I'm feeling a little disorganized this week, and honestly I am not sure when I will find time to grocery shop since we are out of town this weekend for the holiday, but that is when I find it most important to have a menu plan! I realize that most of you may have had your fill of turkey (I'm not sure I could ever reach that point) so I will steer you away from any meals that resemble a Thanksgiving dinner. There will only be four recipes this week as we are planning for a meal out, you could do the same, or you could make a little extra of one recipe and plan to have leftovers.
French Bread Pizza is a simple dish to home make, can be personalized for picky eaters, and is fast on a week night. I buy one loaf of French Bread since there are only three of us, but if you are feeding more plan to get more bread. I slice the bread lengthwise and we each top a half with our choice of toppings. My hubby usually picks tomato sauce (we season a can ourselves with garlic and Italian seasonings) with black olives and mushrooms, I like pesto with pancetta and sometimes Italian sausage and we always top it off with fresh mozzarella that we shred ourselves (too many preservatives and chemicals in shredded cheese0. The beauty of this dinner is that each family member can top their pizza according to their taste, veggies, meat, cheese or a combination of the above. Pop into a 400 degree oven for 10-12 minutes and enjoy a delicious, homemade pizza without waiting for the delivery guy.
While I have never watched the Pioneer Woman's show on Food Network I love her blog! She always has delicious, hearty dishes that are so comforting as we head into winter. One dish that I love, and is husband approved (her's and mine) are steak bites and the beauty of this recipe is that you can serve it on a sandwich bun with cheese, alongside a salad, or over potatoes, it's pretty simple and versatile. Personally sopping up all of that seasoned butter with a hearty slice of bread sounds delicious rounded out with a green salad.
Thursday I inherited my great grandma's pressure cooker, I am anxious to use it, and think that stewed beef sounds like a delicious opportunity to do so, since this recipe has to cook on the stove top for about an hour. And before you start thinking "what's with all of the red meat?" Remember, it's the quality of the source of your meat that makes the difference!! And while the blogger serves her beef over rice, I think you could do this over any starch, like noodles or potatoes.
Things wouldn't be complete without a crock pot recipe, and this one will satisfy your craving for Chinese food if you are trying to save money by eating in. Pulled garlic ginger pork is a simple recipe that can be served over rice or with the blogger's recipe for mu shu pancakes for a meal that feels pretty special.
Shopping List:
-French Bread
-tomato sauce or pesto
-cheese
-favorite pizza toppings
-Sirloin or steak tips
-salad/romaine lettuce
-butter
-salt
-pepper
-stew meat
-beef broth
-onion soup mix
-potaotes/rice/noodles
-pork loin roast
-garlic
-ginger
-soy sauce
-teriyaki sauce (if desired)
I recommend adding your family's favorite fresh veggies to your grocery list, it is so simple to pair up some veggies to serve with dinner, plus even picky kiddos find the handheld goodies a treat. Happy Eating!
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Week 3
It's cold out, it's snowed, and Thanksgiving is just days away, which means the menu at my home no longer revolves around the grill and takes on more comfort food. I know that we often think that comfort food has to be bad for us, or contribute to winter weight gain, but it is okay to eat these hearty meals. It's important, though, to make sure that you are getting your ingredients from a quality source, like using organic ingredients whenever possible and meat that has been raised in a healthy, hormone free way, also rounding out meals with fresh (or frozen, depending on availability) veggies will help ensure a more nutritious dinner.
If you are reading in Northern Indiana then the word "haystack" has many meanings to you, but what I learned in eighth grade home ec is that one of those meanings is dinner. We began by laying down a bed of tortilla chips, these can be whatever you want from organic corn chips to regular Tostitos or Fritos to Doritos, again the quality of the ingredients you choose is what determines the nutrition of your meal, and also portion control is key. Next we added rice and taco meat, and to eliminate a lot of junk in your taco meat I recommend making your own taco seasoning, it is really easy and delicious, and eliminates those long named ingredients that you aren't quite sure what they do, but you get the feeling you shouldn't eat them. After you have your base you can top with your favorite ingredients like chopped tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, and cheese. The great thing about this meal is that each family member can personalize it to their taste, which also makes this a nice meal for company as everyone can make their own and you can decrease your time in the kitchen since everyone builds their own haystack.
As a German family schnitzel is a beloved favorite meal, it's sort of the German equivalent to the pork tenderloin, except this week we will be making it with chicken for a little bit of a change. Our family always pairs schnitzel with a German noodle called Spaetzle, which are similar to a dumpling. You can also round this meal out with sauerkraut if you are daring, or like that sort of thing, Gurkensalat (cucumber salad), or even just a green salad.
Every week we do at least one crock pot meal, and that is on Sunday evenings. We are part of a new church plant that meets on Sunday at 4pm, so in order to set up and tear down we are gone from about 1:30 on Sunday until about 6, so unless we put dinner in the crock pot, we will end up going out to eat. This week we are putting pork chops in the crock pot, and you can serve these meaty goodies up over rice, potatoes, or noodles with the sauce or sop it up with some bread. You can add some freshness to this meal by slicing up cucumbers and/or other veggies and mixing with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
I assume that most of you will be partaking of some sort of turkey dinner, or other Thanksgiving equivalent this week, so we will be short a meal, but wanted to share a recipe for Thanksgiving leftover casserole so that you have a meal that also uses up your leftovers, and it doesn't even add anything to your grocery list.
And now your grocery list;
ground Beef
tortilla chips
rice (can use Mexican or Spanish rice if you would like)
tomatoes
lettuce
shredded cheese
avocados/guacamole
cumin
paprika
chilli powder
salt
pepper
onion powder
garlic powder
Boneless skinless chicken (the recipe calls for breasts, but you can use your favorite cut)
breadcrumbs
lemons
eggs
flour
milk
sauerkraut (if desired)
cucumbers (if making gurkensalat)
sour cream
dill
vinegar
sugar
pork chops
chicken broth
garlic
poultry seasoning
Italian seasoning
potatoes/rice/noodles/bread (depending what you eat with your chops)
If you have time off with your family this week don't forget to enjoy them, hopefully easy meals that take little time to prep will help minimize your time in the kitchen and maximize your time spent with the ones you love. Have a delicious, Happy Thanksgiving!!
If you are reading in Northern Indiana then the word "haystack" has many meanings to you, but what I learned in eighth grade home ec is that one of those meanings is dinner. We began by laying down a bed of tortilla chips, these can be whatever you want from organic corn chips to regular Tostitos or Fritos to Doritos, again the quality of the ingredients you choose is what determines the nutrition of your meal, and also portion control is key. Next we added rice and taco meat, and to eliminate a lot of junk in your taco meat I recommend making your own taco seasoning, it is really easy and delicious, and eliminates those long named ingredients that you aren't quite sure what they do, but you get the feeling you shouldn't eat them. After you have your base you can top with your favorite ingredients like chopped tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, and cheese. The great thing about this meal is that each family member can personalize it to their taste, which also makes this a nice meal for company as everyone can make their own and you can decrease your time in the kitchen since everyone builds their own haystack.
As a German family schnitzel is a beloved favorite meal, it's sort of the German equivalent to the pork tenderloin, except this week we will be making it with chicken for a little bit of a change. Our family always pairs schnitzel with a German noodle called Spaetzle, which are similar to a dumpling. You can also round this meal out with sauerkraut if you are daring, or like that sort of thing, Gurkensalat (cucumber salad), or even just a green salad.
Every week we do at least one crock pot meal, and that is on Sunday evenings. We are part of a new church plant that meets on Sunday at 4pm, so in order to set up and tear down we are gone from about 1:30 on Sunday until about 6, so unless we put dinner in the crock pot, we will end up going out to eat. This week we are putting pork chops in the crock pot, and you can serve these meaty goodies up over rice, potatoes, or noodles with the sauce or sop it up with some bread. You can add some freshness to this meal by slicing up cucumbers and/or other veggies and mixing with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
I assume that most of you will be partaking of some sort of turkey dinner, or other Thanksgiving equivalent this week, so we will be short a meal, but wanted to share a recipe for Thanksgiving leftover casserole so that you have a meal that also uses up your leftovers, and it doesn't even add anything to your grocery list.
And now your grocery list;
ground Beef
tortilla chips
rice (can use Mexican or Spanish rice if you would like)
tomatoes
lettuce
shredded cheese
avocados/guacamole
cumin
paprika
chilli powder
salt
pepper
onion powder
garlic powder
Boneless skinless chicken (the recipe calls for breasts, but you can use your favorite cut)
breadcrumbs
lemons
eggs
flour
milk
sauerkraut (if desired)
cucumbers (if making gurkensalat)
sour cream
dill
vinegar
sugar
pork chops
chicken broth
garlic
poultry seasoning
Italian seasoning
potatoes/rice/noodles/bread (depending what you eat with your chops)
If you have time off with your family this week don't forget to enjoy them, hopefully easy meals that take little time to prep will help minimize your time in the kitchen and maximize your time spent with the ones you love. Have a delicious, Happy Thanksgiving!!
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Week Two
Hey all! Welcome back! I hope you enjoyed all of last week's recipes, but most importantly I hope that they made your life a little easier. If you are joining me for the first time, take a look back at Week One to find out what the inspiration and thought behind Mia's Table is. This coming week will be all about warm, comfort food as we have just had our first snow fall of the season!
I was hoping to get in one more meal on the grill before the season's end, but as there is snow on the ground I don't foresee that happening, so I am going to give some country style ribs in the crock pot a try to satisfy my taste for BBQ. Whenever I think BBQ I think corn muffins, so I am going to pair this with some corn muffins, and in the interest of total disclosure, I will be using a boxed mix as I don't foresee having the time to make them from scratch. To add a little freshness to this meal I am going to finish it out with a tray of crudites, so prep your favorite fresh veggies and serve alongside some ranch or hummus if you would like.
Nothing says comfort food like a tender pot roast and hot veggies, It really is a whole meal in the crock pot, but you could also make rice or noodles to put underneath this roast and gravy, or even pair it with a thick slice of bread. Want to get the most out of your roast? Use leftovers to make sandwiches the second night. Butter some hearty bread, top with shredded leftover beef and a slice or two of cheese, even add some horseradish if you would like, and toast in a hot pan or on a panini press.
I love a good, hearty breakfast, but rarely have time for it, so this week we are having breakfast for dinner. The nice thing about this meal is that it can be anything that you want it to, and you can make it for your family's taste. Our family will be eating sausage, bacon, buttermilk biscuits, and crockpot applesauce. Now I don't believe that you HAVE to make biscuits from scratch if you don't have time, truthfully Jiffy or Bisquick works just as well, and to kick it up a notch, replace the water or milk with buttermilk and about 3/4 of the way through baking brush the biscuits with melted, salted butter. You could even make sausage gravy to go with your biscuits or scrap the biscuits altogether and make pancakes or waffles, really this meal can be whatever your family likes.
Another easy, hot meal for your family on a busy night is fried rice, so easy in fact that you really don't even need a recipe because you can add whatever you have or whatever your family likes, it can be fresh or it can be leftovers, really the possibilities are endless. You can marinate some bite sized meat or seafood in soy sauce and garlic and pan fry, if you like, add some veggies like diced carrots, corn, peas, bean sprouts, or chestnuts, and scrabble an egg or two. When your add ins are all cooked and tender, add in one serving of rice per family member (make this in the morning so it has time to cool, this makes for the best fried rice) and sprinkle on some soy sauce to taste, let the rice heat up, and there's dinner. If you like you can even add toasted sesame seeds on top for a little extra crunch.
Shopping List
-Beef Roast (choose your favorite cut)
-Beef broth
-Potatoes
-Whole Carrots
-Bread (if you are making sandwiches with pot roast leftovers)
-Sliced cheese (again, if you are making sandwiches)
-Country style ribs
-Garlic
-Onion
-Your favorite BBQ Sauce (I like Guy Fieri's or Famous Dave's)
-Liquid Smoke
-Fresh veggies or salad (with your ribs)
-Corn muffin mix (you may need eggs and milk for this, or even use the buttermilk from the biscuits)
-8 medium apples
-Lemon
-Cinnamon stick (powdered cinnamon works, too)
-Brown sugar
-Biscuit mix
-Buttermilk
-Salted butter
-Sausage and/or bacon
-Meat for your fried rice
-Veggies for your fried rice
-Rice
-Soy Sauce
Keep in mind that your shopping list may look a little different depending on what you decide to cook your family for "breakfast for dinner," but regardless of what you serve, I highly recommend making the homemade applesauce, it is the best and only way to eat applesauce!
I was hoping to get in one more meal on the grill before the season's end, but as there is snow on the ground I don't foresee that happening, so I am going to give some country style ribs in the crock pot a try to satisfy my taste for BBQ. Whenever I think BBQ I think corn muffins, so I am going to pair this with some corn muffins, and in the interest of total disclosure, I will be using a boxed mix as I don't foresee having the time to make them from scratch. To add a little freshness to this meal I am going to finish it out with a tray of crudites, so prep your favorite fresh veggies and serve alongside some ranch or hummus if you would like.
Nothing says comfort food like a tender pot roast and hot veggies, It really is a whole meal in the crock pot, but you could also make rice or noodles to put underneath this roast and gravy, or even pair it with a thick slice of bread. Want to get the most out of your roast? Use leftovers to make sandwiches the second night. Butter some hearty bread, top with shredded leftover beef and a slice or two of cheese, even add some horseradish if you would like, and toast in a hot pan or on a panini press.
I love a good, hearty breakfast, but rarely have time for it, so this week we are having breakfast for dinner. The nice thing about this meal is that it can be anything that you want it to, and you can make it for your family's taste. Our family will be eating sausage, bacon, buttermilk biscuits, and crockpot applesauce. Now I don't believe that you HAVE to make biscuits from scratch if you don't have time, truthfully Jiffy or Bisquick works just as well, and to kick it up a notch, replace the water or milk with buttermilk and about 3/4 of the way through baking brush the biscuits with melted, salted butter. You could even make sausage gravy to go with your biscuits or scrap the biscuits altogether and make pancakes or waffles, really this meal can be whatever your family likes.
Another easy, hot meal for your family on a busy night is fried rice, so easy in fact that you really don't even need a recipe because you can add whatever you have or whatever your family likes, it can be fresh or it can be leftovers, really the possibilities are endless. You can marinate some bite sized meat or seafood in soy sauce and garlic and pan fry, if you like, add some veggies like diced carrots, corn, peas, bean sprouts, or chestnuts, and scrabble an egg or two. When your add ins are all cooked and tender, add in one serving of rice per family member (make this in the morning so it has time to cool, this makes for the best fried rice) and sprinkle on some soy sauce to taste, let the rice heat up, and there's dinner. If you like you can even add toasted sesame seeds on top for a little extra crunch.
Shopping List
-Beef Roast (choose your favorite cut)
-Beef broth
-Potatoes
-Whole Carrots
-Bread (if you are making sandwiches with pot roast leftovers)
-Sliced cheese (again, if you are making sandwiches)
-Country style ribs
-Garlic
-Onion
-Your favorite BBQ Sauce (I like Guy Fieri's or Famous Dave's)
-Liquid Smoke
-Fresh veggies or salad (with your ribs)
-Corn muffin mix (you may need eggs and milk for this, or even use the buttermilk from the biscuits)
-8 medium apples
-Lemon
-Cinnamon stick (powdered cinnamon works, too)
-Brown sugar
-Biscuit mix
-Buttermilk
-Salted butter
-Sausage and/or bacon
-Meat for your fried rice
-Veggies for your fried rice
-Rice
-Soy Sauce
Keep in mind that your shopping list may look a little different depending on what you decide to cook your family for "breakfast for dinner," but regardless of what you serve, I highly recommend making the homemade applesauce, it is the best and only way to eat applesauce!
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Week one
As a mom who works full time, with frequent overtime, if I don't plan ahead for the week's meals we often end up eating out, which is frequently unhealthy and generally uneconomical. I find that if I spend about an hour planning meals for each evening of the week and making a list of what I need I can control my family's spending and what we are putting into our bodies. I have always loved planning a weekly menu, but I know that not everyone feels this way, so in comes the idea of a blog where I share my weekly menu plan complete with shopping list in hopes of making this task a little easier for my fellow busy families. You will notice that the majority of these meals will contain meat, that is really the only meal of the day when we eat meat, we buy ours locally at DC Meats, where I know that the animals are raised in a pasture without antibiotics or hormones and I encourage you to find a similar shop that responsibly sources meat. Regardless of where you buy your meat or other groceries, I think you will find these recipes easy to prepare and family friendly.
-Skinny slow cooked pernil; this is a delicious, slow cooked, Puerto Rican style pork that is a great base for many recipes. This week I am going to use this shredded pork for two meals, the first will be to make burrito bowls with cilantro lime rice and Corn Salsa, delicious and you don't even have to stand in line at Chipotle. The second meal will be a quick and easy throw together for a busy week night, taquitos, which you can even make ahead and pan fry when you're ready to eat. You can make these will corn or flour tortillas, I prefer yellow corn, and you add some of your leftover shredded pork and cheese if you like, roll up and you can either bake (350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes) or pan fry in oil until browned. I prefer to pan fry in lard, and before you cringe, you should know that lard, when from a responsible source like I mentioned before, is a great source of Vitamin D, is high in monounsaturated fats, and is an all natural product. Serve these taquitos alongside guacamole, salsa, and/or queso dip and you have a fun, tasty, and easy dinner for the whole family.
-Korean Beef; this is a pretty non-traditional recipe, but is inexpensive, quick and easy to prepare, and a tasty alternative to Asian take out. I think that you could replace the ground beef for whatever ground meat you would like, like pork or chicken. I will personally be using a pound of non-gmo ground beef that I got on sale, and as far as the rice, you could use white, brown, or even wild rice depending on your family's taste and dietary needs.
-Low country boil; I will not be preparing this meal, in fact my dad will be for my mom's birthday dinner because they have some delicious shrimp straight from a boat in South Carolina that is crying to be eaten. This might seem a little involved for a week night, but can easily be done in your slow cooker and ready when everyone is home from work or school for the day.
-Chicken cutlets with herb butter; This is a new recipe for me, but I have wanted to try it for a while. I will be serving it with a hearty Italian bread to clean up that delicious herb butter and either a fresh veggie tray or a green salad to balance it all out. If you prefer not to cook with alcohol, you can replace the white wine in this recipe with chicken broth for a similar taste.
And now the grocery list, many of these are pantry staples that I keep on hand, but I will add every ingredient that you will need to prepare the above recipes and you can sift through what you do and do not need. Check your local stores for coupons and sales, and keep in mind that taking your list and just shopping once a week will save time and money.
4 lb Pork shoulder roast
rice
bunch cilantro
3 oranges or 1/2 C orange juice
garlice
oregano
Cumin
6 limes
2 jalapenos
1/3 cup diced onion (I prefer frozen)
corn tortillas
shredded Mexican cheese
1lb ground beef
brown sugar
soy sauce
sesame oil
ginger
green onions (optional, I'll probably leave these out)
smoked sausage
3lb shrimp
12 new potatoes
6 ears of corn (mini ears work easily with this recipe)
crab/shrimp boil
1 1/2lb chicken cutlets
flour
butter
parsley
dry white wine or chicken broth
salt
pepper
Italian bread
salad or assorted fresh veggies
I have built in one day to eat out for a family birthday and anticipate that some of these recipes will allow for left overs, so hopefully five meals will give you a good start to planning tasty at home meals, that allow a little extra time with your family.
-Skinny slow cooked pernil; this is a delicious, slow cooked, Puerto Rican style pork that is a great base for many recipes. This week I am going to use this shredded pork for two meals, the first will be to make burrito bowls with cilantro lime rice and Corn Salsa, delicious and you don't even have to stand in line at Chipotle. The second meal will be a quick and easy throw together for a busy week night, taquitos, which you can even make ahead and pan fry when you're ready to eat. You can make these will corn or flour tortillas, I prefer yellow corn, and you add some of your leftover shredded pork and cheese if you like, roll up and you can either bake (350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes) or pan fry in oil until browned. I prefer to pan fry in lard, and before you cringe, you should know that lard, when from a responsible source like I mentioned before, is a great source of Vitamin D, is high in monounsaturated fats, and is an all natural product. Serve these taquitos alongside guacamole, salsa, and/or queso dip and you have a fun, tasty, and easy dinner for the whole family.
-Korean Beef; this is a pretty non-traditional recipe, but is inexpensive, quick and easy to prepare, and a tasty alternative to Asian take out. I think that you could replace the ground beef for whatever ground meat you would like, like pork or chicken. I will personally be using a pound of non-gmo ground beef that I got on sale, and as far as the rice, you could use white, brown, or even wild rice depending on your family's taste and dietary needs.
-Low country boil; I will not be preparing this meal, in fact my dad will be for my mom's birthday dinner because they have some delicious shrimp straight from a boat in South Carolina that is crying to be eaten. This might seem a little involved for a week night, but can easily be done in your slow cooker and ready when everyone is home from work or school for the day.
-Chicken cutlets with herb butter; This is a new recipe for me, but I have wanted to try it for a while. I will be serving it with a hearty Italian bread to clean up that delicious herb butter and either a fresh veggie tray or a green salad to balance it all out. If you prefer not to cook with alcohol, you can replace the white wine in this recipe with chicken broth for a similar taste.
And now the grocery list, many of these are pantry staples that I keep on hand, but I will add every ingredient that you will need to prepare the above recipes and you can sift through what you do and do not need. Check your local stores for coupons and sales, and keep in mind that taking your list and just shopping once a week will save time and money.
4 lb Pork shoulder roast
rice
bunch cilantro
3 oranges or 1/2 C orange juice
garlice
oregano
Cumin
6 limes
2 jalapenos
1/3 cup diced onion (I prefer frozen)
corn tortillas
shredded Mexican cheese
1lb ground beef
brown sugar
soy sauce
sesame oil
ginger
green onions (optional, I'll probably leave these out)
smoked sausage
3lb shrimp
12 new potatoes
6 ears of corn (mini ears work easily with this recipe)
crab/shrimp boil
1 1/2lb chicken cutlets
flour
butter
parsley
dry white wine or chicken broth
salt
pepper
Italian bread
salad or assorted fresh veggies
I have built in one day to eat out for a family birthday and anticipate that some of these recipes will allow for left overs, so hopefully five meals will give you a good start to planning tasty at home meals, that allow a little extra time with your family.
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