Weekly Meals

Here's whats on for this week!

• Meatloaf muffins with Mashed cauliflower. For my mashed cauliflower I cut one head of cauliflower into florets and steam until fork tender. While the cauliflower is steaming I saute some onion (maybe 1/4-1/2 cup) and a couple of cloves of garlic. When everything is done combine onion and garlic mixture with cauliflower in a food processor or blender along with chicken broth/coconut milk/regular milk and some salt & pepper to taste (chives also make a delicious addition). Blend until smooth!
• Breakfast skillet - I used up the leftover pork from our previous meal of pulled pork sliders for this one. Simply boil/roast some little potatoes then combine with pork and some onion in a skillet. You can either add eggs and do a scramble or just crack the eggs on top and bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes until the whites & yolks are set
• 7 vegetable soup - I skipped the nutritional yeast in this recipe and didn't find that it was really lacking in anything. Next time I might add it in to experience some of the cheesy flavor

Weekly Meals

29 weeks pregnant and definitely thinking I need to simplify our meals a little bit! I love cooking and creating in the kitchen but some recipes are just too time intensive at this point. There are several on this weeks meal plan that will take a little extra time. Next week: Mac and cheese with hot dogs every night hah.
Most of the recipes I cook are either grain/dairy free or I adjust it to fit our dietary needs. Feel free to do the same! The pancakes and waffles for this week are both completely grain free and the "rice" in the mexican rice bowls is of the cauliflower variety. Enjoy!

• Bacon and onion Roast
• Lemon Raspberry pancakes with Summer veggie salad (LOVE those zucchini curls!)
• Mexican Rice Bowls with paleo corn bread
• Sweet Pulled Pork Waffle Sliders
• Chicken Thighs - simplest meal in the world and I think I've made some variation every week for the past month or so... Grab a pack of either boneless, skinless thighs or bone in skinless thighs and throw them in a dutch oven with some olive oil (or butter or coconut oil), salt and pepper, and fresh herbs. Cook at 375 until internal temperature reads 165. The time varies greatly depending on the size of the thighs but I've found it generally takes around 20-30 min

xoxo-Leah

4 Ingredient Homemade Salsa

Continuing the theme from a few weeks ago, I thought I would share another super easy recipe to use up some produce from your garden. Not only is it easy but it is seriously amazing. I have made it three times already since discovering the recipe two weeks ago. I am trying not to think about the bags of chips my husband and I have gone through while eating it... eeek!

The best part is that it only requires 4 ingredients:

• ~ 6 medium tomatoes
• 2 Tbls. garlic salt
• 1 jalapenos pepper
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro

You can adjust the amount of tomatoes or peppers based on your personal preference. If you make it and it is too spicy just throw in another tomato or two. Alternately if you like it super hot you could add another pepper... I will just warn you though that we like it spicy and one pepper is plenty (but of course some peppers are spicier than others).

 

First, turn your oven onto broil and roast your pepper for 10-15 minutes (or until browned). Once it is done remove the stem and chop it up (if you do not like your salsa too spicy you can scrape out the seeds before you chop it). 

 

While your waiting for your pepper to cook you can chop up your cilantro and tomatoes.

 

Put all your chopped ingredients along with the garlic salt in the blender. Blend until there are no more big chunks left. It doesn't take very long and be careful not to blend it too much because you will make pure liquid!

 

Ok that is it, now just grab a bag of chips and enjoy! I do not have a picture of the finished product... we may have eaten it all before I realized I didn't take a picture. This salsa is seriously so delicious and super easy! Every single person that has tried it has asked for the recipe... so your welcome :)

Weekly Meals

Wow, what an exhausting week. All of the rain we have been getting here in Northern Colorado has caused some damage to our house so its been a stressful week with not much sleep for me or the hubbs. Haven't really been feeling the whole meal planning thing lately but I force myself to do it each week because a hungry mommy = disaster for all. Getting me through this evening: Christmas music on Pandora. Early? Most definitely but it always raises my spirits!

• Crock pot beef carnitas tacos with these delicious black beans . A note for the black beans: I love making my own black beans because they are so delicious and so cheap! An easy way to do it without having your range on all day is to just soak the beans over night, drain, throw them in your crock pot and cover with water and put on low for 10 hours. 
• Just place chicken thighs in a dutch oven with salt, pepper, a few cloves of crushed garlic, some fresh herbs (rosemary and thyme and Ah-mazing) and some olive oil. Bake at 375 until they reach an internal temp of 165
• Vegan Shiitake mushroom gravy - don't let the vegan turn you off, the is some of the best gravy I've ever had, vegan or no. Amazing flavor from the mushrooms and so comforting for these fall days!
• I love this Sunshine breakfast baked oatmeal recipe. I usually use a mix of berries for ours and it always turns out so yummy. Make a double batch and have leftovers for breakfast!

What are you eating this week?

xoxo-Leah

Fridge Pickles.

I tried making my own pickles for the first time last week and OH MY GOODNESS.... so delicious!!! We  I gobbled up both jars in a matter of days. I have always wanted to try my hand at it but for some reason thought it would be complicated. Well the good new is, it is actually quite the opposite! I did a quick pinterest search and found this post as my inspiration. I can't tell you exact measurements of everything because I kind of just guessed but I will give you an approximate. I will say that next time I will be adding more dill and a tad less garlic though :)

Does anyone else have any cucumbers still growing in their garden? If so, you definitely need to try this ASAP if you are a pickle lover too!

For one pint sized jar, you will need approximately:

• 1-2 cucumbers
• Fresh dill (2x more than pictured below probably)
• ~1/2 cup white vinegar
• ~1/2 cup water
• 1 heaping tsp black peppercorns
• 2 tsp salt
• 1-2 garlic cloves 
• 48 hours of patience and self control

Chop cucumbers into spears (or whatever shape you desire):

Fill each jar about 1/4 -1/3 of the way full with vinegar and then add water until it is about half full (you can always add more liquid at the end if needed but the picture below shows how much liquid I used and after adding my cucumbers it was the perfect amount). Next add 2 teaspoons of salt to each jar:

Add a clove or two of garlic to each jar:

And the peppercorns:

Add some dill (I added more at the end as well) and your jars are ready for your cucumber spears!

Shove as many cucumbers as you can into your jars and then add more dill to the top and sides:

Now just put a lid on your jar and stick it in the fridge for 48 hours. I couldn't wait nearly that long to try them... but although they were tasty, they get better the longer they sit! That is it. Pretty easy and the result is so delicious. Supposedly you can re-use the liquid and just revamp it with some more spices... I have not tried that yet though.

 

This was my fist attempt at making pickles so I am no expert by any means but I thought they were super tasty! Have you ever tried making pickles before? What tips or favorite recipes do you have for me?

Homemade baby food

So unfortunately I always think to take pictures after I'm done doing something so I apologize in advanced! I wanted to give you all some homemade baby food recipes, just in case your like me and are always looking for ideas!

Pumpkin and Banana:
Just as easy as it sounds!
~1 16oz can of pumpkin
~2 ripe bananas

Blend until smooth. You can also add a little cinnamon if you want to get crazy!

Broccoli, pear, and apple:
I'm always tyring to make sure Bentley is eating enough veggies, this insures that he is but because of the pear and apple he doesn't know it!
~ a head of broccoli
~2 green apples
~1 pare

 After washing cut everything up into chucks and put them into a steamer. (If you don't have a steaming basket you can always put them in a shallow pan with a little water. Make sure you watch it, you may need to add water!) When your fruits and veggies are nice and tender drain and blend until smooth.

Berries and Greens
again this one helps you get in all those delicious greens!
~ 1 cup of a green medley (kale,spinach,chard)
~ 1 cup of mixed berries (fresh or frozen)
~ 1/2 cup Greek yogurt

If you use frozen berries make sure to defrost them first. Put everything in your blender and...you guessed it, blend until smooth!

Let me know what you think and if you have any yummy recipes to share.
xoxo Tara

Weekly Meals

After a verrry long hiatus from meal planning and cooking in general I'm back in the game. We moved from the Pacific Northwest to Colorado a month ago and life has been pretty chaotic since then. Here is our first meal plan from our new  home in Colorado.

• Hamburgers: kept it super simple and mixed the meat with some salt, garlic powder, and black pepper then made thin patties and cooked them stove top in a cast iron skillet (we are without grill and oven for now). They were amazing. I cooked the mushrooms simultaneously until they started getting soft and releasing their juices. The mushrooms acted as buns and we topped them with the usual ketchup and mustard. 
• Taco salad: love taco salad because its so easy and versatile. We did ground turkey this time over romaine and spinach with salsa, guac, pinto beans, and red bell pepper (+corn chips for the hubbs and baby). 
• Quinoa Fried Rice : first time making this recipe and LOVED it. So easy and comes together quickly. I cut up some snow peas, red bell pepper, and zucchini to have with ours along with a couple of chicken breasts. Makes great leftovers too!
• Breakfast for dinner: this week we rocked some Paleo Pancakes, eggs, and chicken breakfast sausage

What's on your menu for the week? Would love to hear new ideas/recipes, this mamma needs some cooking inspiration

xoxo-Leah

Weekly meals

Another week, another menu! We will be traveling some so its a short list this week.

• BBQ Chicken - Throw a few chicken breasts into your crock pot and top with your favorite BBQ sauce then cook on high for 4-6 hours. Shred chicken and enjoy on rolls or try mixing it up and having it over some crunchy romaine lettuce
• Sweet potato fries - cut 1 large sweet potato into wedges, drizzle with olive oil, and salt & pepper then bake at 450 for 15 minute, flip, then bake for 10 minutes more
• Asian Style Meatballs
• Crispy southwestern quinoa chicken burritos - delicious in burrito format but also just as a plain quinoa salad dish, with or without cheese ( I use goat gouda)

Weekly Meals

I've got some delicious ones for you this week folks. Here's the lineup:

• Sopapilla Pancakes, eggs, & Baked bacon: preheat oven to 350. Put an oven safe cooling rack on a foil lined (rimmed) baking sheet and lay your bacon in a single layer on the cooling rack. Bake in the oven for 20-25 min or until desired crispiness is reached. 
• Meatloaf & Mashed Cauliflower: cut florets off one head of cauliflower and boil until soft. Drain and use an immersion blender, blender, or food processor to process until smooth. Add a few Tbs butter and salt/garlic powder to taste 
• Flat bread pizzas: one of our favorite dinners! Trader Joe's has some amazing bread called Lavash bread. Its thinner than a pita but thicker than a tortilla. You could of course make these with any type of flat-ish bread. Preheat the oven to 375, spread a thin layer of marinara or preferred sauce on a sheet of flat bread and add toppings. We like black olives, artichoke hearts, pepperoni, ground turkey, red onion, etc. bake for 5-10 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. Watch them carefully as they cook fast! The great thing about these little pizzas is their versatility and how light they are. 
• Chicken Cacciatore

Weekly Meals

This weeks meals are pretty simple! Here's whats cooking this week:

• Special dinner - growing up my husbands family would have "special dinner" every so often.  I quickly embraced the idea and we have special dinner around here pretty frequently. I'll give you the run down: around here it consists of popcorn (from Trader Joe's of course, usually a couple of different kinds), fruit (apples and peaches this time of year), meat (usually a nice salami), and nuts, cheese, and veggies + hummus. I like to try something new out each time like a package of yummy looking dried fruit or maybe some special crackers that I don't usually buy. Special dinner is perfect for the days when:
•  You are stuck in a cooking rut and can't stand another minute in the kitchen
• You've been running errands all day and just want to lay on the couch instead of cooking dinner
• You want to have an impromptu/casual date with your man
• Carnitas
• Salad - The salads were very straight forward. We just grilled our sausages and had those on the side. I put the grilled peaches and walnuts on the salad and made this amazing liquid gold salad dressing for the top! The salad would taste great with some soft goat cheese on it too

What's in my grocery bag: Trader Joe's

I thought it would be fun to do a little overview of what I tend to buy on my weekly trip to Trader Joe's. If you are lucky enough to live near a Trader Joe's you know the joy of being able to grocery shop there. They have so many different and delicious products to choose from, it really makes grocery shopping fun! Another added bonus: none of the Trader Joe's name brand products contain any GMOs.

I always head to Trader Joe's first when I go grocery shopping because all of their products are super affordable and I find that I end up spending less money overall when I buy as much on my grocery list as I can there

I have found that TJ's has a great selection of organic produce (depending on what you buy and like) some organic things I buy each week: zucchini, bell peppers, spinach, romaine, power to the greens (kale, spinach, chard). This time of year they also have their little crates of peaches which we LOVE. We usually go through one a week. I always buy my almond flour there as well because it is so affordable. This popcorn deserves (and will get) its own post but for now I will just tell you that it is heavenly and you should try it as soon as you can (hard to resist at only $1.99/bag!).

From the refrigerated section I usually pick up yogurts (organic cows for Jeff and cultured coconut for me and Lew), coconut or almond milk, and our frozen fruit. Trader Joe's has, hands down, the least expensive frozen fruit I've found. We generally pick up a bag of frozen pineapple, very cherry berry blend (black cherries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries), and blueberries. 

Canned goods vary from week to week but I always get my almond butter, peanut butter, and jam at Trader Joe's. They have the best quality for the best value. The jam pictured left comes in 3 varieties: raspberry, strawberry, and super fruit. Its organic, and is only sweetened with fruit juice. I'm a huge fan of their jumbo stuffed olives and will buy either garlic or jalapeno stuffed. In these summer months I tend to crave artichokes on everything from salads to pizza so those have been making regular appearances in the grocery cart as well

I must say that Trader Joe's is the best grocery store I have ever been to. Awesome products and amazing prices make grocery shopping a true joy, even with a little one in tow. 

If you want to read more about goodies from Trader Joe's check out the Tuesday Treasure at Trader Joe's posts over at Fancy Nonsense

xoxo- Leah

Weekly meals

This week it is HOT here is Washington. The first real week of summer we have had here so far and it is such a huge change from the mild, rainy days that we have been having for the past 7 months. I hardly feel like cooking at all in this heat but, well, we have to eat. Anything special going on your menu for the 4th?  Here is the menu for this week

• Salmon kabobs
• Sweet potato foil packets - I used a large golden sweet potato and cut it into 1/2 inch chunks. Put the chunks onto a large piece of foil and drizzle with olive oil/butter and honey. Fold up the edges of the foil to make a packet and throw it on the grill for 20-30 minutes
• Carnitas
• Zucchini noodles (we've had this 2 weeks in a row because its so easy and light for summer!)
• Pesto noodles - 3/4 of a package of penne (or whichever shape noodle you like best. I use brown rice noodles from Trader Joe's). Mix the cooked noodles with artichokes, a few handfuls of spinach, cooked ground turkey/beef/chicken. Add a container of pesto and salt and pepper to taste, enjoy! Some other yummy additives: walnuts, mushrooms, Parmesan cheese

Also on the menu for this week:

• Sunshine breakfast baked oatmeal - I'll make it with peaches and blueberries because that is what I have on hand. I'll also make some coconut milk whipped cream sweetened with maple syrup for the top!

Your morning cup

I recently started drinking coffee in the morning. I enjoy the way it make the house smell and the little extra boost it gives me after along night with Bentley! I'm still nursing so I have to be careful with my caffeine intake, with that being said I wanted to find something I really enjoyed.  I didn't want to waste my one cup of caffeine on a boring cup of coffee. I found this idea on the blog Turnip Tootsie and have been doing it ever since. By just adding a little cinnamon to your coffee grounds before brewing you are left with a great flavor! I like to add just a hint of vanilla creamer but if you want to save the calories, it would be just as tasty without it.


let me know what you think
xoxo-Tara

Weekly meals

I have to say that all of last weeks meals were delicious and super simple to prepare. When summer time rolls around it almost seems like a crime against nature being stuck in the kitchen slaving away over a hot stove. The rhubarb cream cheese hand pies were so delicious and the perfect treat after a long day. Here is what I have planned for this week:

• Shepherd's pie muffins
• Zucchini noodles & Meatballs
• Crock pot BBQ chicken - throw 3 chicken breasts into a crock pot and season with salt & pepper. Cover with your favorite BBQ sauce (I love Trader Joe's all natural BBQ sauce), and cook on high for 6 hours. At 5 1/2 hours shred chicken and cook with the lid off for 30 more minutes to thicken the sauce
• Chicken and beef kabobs - Cut chicken and beef into 2 inch squares and marinate in your favorite steak sauce/marinade for 2 - 4 hours. Assemble your kabobs by alternating meat with your favorite veggies: bell pepper, sweet onion, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms

Weekly meals

Here's whats on the menu this week. What are you cooking up?

• Cornbread mexican pizza (can make with regular cornbread too!)
• Twice baked stuffed sweet potatoes
• Thai coconut curry with chicken
• Salad tacos

Another goody on the menu:

• Rhubarb cream cheese hand pies

xoxo-Leah

Weekly meals

After a little hiatus from the meal planning world I'm back with a new menu for this week! What's your plan for the week?

• Oven baked tacos & mexican rice
• Roast chicken thighs - I have been roasting chicken thighs more and more lately. They are inexpensive and SO delicious when roasted. I was inspired by a recipe from the Smitten Kitchen cookbook for roast chicken. All I did was: preheat the oven to 425. Place fingerling potatoes in the bottom of a roasting dish/cast iron skillet and drizzle with a little olive oil. Cut the fat off the thighs and season well with salt. Place thighs on top of the potatoes in the skillet and roast for 30-35 min or until a meat thermometer reads 165. Such a delicious meal, please try!

Roasted root vegetable soup for baby

I made this a few weeks ago and my little guy absolutely loved it! Adapted from this recipe by Ina Garten this soup is the perfect meal for baby all year round.

xoxo - Leah

Guest post {at fancy nonsense}.

Head on over to Fancy Nonsense today to check out our post on snacks for your little ones!

Here is a peek at one of the many great ideas:

Weekly meals

Happy Mother's day!
Meals this week are quick and easy with an emphasis on breakfast :) We love bread over here but have been eating less and less lately for health reasons, hence the paleo pancakes and baked french toast.

• Authentic Kung Pao Chicken
• Banana Pancakes
• Sweet and Sour Chicken
• Baked Blueberry French Toast

I bought a huge basil plant from Trader Joe's a few weeks ago and decided to make some pesto to go with our scrambled eggs this weekend. The pesto was so delicious I just have to share the recipe with you! Put it on pizza, noodles, eggs, sandwiches, etc, etc.

xoxo-Leah

Weekly Meals

Most of this weeks meals have a little Asian flare, a complete coincidence! Do you ever have a week where most of your meals look the same?

*Stir fried kelp noodles with beef and broccoli slaw

*Pad thai chicken

*Tandoori Chicken with Cauliflower rice

*Stuffed Mushroom caps with rosemary beets (didn't get around to making them last week)

*Salmon (coconut oil, sea salt, & crushed pecans) with butternut squash and roasted veggies

*Frittata (a weekly staple over here) I usually make ours with whatever leftover veggies we have & goat cheese. Sautee the veggies then pour in the eggs / spices / cheese and bake at 350 until set

I also want to try my hand at this raw chocolate tart sometime soon!

xoxo-Leah