Week of January 23

Popcorn, Apples, Nutnana smoothies - first night of my husband being away, so I kept it simple and fun for the rest of us =)

Green Lentil Soup from Super Natural Every Day.  I love lentils.  And soup.  This was a delicious combination.  I only blended half the lentils to keep some texture in the soup.  Make sure to add a little water or broth when reheating.

Roasted Chicken Legs - my plan was to make this for dinner, but I didn't make it to the right store in time to buy harissa.  Instead, I tossed some halved cherry tomatoes, one lemon cut into eight slices, one red onion cut in wedges, and a few potatoes cut into chunks with some crushed garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper.  After spreading on a roasting pan, I nestled drumsticks into the veggies, added a little more seasoning to the chicken, then roasted at 400F for about 45 minutes.  It worked great!  Similar to this meal, but even simpler.

Sweet Potato Sausage Hash - served over greens with a fried egg on it.

Paleo Sweet Potato Chili to host community group


Chickpea Wraps for lunch, from SNED by Heidi Swanson - my husband and I both enjoyed this.  I wrapped my chickpea filling in collard green leaves as a wrap.  My husband used a whole wheat tortilla for his wrap with garden greens.  And my oldest gingersnap ate as much as I did using saltine crackers as his scoop!

Week of January 16

Baked Potatoes

*Sweet Potato Miso Soup with Roasted Chickpeas - we shared this with friends.  She and I liked it, but no one else (kids and my husband included) were that impressed.

Dinner with Uncle Steve and Aunt Vallerie

Pizza

Quesadillas

Week of January 9

*Paleo Sweet Potato Chili - I did not expect this chili to have such great flavor!  We put a little cheese on top of ours because we aren't committed to paleo eating (and because, let's be honest, cheese helps my kids get excited about their food!), but it didn't need it.

Potato, Chicken, and Green Bean Bake

British Steak and Mushroom Pie - we discovered meat pie while living in England.  It became my son's favorite food and he still requests this every year for his birthday dinner.  I've experimented with several changes, but I think the original recipe is still the way to go.

Egg Scramble Deluxe - my fancy name for the "use it up" meal.  It's basically a really big omelette without shape!  Cook bacon or warm up leftover meat.  Saute chopped veggies (our favorites are peppers, spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, and onions).  Scramble eggs and just before they're done cooking, add the cooked meat, veggies, and some grated cheese.

Slow Cooker Thai Chicken

*Perfect Cinnamon Rolls - these are AMAZING!  And they are HUGE.  Prepare to share and freeze.

Kale Salad from Super Natural Every Day.  Another great, simple recipe from Heidi Swanson.  I made this on Monday and ate on it all week for lunch.  I swapped about 1 Tbsp coconut oil for some olive oil and added a teaspoon of an asian chili sauce for a little kick.  The leftovers keep well, but, not surprisingly, the kale and coconut chips lose their crisp when reheating.

Week of January 1

I love cooking.  I love trying new recipes.  I love talking with friends about food and recipes and cooking and eating.  I love sharing recipes that I've found and love with other people.  And I refer to this little blog space often to remember what I've made, what we've liked, and to share recipes with people.  So instead of trying to post individual recipes, I'm going for a weekly meal approach.  I'll star the recipes that were new and hopefully do a better job of tracking what I make for future reference.



Mexican Pile-Up - a family favorite: you pile up whatever you want!  Our staple ingredients are: rice, taco meat, chips, lettuce or spinach, black beans or refried beans, chopped tomatoes, grated cheese, cilantro, salsa.  Other taco-type toppings are welcomed when I have them.

Anniversary date night.  Kids had pizza.

*Cinnamon Chili Pork - this was absolutely delicious and everyone in the family liked it - winner!  My youngest asked for a bowl of the red pepper apple salsa for her birthday meal!

Kids were invited to the neighbors' for a last-minute dinner playdate, so we had date night leftovers.

*Roasted Sausage with Mushrooms, Squash, and Polenta - I love polenta, but hadn't tried roasting it before.  Delicious!

1 16-ounce tube refrigerated cooked polenta, cut into 1/2-inch slices and halved (I get mine at Trader Joe's)
2 cups sliced fresh cremini mushrooms
2 cups cubed, peeled butternut squash
3 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 lb. uncooked mild Italian sausage links
1 tsp. snipped fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 425F.  In a 15x10-inch baking pan combine polenta, mushrooms, and squash.  Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Prick each sausage a few times with a fork.  Place in pan with veggies.  Sprinkle with rosemary.
Roast 25-30 minutes, or until sausages are done, stirring once.  If desired, top with additional rosemary.
Recipe taken from Better Homes and Gardens' One-Pan Recipes magazine


New Breakfast recipe:
Yogurt Biscuits from Super Natural Every Day, by Heidi Swanson.  This is a new cookbook for me and I'm excited to cook my way through it this year with a friend!  It's definitely worth a look from your local library if you enjoy simple, interesting, whole food recipes that are easily adaptable for family-friendly eating.