Menu Febuary 26 to March 2

Monday: Shortcut Thai Chicken with Rice (from Chatelaine Magazine)

Prepare rice as described on package.

Ingredients:
6 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts or 12 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
Vegetable Oil
400ml can Coconut milk, not light
1/4 cup of peanut butter, preferably chunky
2 tbsp hot chili-garlic sauce
1/2 tsp salt
4 green onions
Chopped coriander (optional)

Trim any fat from chicken. Lightly coat a large, non-stick frying pan with oil and set over medium-high heat. When hot, add half the chicken. Cook until golden-tinged, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove each piece as it is done to a large plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.

While chicken is cooking, in a medium-size bowl, which coconut milk with peanut butter, chili-garlic sauce and salt until evenly mixed. Return all of chicken to pan, then pour coconut mixture overtop. Bring to a boil stirring often. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring sauce and turning chicken occasionally, until chicken feels springy when pressed, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, thinly slice onions diagonally. When chicken is done, sprinkle with onions, then coriander. Serve over rice. Leftovers will keep up to 2 days.

Tuesday: Lemon Pasta with Shrimp

Ingredients:
1 package of whole grain spaghetti, cooked
1 package of cooked frozen shrimp (about a cup and a half to 2 cups)
6 tbsp olive oil
2 cups sugar snap peas, cut into bite-size pieces
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan Cheese

Prepare spaghetti as described on package. Set aside.

Thaw Shrimp and peel (if necessary), set aside.

Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan.
Saute garlic for approximately 1 minute, add sugar snap peas and shrimp and Saute for approximately 1 more minute. Add spaghetti and toss.

Cut lemon in half and squeeze juice from both sides into pasta. toss again. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.


Wednesday: Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Mash Sweet Potato (from key ingredients.com)

For pork:
¼ cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 Tablespoons red wine (I used Merlot)
1 teaspoon ginger
2 scallions, chopped thin
2-1lb pork tenderloins
Mix the first 8 ingredients together in a bowl. Pour over tenderloins in a Ziploc bag. Marinate 6-24 hours, I chose 24.

Place pork tenderloins in baking dish, pour marinade over them. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes uncovered. Until internal temp registers 145.
Can double marinade. Serve with marinade to dip.

Mashed Sweet Potato:
4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup non-fat sour cream
2 Tbsp. butter
¼ tsp. kosher salt or Maldon sea salt
¼ tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
4 Tbsp. finely-chopped walnuts

Place sweet potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook 10-15 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain and place potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Mash with sour cream, butter, salt and cinnamon. Transfer to a serving dish. top with Brown sugar and walnuts.

Thursday: Carrot Soup with Orange and Ginger (from all recipes.com)

1 tbsp canola oil
1 onions, coarsely chopped
6 carrots, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed (2 oranges)
2 1/2 tbsp gingerroot, coarsely grated
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1/4 cup cream 15% [optional]
salt to taste
ground pepper to taste

Prepare the vegetables: chop them coarsely.

In a pot, sweat the onion in oil over medium heat for about 3-4 min. Add the carrots, orange juice, coarsely grated ginger, broth and water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer until the carrots are tender, about 25 min.

Purée the soup in a blender or processor, then pour it back into the pot. Stir in the cream and just warm the soup a few minutes. Adjust the seasoning then serve.

The soup keeps up to 7 days in the refrigerator or up to 4 months in the freezer. Cream should not be added before freezing, but later when the soup is reheated.

Friday: Steak Burgers with Fries

Ingredients:
1 bag frozen fries

2 striploin steaks, sliced thinly
I green pepper, cored and sliced thinly
1 onion, sliced
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Montreal Steak Spice

4 large hot dog rolls
margarine
garlic powder

1 cup cheddar cheese

Prepare fries as per package directions

Heat large frying pan and add steak. Fry until beginning to brown, add Worcestershire, steak spice, continue to fry until steak near done, add green pepper and onions and finish once vegetables soft and steak cooked.

Place buns on cookie sheet. Spread margarine on buns, sprinkle with garlic powder. Pile Steak mixture onto each bun evenly. Top with cheese. Once fries come out of oven, place steak sandwiches in oven and broil until cheese melted. Serve with fries.

Shopping List Feb. 26 to March 2

Produce:
Green Onions (6)
Coriander
1 Bag Sugar Snap Peas
1 Head of Garlic
Lemon (1)
Ginger (1 piece)
Sweet Potato (4 large)
Onion (2)
Carrots (6)
Oranges (2)
Green Pepper (1)

Bakery:
Large Hot Dog Buns

Meat:
6 boneless skinless chicken breast, or 12 boneless skinless chicken thighs
Frozen, cooked shrimp
2 Pork Tenderloins
2 Striploin Steaks

Dairy:
Parmesan Cheese
Cheddar Cheese
Non-fat sour cream
Butter
Coffee Cream
Margarine

Pantry:
Montreal Steak Spice
Garlic Powder
rice
vegetable Oil
olive oil
1 Can Coconut milk (not light)
Chunky Peanut Butter
Hot Garlic-Chili Sauce
Whole Wheat Spaghetti
soy sauce
honey
brown sugar
cinnamon
red wine
kosher salt
walnuts
chicken broth (1 tetra pack)
Worcestershire Sauce

Frozen:
Fries

Pancake Day.... Oops!

I almost forgot that pancake day is this week, so feel free to replace Tuesday's meal with the recipe of you choice or one from this link to my St. John's Kid Pancake Day post from last year... There's a few tips there about how to make it fun too!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Menu for the week of February 19

Hi everybody,

A new job, snow storms, and a busy husband interrupted my meal planning for the last two weeks. While I did make some of the recipes, I made them on alternate days and made modified version if I didn't have the right groceries. But this is what I have noticed about meal planning: it is flexible. The groceries for one dish can be used in others and the day you make the meal doesn't really matter.

Anyway, down to business, this week I am offering some more of my favourite recipes chosen for health, ease, and deliciousness!

As always I have included some weekend prep to help things along for the week.

Menu plan February 19 - 24, 2012

Sunday
Make this Pizza dough on the weekend and you will thank yourself. Your kids can help so you can make it a family activity too. It is fast and easy. This recipe makes enough for 6-8 pizzas or 3-4 pizzas and 4 calzones. Freeze the dough. This week we'll be using it for the Wednesday Calzone recipes. The rest you can save for another time. Pizza dough

The other Sunday prep recipe is Chicken and sweet potato tajine. You have a choice here, you can make it Sunday and eat it for Sunday dinner with leftovers on Monday or have it for Monday only. And don't panic when you see the recipe, I use chicken thighs, bonesless and skinless to replace the whole chicken. I find it way easier, but feel free to do it according to the recipe.

Monday ~ My aren't you fabulous! You did this on Sunday, so you can just heat and eat your tajine! Boil your potaotes for tomorrow's soup tonight if you like.

Tuesday - Potato Leek Soup (We love lots of crusty bread with ours and a squirt of lemon juice)

Wednesday - Calzones  - Don't worry about the pizza stone in the instructions. I made these without one. I have since bought one and swear by it, but you don't need it. This is a Jamie Oliver recipe from Jamie at Home, but when I looked for it online - Voila, Martha Stewart. Which is great, because that site makes creating a grocery list a breeze. I also stuffed mine with PC meatballs last time to make them a bit more substantial. I microwaved them and then put them in with the rest of the ingredients, so I added those to the grocery list as an option.

Thursday ~ Broccoli Ginger Beef with rice, your kids may not like the ginger kick, so try two frying pans, one with ginger and one without or lessen the amount. Although as someone funny once said, you should be able to get your kids to eat Chinese food, because I am pretty sure there are kids in China.

Friday ~ Open faced burgers : these were so good I wanted to put them into rotation again.


Grocery list:

Produce:
1 head garlic
1 medium leek
4-6 medium potatoes for mashing
1 pound assorted mushrooms, such as portobello, chanterelle, shittake, enoki, and cremini, cleaned and chopped
10 ounces white mushrooms,
1 plum tomato
2 large tomatoes
1 large yellow onion
1 medium red onion
8 sprigs fresh thyme
11 ounces spinach leaves
4-inch fresh red chili
dried hot red pepper flakes
broccoli 1 head or more if you are serving more than 2
fresh gingerroot
3/4 pound sweet potatoes (2-3 med)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Bread & Baked Goods
sourdough bread
crusty bread to accompany leek soup

Condiments, Dressings & Oils
1 cup Tomato Sauce
red-wine vinegar
olive oil
oriental sesame oil
vegetable oil
soy sauce

Meats
1 pound ground beef
One  4-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces or equivalent boneless, skinless chicken thighs
boneless sirloin 3/4 pound or more if you are serving more than 2 people
frozen meatballs (optional)


Canned Foods, Soups & Mixes
1 large tetra packs low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 large tetra pack beef broth

Dairy
2 ounces fontina cheese, cut into 4 slices
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn

Baking & Cooking
7 cups flour
2 packets of quick rise yeast
cornstarch
salt
sugar
ground ginger
ground cinnamon

Dried Pantry Items
cooked rice

Wine
medium-dry sherry or scotch (optional)
you can add your own drinking wine here too J



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Next week's menu

I'll be posting it before the day is out so you'll have it in time for weekend grocery shopping. It will include two things to do on Sunday to make life easier next week.
~ Erika


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Eating - Daddy Style

Sara here:

It has been so great to have a guest post from Dinner Dad this week. I hope you are all enjoying the menu. More than anything, however, I hope you are enjoying a man's perspective and contribution to mealtime chaos.

I have been talking to a lot of friends and it seems like men have become much more of a regular in the kitchen. In fact I have many friends who's husbands are the chef in their house. They don't like to cook - their husbands do. So nice to see those stereotypical gender roles breaking down.

Even though I am doing the cooking in our house (for the most part) I do try to be aware of the mindset I am creating with my three boys. I want them to understand that I do it because I enjoy it, not because it is my "job". I also try to encourage them to cook with me as much as possible. I want them to get to know food and techniques in the kitchen. I want them to be able to take care of themselves and eat well when they are older. Okay, I will be honest, I want them to be famous chefs and feed Mommy fancy meals on regular occasions. And buy me diamonds. It is the least I deserve.

But in the meantime, I will teach them how to use a carrot peeler, and how to properly wash their hands, and not to put their tongues on a beater while it is moving. Baby steps.

I found a great website from a Dad on tips (from his perspective) on mealtimes. Great advice! http://functionalfather.com/dinnertime-with-the-kids/ Enjoy!

Happy Eating!

Menu for Feb. 13-17 by Dinner Dad

The suppermoms are, in a word, awesome!

It was their action that inspired me to take on the creation of dinnerdads.ca - a repository of meals and meal plans that I can refer to through out my week. I have noticed that the meals the Moms create are a little more adventurous than my clan would partake in. Let's just say that introducing new meals in my house takes ... some time. My goal ... home cooked over fast food - healthy food over junk food.

Don't be afraid to some prep work the night before. It cuts down on the time it take to get it on the table when you get home from work. Here is my plan for the week:
Mon - Homemade Meat balls with fresh pasta
Tues - Oven Baked Pork Chops in BBQ Sauce with Basmati Rice
Wed - Breakfast for Supper
Thurs - Fried Fish with Potatoes, Turnip and Green Beans
Fri - Home-made Pizzas

Shopping List Feb. 13-17

Meat
Ground Beef (at least a pound)
Chicken Tenders
Pizza Delight Pepperoni Bacon ( 1 package)
Pork Chops (at least 1 per family member)
Fish (Cod) Fillets (1 per child, 2 per adult)

Produce
Potato (1 bag)
Turnip (2 medium)
Green Beans (1 package)
Red/Green/Yellow Pepper (1 of each)

Bakery
Loaf of fresh bread
Naan Bread (1 per family member)

Dairy Section
Milk (1 carton)
Orange Juice (1 carton)
Eggs (1 dozen)
1 large bag of Kraft Shredded Tex Mex Cheese
Butter or Margarine

Pantry
Flour
Ketchup
Bay Leaves (1 package)
Salt and Pepper
Jacob's Cream Crackers
1 large tin of Diced Tomatos
1 large can of tomato paste
1 bottle of Bull’s-Eye Barbecue Sauce Guinness Flavour
Brown Sugar
Vinegar
Worcestershire Sauce
Mustard
Basmati Rice
Chicken Broth (1 tetra pack)
Ms Vickie's Sea Salt and Malt Vinegar Chips (1 Bag)

Deli
Fresh Pasta (enough for your size family)
Casa Grande Salsa Roja (1 tub)

We have a Guest!

Exciting news! We have a guest posting the menu for us this week. He was inspired by suppermoms to begin his own blog called "dinnerdads" http://dinnerdads.wordpress.com/ We asked him if he would like to do the menu this week and he agreed.

So, due to a little communication snafu, the menu and shopping list will be ready by dinnerdad tomorrow morning. I will post here - and we will all see if men can make more than just meat and potatoes :-)

Thanks dinnerdad!

Menu Plan (Feb. 5 - 10)

Monday: Maple Glazed Salmon with Green Beans and Rice

Salmon Fillets (2-4 depending on size of family)
Cooking Spray (such as Pam)
Ginger Root (1 Tbsp)
Clove of garlic, (1, minced)
100 % Pure Maple Syrup, (1/4 Cup)
President's Choice Memories of Thailand Fiery Chili Pepper Sauce, (1 Tbsp)
Rice
Frozen Green Beans, French Cut, 3 Cups
Unsalted Butter (1 Tbsp)
Slivered Almonds (1 Cup)

Prepare rice as described on package.

Spray a non-stick frying pan with cooking oil spray and heat over medium heat. Cook ginger and garlic for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring. Remove pan from heat. Stir in maple syrup and Thai sauce.

Preheat broiler. Line baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Place fillets on prepared baking sheet and divide sauce among them, brushing over top and sides. Broil salmon for 10 minutes per inch or until it flakes easily with a fork.

While salmon is in oven, steam the frozen green beans for approximately five minutes. Remove. Melt butter in a frying pan. Add almonds, and toss green beans in butter and almonds.

To serve, place rice on plate, green beans on top and then fillet on top of that with a drizzle of sauce.

Tip - for kids I flake fish, and mix it all together.



Tuesday: Tomato Chicken Pasta

Olive Oil (1 tsp)
Chicken Breast (2)
Green Pepper (1, chopped)
Carrots (1 shredded)
Campbell's Basil and Oregano Tomato Soup (1 can)
Spaghetti

Cook spaghetti according to package.

Heat oil in a deep frying pan. Add chicken. Cook until turning white, add green pepper and carrot. Continue cooking until chicken browns and vegetables are soft. Add tomato soup, lighten with water to desired thickness. Simmer for 5 minutes. Serve on spaghetti.



Wednesday: Goulash (or as my Grandfather called it, Scumgolli)

Ground Beef (2 lbs)
Macaroni (3 Cups, cooked)
Can tomatoes (1, break tomatoes apart)
Onion (1 large, chopped)
Green Pepper (1/2 chopped)
Ketchup or tomato sauce (1 Tbsp)
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Fry ground beef with onion and green pepper. When browned, combine with remaining ingredients and turn into casserole dish. Cover and bake for 1/2 hour.

Serve with a portion of sourdough bread.

Tip - I like to serve this with tomato and cucumber - peel cucumber and chop in large chunks. Chop tomato into large chunks. Combine and toss with some salt and pepper. I have included this in the shopping list.



Thursday: Veggie Enchilada

Black Beans (1 Can, rinsed)
Salsa (1 bottle)
Frozen Corn (1/2 cup)
Avocado (2, chopped)
Flour Tortillas
Cheddar Cheese (1 Cup or to taste)
Sour Cream

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Combine black beans and salsa. Add frozen corn. Add chopped avocado. Wrap mixture in tortillas and place side by side in a baking dish. Spread grated cheese over top.

Bake for 20-30 minutes.

Serve with sour cream and additional salsa (if you have it.)



Friday: Open Faced Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries

Ground Beef (1 lb)
Cooking Spray
Fresh mushrooms (1 cup, sliced)
Onion (1 small, chopped)
Cheddar Cheese
Sour dough bread, cut into slices
Frozen Sweet Potato Fries (1 bag)

Prepare fries as per package instructions.

Form ground beef into patties.

Spray large frying pan with oil. Heat. Add mushrooms and onions and fry until brown and soft. Remove and place in a bowl and cover with foil wrap.

Return pan to heat. Fry patties until browned and cooked through. Remove from heat and cover each burger with a spoonful of onion/mushroom mixture and a slice of cheese. Cover burgers loosely with foil.

Slice bread. Place burger on bread. Serve with fries.

Shopping List Feb 6-10

Meat
Salmon Fillets (2 to 4 depending on family size)
Chicken Breast (2)
Ground Beef (3 lbs)

Produce
avocado (1)
Ginger (1 small piece)
Carrot (1)
Green Pepper (2)
Tomato (2)
Cucumber (1)
Onion (2)
Fresh Mushrooms (1 small package)

Bakery
Flour Tortillas (small)
Sourdough Bread (1 loaf)

Dairy
Sour Cream (1 container)
Cheddar Cheese (medium size block)

Freezer
Corn (1 bag)
French cut green beans (1 bag)
Sweet Potato Fries (1 bag)

Pantry
Ketchup (or tomato sauce)
Black Beans (1 can)
Salsa (1 bottle)
Sliced Almonds (1 package
100 % Maple Syrup (1 bottle)
President's Choice memories of Thailand Fiery Chili Sauce (1 Bottle)
Campbell's Basil and Oregano Soup (1 can)
Spaghetti
Macaroni
Rice

Saving Money, Eating Well.....

Sara here:

I am in meal planning mode.

Erika did a fabulous job last week with lots of tasty dishes. I really enjoyed them all. Now it is my turn again, and the pressure is on! I noticed my dishes could be classified as a little more "kitchy" than Erika's (for example, I am sure my previous menu was the first time Erika ever used a box of stove-top stuffing.) And this week won't be much different. Ketchup might be one of my ingredients. Be warned.

That is what I am enjoying the most about this experience, however. We get to try new things and new ways of cooking. Plus, my life really is a whole lot easier in the evenings. I hope you are finding that too.

So, meal menu and shopping list for next week will be posted tomorrow. In the meantime, I am trying to find helpful tips on the Internet to keep things cheap when we head out to the grocery store. A big one is planing your meals for the week. I thought you might find some of these other ones helpful as well:

• Invest in a freezer and stock up on food that is on sale.


• Pack lunches and snacks for your kids - and you! I like to bring leftovers so I make sure there is some for me to bring the next day.


• Never pay full price on grocery items that last a long time such as toilet paper, paper towels and storage bags. Stock up whenever you see these items on sale.


• Buy whole carrots rather than baby carrots and cut them up (baby carrots are just cut up big ones anyway.) Also, frozen vegetables are just as healthy as fresh, and often better quality at this time of year especially.


• Sobeys gives you a discount on gas - another great way to save!


• Buy spices and other staples at places like Bulk Barn.


• Always take stock of what is in your cupboards and freezer before you go out to purchase your groceries so you don't buy something you already have.


• Split produce from Costco with a friend or family member to save money and prevent it from spoiling.

I will continue to pass on any good money-saving tips I find. In the meantime, happy eating!