Sunday, October 9, 2011

Emptying out the Cupboard

I didn't really go to the grocery store this week so here's what we came up with :). A couple nights we had Smoothies with our meals. Super easy and delicious!

Monday: Mom's Night Out @ Poly Thai--yum! Phil and Char had breakfast food-pancakes, eggs, and green smoothies
Tuesday: Veggie Stir-fry over rice
Wendnesday: Spinach and Mozzarella Ravoli (found at costco) with salad
Thursday: Black bean, avocado, & lime tacos
Friday: Family Date Night--Acropolis complete with flaming cheese, sangria and flying napkins :)
Saturday: Lentil burgers, oven fries, green smoothies

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Green Smoothies Recipe

Green Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:
Fresh Squeezed OJ
Kale, Chard or other green
Frozen Fruit (we get a mix at Costco called "Festival Blend")
Other fruit we might have on hand such as blueberries, strawberries, bananas, mangos, etc.
Ice

Instructions:
Throw a bit of everything in a smoothie machine, blender, etc. and blend away until smooth. Adjust with more juice or fruit as needed for the correct consistancy. Enjoy!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Italian!!

So we had a lot of Italian food this week... not the best of meal plans, but it got us through!

Saturday: Morningstar Fried "Chick'n" Salads, Feta, Pesto & Artichoke flatbread
Sunday: Butternut squash mac n' cheese, salad
Monday: Chickpea salad in pitas with balsamic, cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce (vegan), kale chips (made with apple cider vinegar) and smoothies
Tuesday: Tuscan Pasta, bread
Wednesday: Homemade pizza (I used the extra veggies from the pasta for the top), salad
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Family date night! -- We are starting a new thing on Friday night called Family Date night where we go out to eat each Friday for fun together as a family! This will be the only day we eat out :). This week we went to Panera then Campbell's Dairyland for ice cream!
Saturday: Pasta salad (see recipe below)

Pasta Salad: So I made it a little different this time around. I used tortellini, olives, peas, sundried tomatoes, marinated artichokes, and balsamic dressing. Yum!

Chickpea Salad Recipe

Chickpea Salad

I adapted this recipe from something called Vegetarian Chickpea Sandwich Filling. The first night we had it in pitas with veggies and balsamic vinegar. The rest was eaten for lunches on crackers. Its a similar idea to egg salad or tuna salad. It can be made vegan if you use vegenaise instead of mayonaise.

Ingredients:
*1 can garbanzo beans or equivalent (we cook them instead of using canned)
*1 stalk celery, chopped
*1/2 onion, chopped
*1/2 green pepper, chopped
*1-2 spoonfuls mayo (or vegenaise)
*A little squirt of mustard
*1 Tablespoon lemon juice
*1 teaspoon dried dill weed
*salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Place chickpeas in bowl and mash with fork.
2. Mix in the rest of the ingredients using mayo to make it the right consistancy.
3. Put in pitas, on sandwiches, on crackers, etc. and enjoy!

Tuscan Penne Pasta Recipe

Tuscan Penne Pasta

So I kinda made this dish up. I had this amazing dish at the The Spaghetti Warehouse a month or two ago called Tuscan Rigatoni and I wanted to make something along those lines. This is what I ended up with and it was a hit! It was super easy to (just some chopping of veggies). I also used 2 jars of sauce. I typically make my own but I got a super good deal on sauce and wanted it to be super easy!



Ingredients:
*1 box whole wheat Penne
*1 Jar Bertolli Five Cheese with Asiago & Fontina red sauce (though any red sauce would work)
*1 Jar Bertolli Four Cheese Rosa white sauce (any white sauce would work here too)
* Parmesan cheese (freshly shredded)
* Oil for sauteeing veggies
* Tomatoes, chopped
* Marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
*sundried tomatoes, chopped
*Onions, chopped
*3 cloves of garlic, pressed
*Mushrooms, sliced
*Zucchini, chopped





Directions:
1. Boil water for pasta and cook.
2. Meanwhile, pour both jars of sauce together and heat on low heat. I added quite a bit of Italian herbs and garlic to the sauce to make it taste good.
3. Heat oil in saute pan. Add onions and garlic.
4. A couple minutes later, add mushrooms and zucchini.
5. After a few more minutes add tomatoes, sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts.
6. Once veggies are cooked season with salt and pepper.
7. Now you can make the dish! Put pasta on your plate. Top with desired amount of sauce then top with veggies and finally shredded cheese.
8. Enjoy!

Feta, Pesto & Artichoke Flatbreads

Feta, Pesto & Artichoke Flatbreads



These are super easy and a great side to a dinner. They'd even make a great lunch by themselves. I enjoy pairing a flatbread with a big salad for dinner.

Ingredients:
*3 Pita bread
*Pesto (basil based)--a couple spoonfuls
*marinated artichoke hearts
*Fresh feta cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lay out your pita bread and spread your pesto on it.
3. Sprinkle artichoke hearts and feta over the pesto.
4. Bake for about 10 minutes until cheese is browning and pita is slightly crisp.
5. Cut into wedges.
6. Enjoy! :)

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Easy/Comfort food-ish week!

I'm a bit late posting for this week. But this is what we had this past week. It was a pretty simple week. I made up the quiche and it turned out well. That was our new recipe for the week. I also made up the beans & rice recipe, just threw stuff together and it turned out well too. 

Saturday: Publix Subs after church
Sunday: Bean & Cheese Enchilidas rice (I think), veggies of some sort
Monday: Onion, kale & feta quiche, figs
Tuesday: Kashi frozen meals (yay for easy!) (vegan)
Wednesday: Veggie Stir-fry w/ rice (vegan)
Thursday: Beans & Rice (I just did brown rice, then black beans with cut up onions, celery, tomatoes, green peppers, and some seasoning). Add cheese & sour cream if you wish... or don't to make it vegan :)
Friday: Pizza & Salad!

Friday, September 23, 2011

Onion, kale, and feta cheese Quiche

Onion, Kale & Feta Cheese Quiche

Ingredients:
1 pie crust (prebaked)
1 yellow onion, diced
1 small bunch of kale, washed, stemmed & chopped
2 T olive oil
1/2 cup feta cheese
4 eggs
1 cup milk (I use almond milk)
pepper
salt

Preheat oven to 375F
In small skillet, heat 1T olive oil. Add onions to caramelize. When onions are done, add a little more oil and the chopped kale. Season mixture with salt and pepper.

Crack eggs into bowl. Add milk & beat. Add spices, cheese, and onions/kale mixture. Pour into pie crust.

Bake for about 30 minutes (my quiches ALWAYS takes longer, but most recipes say 25-30 min for quiche).

Enjoy :)

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Meals 9/11/2011

So I've been really bad about meal planning. Not just on the blog but in real life! I thought I'd try out planning what to eat the day before based on what we had in the pantry. And when I'm at the store only buy sales/staples. It didn't work out so well. I've read that its highly recommended to keep the food budget down, but maybe I'm just not creative as they are or maybe its easier to do if you eat meat. Either way we were eating the same things over and over and always wanting to go out to eat.

So, its back to meal plan time! We are trying a couple new recipes this week. The broccoli cheddar soup, and the summer cheese pie (which looks amazing!). Oh and Wednesday is going to be a date night for us! We'll rent a redbox and put the kids to bed (well the baby will still probably wake up) and have some kid-free couple time :).

Every other Friday is our "easy" night too because I now run the fruits/veg co-op I was in. So, I need something super easy.

Saturday: Out to dinner-Carrabba's (giftcard) (we typically go out after church on Saturday's)
Sunday: Lentil burgers, oven fries, kale chips (feel free to change this up. Its great with just salt and pepper, with apple cider vinegar, etc.)
Monday: SW Quinoa casserole in tacos, cooked carrots
Tuesday: Broccoli Cheddar Soup, homemade bread
Wednesday: DATE NIGHT :) Summer cheese pie, salad
Thursday: Bean and cheese enchiladas, broccoli (I now make my own enchilada sauce. I had no idea it was so easy!)
Friday: Artichoke Quiche (reheated--I froze one last time we had it), fruit salad
Saturday: Publix Subs (delicious & cheap)

Now I'm off to the grocery store :)

Artichoke Quiche

Here's one of my favorite quiches!

Artichoke Quiche:
Ingredients:
1 rice crust (see recipe below)
5 eggs, whisked
3 Tablespoons cornflake crumbs
1 T mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
10 oz jar artichoke hearts drained, chopped
1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
2. In a large bowl combine eggs, cornflake crumbs, mayonnaise, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper. Stir in artichokes and cheese. Pour mixture into pre-baked rice crust.
3. Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Rice crust:
2 cups cooks rice
1 egg
1 1/2 oz grated parm cheese

Mix together, press into greased pie crust, prebake pie crust 15 minutes at 425*F.

Monday, June 6, 2011

In search of: Butternut squash recipes!

I am looking for some good butternut squash recipes? Anyone have anything? I want it to make a main dish in a meal and NOT be soup! I have two that need eaten!! :)

Thanks!
Anna

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

I am keeping my promise... more meals!!

I'm a bit late posting this week! I hope everyone had a good holiday! It was super nice to have my hubby home one extra day and I got to get some new clothes!! (I haven't bought clothes in over a year... except for a few maternity things).

Through Friday (payday) we have to eat with what we have in the pantry (all the clothes I bought blew the rest of our grocery budget, haha!)

Monday: P.F. Changs-Happy Hour is 3-6pm and they have a handful of vegetarian things! They also brought us chicken lettuce wraps and for their mistake comped us our veggie lettuce wraps and bought us dessert... We didn't think it was that big of a deal, but I guess they did!
Tuesday: Eggplant Pasta, bread (vegan)
Wednesday: Baked potatoes topped with baked beans, pears (vegan)
Thursday: Breakfast for dinner--scrambled eggs, blueberry pancakes, peaches, potatoes?
Friday: Blackbean and couscous salad - this will be made very loosely since we don't have all the ingredients :) (vegan)

Eggplant Pasta

Eggplant Pasta
(Thanks for the idea Kari!!)

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 onion, chopped
1 eggplant, peeled, seeded, diced, and salted
1 large can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
seasonings (basil, oregano, salt, pepper, parsley)
Pasta, your choice

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in pan on medium to medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute for one minute. Add onion and garlic. Saute until brown (about 10 minutes).
2. Add can of  tomatoes, tomato paste, and seasonings. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes
3. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
4. Serve sauce over pasta.
5. Enjoy!

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Creamy Artichoke Dip

Creamy Artichoke Dip

We had some friends over for dinner tonight and I made a DELICIOUS cheesy artichoke dip :). I thought I'd pass on the recipe since it was just that good! (Although once you see the ingredients you will see why it was so good, hehe). I think this will be added to the "potluck" or "party" repertoire of delicious things to bring! And not only is it delicious, its super easy and you do it in a crockpot!

Ingredients:
2 cans artichoke hearts (packed in water), coarsly chopped
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup shredded parmesan
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup shredded cheddar

2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons sour cream
1 Tablespoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Tortilla Chips & Veggies (like carrots, green peppers, celery) to dip!

Combine all ingredients (but the chips and veggies) in a crockpot. Cover and heat on low for about an hour (I had to turn mine to high for a bit because low was taking too long). Serve with tortilla chips and veggies. Enjoy!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Back to Blogging!

So I will be the first to admit that I'm a TERRIBLE blogger. I have been coming and going and coming and going and this time I'm coming and STAYING! We got moved into our new house which I LOVE! And its been super fun being a homeowner too! New baby is almost 4 months old and still not sleeping a wink but its totally worth it and the big sister is the best big sister EVER! I am so very proud of my kiddos :).

So, my pledge to you is to post our DELICIOUS vegetarian meal plan each week and the links for the recipes. Plus any other tidbits of useful information I might come across :). I also try at least one new recipe each week. Sometimes its great sometimes its an epic failure but its fun to give it a shot :).

So... here's the meal plan, we've mostly made all of it, but I'm going to share since I have a minute at the computer :).

*Bean soup, homemade sweet cornbread muffins (we made 6 regular and 6 with blueberries for the next morning, yum!)
*Polenta Casserole
*Morningstar Chick'n nuggets, homemade french fries, corn on the cob (its corn on the cob season here in Florida)!
*Pasta Salad, fruit
*Chilaquiles Casserole, rice
*Zucchini Grinders (I used a small can of diced tomatoes and some spices instead of marinara sauce), salad
*Bean and Cheese Enchiladas served with sour cream and salsa, corn on the cob
*SW Quinoa casserole in tortillas with cheese, salsa, sour cream... I leave the cheese off the recipe and just put it in the tacos, broccoli (I loove broccoli)

I also just took out a vegan cookies cookbook from the library the other day called "Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar" by: Isa Chandra moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero (they also wrote Veganomicon which is a GREAT cookbook!). The Chocolate Fudgy Oatmeal Cookies are AMAZING! I've made them twice and can't wait to make them again (not such a good thing because that means we ate two batches of them, hehe!)

Monday, April 4, 2011

4/4/11 meals :)


Eekk! I'm late on posting this week!

I decided that we will try at least one new meal a week! This week its the Mediterranean Lentil Salad (leftover from last week) and the pasta with white bean sauce! I hope they turn out well :).

Monday: Mediterranean Lentil Salad w/ homemade bread
Tuesday: Pasta with white bean sauce, salad, homemade bread (I"m going to use either almond or rice milk and use the garden variety of pasta), roasted veggies with dip
Wednesday: Easy Peasy beans & rice, veggie
Thursday: Chickpea burgers (Frozen), veggie
Friday: Quinoa Stuffed peppers, homemade bread
Saturday: Frozen Pizza (We need a lazy day!), salad
Sunday: Zucchini Rice Fritatta, fresh fruit

Want to see other menus or get fun recipe ideas? Visit Organizer Junkie's website for Menu Plan Monday where bloggers post their weekly plans!

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Meals 3/28

We have a couple repeats. I forgot I had a mom's night out so that was one less meal! We also ate up some frozen Bean Soup one night because neither of us wanted to cook. I hope everyone has a great week!

Monday: Polenta Casserole, homemade bread
Tuesday: Mediterranean Lentil Salad, homemade bread
Wednesday: Southwestern Quinoa Casserole in tortillas, carrot sticks
Thursday: Cold Veggie Pizza (make ahead)
Friday: Artichoke and Spinach Lasagna, veggie, homemade bread
Saturday: Curried Cous Cous, roasted veggies (Thanks Karla!)
Sunday: Chilaquiles Casserole, rice

Cold Veggie Pizza

Cold Veggie Pizza

This is a great dish to bring to potlucks etc. Its also is a fun treat for dinner!

Ingredients:
*2 (8oz) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
*1 cup sour cream
*1 8oz package cream cheese
*1 teaspoon dried dill weed
*1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
*1 1oz package ranch dressing mix
*Veggies: peppers (multi-colored), celery, radishes, carrots, onions, broccoli, tomatoes etc...just whatever you have!

*Spread crescent roll dough onto large cookie sheet and bake at 350F for approximately 10 minutes (just watch it until its done). Cut dough now...much easier than doing later :)
*In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine sour cream, cream cheese, dill weed, garlic salt and ranch dip mix. Spread this mixture on top of the cooled crust.
*Arrange veggies on pizza. Cover and refrigerate. Serve once chilled.

Roasted Vegetables

These are SO SO SO GOOD! My friend Karla made them at her kids' birthday party the other day. Even if you don't like veggies, you'll love these! Especially the sweet potatoes.

Roasted Vegetables:
You can do whatever veggies you'd like.
My favorite are
Asparagus
Sweet potato
Portabello caps
Others that roast well are:
Carrots
Broccoli
Red peppers

For all the veggies, drizzle extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.
Place them on a cookie sheet or baking pan and roast in the oven at
400 degrees. The each take about 20-30 minutes. You can also grill
them on a pan or outside grill. Make sure they are a little chard but
not burned. For the sweet potatoes or carrots I usually pre-slice
them. The bellos, I usually leave whole then slice them when they come
out. the Peppers I usually cut into halves or thirds, roast them and
then slice them.

A WONDERFUL dip that goes well with them:

Ingredients:
*1 cup mayo
*3 oz sour cream
*salt and pepper to taste
*5 oz balsamic vinegar
*2 garlic cloves
*6-8 medium sized basil leaves

Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for an hour or more before serving.

Curried Couscous Salad with Dried Sweet Cranberries

Curried Couscous Salad with Dried Sweet Cranberries

This recipe is SO good! I don't like curry but in this its amazing :). Its also super easy which is a plus. Thanks mom for the recipe!

Ingredients:
*1-5.8 oz box instant couscous (or equivalent... I buy couscous in bulk)
*3/4 cup dried cranberries (raisins also work)
*1 Tablespoon curry powder
*1 tsp salt
*1 tsp sugar
*1/2 orange, juiced
*2-3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
*3-4 scallions thinly sliced OR green onions chopped
*2 TBS chopped parsley
*1/2 lemon, juiced
*3/4 cup chopped walnuts
*Freshly ground Pepper

Stir the couscous, cranberries, curry powder, salt and sugar together in a heatproof bowl. Bring water listed in package directions to a boil and pour over the couscous. Add orange juice. Give it a big stir, cover the bowl and let it stand, giving it a big stir once or twice until the water is absorbed and couscous is tender, about 5 minutes.

Fluff up the couscous with a fork. Add the olive oil, scallions, parsley, lemon juice and walnuts. Stir around until everything is distributed evenly throughout the couscous. Make up to 2 hours ahead of time and keep at room temperature until you are ready to serve. Check the seasonings just before you serve the salad and add salt and pepper to taste.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Mediterranean Lentil Salad

Mediterranean Lentil Salad (from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home)

Serve this nutritious salad on a bed of lettuce, topped with feta cheese and olives and surrounded by tomato wedges and cucumber slices.

Serves 4
Total time: 30 minutes

1 cup brown or green lentils
4 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon fresh thyme,(½ teaspoon dried)
2 garlic cloves, peeled
⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
boiling water
½ cup diced celery
½ cup diced red or yellow bell pepper
½ cup minced red onion
½ cup chopped fresh parsley

Dressing
⅓ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ground fennel
1 rounded teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Rinse the lentils. In a medium saucepan, bring the lentils, water, bay leaves, thyme, and garlic to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until tender, stirring occasionally.

While the lentils simmer, cover the sun-dried tomatoes with boiling water in a heatproof bowl and set aside. Combine the celery, peppers, onions, and parsley in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients until smooth. When the sun-dried tomatoes have softened, drain and mince them, and add to the vegetables.

Drain the lentils and discard the bay leaves. Remove the garlic, mash it, and mix it back into the lentils. Toss the lentils with the vegetables and dressing, and adjust the seasonings if necessary.

Serve immediately, or cover and chill to serve later.

Rumpledethumps

Rumpledethumps (from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant)

The diet of northern European peasantry relied heavily upon the potato ever since it was imported from Peru in the sixteenth century. In Celtic Britain it was taboo to harvest any potatoes before the festival of Lugnasa, and so the event was met with great anticipation. Colcannon, a potato and cabbage dish-variations of which are legion-is traditionally served on Lugnasa. All members of the family must share the dish or risk offending the agricultural spirit that protects the crop. After the first bite everyone shouts, "Death to the Red Hag!" thus driving away the specter of starvation.

Rumpledethumps is a colcannon that includes broccoli and cheddar cheese; it serves equally well as a luncheon or side dish. There are over one zillion know varieties of colcannon, and we have tried them all. This one is best.

Serves 6

5 large potatoes (2-2 ½ pounds)
2½ cups chopped cabbage
2 leeks, washed and chopped
2½ cups coarsely chopped broccoli
6 tablespoons butter
¼ teaspoon mace
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup milk
1½ cups grated cheddar cheese

Peel the potatoes, cut them into chunks, and boil them in salted water for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, steam the cabbage, leeks, and broccoli. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and stir in the mace. Mix this seasoned butter and salt and pepper to taste into the steamed vegetables.

Drain the potatoes and mash with 2 more tablespoons butter, the milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the seasoned vegetables and mix evenly. Spread in an oiled 13x9-inch baking pan. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and drizzle it over the potato mixture. Sprinkle the top with the grated cheese. Place under the broiler for 3 to 4 minutes or until the cheese is browned and bubbly.

If you'd like to prepare Rumpledethumps ahead of time, omit the cheese topping, cover the baking pan tightly, and refrigerate. Later, bake, covered with foil, for 30 minutes at 350º. Uncover, sprinkle with the cheese, and place Rumpledethumps under the broiler for a few minutes to brown.

Meals 3/21

I'm a bit late posting this week, sorry all! I had my MIL in town and my hubby out of town! We had a great time and she finally got to meet the baby, horray!

My daughter now has T-ball Monday and Thursday nights so I will be planning either super quick meals or easy do-ahead meals :).

Monday: Easy Peasy Black Beans & Rice in tortillas, apple slices
Tuesday: Delicious Big Bowl Quinoa, veggie
Wednesday: Alumni Association Dinner-St. Pats Party!
Thursday: Chickpea Burgers, potatoes (the burgers are super easy to make ahead and freeze)
Friday: Rumpledethumps, salad
Saturday: Meditterean Lentil Salad, homemade fresh bread
Sunday: Polenta Casserole, bread

Anyone have any good strawberry recipes to share? We went strawberry picking this weekend and picked 20 quarts! They are so delicious but now I need ideas of what to make with them :).

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Meal Plan 3/14/11

We made an offer on a house and it got accepted, woohoo! I hope its all smooth sailing from here :). In the mean time, we are going to commence "operation empty out deep freeze" :). I don't want to move a lot of frozen stuff, even if its just a few miles away!! So its time to do freezer inventory. Hopefully our meals won't bore you all too much! Oh and we have a repeat from last week, we didn't quite get to all the meals. And lots of new recipes!

Monday: Pasta Salad
Tuesday: Chilaquiles Casserole, rice (repeat)
Wednesday: Spaghetti Squash with veggie meatballs, roasted broccoli
Thursday: Beans and Rice in Tortillas, salad
Friday: Delicious big bowl quinoa, fruit salad
Saturday: Thin crust pizza, salad
Sunday: Vegetable Quiona cakes, stirfried green beans with garlic

Publix Shop 3/12

So I thought I'd pass on some of the savings I've been getting at Publix! This week I spent a total of $138.70 and saved $100.38. This includes a $10 Publix giftcard, and $100 in gas!!

I should also note that we get 90% of our produce from an organic produce co-op I'm in (If you're in Tampa and interested let me know!). The veggies I buy at Publix are b/c I either forgot to order them or they weren't available etc. For example I spent $55 for the next 2 weeks of produce.

Here's what we got:

2-Post Honey Bunches of Oats Raisin Medly
2-Multigrain Cheerios
1-Heartland bulgar wheat
6-Birds Eye frozen veggies
2-Glad Lock gallon storage bags (40 ct each)
2-Lysol cleaning products
1-Dawn dish soap
1-Publix unbleached flour
7-Voskos greek yogurts
1-Publix sour cream
2-Barilla pasta
1-Lindsay sliced olives
6-Stouffers French Bread Pizzas (frozen)-yeah its convenience food... I know :)
1-1# block Publix cheddar cheese
1-Large publix Peanut butter
1-Zucchini
2-Sargento Shredded Pepper Jack cheese
1-16 ct whole wheat tortillas
1-package asparagus
1-red bell pepper
2-hunts ketchup
1-sweet potato
1-bunch cilantro
1-package butter
4-Marzetti Simply Dressed salad dressings
1-$10 Publix Gift Card
2-$50 Shell Gas gift cards

Thin Crust Pizza

Thank you Scott for sharing your recipe!! :)

----Ingredients----
1/4 oz active dry yeast
1/4 tsp granulated sugar
3/4 c water, heated to 110 degrees
1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
pizza sauce, of your choice
shredded cheese and toppings of your choice
cornmeal

----Directions----
1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Dissolve yeast and sugar in water; allow to rest for 8 minutes.
2. In a separate mixing bowl, combine flour and salt.
3. Pour yeast mixture over flour mixture and mix using dough hook of mixer.
4. Turn dough onto a floured surface and press dough into a 12" circle.
5. Sprinkle cornmeal on lightly greased pizza pan.
6. Place dough on pizza pan and stretch dough to edges.
7. Bake crust for 5 minutes.
8. Remove crust from pizza pan and place on pizza peel.
9. Spread sauce over crust and top with desired toppings and cheese.
10. Place pizza back in oven directly on the rack and bake for 5-7 minutes or until edges are golden and toppings are heated through.

Pasta Salad

Delicious Summer Pasta Salad
Serves 4-6

The key to this pasta salad is the dressing! I've played around with other ones but this one is the BEST! Ken's Creamy Balsamic is also good and VEGAN so you can make this meal vegan). I also love that this recipe can be really really cheap with sales. The pasta, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, peas, and dressing all go on sale regularly :).

Ingredients:
1 package veggie pasta (I use Ronzoni Garden Delights or Wacky Mac... loving the bow-ties these days)
1/2 package regular pasta (I love using those corkscrews!)
2 teaspoons olive oil (or oil from sun-dried tomatoes)
1 Big handful sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (I've used regular and packed in oil. Packed in oil = more calories but also yummier!)
1 small can sliced olives, drained
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
fresh shredded Parmesan cheese (optional, I actually like it better without)
Balsamic Dressing (I LOVE LOVE LOVE Marzetti Simply Dressed Balsamic, and its BOGO this week!)

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
2. In large bowl combine pasta with olive oil (I skip this if I'm using sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil and just use a bit of that oil instead)
3. Add sun-dried tomatoes, olives, frozen peas, and Parmesan cheese (optional).
4. Refrigerate until serving.
5. Add dressing when you serve the pasta salad. If you put it on beforehand, the pasta just soaks in the dressing but the flavor goes away, so definitely wait until you are serving it to add the dressing!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Meals 3/6

Here's our menu for this week! We had to stay under $40 this week so I chose recipes with a lot of things we had on hand or were frozen (I have some frozen calzones and chickpea burgers).

Monday: Broccoli Calzones-use pizza dough recipe to make 4 large calzones. Mix in a bowl fresh or frozen broccoli, mozzarella cheese, pasta sauce and spices. Use mixture to fill calzones and bake.
Tuesday: Breakfast Burritos (scrambled egg or tofu, veggies , potatoes)-vegan w/ tofu
Wednesday: Chickpea Burgers, potato side, fruit (whatever we have on hand)
Thursday:Linguine in Lemon Cream, salad, breadsticks
Friday: Southwestern Quinoa Casserole (I use tomatoes not ro-tel and don't put cheese on the top)--as tacos... vegan, fresh fruit
Saturday: chilaquiles casserole, rice, veggie (whatever we get from co-op)--Recipe from my Aunt Kristen, I can't wait to try it!! :)
Sunday: Polenta Lasagna (I make a different sauce though), fresh homemade bread

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Polenta Lasagna

Polenta Lasagna-from Moosewood New Classics

Polenta
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups cornmeal

Sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic cloves
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoons dried marjoram
1/2dried oregano
1 cup chopped red bell peppers
3 cups crushed tomatoes with juice (28-ounce can)
1/2 cup dry red wine (optional)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup Neufchatel or cream cheese
1 large egg
2 cups rinsed, stemmed and chopped Swiss chard, kale, or spinach
1 1/2 cups grated mild provolone
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring the water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Gradually whisk the cornmeal into the boiling water. Reduce the heat to low and let the polenta simmer, stirring often, until thick but pourable (see note). Pour the polenta into a lightly oiled baking sheet. Use a lightly oil spatula to spread it 1/2 inch thick or less. Refrigerate.

Warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a saucepan on medium-high heat and saute the onions for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, basil marjoram, oregano and bell peppers and saute 5 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and, if using, the wine. Bring to a simmer and add the tomato paste, salt, and black pepper. Simmer on low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly oil a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.

Soften the cram cheese in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes. Lightly beat the egg and stir it into the softened cheese. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet or saucepan and saute the greens until tender. Remove from heat and set aside. Remove the polenta from the refrigerator and cut into manageable 4 x 6 inch pieces that will fit together to make single layer in your baking pan; a few gaps don't matter.

To assemble the lasagna, spread a third of the sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking pan and top with a later of polenta. Add the sauteed greens to the remaining sauce and spread half of it on the polenta. Spread the softened cream cheese over the sauce and top with the provolone. Make a final layer of polenta and top with the rest of the sauce. Dust the Parmesan cheese evenly over all.

Cover the baking dish and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Note: for this dish, make a relatively stiff polenta. The amount of water needed and the cooking time will depend on the cornmeal used. Finely ground cornmeal such as polenta cornmeal cooks quickly and is excellent for this dish. Coarsely ground and stone-ground cornmeals may need to simmer for up to 45 minutes. Any cornmeal may need additional water; start with the amount given and add more if the polenta becomes too thick.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Meal Plan 2/27

I can't believe my little man is a month old tomorrow! Time flies! We're loving every minute of it though and Charlotte is such a great big sister!!

So here's what I have for this week :)

Monday: Southwestern Quinoa Vegetable Casserole, roasted cauliflower
Tuesday: Bean Soup, corn bread, salad (vegan)--leftovers are great over a baked potato for lunch or a light supper
Wednesday: Cheese Lasagna from a friend, bread, salad
Thursday: Spaghetti Squash Crostini, stirfried mushrooms, sugar snap peas, and carrots(vegan)
Friday: Black bean tacos with avocado and lime (vegan if you don't put cheese on yours, it always depends on my mood)
Saturday: Kidney beans and vegetable gratin, potato side (maybe baked rounds or something)
Sunday: Leftovers

Bean Soup Recipe

Bean Soup

Ingedients:
1 can vegetarian baked beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can green lima beans
1 can butter beans
1 can green beans
1 T molasses
1 1/2 cup ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1 T mustard
1 stem diced celery
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 large onion chopped

Drain beans. Mix all ingredients but celery, pepper and onion together and place in slow cooker. Cook on low until hot (4 hrs minimum but it can stay in longer) Right before eating, saute onion, pepper and celery in oil and add to soup.

Serve with cornbread (I make my own because Jiffy has animal lard).

Leftovers are great served over a baked potato!

Sunday, February 20, 2011

New Meals

Ok so I've been really slacking as a blogger! I had my baby Jan 27th and it was a BOY!!! We are getting adjusted and I'm finally getting a little more time :).

Here's our meal plan for this week! A few people are bringing us food so there aren't as many meals planned as a regular week, but I'm not complaining :-)!

Saturday: Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps (vegan) (its the 2nd recipe... we didn't use oyster sauce)
Sunday: Pasta with homemade pasta sauce (vegan... depending on pasta) (no crumbles or mushrooms), garlic bread, salad
Monday: Delicious Big Bowl Quinoa, (vegan)Steamed Broccoli
Tuesday: Zucchini Rice Frittata (from Moosewood... I think we might use different cheeses in it), fruit salad
Wednesday: Friend is bringing us food!
Thursday: More food from someone :)
Friday: Food from a friend!
Saturday: Polenta Casserole (from Moosewood), Salad, homemade bread
Sunday: Vegan mac and cheese (vegan) (recipe below), Fresh Veggie side (not sure what we'll get from our co-op yet)
Monday: Southwestern Quinoa Vegetable Casserole (vegan if you don't use cheese or sub it), side (not sure what yet)

Vegan Mac and Cheese: From my friend Kari... she brought us food after I had my baby!

I just cook potatoes, carrots, and onions in a little water until they were tender. Then I put them in then blender with rice milk, olive oil, salt and tumeric root. Blend, add to cooked pasta and then bake until bubbly. The bread crumbs on top are optional.