Week 4 2014 Menus

Hi! I have zero energy. Probably because I drank more than 3 cocktails on Saturday night and I'm still hungover. Man it hurts to get old. Here is this week's menu. Total coincidence that everything is roasted... or not because that's the easiest way to cook anything.

Sunday: Slow Cooker Chicken - This is the most Walmart recipe I've ever made. It was delicious, but I don't think I'd make it again. Chicken, Italian dressing mix, cream cheese, 2 cans of condensed soup, and a slow cooker.

Monday: Leftovers

Tuesday: Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Wednesday: Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

Thursday: Roasted chicken legs with green beans

Friday-Sunday: IN NEW YORK TO SEE BABY BLAKE AND WHIT'S BABY SHOWER!!

What are yall up to this week? 

xo

Week 3 2014 Menu

We have another Polar Vortex on our hands. This means that Peapod is getting overused, and they run out of things between the time I place my order and when they are set to deliver my order. It wreaks havoc all around! First world problems, I know. Cristina and Beth- I don't want to hear a peep out of you :)

Last week's menu went really well! We had plenty for leftover nights and to take to lunch. We've been really good about taking our lunch 4 days a week. 5 days a week seemed like an unrealistic goal, but we've been on target so far! We also went to an Ethiopian restaurant for the first time. It was fine, definitely not anything to write home about, but not unpalatable either. Then on Sunday we went to brunch with friends and CPK with Nano and the kids to celebrate Ali's engagement. All of that led to a ton of leftovers that we put a good dent in yesterday.

Here's this week's menu!

Sunday: Out (CPK)
Monday: Leftovers
Tuesday: Meatballs and Mashed Potatoes
Wednesday: Braised French Onion Chicken - Made this a few times. Huge hit!
Thursday: Irish Beef Stew
Friday: Friends are coming over for game night. And this is what's on the menu:

Smoked Salmon Spread and Cheese and Crackers
Peruvian grilled chicken (we're the crazies grilling during a polar vortex)
Friend Jess is bringing a salad
Szechuan green beans
Dessert is still TBD

Saturday: White Fish Special

What are yall up to?? xo

Week 2 2014 Menu!

Heyyy everybody!

Last week went really well with quantity- giving us enough for leftovers nights and to take to work for lunch. Will went the entire week bringing lunch, and I only bought lunch once. Last week's Roasted Chicken with Butternut Squash and Potatoes and the Sausage Ragu and Polenta were new recipes last week but HUGE hits. Super easy so I'll definitely keep those two around for future menus. I did a horrible job with the gym last week- didn't go once, and quite honestly, didn't even think about it. I'll get there. I'm planning on running the half marathon in Santa Cruz in April, so I'll have to start training soon!

Here is this week's menu:

Sunday:  Leftovers
Monday: Slowcooker BBQ Chicken and broccoli
Tuesday: Beth's Korean Beef and rice
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Zuppa Toscana (Olive Garden copy-cat version. Don't judge)
Friday: Chicken Sausage Pasta Bake
Saturday: Leftovers or Out

And there you have it! I'm going to give myself a few more weeks of this brutal cold before I start kicking my toosh in to gear for the half marathon.

Are yall cooking? What do you have going on?

xo

New Year, New Motivation! Weekly Menus + Bolognese Recipe

I've missed everyone posting, especially since I know we've all been cooking (except for maybe new mama Lou). We're going for cooking 5 days/week AND taking lunches to work as often as possible. Means that I'll be making extra portions of dinner so that we have extra leftovers. Since I usually designate some nights for leftovers anyway, we'll see how this works out. We might be starving by the end of the week! Here's what we have going on:

Sunday: Spaghetti with homemade Bolognese sauce (recipe below
Monday: Salmon
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Sausage Ragu with Polenta
Thursday: Roast Chicken with Butternut Squash and Potatoes
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Black Bean Soup

Homemade Bolognese sauce- I looked at a few recipes and then just winged it. The key, though, was that I let it cook on the stove for at least 4 hours.

Olive oil
1 package of ground turkey
1 onion chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
1 package of sliced button mushrooms
2 tbsp of minced garlic
1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 8oz can of tomato sauce
2 cups of chicken stock
Basil
Oregano
Salt pepper

Brown turkey in a large stock pot. Add onions, celery, and mushrooms and cook until soft. Add garlic and stir a few minutes. Add in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chicken stock. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer. Add in salt, pepper, basil, and oregano to taste. Keep simmering and stirring occasionally for as long as possible!

*I didn't love it when I first tried it once all the ingredients were mixed, but LOVED the results. I really believe the secret is in letting things cook for a few hours and adjust the seasoning as you go. Super simple and makes a ton for leftovers!

How about you guys??

Hope everyone is staying warm!!

xo