Read title and then sing, all by myself, don't wanna be all by myself.... O.K. it's not actually that pathetic, it just happens to be a busy week for Dave at work and he's going to be home late all week, which for us is after supper but before bedtime. He use to work a different job and was late all the time and worked most weekends, it was crazy. Now every few months he has a busy week or two and I can't possibly understand how I did it before, how soon we adjust! Since our week is so hectic I chose meals that are easy to prepare and left the couple that have more prep for the weekend.
Menu
Monday: Fried Rice
Tuesday: Tomato and Chickpea Soup with Steamed BroccoliWednesday: Lentil Stew
Thursday: Bean and Cheese Quesadillas with Mexi-Salad
Friday: Cannelloni with Salad
Saturday: Salt and Pepper Shrimp with Bruschetta and Wild Mushrooms
Sunday: Baked Beans, Molasses Bread, Coleslaw with Peas and Corn
***Sunday is a crockpot meal and needs to be started 9 hours before dinner***
Pantry Items for the Week
seasame oil, olive oil. vegetable oil, white vinegar, rice vinegar, sage, mustard powder, cumin, fresh garlic, ketsup, molasses, brown sugar, yeast, flour, oatmeal, salt, shortnening (6 Tbsp), baking powder, vegetable broth powder
Weekly Shopping List
eggs
cheddar cheese (optional)
parmesan or romano cheese
feta cheese (optional)
500 g ricotta cheese (I use light)
sour cream
package of fresh pasta sheets
8 sprigs of green onion
1 red onion
cabbage or bag of coleslaw mix
3 yellow onions
1 cup green beans
1 carrot
frozen peas
frozen corn
fresh ginger
cilantro
broccoli
red skinned potatoes (8 oz, 2 or 3)
bunch of spinach
fresh mint (1/4 cup)
1 lemon
jar of roasted red peppers or 1 red pepper to roast at home
package baby arugala
lettus
3 tomatoes
1 lime
1 cucumber
1 cup brown lentils
tomato sauce, or whatever you use to make your favorite one or 28 oz tin of whole canned tomatoes
brown rice
small pasta
pine nuts (1/4 cup - this is for a side salad)
1/4 cups slivered almonds
1/4 cups sunflower seeds
1 package veggie Japanese noodles (ichiban, Mr. Noodle...)
1 pound dry navy beans
2 - 28oz cans of tomatoes
1 19 oz can of white kidney beans
1 19oz can of chickpeas
1 carton of veggie stock
salsa
flour or corn tortillas (or make your own with things you already have)
Baguette
Bread (good multi grain one if you are not going to make one)
Fried Rice
I've actually never made fried rice before, but have had it many times and thought it would be a great way to use up my leftovers...I just should have looked up how to make it before I attempted it. The flavour was good but, I kind of scambled the egg in with the rice and you are actually suppose to fry the egg(s) on the bottom, top with the rice and flip. So ours had kind of a mushy texture, although no one complained and they ate it up, I wasn't a fan. So I have done some research and have adjusted the recipe.
Recipe
4 cups brown rice, cooked
3 green onions, sliced
1 cup green beans, cut in inch pieces
1 carrot, chopped
1 cup peas
2 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, pressed
2 Tbsp sesame oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
These are the veggies I used, but you could really use whatever you have in your fridge to use up. I store leftover cooked rice in ziplock bags in the freezer. Saute the carrots in the oil until slightly soft, add the beans, onions, ginger and garlic and cook until all is soft. Add the rice and peas stirring until heated, push the rice mixture to the side of the pan (if you have no room in your pan , remove mixture and add it back after the egg, fry up the eggs, breaking up with your spoon, add the rice and veggies back in when egg is cooked and mix together frying for a few more minutes and serve. You can top with a little say sauce or hoisin or eat it just as is.
Tomato and Chickpea Soup and Steamed Broccoli
I know that traditionally soup and salad seem to go well together but my kids love broccoli. Broccoli is always protrayed as a kid hated food but, my kids can't get enough of it. I actually heard Dave say tonight, no more brocoli until you have some soup! So, soup and broccoli.
The recipe for this soup is from a cookbook called Quick from Scratch Soups and Salad Cookbook. I love this soup, we often have it with grill cheese sandwiches (I can't get enough of tomato soup and grill cheese sandwhiches) but I felt that we'd been eating a lot of cheese lately and forwent the grill cheese. I have made a few really good soups out of this cookbook and am really impressed with it. I think that I am most impressed with it because Dave bought it for me for 76 cents (no that is not a typo), it's hardcovered and has pictures!
Recipeolive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic 2 - 28oz cans tomatoes, pureed
2 cups of veggie stock
2 cups of water
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsps sage
1 19 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup small pasta
1/3 cup parmesan or romano
1/3 cup parsley (I use cilantro)
Chop onion and saute in a little oil until soft. Add the garlic and saute for a minute then add the tomatoes, veggie stock, water, sage and salt and bring to a boil. Once the soup is boiling add the chickpeas and pasta, bring back to boiling and simmer over low until the pasta is tender. Add the cheese and parsley and serve, sprinkle with a little extra cheese if you like.
Wash and trim broccoli and steam.
Lentil Stew
This is one of our family favorites, it was my mom who first made it at one of those new fangled vegetarian Sunday dinners, the recipe is from epicurious. It's so easy, filling and makes me feel good because it's chocked full of iron (if you leave out the feta). The truth is I love the taste but it holds a special place in my heart because Hannah use to declare, upon hearing we were having it, I Yove Yentils! This meal reminds me of her lovely chubby little two year old cheeks. Now she's tall and gangly and a whole new brand of wonderful but still, I like to be reminded of the days she couldn't say her els.
Recipe
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed and picked through
3 cups veggies stock
8 oz red skinned potatoes, chopped
1 bunch of spinach
1 lemon, 2 tsps grated zest and the juice1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
feta cheese (optional)
Heat olive oil over medium heat and saute garlic for 30 seconds, add lentils and veg stock ( I didn't quite have enough so I added 1/4 cup water to make my 3 cups and it was just fine). Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add potatoes and continue to simmer until lentils and potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add spinach and cook until wilted, add lemon zest, juice and mint, sprinkle with feta (if you like) and serve.
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| Dance Break! |
I'm trying to avoid the middle of the week five million dollar run to the grocery store. You know the one, when you've forgetten to get something like apples and you stop in and come home with two bags full and it cost close to $100. Half the time I've forgotten the original item anyway. So when I went to make quesadillas today and realized I'd forgotten to buy wraps I decided I would make flour tortillas. I found a recipe online, for the record it took me 45 minutes not 30 (but, I did do it by hand), and set to work. Once they were all made I decided that I didn't want to use these warm lovely tortillas for quesadillas so we ripped them and scooped and dipped them in the beans and salad, (although I did make one quesadilla for the photo). So if you have an extra 45 minutes follow the link to the tortilla recipe, but I did add tortillas to the weekly shopping list as well.
Recipe
1 19 oz can white kidney beans
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, pressed
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder (or more to taste)
Heat oil over medium low heat and saute onion until soft. Add garlic, cumin and chili powder and saute another minute. Drain most of the liquid out of the can of beans (as much as you can drain by straining them with the lid ajar) and then add the beans and the leftover liquid. Mash beans with a potato masher.
2 cups lettus (I had spring mix left to use)
1 roasted red pepper (how to roast one yourself, takes about 30 minutes) or from a jar
1 cup corn (cooked)
1 tomato, deseeded and diced
1/4 cup cucumber, deseeded and diced 1/2 cup cilantro
1/4 olives, chopped
juice of 1/2 lime
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Toss all salad ingredients together.
If you chose to make quesadillas, spread a tortilla with beans and sprinkle with grated cheese and then place another on top. There are three ways that we cook our quesadillas;
#1 in the sandwhich maker - spread the beans and cheese on half the tortilla and cook in the sandwhich maker as you would a sandwhich, this is really easy.
#2 heat a pan over medium low heat, spray with nonstick spray and cook the tortillas much like you would a grill cheese, flipping it halfway through
#3 Preheat the over to 400F and spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray and bake your quesadilla, flipping halfway through, this way you can do them all at the same time.
If you are going to eat these by scooping and dipping or burrito style, put it all on the table and pile them on your tortillas. No matter which way you choose to eat them I would have them with sour cream and salsa!
Cannelloni with Salad
You know what really burns my nuts? Me, three times in a row. You may wonder how I could get distracted three times in a row, they only take a few minutes. There was playdough and potties and Friday night movie choices and in the end there was also a sink full of burnt nuts. I was going to make an italian themed salad with toasted pine nuts but I burned all of them and so ended up making a salad with almonds and sunflower seeds that were perhaps under toasted, but I wasn't taking any chances.
I also have this crazy relationship with my freezer. I really don't keep a lot in there, but every once in a while I put leftovers in the freezer and am really pleased that one night all I'll have to do is defrost something. But then they hanut me. I don't want to take them out too soon because I'm not ready to have that meal again but, I'm paranoid of that freezer burnt taste and waste of food. Dave would keep things in the freezer for years and still think they're good, I on the other hand probably get rid of things too soon. So I had some leftover tomato sauce in there from a lasagna I made a couple weeks ago and it's been haunting me ever since, which is why we're having cannelloni this week.
Recipe
tomato sauce
fresh sheets of pasta
1 onion chopped
4 cloves garlic, pressed (or 3 more if making sauce)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 500g container of ricotta cheese (I use light)
1 package baby arugula (about 6 cups)
If you don't have tomato sauce on hand here's a quick and easy one to use. Heat a good glugg of olive oil in a sauce pan; add 3 cloves of pressed garlic and a tsp of oregano and saute for a minute, add a 28 oz tin of whole tomatoes and simmer on low for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes breakup tomatoes and use as you need. You could double or triple this and then keep some in the freezer if you dare!
In a large pan heat the oil and saute the onion, adding the garlic when the onion is almost soft. Add the arugula and cook unitl wilted. Once arugula is ready add the ricotta cheese and mix in for a minute or two - remove from heat.
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| Harper loves to help when it involves playing with water! |
For salad, toast 1/4 cup of pine nuts in the oven, watch closely I hear they burn easily. Tear lettus, again I still had some baby greens to use up, use whatever you prefer, add a chopped tomatoe, 1/4 cup chopped cucumber, a little red or green onion, pine nuts and then drizzle with olive oil (about 1 Tbsp), vinegar (about a tsp), salt and pepper and a little oregano.
Salt and Pepper Shrimp with Bruschetta and Wild Mushrooms
Weekends are so short, it seems that no matter what we are doing supper time sneaks up on us and we're rushing around trying to get it on the table at a decent time. This Saturday was no different. This year we got a membership at the YMCA and I have to say it is one of the greatest things we have done. The winter's here are cold and there' s not only a gym for us but a play area, activities and free swim for the kids (as well as their lessons are there and included with the membership). So Dave usually meets me at the Y after my workout and we take the kids swimming, they're both little fish. Today we did this but somehow ended up running in the door at 5:15 with nothing ready for supper, this meal was quick and easy.
I love the salt and pepper shrimp or calamari you get at a chinese food restaurant but I am scared of deep frying. Honestly I'm scared that I'll burn myself or a child and I'm also scared that if I were to successfully deep fry something at home, I would continue to do it. This was a good version because there was no deep frying but it was still very tasty. You dip the shrimp in cornstarch to give it a little bit of a coating or crust which I liked but Dave thought they may have been better without the cornstarch - we'll try that next time. Harper ate hers but Hannah isn't a fan of pepper and so next time I will do hers on the side without the pepper. The other adjustment I made was I didn't use quite as much salt as the recipe called for. I think this is just trial and error with what you like. I probably used about half to three quarters of the salt and pepper mixture and I wouldn't have added any more.
Recipe
350 g pack of wild mushrooms, sliced
olive oil (Tbsp)
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 tsp Montreal Steak Spice
Heat oil over medium low heat and saute garlic for 30 seconds, add mushrooms and sprinkle with Montreal Steak Spice, continue to saute until mushrooms are soft and juicy. If you happen to have a bottle of red wine open add a good glugg of that too.
The salt and pepper shrimp is from this website.
1 pound large shrimp
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, white pepper or Szechuan peppercorn, or to taste
3 Tbsp vegetable oil, for stir-frying
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 red chilli pepper, deseeded and chopped, optional
1/4 cup chopped green onion
Peel and devein shrimp, if necessary and then soak shrimp in lightly salted water. Drain water and pat dry with papertowel and lightly coat with cornstarch. Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a fry pan over medium high heat and stirfry the shrimp until done. Remove shrimp from pan and wipe out pan. Heat the other Tbsp of oil and saute the garlic, chilli pepper (if using), and salt and pepper mixture for 10 - 15 seconds then add the shrimp and green onion and stir until coated and serve.
Bruschetta
2 ripe tomatoes, choppedhandful of fresh basil, chopped or ripped
1 large clove of garlic, pressed
1 baguette
olive oil for brushing
While shrimp is soaking, preheat oven to 350F, cut baguette into 1/2 inch rounds, place on cookie sheet, brush with olive oil and put in the oven until toasty, about five minutes. Mix tomaotes, garlic and basil together in a bowl and let sit while you finish the shrimp.
If you have time, I like to actually roast a bulb of garlic instead of adding it to the tomatoes and then squeeze a roasted clove on the toast and top with tomato and basil mixture.
Baked Beans, Molasses Bread, Coleslaw with Peas and Corn
"We're having sugar for supper!" This is what Hannah exclaimed as she watched me empty the brown sugar and molasses into the crock pot this morning. I'm pretty sure it didn't actually matter what supper tasted like, once she saw the molasses go in she was sold. She actually went through a phase a little while ago where I kept catching her sneaking molasses. Yes, molasses! She cracks me up. I'm not selling this dinner as super healthy, really it has lots of sugar and salt but every once in a while it's o.k....right?
When I decided on baked beans it made me think of this oatmeal molasses bread that I adore - I could eat the whole loaf in one sitting. I'm including the recipe because it's so good but I recommend not making it to go with the baked beans - there's no contrast.
We finished off our Sunday dinner with lemon meringue pie. I like to make my baked goods most of the time but I made the bread and then wanted to play outside and enjoy the nice weather so I bought the pie.
Recipe
Baked Beans
This is a really simple recipe that I found at About.com.
1 pound navy beans or Great Northern beans
water
1/2 cup molasses
3 Tbsp ketchup
1 tsp mustard powder
1 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp vegetable broth powder
1/2 tsp salt
dash black pepper, or to taste
I started this recipe at nine in the morning so that it could be ready for dinner at six. The thing that irks me a little about his recipe is that it doesn't tell you how much water to use for the beans but then tells you to add it all to the pot. I cover the beans so that there's about a 1/2 inch of water on top of them and then bring them to a slow simmer and cover and cook for 45 minutes. You want them to be really tender, if they aren't, cook them longer (I cooked mine for an hour).
In a crock pot mix together all the other ingredients when the beans are ready add them to the pot with the water. Set on 6 - 8 hour setting and walk away from them.
The following recipes are from two cookbooks from The Best of Bridge series. I think my mom and all my aunts have these cookbooks. When Dave and I were dating he bought me the entire series.
Oatmeal Bread1 package dry yeast (1 Tbsp)
1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp sugar
2 cups boiling water
1 cup oatmeal
1 tsps salt
1 Tbsp shortening (used vegetable oil)
4 to 5 cups flour
Dissolve yeast in warm water and stir in sugar. Let stand 10 minutes. Pour boiling water over oatmeal and add molasses, salt and shortening. Let stand until luke warm and then add the yeast muxture and beat well. Add enough flour to make a stiff mixture without being too sticky (I used 4 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour). Form dough in a ball, cover and let rise in a warm place. Punch down and divide into two greased 9x5 bread pans. Let rise to double the size again and then bake at 350F for 40 minutes - it should be brown and sound hollow when cooked.
Killer Coleslaw
This recipe is from Grand Slam: More Recipes from The Best of Bridge.
1 package veggie noodles (Ichiban, Mr. Noodles - whatever you buy at your local supermarket)
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds
5 springs of green onions, chopped
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 head of cabbage or package of coleslaw mix
Shred cabbage; add almonds, sunflower seeds, green onions and toss. Crush package of veggie noodles and then open pack and take out the seasoning. Add the seasoning to vegetable oil and rice vinegar,shake all together and mix in the salad. Before serving add the noodles to the salad.
I just steamed frozen peas and corn together.
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