June 06, 2014

The Best of May

I enjoyed putting together the April Wrap Up post so much I thought I'd do the same for May.  It's fun and easy to talk about just the best of what we ate for the month!  Sorry it's a bit late though... I truly have no idea how I found time to post once a week all last year!

Before I get into the meal plan I hope all the Mom's had a great day!  Mine was one of the best yet, just a really nice relaxing day including an awesome breakfast in bed and a feed of these tasty crustaceans...


Mother's Day Lobster

Best of May Meal Plan


Breakfast


The only breakfast I'll highlight this month is the Breakfast Tostada.  Early in the month I made re-fried beans in the slow cooker but on my way home from work, got stuck in traffic.  I reluctantly popped into the store and picked up some corn tortillas to make up a bit of time.  These tortillas got a thumbs down from all three of us.  So the next night I made a fresh batch to have with the leftovers - yummy!!  What a difference!  With the leftover tortillas I made up a tostada for breakfast the next morning.  I fried the tortilla on a lightly oiled skillet to warm and crisp, then I topped it with a fried egg, cheese, avocado and salsa.  I'll be making extra tortillas from now on!

Breakfast Tostada


Lunch


Loaded Salad - There's a market style grocery store in Halifax called Pete's Frootique and they have a really awesome salad bar.  It's a bit far from home though so I couldn't justify trekking over there on the weekend. But it was on my mind so I did my best to recreate a fully loaded salad at home.  I started with kale and topped it with every veggie in my fridge, sesame seeds, chickpeas and this Orange Ginger Dressing.  The only thing Pete's has on this salad is that someone else does the chopping. 

Chickpea Salad Sandwiches - This was my favorite find this month.  I requested the Oh She Glows cookbook for Mother's Day and I must have been a good mommy this year because I got it!!  I've read it cover to cover.  Totally recommend it, even if you're not vegan.  This recipe is on her website but I don't think I would have found/noticed it had I not seen it in the book.  Deelicious... and easy... and basic.  It will be in regular rotation.

Taco Mac & Cheese - We reinvented taco leftovers by making a Taco Mac & Cheese Casserole.  I simply mixed the leftover meat with macaroni, salsa and topped with shredded cheese.  You could use a can of diced tomatoes instead of salsa and crushed tortillas chips would be great too.

Orange Ginger Chicken Stir-fry w/ Rice Noodles - I had leftover Orange Ginger Dressing from my salad on the weekend.  I added a bit of soya sauce and used it as the sauce for a chicken stir-fry that I served on top of rice noodles.

Broccoli & Quinoa Burritos w/ Cashew Cheeze - Another awesome find from the Oh She Glows cookbook!  Marin had some of the filling and it got an 'mmmm... Mommy, this is delicious' and when I asked if she'd like to take it for school lunch she said 'Definately!'   And the Cashew "Cheeze" sauce was so good, I would just dip chips in it.  I can't link this one since it's not on her blog, but all the more reason to go buy the book!

PB & Banana Sandwich - I've mentioned before that I run out of steam by Thursday, so I added to the menu this classic easiest lunch ever.  And you know what.... there's really nothing like a good ol' PB Sandwich.


Suppers


Tacos on Soft Corn Tortillas - what can I say?  We love Mexican food.  I use Mexican Spice Blend in place of Taco Seasoning.  As mentioned above I also make homemade corn tortillas... really very easy and so worth the effort!  Best part of tacos is that it makes lots!  We had this two nights in a row for supper, used the leftover meat in the Taco Mac & Cheese for lunch and the leftover tortillas for Breakfast Tostadas.  That's 4 cheap, quick and easy meals.

Fish Cakes & Kale Salad - I often find that I can buy trays of salmon pieces (the little ends trimmed off the pretty pieces) at a pretty good price.  Those trays are perfect for fishcakes!  This is our favorite recipe - love the dip!  And of course, Kale Salad because a week wouldn't be complete without it.

Sticky Chicken w/ Broccoli Salad - I love this sticky chicken recipe for chicken pieces.  We had this with a side of classic broccoli salad.  Great summer meal.  I would think these would turn out great on the bbq.

Sesame Baked Tofu w/ Peanut Dipping Sauce & Asian Coleslaw - This in one of the few meals that Marin consistently will ask for more of.  Another one is the Panko Tofu... it's always a toss up which tofu recipe we all like best.  For the Asian style coleslaw I use a coleslaw mix and Asian Sesame Dressing.  Easy Peasy.

Chickpea Nuggets & Home Fries  - Sorry for two chickpea recipes in one post but this was another big winner this month and had to be included.  Plus I really love chickpeas.  I actually just made these for supper again tonight and enjoyed them just as much. 

Pizza - I included Pizza because I came across this recipe for a thin crust white pizza dough.  I typically make a whole wheat crust but on this particular night I was really more in the mood for something thin and crisp.  This crust turned out perfectly.  I actually made it twice in one week, the first time letting it rise for about an hour, the second time I let it rise for an hour and then left it in the fridge overnight.  Both were great.  Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy! 


Pizza Dough on the rise.



Now bring on summer!!

Sandra