were reader favorites and one of my own.  [I have had kale, avocado & egg toast multiple times since posting about it!]

Have a great week!  If you haven't tried these recipes they are all delicious and worth putting on your menu.  

Potsticker Burgers

Asian Fried Quinoa

Shrimp Tacos

Skillet-Poached Hueovos Rancheros

Pancake Muffins

Kale, egg, avocado toast
 

[images via recipe sources.  all links included]

in the kitchen-a weekly plan

Oh, the weather outside is LOVELY...but we all still need to eat.  This is when a plan for the week is crucial.  No one wants to think about what to make for dinner when the sun is shining!  No need to think, just find a meal from our week's worth of meals.  You are bound to find at least one.  [I highly recommend the kale, egg, & avocado toast.  delicious!]

Meal 1::  Chicken and Cashews

Meal 2::  Coconut-Curry Beef

The flavors of this slow-cooker beef was great.  However, the recipe calls for 4 hours on low.  When using chuck roast, you will need to cook it more like 7 hours on low for the beef to be tender.  But since it is in the slow cooker it is no big deal.  We had this on a baseball night.  We arrived home after the game and dinner was ready!

Meal 3::  kale, egg & avocado toast

My favorite meal of the week. Clean, simple and so incredibly delicious.  Kind of like breakfast for dinner, but savory for sure!

Meal 4::  Skillet cornbread  [gluten free] and Chili
I used mixes for both.
Cornbread:  Pamela's Cornbread and Muffin Mix
Chili:  Bear Creek Country Kitchens "Darn Good Chili" Mix

I followed the directions for skillet cornbread on the packaging and it turned out perfect.  [A tablespoon of butter in the hot pan may have had something to do with it.]  I have used the chili mix many times before.  It is ready in 25 minutes.  You simply add water and tomato paste. 

PS.   We had takeout for meal 5.  I live in the real world too!

{Photo credit: 1. Randy Mayor  2. Kate Sears  3. love & lemons}

in the kitchen- a weekly plan

This week included leftovers and a kid chosen meal.  Not everything is gourmet in this house.  I hope you have a great week ahead and can find at least one meal to make for dinner.  I made two recipes from America's Test Kitchen magazines.  Unfortunately, they don't allow you to access recipes online unless you have a paid subscription.  I had to type the recipes, thus the long post today:

Meal 1::  Weeknight Turkey Bolognese (recipe after the jump)
This was a great recipe but very much a Sunday meal.  Took over 40 minutes, which I consider too long for a weeknight.  There were tons of leftovers, so this will give you one additional meal during the week.

Meal 2::  Italian Cobb Salad
I posted about this salad earlier this week.  Great for a night when you are making dinner at 8pm.  

Meal 3:: Mom's Famous Sliders
Not really famous, except with my family.  I add low sodium soy sauce and Lawry's seasoning to the ground beef.  This recipe's high note is to serve the sliders on King's Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls.  Who can resist?

Meal 4:: Chicken with Butter Beans and Chorizo (recipe after the jump)
This one skillet meal is easy and tasty.  I used chicken chorizo from Whole Foods, but any link sausage would probably work.

in the kitchen-a weekly plan

Our week was crazy busy!  Although I had my plan for dinners, obtaining the groceries to make the planned meals is essential.  I will have to do a better job next week because I was a mad woman on 3 of the nights trying to hustle to the store between drop offs and pick ups.  In the spirit of full disclosure and keeping it real, one night I resorted to chicken salad sandwiches.  So here it is.  Hope you find at least one meal for next week!

Meal 1::
Posole
I had never used pork tenderloin in stew or soup before.  It was a great change of pace.

Meal 2::
Spicy Turkey Meatloaf
I sauteed the onions, mushrooms and garlic and mixed the meatloaf in the afternoon.  After dropping off Little Man at baseball, I ran home and put it in the oven.  This was a super tasty meatloaf and the seasoned ketchup topping was a great addition.

Meal 3::
Shrimp Tacos
My dear husband loves these tacos.  {I have made them before.}  He voted this is as his favorite meal this week.  You can easily make the slaw ahead of time.  This meal comes together in a matter of minutes. 

Meal 4::
Yep. Quick and easy.  Don't judge.

Chicken Salad
Diced chicken breast [I used a rotisserie chicken from the deli.]
Red seedless grapes -sliced in half
2-3 Celery stalks-diced into bite size pieces
Pecan pieces- [If you are an overachiever you could toast them in the oven for 3-5 minutes]
1/4 cup of Poppy seed salad dressing [I used Newman's Own.]

Combine all ingredients and chill.  Serve on bread or rolls of your choice.  

Meal 5::
Beef with Snow Peas
I do want to try this recipe because it sounds delicious. [If you make it, let me know how it is!] However, I totally cheated.  If you want to "fake" it like me.....I cut flank steak super thin, used a bottle of marinade, sauteed snow peas and green onions with the steak, and served it over quinoa.  


{top image via myrecipes.com}

in the kitchen-a weekly plan

Our week of meals.  I hope you can find at least one meal for your menu next week.  And yes, I may have a small obsession with quinoa.  You can always substitute rice in its place. 
{Do you have a friend that would find these plans helpful?  There are easy share buttons at the end of the post.  Please help me spread the love! Thank you so much for reading.}

Meal 1 ::
Best-Ever Barbequed Ribs [sans the barbeque]
These really are amazing ribs on the grill.  We made them all summer.  Big W begged for ribs, but I wasn't about to step outside to the barbeque with the temp hovering around 45 degrees.  They are pretty delicious right out of the oven too.  [I used Rub with Love Smokey Barbeque Rub.]

Meal 2 ::
Spicy Chicken Sandwiches

These had a kick...in a good way.  My kids don't like "spicy", so I left a few pieces out of the marinade and made them plain chicken fingers with the tortilla chip crumbs.  It was an easy solution and we were all still eating the same meal!  [You could easily use breadcrumbs and bake the chicken as an alternative to pan frying.]

Meal 3::
Breakfast for dinner.  You choose.  We had french toast and chicken sausage.  Everyone loves breakfast for dinner in my house!

Meal 4::
Asian Fried Quinoa
I modified this recipe a bit.  I didn't have a lot of time for dicing and shredding veggies, so I used a package of shredded carrots, cabbage and broccoli from the produce section.  Tasted great, and saved a ton of time.

Meal 5::
Chicken and Dumplings {gluten free}
This recipe uses gluten free Bisquick.  The dumpling are light and fluffy, but you can use regular Bisquick and follow the directions on the box.  I used fresh carrots and celery [instead of a frozen mix] and a rotisserie chicken from the deli.  This was my husband's favorite meal of the week!

Bonus Meal::
Tinga Poblana Pulled Pork Tacos

 Our non traditional Easter dinner.  Delicious topped with slaw and guacamole.

Sweet Treat::
The best rice crispy treat you have every tasted.  Hands down.  Posted here if you missed it!

{salted brown butter crispy treats | recipe by smitten kitchen}

in the kitchen-a weekly plan

Our week of dinners.  My hope is that you can find one meal to make this week.  {My absolute favorite this week was the Pot Sticker Burgers.  Oh. my. goodness!] I am "off" next week.  Spring Break = a week of no cooking for this mom.  I will post again once I am back in the kitchen.

Monday:
Quinoa Black Bean Burrito bowl

Tuesday:
Spicy Brown Sugar Salmon with Chopped salad with fried garbanzo beans 
**We put our salmon on the grill using a cedar plank.  The rub is fantastic!

Wednesday:
Paleo Potsticker Burger with Spicy Asian Slaw

 

**This recipe calls for Coconut Aminos.  This is a soy free substitute for soy sauce.  Since we are gluten free in my house, this was a great find!  I was too lazy to run to Whole Foods....Amazon Prime to the rescue.  {Find Coconut Aminos here.}

Thursday:

 Just plain old hamburgers.  Dinner without a recipe or new ingredients was the perfect choice!  Yes, there were frozen fries served for a side.  Little Man was very happy. 

in the kitchen- a weekly plan

Day 1- Quinoa and Roasted Pepper Chili
I actually made this on Monday, but this would be ideal for Sunday dinner.  [I prefer to keep prep for weekday meals under 45 minutes and this recipe took about an hour.]  I could not find the tomatoes with chipotle chiles, so I just used fire roasted diced tomatoes.  You could add one diced chipotle pepper if you want the heat.

Day 2-  baked potato topped with left over chili
Serve leftover chili on baked potatoes.  Dress it up with chopped green onion, sliced avocado, sour cream and hot sauce.

in the kitchen- a weekly plan

With lives busier than ever, I felt like I needed to make myself a plan for getting dinner on the table.  Winging it wasn't working for me during the week.  I thought why not share with all of you what we ate for the week?  Hopefully you can get at least one idea for dinner next week.  I plan to post on Saturdays.  Let me know what you think.

*All dinner recipes are gluten-free.  Because that's how we roll!

Sunday:  steak with mushroom sauce and cauliflower puree
This recipe called for skirt steak.  My grocery store didn't have that available, so the butcher suggested flat iron as a good substitute.  The mushrooms and wine sauce were delicious!

Monday:  steak, mushrooms and wilted spinach
Cut the left over steak into bite size pieces.  Add sliced mushrooms and the steak in a skillet until mushrooms are cooked through.  Last, add 1 cup of spinach to the skillet until wilted.  Fast and easy.

Tuesday: spicy chicken and hominy soup

Wednesday:  skillet-poached huevos rancheros
This was ready in less than 15 minutes.  I had a kid distraction while poaching the eggs.  They ended up cooked all the way through instead of being poached and this dish was still delicious.

Thursday:  open faced sausage sandwich
I had a evening meeting, so I left the sausage and the sauce simmering on the stove until my husband was ready to eat.  I simply used a bottle of marinara, one [chopped] red pepper, and fully cooked [sliced] Italian sausage.  Simmer all on low until warmed through.  Serve on an open faced roll.  Top with peperoncini peppers and mozzarella cheese.

Friday:  Parents' night out  [can I get an amen!]
I ordered pizza for my guys and the sitter, but came across this super idea for pizza in the crockpot.  Might have to give it a try.  


Have a wonderful week in your kitchen.