Weekly meals Oct. 21 – Oct. 25

Meal updates from last week:
We loved the tortilla soup and the Mediterranean bowl, I didn’t end up making the turkey burgers with cauliflower mash as we went out for dinner mid-week.  We also took the kids downtown for dinner on the weekend, we ate pizza at Posto, the food was amazing.  We ordered their romaine salad and a white pizza with wild mushrooms, spinach and truffle oil.  Last night we were lucky to go to friends to celebrate a belated Thanksgiving. The food was so delicious, it was my first time eating turkey done on the bbq, and it was just as good as the oven.  I took two pumpkin pies, blondie brownies and an autumn chopped salad.

This week we will be eating at home Monday-Thursday, we don’t have plans Friday but are heading to a Halloween party on Saturday with our kids.

• Sheet pan roasted veggies with Italian sausage.  I diced a sweet potato and drizzled with olive oil, I added the sausage and cooked in a 425 oven for 20 minutes.  Then I added small broccoli florets and roasted for another 5-7 minutes.  While cooking I made a simple vinaigrette of: honey, Dijon, red wine vinegar and olive oil.  After removing pan from oven I placed the veggies in the bottom of a large bowl, topped with the sausage and drizzled with the dressing.  Delish.  You can find a similar recipe here.
• Turkey meatloaf from @foolproofliving I will serve this with mashed potatoes and steamed beans.
• Vietnamese lemongrass noodle bowl from @gimmesomeoven this recipe uses chicken as the protein, but I am going to use shrimp instead.
• Greek power bowls from @delish this is another one bowl meal, and one that has all of my favourite things!

I don’t have any plans for baking this week as I spent the weekend making pie dough and then baking two pumpkin pies.  If you are looking for a great pie dough recipe, simply search the blog and you will find my gramma’s tried and true recipe!  Simplify your life with grocery list 109

Happy cooking,
Sara

Weekly meals Oct. 7 – Oct. 11

Meal updates from last week:
Favourites from last week were: Shepherd’s pie and the chicken buddha bowls.  We enjoyed the turkey sloppy joe’s, and I didn’t end up making the lo mein as we decided to have waffles instead.  All of the pumpkin muffins from last week are gone!  I’m not sure if I will make more, or try a different recipe.  This weekend I finally got the chance to make grape jelly, and pumpkin cookies to serve to friends that came for dinner tonight.  Was a highly successful Sunday of cooking!

This week we will be eating at home Sunday-Wednesday, we are going away for the long weekend, spending time with family and enjoying a non-traditional Canadian Thanksgiving.

• Italian bolognese sauce from @fooddotcom we ate this with spaghetti, caesar salad and fresh bread.  The sauce took a long time, but let me tell you it was worth every minute!  I didn’t realize until after I serve dinner that I forgot to add the milk to the sauce.  I am not sure that it would’ve made a big difference, perhaps it would have made it creamier?
• Barbecued chicken with autumn glow salad from @pinchofyum it looks like Monday is going to be one of the last warmish days, so I am going to take advantage and grill some chicken.  We will eat this with a salad full of fall flavours.
• Thai coconut curry shrimp noodle bowl from @howsweeteats I am not sure if my kids will like this meal, I am crossing my fingers and will let you know.
• BLT salad from @marthastewart this is a family favourite that I haven’t made in a long time.  My kids love eating the homemade croutons.

I still have a cup of pumpkin left over from my muffins and cookies, if time allows I will bake another pumpkin recipe this week.  I also have a recipe for banana date muffins that I’ve been told are the best muffins ever.  I bought all of the ingredients, so stay tuned to see if they are worth all of the hype!  Today my mom dropped by and gave me a new cookbook!  I cannot wait to look through Fraiche Food, Full Hearts by Jillian Harris and Tori Wesszer, the recipes that I have looked at so far look amazing!  Shopping made easier with shopping list 108

Happy cooking and Happy Thanksgiving,
Sara

 

Weekly meals Dec. 10 – Dec. 15

Meal updates from last week:
All recipes from last week were so good.  We loved the sheet pan chicken tikka!  So much flavour and the roasted veggies caramelized in the oven.  My husband was in heaven eating the chicken and dumplings, he also ate every last leftover that was in the fridge!  The Korean meatballs were really good, I used ground turkey instead of beef and they were juicy and flavourful.  I finished making the peppermint bark cookies and then made some gingerbread granola as well as peanut butter blossoms.  I haven’t made the Swiss Mountain Shortbread yet, but those will be done some time this week.  We celebrated Christmas this weekend with my mother in law, I served baked salmon with lemon butter caper sauce, green beans and the autumn chopped salad.  For dessert we had a cookie plate, this morning we ate cinnamon buns with a fruit platter.  We ate well and enjoyed a weekend filled with family.

Finally everyone in our house is healthy, but we do have a busy week.  I am out one night and so is my husband, my son has basketball two nights this week.  We will be eating at home Sunday-Thursday,  Friday we have no plans, Saturday we have a holiday party and Sunday we have two!

• BBQ burgers with tater tots and autumn chopped salad from the @recipecritic  We ate this meal tonight and I bought the burgers pre-made from @sunterramarket.  If you haven’t bought their burgers before I would highly recommend it!
• Broccoli cheddar soup with puff pastry cheese straws from @whatsgabycooking this is a new recipe to me, but I love all the ingredients in this soup.
• Tandoori chicken and vegetables from @foodiecrush this recipe is similar to the chicken tikka that I made last week, so I’m sure that we will like this one as well.
• Shrimp stir fry from @bestofbridge my kids have been loving shrimp so I will give this recipe a try.
• Pirogies with sausage and soup cream.  I won’t be home for dinner, but I know that this will be a well liked meal.

I am hosting a few ladies this week during the day, so I’ve decided to make some carrot muffins and serve them with fruit and coffee.  These muffins are very similar to the pumpkin muffins I was making in the fall, so I know that they will be delicious.  I will add some chocolate chips and possibly omit the nuts.  I found these two new recipes that I really want to try: winter Aperol spritz and feel-good fall salad.  Now I just need to find the time.  Print Dinner List 78 to help you organize your week!

Happy cooking,
Sara

Weekly meals Oct. 15 – Oct. 19

Meal updates from last week:
The kids loved the pork fried rice!  They ate all of the pork and egg that gets added into the rice mixture, it is a perfect one bowl meal to feed kids.  Just as before we really enjoyed the sloppy joe tacos, my husband and kids ate theirs in hard taco shells while I decided to make mine into a salad.  I really enjoyed the kale salad, it reminded me of the Asian coleslaw with crushed noodles, except this one is a little bit healthier!

This weekend we had a home cooked meal once and ordered takeout for the other.  On Sunday night we went to friend’s for build your own pizza.  We used naan bread as the base for our pizzas.  The kids and adults had a blast creating their own!  This week we will be eating at home Monday-Friday, the weather is going to change for the better so I am going to try to grill while I can.

• Big batch baked chicken cacciatore from @cookinglight I will serve this with some buttered noodles.
• Salmon chowder from @saturday_night_test_kitchen this is a new recipe for me, and I hope that my kids enjoy eating salmon in soup form?!
• Mediterranean turkey burgers with artichoke and feta spread from @howsweeteats we will eat this with fries and a salad or raw veggies.
• Honey mustard chicken, bacon and avocado salad from @buzzfeedtasty I love this salad, more so because the chicken marinade and dressing are one!
• Cilantro lime shrimp bowls from @fitfoodiefinds I love a good one bowl dinner.

Yesterday I got a chance to make some pumpkin doughnuts that my son has been begging to make.  They are a baked doughnut that get sprinkled with cinnamon sugar once cooled.  Baked goods made with pumpkin turn out so moist and flavourful.  The recipe that I used made 12 regular sized doughnuts and 8 mini muffin doughnuts, which are a perfect snack to send in the lunchbox.  I also came across a recipe for jack-o-lantern cookies which look so cute!  I may try the recipe next week.

Happy cooking,
Sara

Weekly meals Oct. 16 – Oct. 20

Meal updates from last week:
All of the recipes that we ate from America’s Test Kitchen were very good.  Our favourite recipes were: pork stir fry and turkey meatballs with rice.  We ate the pork with chow mein noodles, which were a great accompaniment to the pork and sauce.  The lemon turkey meatballs were delicious, I added some arugula to the skillet just to give it some colour.  I’m going to start visiting their website to see what other recipes I can find.  I also made these muffins, these muffins are not very sweet, but the addition of the chocolate chips gives it that little extra that you need.

This week we are off on a family vacation!  We cannot wait to spend some down time together.  Although there will be some cooking, we will be enjoying some meals out as well.  With this in mind I am going to share with you some of my favourite soups and stews:

• Broccoli and cheese soup from Peas & Crayons
•  Roasted broccoli and cauliflower soup from @simply_scratch this is slightly different from the recipe above as the veggies are roasted.
• Tuscan chicken stew from @denise_sweetpeasandsaffron this is a great slow cooker recipe.
• Thai chicken and wild rice soup from @denise_sweetpeasandsaffron I have shared this recipe before, this is a family favourite!
• Lasagne soup from @farmgirlsdabble this is another soup that is loved in our house.
• Italian chicken and autumn veggie soup from @acozyapron
• Sweet potato and quinoa turkey chili from @iowagirleats I know that this isn’t a soup or stew, however this is a great recipe!
• Mini meatball minestrone from @cookinglight
• Mexican chicken soup from @inagarten this is the best tortilla soup that I have ever made!
• Hamburger soup from The Best of Bridge, I have shared this recipe with you many times.  It makes a lot of soup, I don’t make the whole recipe as it makes way too much!  Divide all ingredients by half and you will still have leftovers.
• Ginger peanut soup this recipe is from a cookbook my mom bought a long time ago in Victoria.  This soup is best served with warm naan bread.

Happy cooking,
Sara

Giving thanks!

This weekend many Canadians will be sitting with friends and family enjoying turkey dinner.  Everyone has their own favourite recipes when it comes to turkey dinner, so with this in mind I decided to ask my friends and family to share their favourites with me.  All dishes have been covered including the most important, dessert!

• Roast turkey from @thekitchn this is a great post, that includes a video and all of the important details to roasting a turkey.
• Sausage and herb stuffing from @thefoodnetwork this is the best stuffing recipe that I have ever made!
• Turnips from my mom, you can tell that this recipe has been very well-loved.
• Festive vegetables from my friend Lindsay, and vegetable Medley from my friend Mary.
• Roasted brussels sprouts: wash and cut sprouts into bite size pieces, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, roast in the oven until fork tender, drizzle with balsamic reduction (you can buy this or make your own by boiling down good quality balsamic vinegar) and crispy pancetta (cook pancetta while the sprouts are in the oven).  This recipe is from my friend Amy.
• Curried cauliflower from The Best of Bridge, this has been a staple recipe on our table for many years.
• Mashed potatoes, I never use a recipe for potatoes just simple ingredients: potatoes, warmed milk, butter and salt and pepper.  I hate lumpy potatoes so I always use my immersion blender as a masher.
• Gravy from my mom, she found this recipe years ago in a newspaper.  You can make the gravy days before Thanksgiving.  She mentioned that they key to this recipe is cutting the vegetables into the same size as well as browning them.
• Pumpkin Pie from my gramma Billie, and remember to use her pie dough for the crust.  Simply search the blog for the recipe.

Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving,
Sara

Weekly meals Sept. 25 – Sept. 29

Meal updates from last week:
The meals from last week were winners!  The roasted salmon tacos were simply amazing, if you enjoy fish these tacos are a must.  Another great recipe was the chicken pot pie topped with puff pastry.  We ate the entire crock pot!  When I make this recipe again I am going to make biscuits instead of using puff pastry.

This week we are eating at home Monday-Thursday.  My husband is heading out-of-town so I am going to make something easier on Thursday night.  I am hoping to go out for dinner on Friday night.  I got the newly released Half Baked Harvest cookbook and will be making a recipe from the book this week.  I highly encourage you to purchase her cookbook, the photography is simply amazing.

• I am going to cook chicken parmesan from @halfbakedharvest this recipe is available through her cookbook.  For an alternative, you can try the chicken parmesan sandwich from @thegiadzy.  We will eat ours with spaghetti, but you could serve the sandwich with a caesar salad.
• Meatloaf burger steaks with tomato gravy from @cooking light we will eat these with roasted or mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.
• Chicken gyro salad from @smittenkitchen all of the Greek flavours I love in salad form.
• Breakfast tacos from @cookingclassy who doesn’t love eating breakfast for dinner?!  I will serve this with some fresh fruit.

While grocery shopping this week I picked up some canned pumpkin in hopes that I will have a chance to bake/make some pumpkin goodies.  I’m really excited to try these pumpkin oatmeal energy bites.  If you are looking for more pumpkin recipes have a look at my welcome fall post from last week.  I also have an abundance of pears, I found a recipe for caramel almond pears, they look so cute!  Print the Dinner List 29 before you head to the grocery store.

Happy cooking,
Sara

*Mini ham and cheese quinoa cups, I made mine using full sized muffin tins.  I baked them for 25 minutes*

Welcome fall!

Cooler days, darker mornings, sweaters, boots and everything pumpkin.  We are officially in fall, which means moving away from the grill and bringing out that crock pot.  I find the change of seasons exciting, especially trying new recipes that incorporate seasonal produce.  The recipes I’m sharing highlight apples and pumpkin, both staples in autumn menus.

• Pumpkin scones from @joythebaker
• Apple muffins from @smittenkitchen
• Whole wheat mini pumpkin muffins from @sallysbakeblog
• Applesauce spice bread from @chelseasmessyapron
• Pumpkin and banana cinnamon bread from @thebakingchocolatess
• Baked pumpkin oatmeal from @onelovelylife1
• Cranberry apple pecan salad from @alyssa_therecipecritic
• Spinach and quinoa salad with apples and pecans from Kristine’s Kitchen
• Fall kale super salad from @seasonsandsuppers
• Autumn chopped salad from Expresso and Cream
• Pumpkin pecan cobbler from @wellplated
• Caramel apple crisp from @fifteenspatulas
• Pumpkin spice cookies from The Baker Chick
• Pumpkin roulade from @inagarten
• Apple pie from @ricardocuisine (use my grandma’s crust recipe)
• Pumpkin pie from @sallysbakeblog (use my grandma’s crust recipe)
• Pumpkin donut holes from @damn_delicious

Happy cooking,
Sara