Fall Favorites and School Lunch Update

Last week for supper we had one of our favorites – Feta Stuffed Chicken, Lemon Roasted Potatoes and what I call ‘Greek Salsa’.  Marin declared ‘Yum is all I can say!’  That reminded me that I haven’t posted in a long time and that I could definitely come up with a week of our fall favorites.  I’ve tried to put together ideas that are not only yummy but are quick to throw together on busy weeknights and can also be reinvented to use leftovers for lunch.   Win, Win, Win!! 

Feta Stuffed Chicken,Lemon Roasted Potatoes and Greek Salsa

 

Fall Favorite Meal Plan

 

Recipes

 

Overnight Oats - This is my go-to overnight oats "formula".
Spaghetti & Meatballs -This recipe comes from Week 1!  An oldie and a goodie.
Mini Quiche - This recipe is really just a guide, you can add what ever add-ins you like. 
Feta Stuffed Chicken - In this post I link to the chicken recipe and give instructions for the greek salsa.  For the lemon roasted potatoes I just dice potato, toss with olive oil and the juice of a lemon and roast at 450 until crisp.
Greek Quinoa Salad - I've posted this recipe a gazillion times (give or take) - it's so good!!  I actually made it with brown.rice instead of quinoa a couple of weeks ago and it was delicious!
Grilled Steak & Kale Salad  - For the steak I've linked to my favorites page where you'll find the marinade we use most (under dressings and spice blends).  I had this on the menu one night when the weather wasn't the best so I sliced the marinated meat and stir-fried instead.  We all really enjoyed it that way.
Naan Pizza - I make a batch of this naan every few weeks and freeze leftovers.  You can use it in various ways but I love to use it for quick and easy pizza lunches. 
Slow Cooker Balsamic Pork - This pork was so delicious!  One of my new favorite slow cooker recipes and the leftovers worked great with fried rice.
Arugula Salad with Maple Walnut Dressing- This link is for the dressing.  The salad I made up with what I had on hand and would say it was as good as any salad I've had at a restaurant.  It was arugula, roasted beets and cauliflower, pear, walnuts, cranberries and I shaved some parsnips and fried them until crispy.  I had to note this one so that I remember to make it again!

Bonus Recipe - Avocado Chicken

I didn't have room to put this one on the menu but it should also be noted as a quick and easy weeknight meal.  I made this up one night trying to use up some odds and ends.  I cooked chicken cutlets in a lightly oiled pan, a few minutes per side until cooked through.  I then transferred the chicken to a baking dish and topped each with a spoonful of salsa, slices of avocado and some shredded mozza.  This was baked at 425 until the cheese melted and then broiled for an additional minute.  A hit with everyone in the family!

Avocado Chicken

School Lunch Update

And I know you’re all wondering… how are school lunches going??  I’m happy to say I’m still finding it fun.  For the first couple of weeks I would ask Marin as soon as I picked her up what she thought of lunch - did she like it? Was it too much or too little?  It’s not our first topic of conversation anymore but I do unpack her lunch bag as soon as I get home and I’m happy to say “most” days she eats well.  To be honest, I really don’t find its been much of a change – as mentioned, I was packing lunches for Dave and I anyway.  Packing Marin’s lunch has actually added a level of fun to the task because I bought her special containers (the Rubbermaid Lunch Blox) in fun girly colors.  And I pack hers completely the night before so that I can make sure it all fits in her lunch bag and is well balanced.  This has made me more habitual with also planning and packing snacks for Dave and I, which I wasn’t always the best at.

Admittedly my “Lunch Plans” are not being followed however.  My snack bins are ineffective.  I don’t have enough reusable containers to pack days in advance, I don’t want to reply too much on baggies and ultimately I just find I’m fine with packing up the snacks each night.  I’ve also not gotten Marin involved as much as I had planned.  She’s been eating most of what I’ve sent so other than the odd time I’ve given her the choice of a couple of options, I’ve been doing all of the planning and packing.  If she starts rejecting my choices I'll revisit that one.  I have referred to my School Lunch Ideas printout though and find that very useful!  I also refer often to my School Lunches Pinterest Board for inspiration when I’m meal planning.

Here are some examples of what I’ve been packing:

Leftover chicken, cheese cubes, crackers and sour cream with avocado mixed in.  Carrots, apricots and a Friday juice pack treat.

Mini quiche, kale salad, apple sauce and Wow Butter rice cake.

Felafel patties, veggies, fruit salad and homemade granola bar.

Pizza on Naan, kale salad, mini cucumber, mandarin slices, homemade granola bar and a yogurt.

Black bean and avocado salad, crackers, cheese string, mini cucumber, mandarin slices and homemade granola bar.

Ham and Cheese roll-ups, veggies, apple slices and chocolate muffin.

Whole wheat pancake with cream cheese and jam, tofu bites, peach slices, Wow Butter energy balls and a yogurt.

Week 31 - Lighten Up

Printable Version of Meal Plan

We're just back from a week at the cottage and arrived home Monday evening with grocery stores closed for the holiday.  So... I drew up my meal plan in the car knowing I wouldn't be able to get a grocery order until the next evening after work.  That made Tuesday a challange since the fridge was completely void of everything except for the odd jar of this or that.  Marin was starring into the fridge after daycare on Tuesday and declared 'Wow, we're out of A LOT of things!'.  We picked up bread and milk at a corner store and that got us by.  My main goal this week was to lighten things up... nine days of chips and sweets had me craving a good old salad!

I'm posting a regular Monday to Friday meal plan but for us this was actually Tuesday to Saturday.  We were so low on everything that I wanted to make sure we had enough to get us through the weekend.  And since I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things my post is again taking on a different format.  No grocery list and instead of "Quick Links" and "Week in Review" I'm trying out what I'll call "Meal Reviews", which will include all the appropriate links and any notes I think are worthwhile.  Who knows... this might stick.  Let me know what you think.

Meal Reviews

No-Cook Overnight Oats -- Have you tried this recipe yet??  I have my sister hooked - she loves it for camping.  Some of my favorite add-ins are mango, peaches, fresh figs, coconut and pumpkin seeds.  What are yours?  Note:  I make mine with Steel Cut Oats, even though the recipe says not to.  One of these days I'll try it with regular oats.

No-cook Overnight Oats

Slow Cooker Deli Style Chicken with Tomato & Zucchini - this was the perfect quick and light meal for the first night back from vacation.  First of all, the slow cooker takes no more than five minutes to prepare in the morning and then you come home to a fully cooked, delicious, moist chicken... and no need to turn on the oven on a hot summer day!  For a side we had slices of orange and red tomatoes and yellow zucchini, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic and a crack of salt and pepper.   Yum.

Whole Chicken in the Slow Cooker

Mexican Chicken Wraps - for lunch the next day I diced up the leftover chicken and made kind of a chicken salad with a mexican twist.  I added shredded cheese, mexican spice blend, lime juice and plain yogurt. I would have used salsa if I had it but I was out.  I packed some raw veggies to have on the side.

Grilled Steak with Arugula Salad - Loved this meal!!  Dave wasn't feeling well this night so I was on grill duty and I have to say... I did a bang up job.  I had picked up a couple of really nice striploin steaks so I let them speak for themselves adding just a little salt and pepper.  The salad was one my brother-in-law's partner introduced us to last week and this is totally going to become a regular thing.  Arugula, drizzle of olive oil and fresh lemon juice, crack of salt and pepper and shaved parmesan... that's it!  Simple and delicious.  And because this came together so quickly Marin wasn't quite ready to eat so I ate in peace, on the deck, drinking a spritzer while flipping through a magazine.  Aaaahhhhh... almost as relaxing as drinking my morning coffee on the deck at the cottage.

Chickpea and Avocado Salad - I had a pop-in on my Facebook Page from a fellow Maritime food blogger.  I went and checked out her blog (http://www.thefrillyapron.com) and my eye instantly caught a recipe for chickpea and avocado salad.  Chickpeas? Avocado? Yes, please!  Her post was very convincing that this salad was worth a try and that it was.  A very hearty, tasty and packable lunch.  And I totally agree with her that it's very customisable.  Start with the chickpeas, avocado and slaw mix and then go nuts (no pun intended) with whatever dressing and add-ins you feel like. 

Marinated Tofu, Greek Salsa and Tzatziki - had I been on the ball I could have prepped most of this meal the night before but I was not very on the ball this week.  C'est la vie.  I get home decently early in the summer so I whipped up some Greek dressing, marinated the tofu for about 20 minutes and then crisped them up in the frying pan with some olive oil.  I made a Greek salsa (tomato, cucumber, red onion, yellow zucchini, orange pepper, feta and dressing) with tzatziki on the side.  I don't typically enjoy homemade Tzatziki all that much but this recipe was a good one!  Greek food never disappoints in our house.  The salsa was so colorful I had to take a picture...

Greek Salsa

Cajun Shrimp and Orzo Salad & Indian Spiced Yogurt Marinated Chicken -- Because we're not actually following this plan Monday through Friday I haven't actually tried these recipes yet.  I am looking forward to them though!  Both are compliments of Canadian Living Magazine.  And if you don't subscribe you might want to pick up the September issue -- it's full of great recipes that I can't wait to try!


What are you all cooking up this summer?

Sandra

Week 25 - A little of this and a little of that...

Printable Version of Meal Plan and Grocery List

We were away on the weekend so I had planned to pick up just enough food to get us through Monday and then go for the main order Monday night.  But at the last minute I threw together a really quick meal plan and did a whole grocery order on Sunday.  I was able to make do with the food I bought but found I made a lot of adjustments to the plan this week, just to suit my taste buds and mood with the sun finally shining!!!  Could it really be??  Summer??

Recipe Quick Links

• Overnight Oats, Kath Eats
• Cauliflower Rice, Kalyn's Kitchen
• Salmon Cakes, Source Unknown
• Kale Salad, Marin Mama Cooks
• Honey Soy Marinade, Best Recipes
• Chinese Chicken Salad, Weelicious
• Breaded Pork Chops, All Recipes
• 7 Grain Pilaf & Orange Salad, Zoe Cuisine
• Chocolate Avocado Pudding, After Dinner Dance (This is a must try!)
• Chickpea Burgers, Marin Mama Cooks

 

Week in Review

Monday

Lunch - Ham, Havarti & Triscuit "Lunchable" with Veggies & Ranch Dip.  Feels like it's been awhile since I've made this type of lunch.  It was the perfect no-cook meal to throw together after being away for the weekend.

Supper - Salmon & Cauliflower Rice.  I've been seeing recipes for cauliflower rice everywhere lately and was pretty curious.  I've mashed, steamed and roasted cauliflower, I've tried the cauliflower pizza crust (really good!) and just like cauliflower in general so I was actually a tad disappointed with this recipe.  I might not have cooked the onions enough and I don't think I got the right consistency with the cauliflower either - it ended up being more of a puree as she cautions.  I also skipped the sumac because I was actually following a very similar Chatelaine version of this recipe.  The salmon was good though.  I just seasoned with salt, pepper and a spritz of lemon and then baked it in the oven at 375 until done.  I really enjoy salmon so sometimes find less is more.  Marin gobbles up fish too, it's always an easy sell.  I remember not liking fish as a kid so hopefully that doesn't change.

Tuesday

Breakfast - Overnight Oats!!!   I'm finding that opening the fridge in the morning to find a jar of this yumminess waiting for me is the perfect start to the day!  I'm hoping it's going to start motivating me to get up at 5:30 for run!




Overnight Oats

 

Lunch - Salmon Fishcakes & Kale Salad.  I had this Kale Salad on the menu for later in the week but it was on my mind since I watched Jackie's video tutorial over at Marin Mama Cooks so I just couldn't wait and bumped it up.  Go watch the video... I've made this salad a few times now and really love it but realized I wasn't massaging my kale enough.  Unfortunately around here you have to take what you can get with Kale and this week it wasn't the best but I still really enjoyed the salad.  Then I turned my leftover salmon into super easy fishcakes... I didn't follow a recipe.  The Bachelorette was on and I needed to get lunch made fast!  I mashed potatoes, added some of the leftover cauliflower rice & salmon, an egg, breadcrumbs, dill... measured nothing.  Formed them into patties, coated them in panko and fried them up.  If you're more of a recipe follower I have my favorite fishcake recipe typed out in the "Patty Cake" week.

Supper - Honey Soy Chicken Burgers with Asian Slaw.  This was a bit of a recipe shuffle too.  It was a BEAUTIFUL day so a barbecue was a must and burgers were on my mind.  I marinated the chicken cutlets and cooked them on the barbecue (well, Dave actually did that step).  Then served them up on toasted English Muffins with that yummy Peanut Dipping Sauce from last week.  I would have liked to have added lettuce and tomato but I wasn't planning on burgers so I didn't have any.  On the side I made the Weelicious Chinese Chicken Salad, without the chicken.

Wednesday

Lunch - Chinese Chicken Salad.  I chopped up the leftover chicken and threw it on the leftover Asian Slaw.  Easy.  Which freed up my evening on Tuesday to enjoy the sunshine!  Of course what I did instead was clean out the upstairs closet and a heavy box fell on my head... luckily I escaped with just a very minor injury!  I take this as a sign that I should clean less and cook more!  By the way... this chicken was delicious cold the next day!  I actually preferred this meal as leftovers.

Supper - Breaded Pork Chops with Veggies and Dip.  These pork chops are quick, easy and tasty too.  I had planned on roasted veggies but I got home late and was short on time so we had raw veggies and dip instead.   And for dessert - Chocolate Avocado Pudding.  Decadent!

Thursday

Lunch - 7 Grain Pilaf and Orange Salad.  I've made this before and I'll make it again!  The feta, the nuts, the fruit... mmm, mmm, mmm.  I was low on grains so I made this with all quinoa.  Bulgar would have added a nice texture.




Quinoa and Orange Salad

    

Supper - Chickpea Burgers & Greek Salad.  More from Marin Mama... sometimes I feel like her stalker but I get lost in her blog and have loved all the recipes I've tried.  This is at least my third batch of these burgers... so tasty!  And since we greeked them up with the Tzatziki I served them with a side of Greek salad.  I was actually wanting some lemon roasted potatoes but it was too warm to turn the oven on for 45 minutes. 

Friday

Lunch - Chickpea Burgers & Kale Salad.  Leftover Friday!

Supper - Spaghetti & Meatballs.  I'm getting the plan out early today because we're having Dave's family over for Spaghetti tonight.  This was a staple in thier house so we're looking forward to the feast.  Dave was making the meatballs this morning, I'm tossing up a big Caesar salad... some garlic bread and a DQ Ice Cream cake to celebrate all the June birthday's (2 brothers & 2 nephews).  It looks like the weather is going to cooperate so we can sit outside and maybe fit in a few games of Bocce and Washers too!

Happy weekend everyone!

Sandra