I was confusing "gumbo" for "jambalaya" last week, although Greg has made both before and they are delicious. This batch of jambalaya was sooooooooo spicy, but amazing. Went very nicely with a Scuttlebutt Blonde. Greg is going to make it again this next week and add chicken, and make it with less cayenne pepper and less rice.
We took a trip to The Cheesecake Factory. I had high hopes of ordering something healthy, but the menu is always so overwhelming with wayyyyyyyy too many choices, I ended up ordering what I always get: Chicken and Biscuits. Please do not ever look up the number of calories in any dish you order there (like I did) because wow. But whatever, and we also had cheesecake.
We also made our favorite summer meal, Pineapple Pork Kabobs.
Maid Rites - which I made specifically for Ben because he loved them so much last time. This time, he didn't touch them and only ate the sweet potato fries.
Flank steak, roasted carrots with rosemary and roasted sweet potatoes with cinnamon.
As a side note, I've started reading the book "Give Peas a Chance" by Kate Samela, to address Ben's picky eating and desire to snack his way through life. Surprise, surprise - this book (as does all others) advises that we STOP letting him snack between scheduled meal/snack times, which is such an easy pattern to fall into. It also explains the importance of sitting down at a table, free of distractions, and all eating meals together. All information I have been told in the past but never paid much attention to. I have not finished it yet, but it's been so helpful already in helping me establish a good food schedule for Ben. Next up will be to help me identify ways to incorporate new foods (it advocates to always have a "safe" food - a food we know he is familiar with and likes - on the plate at each meal). It has a really great way to identify new foods he might try based on the flavors/textures of the foods he already enjoys.
And a piece of advice that my friend Callie has shared with me that her doctor told her: It's OUR job to offer them healthy, balanced meals - it's THEIR job to choose to eat it when they are ready.
So, with as much thought as I have been able to put into meal planning this past year, I'm now also going to really focus on making sure that what I'm making is toddler-friendly (or at a minimum, finding substitutions for Ben that will be acceptable while still offering him what we are eating).
Friday: I mentioned last week that we were having Lisa and Evan over for dinner. I've finally settled on a menu: cod with buerre blanc sauce, lemon quinoa w/ tomatoes, arugula salad, fresh bread and a berry crisp. (Ben can have most of this, but will probably opt for fish sticks instead of cod).
Saturday: Jambalaya (Chicken sausage and brown rice with chicken flavoring as a less spicy option for Ben).
Sunday: Roasted Red Pepper and Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken Breast. (Breaded chicken breast and sweet potato fries for Ben).
Monday: Pagliacci's Chop Chop Salad. (I'll probably "deconstruct" this salad for Ben (offering him salami, garbanzo beans, cheese) and pair it with a pita bread pizza).
Tuesday: Grilled herb chicken, rosemary carrots and sweet potato with butter and cinnamon.
Wednesday: Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken over brown rice.
Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken
24 oz (1 1/2) lbs chicken breast
14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
15 oz can black beans
8 oz frozen corn
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth
3 scallions, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
salt to taste
Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crock pot. Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred . Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in.Adjust salt and seasoning. Serve over rice
Thursday: Spaghetti squash and meatballs (with garlic toast for Ben).
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