Week 17 2014 + A whole lotta rain

It is gray gray gray here. I guess it beats cold cold cold. But still, it's end of April. I need warmth, and sunshine, and all things hot. I'm starting to get cranky.

The weekend was fine weather-wise, but still cold. Two more weeks until we're in Mexico and then I can hopefully shake off the crank.

Below is our menu for the week, and we're adding a goal of gym/exercising 4 times this week. I will be happy if we get anywhere near that. So, like, once would be a huge step up.

Monday: Salmon with cauliflower soup
Tuesday: Steak and Carnitas Fajitas. Skirt steak recipe I used to do in high school. Sort of remember, I'm going to wing it. If it's good, I'll post! Carnitas recipe here.
Wednesday: Lasagna. The Stouffers kind. No judgement.
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Burgers and baked fries.
Saturday: Mom's in town! Probably out. Nothing planned though.
Sunday: Mariana's first communion party - no plans, but might be out in the suburbs still or do something low key in town.

What have yall got going on??

xo

Week 16 2014

Easter! Spring! Sunshine! Patios! I love this time of year. We hung outside a lot this weekend. Will fancied up our outdoor spaces- moved the table from the back porch to the front terrace, hung up a chair swing on the back porch, cleaned up the fire pit. It was great. We went to the park twice, had popsicles after nap time, (which should be a daily thing because I can't think of anything better than popsicles after nap time), and listened to music while playing outside.

This week I'm feeling so uninspired. Don't judge me. I just needed to put the week's menu on here to make it official so I don't eat pb&j for dinner every night, which is what I want to do.

Sunday: White boy tacos (ground beef with chili powder, cumin, and groudn coriander, served with corn tortillas, sour cream, cheese and lettuce)
Monday: Chicken tenders and mac and cheese with the girls while Will is away in NYC for work
Tuesday: Turkey Burgers - I'll let Will man the grill
Wednesday: Chipotle Beef Stew with grits (I do this in the slow cooker)
Thursday: probably leftovers- Will has class
Friday: Out with the Hassbergers at The Dawson
Saturday: Grilled Brats and Turkey Hot Dogs for the girls - again, I'll let Will man the grill :)

What do yall have going on? xo

Week 15 2014 Menu

What happened to weeks 11-14? They didn't. *Cue Twilight Zone music*

Life just happened. What can I say. We were still cooking and setting menus, but I didn't post. Shame on me.

We're coming back from an amazing time in California to celebrate Cristina's 25th birthday! It was awesome- good food, good drinks, pool time, family time. It was all awesome. The highlight was when a girl fell in love with Alex at the bar and was creepily standing just outside of our circle laughing at his jokes. Polky-dots, we will never forget you!

Here's what we have going on this week:

Monday: French Onion Braised Chicken
Tuesday: Garlic Shrimp and Quinoa
Wednesday: Salmon (Lou's with Dill or Asian-inspired)
Thursday: Sloppy Joes
Friday: Out to Nellcote with some friends
Saturday Brunch: With the Hannas!!!
Saturday dinner: Leftovers + Asparagus soup
Sunday: Easter! We'll spend the day with family in the suburbs

We're also starting a vegetable chart for the girls. It's really basic, but it's a star chart to make sure they have a variety of fruits and vegetables in a week. There are rows for Red, Orange, Green, Blue, and Purple, and we put a sticker in that row if we eat that vegetable that week. According to mom (and Traditional Chinese Medicine) the goal should be weekly which completely feels attainable. Plus putting in the form of a star chart makes it fun!

My goal for next week is to try one or two new recipes.

What are yall up to this week? (Minus Eli who is prancing around California for the next 18 days!!)

Week 10 2014

I didn't post last week because I really wasn't feeling it. I cooked only a little bit, and we definitely took a hit because of it. I didn't bring my lunch in, the girls had breakfast for dinner twice, and I had a PB&J for dinner one night.

Will was in New Orleans, so the girls and I had a lot of quality time together. We had a sleepover at my uncle's house on Saturday night. Complete with a spa event where the girls got mani/pedis. Sunday we went to a birthday party for Amelia's park friend. They had a little petting zoo come in and it was AMAZING. Chinchillas, chicks, turtles, an anteater, an owl, a pig... oh and a chihuahua (randomly). The below shot is just before Amelia casually brushed the poor chinchilla off her head. He landed on his feet. He was fine. Amelia said she didn't like it scratching her head. Annelise hated all the animals- she was playing with the windows most of the time. I got them together for the turtle, but they hated it. You can see Amelia moved her legs way off to the side so as not to touch him.

Amelia and Chinchilla

With a really old turtle. The girls did not like him.

I'm still not totally up for cooking, but at least I have a plan! Here is what we have going on:

Sunday: Cauliflower Turkey and White Bean Chili. This was a spontaneous recipe. I was making cauliflower soup while cooking the ground turkey for the chili, and I said 'What the heck' and dumped the cauliflower soup in the chili pot instead of using chicken broth for the chili. It came out really well and different. 

Monday: Coconut Chicken Curry

Tuesday: Out for a coworker's goodbye dinner. Leftovers for the rest.

Wednesday: Zuppa Toscana

Thursday: Irish Beef Stew 

Friday: Leftovers or out. Nano's older kids might be staying with us over the weekend, so what to stay flexible.

Saturday: Pollo en salsa blanca. Really easy chicken in white sauce that dad used to make for us at the restaurants when we were little. Have we posted the recipe here before?

Sunday: Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Balsamic Glazed Pork tenderloin

What do yall have going on??

xo

Week 8 2014 Menu

Helloooooooooo!

Sorry this is a day late. I'm moving at snails pace this week. Both girls are now sick. Last night, Annelise refused to sleep anywhere that wasn't touching me. At one point, I was sprawled on the bed, reaching down into the travel crib with my hand on her butt. As soon as I removed my hand, she screamed. I had her sleeping on my chest, and tried to roll her off me, onto the bed, in between me and Will, and she screamed. Finally, I took her downstairs and was resolved to let her cry, but she fell asleep right away! Then, two hours later, Amelia came busting into the room and climbed into bed, but it took her over an hour to fall asleep. It was a squeeze play and Will and I lost.

Last week's Chicken Marbella was AMAZING really recommend it!! Thanks Lou for sharing!

As far as meals go, this week is relatively easy.

Monday: White Fish Special
Tuesday: Irish Beef Stew with mashed potatoes and broccoli
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Pineapple Pork Shoulder (I'll put up the recipe later!)
Friday: Will and I have a black tie event that a friend invited us to. Should be fun to dress up!!
Saturday: Roasted Chicken. Amelia was invited to a sleepover at my uncle's house. She's pretty excited, although she thinks she's moving there, and excited about it. So I'm disturbed she thinks she's leaving for forever.

What are yall up to?? Miss you all so much! xo

Week 7 2014 Menu

Hi everyone!

We had a rough weekend. Amelia was sick throughout so I didn't sleep much. Will did plan a wonderful Vday dinner for us - oysters and king crab legs. Saturday, we hung around with the girls and prepped for a brunch that we were hosting on Sunday. Then yesterday, our offices were closed for President's day, so Will and I went to see Monument's Men. I thought it was good. Will hated it, though.

Here's this week's menu- nothing too elaborate, except I'm really excited to try Lou's Chicken Marbella recipe.

Monday - Rotisserie chicken with mashed potatoes
Tuesday - Leftovers (or Will has to fend for himself - I have a class at CrossTown Fitness to check out!)
Wednesday - Chancho en pepsi-cola (a Yoli recipe, I'll save the breakdown for another time if we haven't shared on here already)
Thursday - Beth's Poblano Pepper Tacos
Friday - Chicken Marbella
Saturday - Shrimp tacos (or something like that)

By the way, for the brunch, I made two types of breakfast casseroles - one vegetarian, one not - , along with steel cut oats. I'd never made steel cut oats before, but really recommend them! Much heartier than the quick cook stuff and it's the exact same product.

The vegetarian breakfast casserole came out amazing so I really recommend it:

Mediterranean Breakfast Casserole
cubed challah bread
eggs
milk
cottage cheese
feta cheese
basil, chiffonade
jarred roasted red bell peppers, chopped

preheat oven to 375
lay the cubed challah bread in the casserole dish and sprinkle the feta cheese and roasted bell pepper on top
whisk together eggs, milk, cottage cheese and pour over bread mixture in casserole dish
top with basil
bake in the oven until it starts to brown on top and is no longer wobbly if you jiggle it (super scientific metric, nbd)

Also - these are my sous-chefs:

Week 6 2014 Menu

We had a super successful game night on Saturday night! It got sloppy pretty fast and we spent our hangover on Sunday at Target letting the girls create mass chaos. We're such good parents. I think this was the first time that both Will and I were nursing hangovers at the same time. All in all it didn't go too bad. Bars were 100% lowered- Amelia watched Brave two times in a row while Annelise napped and Will and I lay motionless on the bed.

This week I'm not feeling too ambitious on the menu. I have to start training for the half marathon, and I'm pretty sure I agreed to running the Chicago marathon in my drunk state on Saturday. Need to figure out how to get out of that one...

Sunday: Leftovers
Monday: Roasted Red Pepper Pasta with roasted broccoli
Tuesday: Slow Cooker Asian Chicken Wraps
Wednesday: Creamy Chicken Quinoa and Broccoli
Thursday: Meatballs and Mashed Potatoes
Friday: V-Day. Will's getting oysters and we're drinking champagne when the girls are asleep. Low key :)
Saturday: Sausage Pasta Bake

Lou, I'm going to try the Chicken Marbella next week!

What do yall have going on?

xo

Week 5 2014 Menu

Hi everyone,

Firstly I miss yall. I had an amazing time with Louise and Baby Blake this past weekend and it made me realize how isolated I feel most of the time. Being with Lou and B was so special and heart warming, not to mention she's the cutest thing and I can't wait to introduce her to her best friends, Amelia and Annelise!

A menu is not really happening this week because we have a weird schedule, but here's a loose framework of what we have going on.

Sunday: Will picked up philly cheesesteak sandwiches for the Super Bowl
Monday: Leftovers
Tuesday: Will and I are going to Phantom of the Opera so we'll pick up some food beforehand.
Wednesday: We got invited to Disney on Ice with some friends. Lord help us.
Thursday: Chipotle Beef Stew. Lou found out the hard way that this is really spicy. I'll use Beth's trick of squeezing the sauce out of the peppers and discarding the peppers. Last time Will and I just forced it all down, so this will hopefully go down smoother.
Friday: Sausage Ragu with Polenta - this was a huge hit last time! Really recommend it.
Saturday: Game Night got rescheduled last time so really looking forward to it! Lou lent us her Cards Against Humanity for the occasion. Same menu as before: Peruvian chicken with veggies
Sunday: Shrimp tacos

What are yall up to?

xo

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

Korean Beef

Made this recipe last night after a work friend recommended it. SOOO good. Ryan was in the Clean Plate Club.

1 pound lean ground beef (I used bison)
1/4 cup brown sugar 
1/4 cup soy sauce (I use low-sodium so it wouldn't be too salty)1 Tablespoon sesame oil3 cloves garlic, minced1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced (see note)1/2 - 1 teaspoon crushed red peppers (to desired spiciness)salt and pepper1 bunch green onions, diced (don't skip this!)White riceSriracha
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and brown meat with garlic in the sesame oil. Drain most of the fat and add brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, salt and pepper and red peppers. Simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors. Serve over steamed rice and top with green onions and sriracha


>> I added a container of sliced mushrooms to the meat/sauce, and I steamed broccoli on the side then tossed that in too.

The Chew's Baked Artichoke Chicken

This recipe was really good! I served it over white rice (poured the broth from the pan on it) and with a Greek side salad. When I make it again, I'd maybe make a little more of the broth and add more pepper. I'd also just pile the other 1/2 pound of mushrooms in there. Ryan liked this dish too- it was good!
________ This recipe won a contest on a television show called The Chew. Mario Batali and others judged 3 chicken recipes made by regular people, and this won first prize!

I used white wine, instead of the red, because I like it better with chicken. I also increased the garlic and placed the vegetables UNDER the chicken pieces, instead of around them. I baked my chicken at 375F because I like crispy skin.

Here is the original recipe, make changes as you see fit.

Donna Giblin's Baked Artichoke Chicken: (adapted from ABC The Chew)

• 4 lbs. chicken legs and thighs, w/ skin (Instead, I used a small chicken cut up, including breasts)
• 1 cup artichoke hearts, halved (canned is fine- I used the whole can)
• 1 medium onion, cut into pieces same size as the artichokes
• 1 pound white button mushrooms (halved or quartered. These wouldn't all fit in the pan so I did about 1/2 a lb. instead, oh well)
• 2 tablespoons brown mustard
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup red or white wine (you could also sub in chicken stock)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1 bay leaf
• kosher salt and pepper (to taste)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350F-375F, depending if you like crispy skin or not.
2. Place artichokes, onions and mushrooms on the bottom of a big pan. (I used a really big skillet because it looks like they did in the picture. Prob would go w/ a pan next time because it's a lot of food)
3. Place chicken pieces on top of the vegetables.
4. Mix the mustard with the rest of the ingredients and pour over chicken.
5. Season w/ kosher salt & pepper.
6. Bake for one hour, basting the chicken once or twice

Oven-baked Pork Baby Back Ribs with Guava Glaze

I'm kicking myself for not getting a picture of this last night. It was off the chain good. I think I actually told Will that it was 'off the hizzook', which you'll forgive me for right?

I diverged a lot from the original recipe, but all I wanted it for was cooking temp/time and general direction. I'll let you know where I made my changes so that yall can feel free to take creative liberties as well.

I served these with a Cauliflower-Potato Mash and a Green Pepper Salad which I'll spell out below the ribs.

Oven-baked Pork Baby Back Ribs with Guava Glaze
Approx 3lbs Pork Baby Back Ribs (serves 2 adults)
Salt + Pepper
olive oil
12oz dark lager beer
  *I didn't have this, so I used 12oz of ginger ale. I can imagine that any number of cooking liquids could work here.

1/4 cup of Apricot Jelly
  * I didn't have so I used Guava Jelly (Callejas brand!)
1/4 cup of ketchup
1/4 cup of lemon juice
  *I used apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 300*
Cover a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil (unless you love to do dishes, in which case skip this step). Place rack of ribs meat side up and salt + pepper 'em.
Drizzle olive oil on top and pour lager/ginger ale/cooking liquid to top.
Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 2 hrs.
Remove from oven and increase oven temp to BROIL.
Pour off about 2 cups of cooking liquid into a sauce pan. Add jelly, ketchup and lemon juice/vinegar and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and let reduce by about half.
*I never have patience for this. I reduced for about 5 min at a boil.
Flip ribs over to bone side up and pour half of the glaze over the ribs. Place in the oven on broil and cook for 6 minutes.
Flip over to meat side up, pour remaining glaze over the ribs. Place back in the oven on broil and cook for 6 minutes.
Let rest before serving.

Cauliflower-Potato Mash
1/2 head of cauliflower
2 russet potatoes, peeled and quartered

Put vegetables in a pot of water and boil until tender.
Pour off 90% of water.
Mash vegetables, add salt and white pepper and 2 tbsp of cream cheese
I used my immersion blender to get a really good puree.
Adjust seasoning to taste.

Green Bell Pepper Salad
1 green bell pepper, sliced
Malt Vinegar
Salt
Sugar

I of course don't have exact measurements because the recipe came from my dad. However, make the dressing to taste and his only recommendation is 'light on everything' and use more sugar than salt.