Planning Meals Week 18: Friday, 4/29 through Thursday, 5/5

Friday, 4/29 - Grilled chicken chorizo sausages on Portuguese buns, spiced grilled sweet potatoes
Verdict: The sausages are always good as they're made fresh at the Whole Foods.  The grilled sweet potatoes had to be broiled as MTH was late getting home.  They were pretty good but I think that cooking them on the grill would be better.  Also, I'm not sure I like the cinnamon in there with the other flavors.  I may leave it out next time.

Saturday, 4/30 - out to dinner at Boulevard Woodgrill

Sunday, 5/1 - homemade pizza and sauteed asparagus and garlic
Verdict: We used our new super peel from SM.  It's great.  It helps a lot with getting the pizza on and off the pizza stone. We were using the parchment paper method so now we're not wasting parchment paper!


Monday, 5/2 - leftovers

Tuesday, 5/3 - veggie stir fry with lo mein noodles

Wednesday, 5/4 - leftovers

Thursday, 5/5 - cheese quesadillas, veggie

Planning Meals Week 17: Friday, 4/22 through Thursday, 4/28

Friday, 4/22 - Broiled Salmon, Pureed Cauliflower and Bread

Saturday, 4/23 - Easter Cookout with Visiting Friends - Burgers, Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Potatoes with Mustard Vinaigrette and Chips

Sunday, 4/24 - Grilled Chicken and Pureed Parsnips

Monday, 4/25 - Deviled Eggs and Pureed Parsnips

Tuesday, 4/26 - Out to Dinner

Wednesday, 4/27 - Grilled Cheese and Veggie

Thursday, 4/28 - TBD

Meals Week 16: Friday, 4/15 through Thursday, 4/21

Friday, 4/15 - Tartines a la Le Pain Quotidien

Asparagus and Goat Cheese
Turkey and Cheddar with Cilantro Pesto

Saturday, 4/16 - Rice Balls with Sweet Potato or Carrot filling (made by Aunt SM and LTH)


Sunday, 4/17 - MMH and Aunt SM out to dinner; MTH and LTH will probably have pizza

Monday, 4/18 - Hashbrowns

Tuesday, 4/19 - Irish Skillet Dinner

Wednesday, 4/20 - Leftovers

Thursday, 4/7 - Potstickers

Meals Week 15: Friday, 4/8 through Thursday, 4/14

Friday, 4/8 - Grilled steak and vegetable

Saturday, 4/9 - Out to dinner with friends

Sunday, 4/10 - Take out sushi

Monday, 4/11 - Pan fried pork chops with onions and broccoli sauteed with garlic

Tuesday, 4/12 - Ground chicken tacos with tomatoes, avocado, grated cheese and cilantro and leftover broccoli

Wednesday, 4/13 - Leftover tacos and veggies

Thursday, 4/14 - Potstickers

Meals Week 14: Friday, 4/1 through Thursday, 4/7

Friday, 4/1 - Grilled chicken bratwurst sausages on Portuguese buns, salad with tomatoes and cucumbers and broccoli sauteed with garlic
Verdict: These sausages are made in house at Whole Foods. They were quite tasty although I wouldn't call them Bratwursts.


Saturday, 4/2 - MTH and I went to Columbia Firehouse in Alexandria.  LTH had salmon, salad and broccoli with Grammie and Grandpap.
Verdict: I tasted the salmon made by Grammie and it was yummy. She used the Scottish salmon instead of the Atlantic wild salmon I've been buying.  I may have to change over to the Scottish salmon.  Also, MTH and I enjoyed our dinner at Columbia Firehouse.  I would like to go back and try some more dishes.


Sunday, 4/3 - Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Molasses and Mustard, Pureed Parsnips and Patatas
Verdict: We were supposed to make the pastrami'd pork tenderloin but I was able to get whole coriander at Whole Foods on Friday. Then, I forgot to go to a different store.  I'll try it soon though!


Monday, 4/4 - Leftovers

Tuesday, 4/5 - Stovetop Mac and Cheese and Vegetable

Wednesday, 4/6 - Leftovers for LTH and out to eat

Thursday, 4/7 - Hashbrowns and Vegetable

Meals Week 13: Friday, 3/25 through Thursday, 3/31

Friday, 3/25: Broiled Salmon, Pureed Cauliflower with Nutmeg and a Touch of Butter and Whole Wheat Bread
Verdict: For such a simple meal, it tastes like we've gone out to dinner at a nice restaurant.  I love this one! And LTH is eating more and more of the salmon each time we have it.


Saturday, 3/26: Ground Chicken Tacos with Lots of Fixings (Lettuce, Avocado, Pico de Gallo, Cilantro, Cheddar Cheese) and Salad
Verdict: The seasoning I used for the taco meat was too spicy for LTH but he enjoyed his baked sweet potatoes, cheese and stuffing his pieces of lettuce with those two items.  


Sunday, 3/27: Chicken Taco Nachos with Salad

Monday, 3/28: Leftover Pete's New Haven Style Apizza and Vegetable
Verdict: Pete's Apizza opened on Sunday and we decided to try it out.  The pizzas are huge!!!  So, we had leftovers.  I also had it for lunch on Tuesday.  Overall, it was good for their first day but the crust was a little chewy for LTH even though it is extremely thin crust pizza.


Tuesday, 3/29: Baked Chicken and Pureed Parsnips
Verdict: One of the easiest home cooked meals.  
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Peel and cut up the parsnips.  Boil for about 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat some oil in a pan.  Add chicken pieces that have been seasoned with your favorite herbs or spices and salt and pepper.  Brown the pieces on each side.  Transfer to the preheated oven until the chicken is done.
4. Puree the parsnips once they are done cooking.
5. Enjoy!
For the chicken we were eating on Tuesday, I seasoned it with oregano.  I went ahead and seasoned 2 pieces with cumin for the BBQ chicken sandwiches we had on Wednesday.


Wednesday, 3/30: BBQ Chicken Sandwiches and Pureed Parsnips
Verdict: Extra yummy with the homemade bbq sauce and cheddar cheese on waffle toast.


Thursday, 3/31: Out of to dinner with a friend - LTH had leftovers
Verdict: I had a great time at the wine tasting and eating at Lyon Hall.  Although next time I go out to eat, it will NOT be to Lyon Hall as I've been there quite a few times.

Meals Week 12: Friday, 3/18 through Thursday, 3/24

Friday, 3/18 - grilled housemade sausages from Whole Foods in Portuguese rolls and steamed carrots
Verdict: easy and tasty - we were having a St. Patrick's Day Brunch the next morning and I didn't want to spend too much time on dinner.


Saturday, 3/19 - living room picnic of cheese, crackers and fruit
Verdict: these were leftovers from our brunch that morning.  MTH had gone to the DC United home opener.  LTH and I had fun with a picnic on his Thomas quilt in the living room


Sunday, 3/20 - monkey bread pizza
Verdict: LTH loved this meal.  I will post the recipe soon and move these comments and the pictures below to that posting.  The main things I'd change the next time I make it are: cut the dough smaller and use more sauce.  Some other ideas I have for future savory monkey bread: Mexican monkey bread using corn meal in the dough along with cumin, chili powder, taco sauce and cheddar cheese.


Monday, 3/21 - leftover monkey bread pizza

Tuesday, 3/22 - Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese and Steamed Carrots
Verdict: As said before, like all small children, LTH loves this meal.


Wednesday, 3/23 - leftover mac and cheese, carrots and baked sweet potato

Thursday, 3/24 - Carrot Tofu Pot Stickers, Apple and Sweet Potato Fries
Verdict: These were the pot stickers that I froze a week or so ago.  They are perfect from the freezer!

Planning Meals Week 11: Friday, 3/11 through Thursday, 3/17

Friday, 3/11: Tofu-Carrot Pot Stickers
Verdict: Taste great and as mentioned in the link above, I made over 45 more that I put into the freezer for future meals!


Saturday, 3/12: Carnitas Taco Salad
Verdict: The pork butt was a hit as a taco salad. The two pounds of meat makes a lot 
Sunday, 3/13: Date Night for MTH and MMH - Wine Tasting at Screwtop Wine Bar and Cheese Shop and Pork Dinner at Lyon Hall
Monday, 3/14: Carnitas repurposed somehow, veg
Tuesday, 3/15: Stovetop Mac and Cheese, veg
Wednesday, 3/16: Meeting - LTH will have pasta and veg or leftover mac and cheese
Thursday, 3/17: Covered hashbrown and veg

Meals Week 10: Friday, 3/4 through Thursday, 3/10

Friday, 3/4 - Salmon with sauteed spinach and garlic with veggie broth risotto
Verdict: Salmon and spinach were yummy as always.  Plus, these are simple dishes to prepare.  The salmon goes under the broiler and the spinach is wilted in a nonstick pan with some garlic and olive oil.  The veggie broth risotto is a bit more involved and was started first.  I just followed the directions on the box of risotto.  It was a nice side dish that provided leftovers for lunch on Saturday.

Saturday, 3/5 - Homemade pizza and boiled carrots with a touch of maple syrup
Verdict: Pizza is always a hit in our house.  The pizza dough is made from the recipe in the Michael Ruhlman cookbook, Ratio.  It's the best recipe I've found.  Our toppings were green peppers, pepperoni, mozzarella and capers.  LTH likes to eat the plain pizza bread with his cheese on the side.


Sunday, 3/6 - Roasted chicken, fried potatoes, pureed cauliflower and biscuits with a touch of cornmeal
Verdict: This chicken recipe is so simple.  Just rub the chicken with olive oil, salt and pepper and cook on 450 degrees until the breast is 160 degrees.  I used a little too much oil on the fried potatoes.  They were very good especially if you like the patatas bravas that you can find at most tapas restaurants!  We were only missing the garlic aioli.  For the biscuits, I add a little cornmeal to the recipe in place of some of the flour.  According to Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything cookbook, you can substitute up to 10% of the flour for corn meal.  It worked!


Monday, 3/7 - Roasted chicken pizza with baked sweet potato
Verdict: LTH actually had a piece of pizza bread again but my pizza was awesome!


Tuesday, 3/8 - Chicken quesadilla and carrots and pureed cauliflower
Verdict: Quesadillas are so easy that how can I rate it anything but exceptional.

Wednesday, 3/9 - Chicken salad and sauteed broccoli with garlic
Verdict: I like chicken salad every now and then.  Also, it was a nice way to have something different from that whole chicken that I was still eating from Sunday.  I really got my money's worth out of that chicken!

Thursday , 3/10 - boxed butternut squash soup from the pantry - I can't make everything :)
Verdict: It was yummy and it was two servings so I had it for my lunch on Friday too.

Meals Week 9: Friday, 2/25 through Thursday, 3/3

This week did not turn out to be one of my best weeks for cooking as MTH and I were out of town from 2/25-2/27 for a wedding.  My Mom thankfully went grocery shopping for me and there were leftovers from her visit.  But, even after the leftovers were gone, I made things like pasta and spaghetti sauce.  I just was not in the mood for cooking.

Friday, 2/25 - Stir Fry Vegetables and Chicken with Noodles or Rice
Saturday, 2/26 - Meat and Potatoes Japanese Dish
Sunday, 2/27 - Eating Out for Me and Aunt Shan and probably pizza for MTH and LTH
Monday, 2/28 - Leftover Meat and Potatoes
Tuesday, 3/1 - Pasta with Sauce and Veggies
Wednesday, 3/2 - I don't recall
Thursday, 3/3 - I don't recall

Week 8: Friday, 2/18 through Thursday, 2/24

Whole Foods One Day Deal this Friday was $1 off per pound on air chilled organic whole chickens.  I bought two!  One is in the freezer for another day.  Tonight, we'll have roasted chicken with roasted fennel and whole wheat bread.  Unfortunately, I have not been able to get into the habit of baking bread so this bread is from Whole Foods.  One of my goals is to bake our own bread but it just doesn't fit into my schedule right now. Note that the page numbers are for my reference and I do hope to post most of the recipes here at some point.  It's helpful later when I'm trying to quickly use previous weeks for future weeks!

Friday, 2/18 - Simplest Whole Roasted Chicken (p. 644), Braised Fennel, Bread - COMPLETE
Verdict: This recipe is the simplest for making a whole roasted chicken.  It's from my beloved cookbook, How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman.  I also highly recommend the braised fennel (or as LTH says, "fendel").  It was simple but tasty (and different from our normal vegetables).

Saturday, 2/19 - Chicken Tacos and Sauteed Broccoli and Garlic - COMPLETE
Verdict: Great use of the leftover chicken from Friday's meal.  We also had chicken nachos for lunch that day that were very yummy.


Sunday, 2/20 - Bean and Cheese Empanadas (p. 174) and Pureed Parsnips - COMPLETE
Verdict: Very good and easy. I even made the refried beans myself (using canned pinto beans - next time I should make the beans from scratch too).  MTH commented on how good the beans were.  The good part is that reheated empanadas are also very good.

Monday, 2/21 - Bolognese Risotto and Pureed Parsnips - COMPLETE
Verdict: Same as before - yummy! I think I'll make another batch of bolognese just for making this dish.

Tuesday, 2/22 - Leftover Bolognese Risotto and Pureed Parsnips - COMPLETE

Wednesday, 2/23 - Macaroni and Cheese and Baked Sweet Potato - I made cheese quesadillas, green beans and baked sweet potatoes instead.

Thursday, 2/24 - Bulgar Pilaf with Broken Vermicelli and Pureed Vegetable - I made the homemade stovetop mac and cheese standby as well as maple carrots instead
Verdict: LTH loves mac and cheese and will eat carrots very easily.  Although it's definitely not as easy as making Kraft mac and cheese, homemade stovetop tastes so much better, it's worth the extra 10-15 minutes of preparation in my opinion.  Plus, you know what all of the ingredients in it are!

Week 7: Friday, 2/11 through Thursday, 2/17

Friday, 2/11 - Lobster Tail with Lemon and Butter with Garlic Broccoli - COMPLETE - should have bought a small steak for MTH and I to share as well.  We didn't have enough to eat.  I ended up making a batch of brownies afterward!!

Saturday, 2/12 - Black bean tacos with steamed carrots and corn - We made turkey meatball pizza sandwiches instead.  These were really good!  Pizza sandwich just means we used pizza crust as our bread for the sandwich.  These sandwiches also had yummy caramelized onions on them.

Sunday, 2/13 - Out to dinner with MTH - We ended up not going out to dinner as LTH did not sleep well the night before.  We at takeout from a local sushi restaurant.  LTH and I shared the salmon teriyaki and MTH had the sushi.

Monday, 2/14 -Couscous Casserole with Cauliflower and Ricotta (p.480) - LTH loved this meal; MTH was not come home the night we first had it.  On Tuesday, we had it for leftovers and he wouldn't taste it.  I think he would have liked it.  Maybe next time.

Tuesday, 2/15 - Leftovers
Wednesday, 2/16 - Macaroni and cheese sauce with sweet potato fries - LTH loves this meal always! It's definitely a stereotypical toddler meal.  But, I like it too.
Thursday, 2/17 - Hashbrowns with cheese and baked sweet potatoes - LTH is not as into hashbrowns as I am but he does love his baked sweet potatoes plus he loves cheese.

Week 6: Friday, 2/4 through Thursday, 2/10

Friday, 2/4 - Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Pureed Vegetables and Spaetzle - COMPLETE - LTH loved the tenderloin but not the spaetzle
Saturday, 2/5 - Ate at Tallula with a friend; LTH had macaroni and cheese and carrots
Sunday, 2/6 - Super Bowl - grilled buffalo wings, blue cheese, guacamole, corn tortilla chips, celery and carrots - COMPLETE - LTH said no thank you to the blue cheese and guacamole but said yes to the celery and carrots
Monday, 2/7 - Chicken and Celery Pot Stickers, Steamed Carrots with a touch of butter - COMPLETE - LTH loved these pot stickers.  He loved helping to make them!
Tuesday, 2/8 - Leftover Pot Stickers - COMPLETE
Wednesday, 2/9 - Celery Root and Parsnip Puree, Half Recipe of Cheese Biscuits - COMPLETE - As usual, LTH loved the puree.  He ate the biscuit but didn't devour it.
Thursday, 2/10 - Leftover celery root and parsnip puree and biscuits - COMPLETE

Week 5 - Friday, 1/28 through Thursday, 2/3

Friday, 1/28 - Broiled Salmon with Cauliflower Puree - COMPLETE - LTH loved the salmon!
Saturday, 1/29 - I was out of town so LTH and MTH ordered pizza
Sunday, 1/30 - balsamic chicken with carrots and turnips cooked in marsala
Monday, 1/31 - leftover balsamic chicken with carrots and turnips cooked in marsala
Tuesday, 2/1 - bulgar pilaf with broken vermicelli and pureed parsnips
Wednesday, 2/2 - leftover pilaf and pureed parsnips
Thursday, 2/3 - hashbrowns with onions and cheese with pureed carrots

Week 4: Friday, 1/21 through Thursday, 1/27

Friday, 1/21 - Chicken Packages with Grated Vegetables - COMPLETE
Saturday, 1/22 - Pizza, Broccoli - COMPLETE
Sunday, 1/23 - Mushroom Barley Soup, Orange Pureed Carrots and Multigrain Sandwich Bread - COMPLETE
Monday, 1/24 - Leftover soup, vegetables and bread - COMPLETE
Tuesday, 1/25 - Kasha with onions, Pureed Parsnips - COMPLETE - not good!
Wednesday, 1/26 - Don't remember
Thursday, 1/27 - Tomato Soup with grilled cheese

Week 3: Friday, 1/14 through Thursday, 1/20

1/14 - Baked Southwest Tilapia Tacos and Sweet Potato Fries - COMPLETE
1/15 - Mac and Cheese and Pureed Parsnips with Homemade Oat Soda Bread - COMPLETE

1/16 - Risotto and Pureed Cauliflower with Homemade Oat Soda Bread - COMPLETE

1/17 - Grand arroz con pollo (rice with chicken and vegetables) and Pureed Cauliflower with Homemade Multigrain Bread - COMPLETE

1/18 - Leftover grand arroz con pollo and Pureed Cauliflower with Homemade Multigrain Bread

1/19 - Cleaned out the leftovers from the refrigerator as I didn't have time to make the Kasha due to being home late

1/20 - Out to Firefly in Foggy Bottom for Restaurant Week

My baking plans are:

• More carrot muffins - VERDICT: did not get these done
• Oat Soda Bread - another quick bread - VERDICT: not bad but best with butter and cane syrup or preserves - not your healthiest meal or snack
• Graham Nuts - a homemade cereal in the spirit of grape nuts but hopefully much much better - VERDICT: I loved these!!
• Everyday Sandwich Bread - I haven't decided if I'm going to go 100% whole wheat or add a portion of another flour - VERDICT: pretty easy and tasty although will add a little more salt next time

Week 2: Friday, 1/7 through Thursday, 1/13

Friday, 1/7 - Broiled salmon over pureed cauliflower with whole wheat baguette and sauteed garlic spinach

Saturday, 1/8 - Multigrain pizza with assorted toppings (green pepper, cheese, mushrooms) along with pureed carrots, parsnips and butternut squash (eaten separately)

Sunday, 1/9 - Mushroom barley soup with added vegetables and baguette

Monday, 1/10 - leftover mushroom barley soup

Tuesday, 1/11 - Homemade tomato soup with grilled cheese and green beans

Wednesday, 1/12 - Cheese quesadilla and baked sweet potato
Thursday, 1/13 - I had not planned anything and we ended up with Indian takeout.  LTH had bread, blueberries and banana and was quite happy.

I also made some yummy carrot muffins using spelt on Saturday.  I will making more of these along with other recipes from my new cookbook, Good to the Grain: Baking with Whole Grain Flours.  I hadn't even heard of some of the flours mentioned in this book.  I'm excited to try them out!

Week 1: Sunday, 1/2 through Thursday, 1/6

Since I didn't start with the blog on January 1st but I did start the planning with the new year, I'm only going to post the actual menu for that week.

Sunday, 1/2 - Whole wheat linguine with Bolognese Sauce, Butternut Squash with Balsamic Drizzle Sauce, Whole Wheat Baguette
Monday, 1/3 - Leftover bolognese with pasta and butternut squash with balsamic drizzle sauce
Tuesday, 1/4 - Mexican Chicken Soup with Rice and Sauteed Spinach with Garlic
Wednesday, 1/5 - Leftover chicken soup and sauteed spinach
Thursday, 1/6 - Vegetable Stir Fry with Whole Wheat Spaghetti

LTH at some of these items but is currently stuck on cheese, baked sweet potatoes and plain whole wheat pasta.

Cooking in the New Year

As with most people, I have resolved to have a new beginning.  My new beginning is with cooking at home.  We're pretty good about eating at home most of the time but it's not always the most interesting or most tasty foods.  This year I want to take a little up front time to plan so that we can have healthier and tastier meals.

Here's how I'm going to do it:

1. Plan out a week's worth of meals
2. Post the expected week's menu
3. After the meals, post the recipes
4. Update the week's menu with the actual menu

Even if no one reads this blog but me, it will be an exercise that will help me to learn and hopefully become more efficient in my meal planning and preparation.