Meal Planning: August 11th - 17th

Review from last week:

A giant salad for dinner when we returned from vacation.

 

I discovered Costco has DELICIOUS wasabi ahi poke so I made my own poke bowls to satisfy my never-ending cravings for them:

A cheeseburger bowl:

I was craving carbs all week....so I went for it for dinner on Wednesday:

Plan for next week:

Saturday: Turkey Chili Stuffed Acorn Squash

Sunday:  Out to Eat

Monday: Butter Chicken and Samosas

Tuesday: Blue Apron Meal: Seared Chicken & Tangy BBQ Sauce with Zucchini & Sweet Pepper Rice

Wednesday: Smoked Turkey & Gravy with Green Beans

Thursday: Blue Apron Meal: Sesame-Orange Beef & Wonton Noodles with Green Beans & Cabbage

Friday: Blue Apron Meal: Tuscan-Spiced Pork Roast with Parmesan Risotto & Apple Pan Sauce

Meal Planning: August 4th - 10th

We are taking next week off work to do some road-tripping, so we (I) took next week off from meal planning!  

Review from the last week:

One of my long time go-to's has been to make a random pasta dish using up whatever I had on hand, and it hadn't been done for awhile!

I roasted up some broccoli and sauteed some Italian sausage and toss it with Parmesan and bow tie pasta.  Yum.

With the lasagna we had last week, I tried to focus on healthier dinners this week!  I am in LOVE with the blackened cod that Greg makes, and this dinner was delicious.

We asked Steve to make us some more smoked meatloaf and he DELIVERED. 

This pesto pasta was amazing!  I made Greg's with regular spaghetti noodles and mine with zucchini noodles. 

I planned this dish for a night Greg had plans to go out.  It's one of my favorite breakfasts, but it makes for a great dinner too!

Plan for the week of August 4th:

Saturday: Kale Caesar Chicken Salad

Sunday: Grilled Summer Cobb Salad 

Monday: Parmesan-Garlic Zucchini Noodles with Sausage & Kale.  I'll probably add some thin spaghetti noodles in to make this meal more Greg-friendly. 

Tuesday: Smoked Meatloaf and Green Beans

Wednesday: Smoked Turkey and Green Beans

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Out to Eat

Meal Planning: July 21st - 27th

Review from last week:

This Pesto Lasagna Bolognese was the best lasagna I've ever made.  It was from the new What's Gaby Cooking: Everyday California Food cookbook.  

The Cod, Kale and Lentil dish was good.  It was quick and easy to make because I used the steamed lentils from Trader Joe's.

Plan for next week:

Saturday: Out to eat - Greg and I are going to a wedding!  Seems like forever since we've been to one.

Sunday: Broccoli, sausage and Parmesan pasta

Monday: Grilled Cod with Cabbage Slaw

Tuesday: Smoked Meatloaf and Roasted Zucchini

Wednesday: I'm going to make a take on this Arugula Pesto Pasta dish, but will use scallops instead of shrimp and add in zucchini noodles.


Thursday: Baked Eggs with Tomatoes, Spinach & Parmesan

Friday: Out to Eat

Saturday: Sausage and Zucchini Noodle Pesto Pasta

Meal Planning: July 14th - July 20th

Review from last week:

As usual, Blue Apron comes up with really creative and yummy recipes!

Top 3 summer salads: 

Had the salad again, this time with some of Greg's friend Steve's smoked meatloaf that was SO, SO good.  He is opening up a food truck in Alaska next summer, so we have the benefit of trying all his menu this summer!

I tried another new recipe from my Inspiralized and Beyond cookbook - Chicken Saltimbocca with rosemary potato noodles and spinach.  It was really good, and Ben LOVED the potatoes!

Plan for next week:

Saturday: Out to eat - Greg and I are checking out Joule, a restaurant that has been on my list to try for a long time.

Sunday: Seared Cod & Caper-Butter Sauce with Kale & Lentils

Monday: Soy-Honey Chicken & Rice

Tuesday: Pesto Lasagna Bolognese (from What's Gaby Cooking: Everyday California Food)

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Broccoli, Quinoa & Sausage Pasta with Parmesan (from Inspiralized and Beyond).

Friday: Balsamic Beets with Goat Cheese & Pistachios and Burgers

Meal Planning: July 7th - 13th

Review of last week:

Greg made these delicious pan-seared scallops the other night and it was delicious!  Going to make it again this week since we still have a bunch of scallops in our freezer.

One of our favorite dishes that we haven't had in awhile!

I was craving an artichoke, and I dipped the leaves in the leftover lemon-caper sauce and it was amazing.

This Blue Apron dish was fantastic.  So easy and so spicy!  

 

This drink is officially our new go to cocktail for the summer.  YUM.

Delicious burgers from blue apron and this zucchini was incredible.

Plan for this week:

Saturday: Blue Apron Meal: Seared Chicken over Pearl Couscous with Snow Peas & Goat Cheese Dressing


Sunday: Spring Green Salad with Lemon-Feta Dressing

Monday: Chicken Saltimbocca Skillet (from Inspiralized & Beyond)

Tuesday: Out to dinner

Wednesday: Pan Seared Scallops with Lemon-Caper Sauce

Thursday: Burgers

Friday: Chicken Sausage, Brussels Sprouts & Sweet Potato Skillet

Meal Planning: June 30th - July 6th

Review from last week:

One of my favorite salads!

Our go to pasta dish these days:

Plan for next week:

Saturday: Japanese Pancakes

Sunday: Burgers and Artichokes

Monday: Turkey Taco Spaghetti Squash Boats

Tuesday: Artichokes

Wednesday: BBQ at a friends for the 4th of July.  I'm planning to make this Marinated Tomato and Burrata Salad.

Thursday: Blue Apron Meal: Blue Apron Meal: Spicy Veracruz-Style Shrimp with Lime Farro

Friday: Blue Apron Meal: Za'atar-Spiced Beef Burgers with Harissa Mayo and Tahini Zucchini

Meal Planning: June 23rd - 29th

Review from last week:

PCC had some amazing pre-marinated carne asada which was perfect to grill up after the brewer's fest.

This dish was really good.  It was supposed to have a fried egg on top but it didn't need it.

This one was pretty good, too.  Greg grilled the chicken which is always my favorite.

I think this was the first Chinese chicken salad I'd ever made and I loved it. 

Plan for next week:

Saturday: Pizza and Salad

Sunday: Grilled Chicken and Salad

Monday: Buffalo Cauliflower Salad with Avocado & Vegan Ranch

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Paprika White Wine Bucatini and Salad

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Grilled Cod

Meal Planning: June 16th - 22nd

Review from last week:

I really loved this meal.  Greg did not.  I think he thought the biscuits were okay, but he took one look at the soup and passed ;)

These enchiladas were great though!

For lunches:

This one was a new one I tried and I really liked it! It would be good for dinner or breakfast.  I added a little Italian sausage and it was delicious.

Plan for this week:

Saturday: Greg and I are going to the Washington Brewer's Fest on Saturday and Greg is going to grill steak when we get home.

Sunday: Father's Day!  We are planning an all day picnic at the park with friends due to the fabulous weather we are expecting and we are all so excited about it.

Monday: TBD.  Leftovers or take out.  Baseball practice starts this week adding to our busy after school/work schedule.

Tuesday: Blue Apron Meal: Korean Style Beef with Sesame Bok Choy & Marinated Carrots


Wednesday: Blue Apron Meal: Spiced Chicken Breasts & Mashed Potatoes with Blue Cheese Kale Salad.  My mom is joining for dinner so I'll just add an extra chicken breast to the meal!

Thursday: Blue Apron Meal: Chinese Chicken Salad with Crispy Wonton Noodles

Friday: We are going to see The Indrecible's 2 at McMenamin's and will grab dinner during the show!

Meal Planning: June 9th - 15th

Review from last week:

Last weekend, Greg and Marc took the boys to the trout farm and they caught 7 trout!  We had trout picatta for dinner and it was great!

One of my favorite things to have as leftovers is mashed sweet potatoes, a veggie and chicken.  I made these chicken breasts in the instant pot (which I'm still trying to master) and it was dinner + lunch for 2 days.

The frittata was amazing, as usual.  I'm going to make it again next week.

This was a new recipe for us and Greg and I both loved it.  I'll double the sauce next time because the chicken soaked it up quite a bit.  It went great with the zucchini noodles!

I totally messed this recipe up somehow.  The dressing that was supposed to go on it was bad, and I had left my can opener at work so we couldn't have black beans with it, but the bowls still ended up being okay.

Plan for next week:

Saturday: Tuscan White Bean & Chard Soup with Cheesy Cauliflower Biscuits (from Inspiralized & Beyond, but I found these recipes online)

Sunday: Chicken Enchiladas with Cumin Crema from the What's Gaby Cooking cookbook, but I found this recipe online, too! :)

Monday: Leftovers

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Dinner with Mom

Thursday: Ricotta & Spinach Spaghetti Pie (from Inspiralized & Beyond) with Italian Sausage added in

Friday: Burgers

Meal Planning: June 3rd - 8th

Review from last week:


This chicken wedge salad was something we used to make all the time and then forgot about.  I liked how easy it was to prep everything ahead of time and then assemble when we were ready to eat. 

Rosemary Chicken Salad with Bacon and Avocado - the perfect thing to eat after snacking at Safeco Field all afternoon!

This was a new one I tried this week.  I really liked it, but something was off in my execution of the "breading" on the cauliflower.  But in general - I maintain my stance that cauliflower is an excellent substitute for Chicken and it really takes on any flavor you add to it!

Plan for next week: 

I’m going to make this frittata to have for breakfast this week

Sunday: Skillet Chicken in Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce

Monday: Burgers and Salad

Tuesday: Avocado Shrimp Quinoa Bowls

Wednesday: Creamy Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

Thursday: My mom is making dinner

Friday: Leftovers

Meal Planning: May 27 - June 2

Review from last week:

I was shocked how much we like this one.  Me more than Greg, I'm sure, but he really liked it too! I will definitely make this one again.

The beyond burgers were also delicious!  I swear we aren't becoming vegans, but less meat is definitely not a bad thing and this is a great meat alternative.

Made this meal again.  I felt pretty bad heating up these leftovers in the microwave at the office the next day for lunch - but oh well.  It tasted great.

"Real" burgers:

My mom made clam spaghetti and we tried it with zucchini noodles mixed into the regular noodles.  It added an amazing crunch - I'll do this again.

Plan for next week: 

For lunches, I'm going to make Chickpea Tuna Salad (from Inspiralized and Beyond)

Also, a batch of Edamame Hummus for snacks:

Ingredients:

1 bag (12 oz) frozen shelled edamame
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Sunday: Out to dinner

Monday:  We are going to our first Mariner Game of the season!  Planning to make a Rosemary Chicken Salad with Bacon and Avocado for dinner when we get home.

Tuesday: Cauliflower Parmesan with Zucchini Noodles because it's so much fun to scare Greg with vegetarian recipes and then watch him enjoy them!

Wednesday: Grilled Chicken, Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Sauteed Snap Peas

Thursday: Cheeseburgers

Friday: Chicken Wedge Salad

Saturday: TBD

Meal Planning: May 20 - 26

Review from last week:

Although it's hard to choose, this brussels sprouts carbonara dish from the new cookbook is my favorite new recipe.  It's SO cheesy and delicious (and healthy!) and would be great paired with chicken or steak, too!  I can't wait to make it again next week!  Greg even liked it :)

Another good one from the book: Fajita pasta (which was spiralized zucchini, onion and bell peppers).  Spicy and delicious.  We had ours over butter lettuce, but this would be really good wrapped up in a tortilla, too!

I loved this Asian Chicken Slaw.  It made a ton and it was great as leftovers, too!

Plan for this week: 

Sunday: Buffalo Cauliflower Salad (Inspiralized and Beyond)

Monday: Salmon Rolls with Salad

Tuesday: Leftovers (or the beyond burgers that we didn't have a chance to make last week)!

Wednesday: Dinner with mom

Thursday: Grilled Cod and Brussels Sprouts Carbornara

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: TBD