Weekly meals April 6 – April 10

Meal updates from last week:
As I mentioned last week, the flank steak was amazing as was the salsa verde.  Recipes that we liked from last week were the spicy pork soup, turkey chili and the chicken fried rice.  My kids really enjoyed the chili and the fried rice.  I also had the chance to make my gramma’s boiled raisin muffins as well as a banana bread from the Fraiche Food, Full Hearts cookbook.  We had takeout on Friday and Saturday night both brought to our door contactless by Doordash.  We ordered from Una Pizza and Wine as well as Globefish Sushi,  both meals were very good, and even better that I didn’t have to cook!

This week will continue to look like the last two, kids are home, I am home working, but my husband will also be home as he is taking a week off.  School work will be done, crafting and lots of outside time as it looks like the weather is going to improve.  As we look toward Easter weekend I will share with you some recipes that I am going to try.

• Thai noodles with chicken and broccoli from Anne Lindsay, this is a family staple and my son asked for this tonight.  I decided to double to sauce and cooked more pasta than normal so that we would have lots of leftovers.
• Spicy shrimp tacos with garlic lime cilantro slaw from @pinchofyum I have made these before and they are very good.
• Sheet pan blackened salmon bowl from @halfbakedharvest this recipe calls for roasted potatoes along with rice, but I am going to omit the potatoes and just add extra veggies.
• Minestrone with kale and turkey sausage from @foodnetwork we’ve been on a soup kick the last couple of weeks so why quit now?!  If time allows I might try to make some homemade buns to have with the soup.
• BBQ dry rubbed chicken with pineapple salsa from @bakedbyrachel we will eat this with asparagus and some simple butter pasta for the kids.

I cannot believe that Easter is this weekend!  With everything that has been going on in the world it has been hard to focus on big celebrations, knowing that we won’t be spending them as we traditionally would.  I have some baking plans for this week: carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and lemon curd blondie bars.  We are not sure what Easter dinner will look like, but it would be nice to have some desserts to enjoy and drop off to friends.  I am also going to prep the crust for a quiche to eat on Easter Sunday along with some bunny cinnamon rolls from @thebakermama.  I will keep the quiche simple, maybe just ham and cheese with a little spinach.  We will enjoy this meal after the kids hunt for eggs on Sunday.  For Easter dinner I haven’t made any decisions, possibly a small ham with some potatoes and a citrus salad.  When I have a menu planned I will share it with you.  Eggs will also be dyed this week in preparation for the bunny!  My kids and husband devoured the energy balls and granola I made in the last two weeks, I have all of the ingredients for round two, so if time allows I will also make those.  Hoping that everyone is safe and healthy, enjoy another grocery list 125

Happy Easter,
Sara

 

Weekly meals March 30 – April 3

Meal updates from last week:
Last week’s meals were a hit!  We loved the make your own salad rolls, my son especially enjoyed choosing his ingredients.  The roast chicken was delicious, and it did double duty as I used the leftover meat for the creamy chicken noodle soup.  The soup and white buns were the best recipe of the week, I cannot tell you how good those buns were!  I do admit that it was a long process to make the dough, as it needed to rise three times, but the end result was well worth all of the work.  I accidentally over cooked the salmon so it wasn’t my best meal.  We had takeout Friday night from Joey’s Chinook, they are offering a simplified menu and you are able to pick it up curb side.  On Saturday we had grilled sausages, baked beans and a spinach berry salad.  After dinner we took a family drive to deliver a birthday cake to a very special girl, the day didn’t include the party that she had wanted, but the cake made her day that much better!  I used my go-to chocolate cake recipe from @thelittlekitchen

This week will look similar to last week, we are eating at home Sunday-Thursday and then doing takeout Friday.  Weekends continue to be wide open as we navigate these uncertain times.  I begin working from home this week, so we will see how that goes.  My son will begin to do some school work during his days at home, it will be nice to have some routine.

• Flank steak with salsa verde from the Whitewater Cooks cookbook, on the side I served baked potatoes, grilled peppers and asparagus and sautéed mushrooms.  The steak was outstanding as was the sauce, it would be great on chicken or fish.
• Lemon garlic baked chicken drumsticks from @themediterraneandish we will eat this with a Greek salad and some steamed rice or butter noodles for the kids.
• Spicy pork and kale soup from @eatliverun this recipe comes from my bestie who makes this soup on a regular basis.  I think besides the kale I will add some shredded carrot and possibly snap peas.
• Turkey and white bean chili from @saltandlavender I couldn’t find any white kidney beans as the store today as the canned bean aisle was empty, but I did find one can of navy beans so they will have to work.  I will top the chili with avocado and some tortilla chips.
• Chicken fried rice from @amandafrederickson my kids don’t love peas so I will add some snap peas to the rice.

I am not planning on making any bread this week!  I think that I need to do some research and find a slightly less time consuming recipe.  We made some energy balls last week, and my kids gobbled them up!  I am going to make another batch this week, and was also debating making some granola.  I have some dried blueberries and a ton of pecans, and found a recipe that sounds delicious!  Stay safe and healthy, make life easier with grocery list 124

Happy cooking,
Sara

 

The new normal

I realize in this time of uncertainty that we are trying to all go about our lives as ‘normal’ as possible, but the reality of the situation is that life is so different.  I needed to take a few days and think about how I was also going to change now that life is different, I am spending so much time at home, and my job as a teacher is changing by the minute.  I’ve decided that I would continue to post my weekly menu as people will still need to eat!  I will also be sharing some different activities that I plan to work on with my kids age 3 and 9.

Meal updates from last week:
Three of the recipes from last week were amazing!  The shrimp BLT, chicken cacciatore and spicy ramen were all outstanding.  The shrimp were crispy and crunchy, paired with the salty bacon and creamy dressing.  The cacciatore came together so quickly, we ate it over egg noodles, and there were tons of leftovers for lunch (this is a great recipe to make a freeze).  I LOVED the ramen recipe, I added mushrooms and spinach to the bowl, and next time would even toss in some tofu.

This week is the beginning of a different kind of living, so with that being said we will be eating at home for the foreseeable future.  I know that it is Tuesday, I will share the recipes I have already cooked this week, as well as what I have in my freezer and pantry for ‘just in case’.

• Hamburger soup from @bestofbridge we ate this with buns and tortilla chips.  This is a great pantry staple recipe.  If you feel like adding any extra frozen veggies that would be a great idea.
• Smoky pork tenderloin with sweet potatoes from @cookinglight I served this with some steamed green beans, but baked beans would also work very well.  This is another good pantry recipe, as it requires very little ingredients.
• Bangers and mash, as today is St. Patrick’s Day I am trying to bring the Irish to us.  I will grill spicy Italian sausages as well as hotdogs (for the kids), then serve them alongside some mashed potatoes and a simple green salad.  If you were going to go really traditional then peas would be your side dish.  Find inspiration here.
• Ground turkey teriyaki rice bowl from @yellowblissroad I will serve this with steamed rice and cauliflower rice.
• Spicy sausage and kale soup from @thefeedfeed I will being using mild sausage as my kids don’t like spicy.

Usually at this point I would share that we will be doing takeout or going out for dinner, but I guess that is all uncertain at this time.  We may take advantage of Doordash or Skip the Dishes if they are still available, but if not then we will continue to cook and eat at home.  Here are a few things that I have in my freezer: bread, bagels, cheese buns, ground turkey and beef, sausages, hotdogs, chicken breasts, broccoli, edamame, corn, pizza, pirogies, mixed fruit and the most important ICE CREAM!  In my pantry I am stocked with beans, tomatoes, soup, chicken stock, pasta, macaroni, crackers, granola bars and lots of cereal.  I also have baking essentials as my kids love to bake and I have a feeling we will be doing it a lot!

For the kids:
Today all of our morning activities were themed around St. Patrick’s Day, my daughter (3) did some print making with the bottom of a red pepper dipped in green paint.  She made different patterns with the pepper.  Then she traced the letter S with cheerios.  We talked about words that start with the letter s.  My son (9) created a 3D shamrock using paper strips, essentially you make them into hearts and then attach them altogether.  He finished the morning with a word search and a word scramble.  Then we headed out for a walk and some sunshine, after lunch my son did origami and my daughter napped.  It is my daily goal to keep them as far away from the t.v. as possible.  I have ordered a JUMP math book for my son, so that we can continue his math skills, I also ordered a book that he is studying in class.  We will have some daily book club together.  This is how far I have come with a plan for moving forward, but I will continue to share recipes and learning activities with you.

Stay safe and healthy,
Sara

Weekly meals March 9 – 13

Meal updates from last week:
We loved the soy-glazed chicken with pickled cucumbers, very simple and full of flavours and textures.  The turkey patties were also very good, but that Mexican quinoa was amazing!  Such a great salad to serve during the spring and summer, and a perfect addition to a BBQ or potluck.

This week we will be eating at home Sunday-Thursday, we don’t have any plans this weekend but hope to get out one more time for a ski.  Our kids are wrapping up their winter activities and then we move into soccer and baseball!  Tonight we ate sliders with fries, beans and a citrus salad, it was the perfect way to end our weekend.

• Crispy shrimp BLT salad from @rachaelray we love the BLT salad from @marthastewart so I’m hoping that this one is as good.
• Chicken cacciatore from @cafedelites I was looking for a recipe to cook and take to my gramma’s house for dinner.  I think that this will be the perfect recipe.  I will serve this with some egg noodles for the kids.
• Spicy Thai peanut ramen from @rabbitandwolves my kids don’t love ramen so I will make them spaghetti or linguine noodles to have with the broth and veggies.
• Pizza buns from @rebecca_simpleasthat I will serve these with salad and raw veggies for the kids.  I used to make theses buns all of the time for a quick and simple weeknight meal, but I totally forgot about that recipe so we will give it another try.

I don’t have any plans for baking this week, I did make some spring rice krispie squares today for Sunday dinner.  They have some limited edition ones that include blue and green rice krispies, I topped them with some green sprinkles.  Haven’t made these in such a long time, and believe that I could eat the entire pan!  Don’t leave home without grocery list 122

Happy cooking,
Sara

Weekly meals March 2 – March 6

Meal updates from last week:
We really enjoyed the chicken piccata as well as the Korean chicken.  I loved the tofu stir fry, my son didn’t like the sauce but ate all of the tofu.  My daughter didn’t even try the tofu this time?!  The balsamic salad was a perfect side dish for our grilled sausages, I tweaked the recipe a little bit as we ran out of blackberries.  I ended up using blueberries and raspberries, and made the dressing with some blackberry balsamic instead of blending whole blackberries.  I don’t think that it made a huge difference in the taste at all.  We spent the weekend away in the mountains with friends skiing and enjoying some down time.  On Friday night dinner was waiting for us when we arrived, it was a bowl of chicken enchilada soup, such flavour and so delicious.  Saturday night I made a sheet pan of sausage, peppers and gnocchi. This is a recipe that I have shared before, so simple and so good, it also makes great left overs.

This week we will be eating at home Sunday-Thursday, Friday we are going out for dinner with friends, Saturday we don’t have any plans.  The weather is beginning to change and we are starting to think about spring sports and spending more time outside!

• Soy-glazed chicken with pickled cucumbers from @nytcooking if you cannot access this recipe from the link then you can set up a free trial with their site.  Sometimes you can access recipes through their Instagram account.  I will serve this with steamed rice.
• Turkey and roasted red pepper hummus patties from @thedaleyplate we will eat these with fries and a Greek salad.
• Mexican quinoa salad from @eatingwell with grilled garlic-lime shrimp.
• Tacos from @melskitchencafe I will serve these in soft shells with all of the fixings.

I don’t have any plans to bake this week, but I did have a chance to make a batch of banana blueberry muffins last week.  I also picked up a box of spring Rice Krispies and a bag of marshmallows because I just couldn’t resist and I  know my kids would love to help make them.  Get ready to shop with grocery list 121

Happy cooking,
Sara

Weekly meals Feb. 24 – Feb. 28

Meal updates from last week:
All recipes from last week were winners!  The soup was one of the biggest hits, and tasted even better the next day.  The kids also really enjoyed the soup, so we will have that one again soon.  The sweet potato bowls were my favourite recipe, my kids were meh with it, but you can’t win them all.  I added some corn, used feta instead of corjita and didn’t char the peppers.  The stir fry was the easiest recipe of the week, I added riced broccoli/zucchini and shredded some carrots as well.  If you’re looking for a really quick weeknight meal then you must try it.

My husband and I spent the weekend in Vegas, enjoying some sun, shopping and food.  We ate at a few new places: Spago at the Bellagio, FIVE50 Pizza Bar at the Aria, Bardot Brasserie at Aria and Zuma at Cosmo.  The food was great at all places, service was outstanding at Spago and Zuma.  The best food we ate was at Zuma, it is modern Japanese and outstanding!

Now we are back home for a week of school and work.  We will be eating at home Sunday-Thursday and then we are heading away to ski for the weekend.

• Easy Chicken piccata from @foodiecrush we will eat this with mashed potatoes and steamed beans.
• Cashew tofu stir-fry from @gimmesomeoven I will serve this with some steamed rice.  Last time I made tofu my son gobbled it up, so I am hoping that it will be the same this time.
• Korean chicken with coconut rice from @howsweeteats I am not going to make the coconut rice, instead I will use the leftover rice from the previous night.
• BBQ sausage, baked beans and blackberry balsamic salad with goat cheese from @closetcooking the weather this week is going to be glorious, so I am opting to grill dinner one night.  The salad does call for grilled chicken but I am going to omit as I will be serving sausages.

I am planning to bake this week, so that I can take it with us when we go skiing this weekend.  Blueberries were plentiful at the store this week, so I am thinking of the banana blueberry muffin or loaf.  Ready for shopping with Dinner List 120

Happy cooking,
Sara

Weekly meals Feb 17 – Feb 21

Meal updates from last week:
All recipes from last week were winners!  I think my favourite out of the three was the chicken shawarma salad and the cashew chicken.  The salad was simple, but full of flavour.  The cashew chicken was delicious, it took a little more time to make as you have to cook the chicken in batches.  We celebrated Valentine’s Day with heart shaped pizzas made at home with ingredients bought from the Italian Centre Shop.  If you have never been there to buy Italian goodies then go as soon as possible!  They sell fresh pizza dough for $2.00 per ball!  As well as pre-shredded mozzarella that has been grated that day.  It makes homemade pizzas so easy and delicious.

This week we are eating at home Monday-Wednesday, my husband and I are heading out of town for the weekend and the kids are with family.  The weather got really cold today, so I decided that a hearty soup was in order:

• Italian pasta and bean soup – Paste e Fagioli from @cooksillustrated this was so simple and full of flavour.  My kids really enjoyed the soup with cheese buns for dipping.  I will make this again very soon.  I didn’t have any pancetta, so used bacon instead.
• Zesty kale and sweet potato bowl from @cookinglight I am not sure if my kids will like this bowl?!  I am going to use brown rice instead of quinoa.  I know that they will like the rice, avocado and cheese but really not sure about the rest of it.  I may add some corn and a dollop of sour cream to theirs.
• Chicken and cabbage stir fry from @littlebrokenblog I will supplement the kids stir fry with some left over rice from the night before.  I also bought a bag of PC riced broccoli and zucchini that I will use instead of the peas and carrots.  I may add some shredded carrot as well.

This week is a very short recipe week, but I have been reading lots of new recipes that I am hoping to try.  Here are a few on my list, so that you can get through the rest of the week.  Chicken parmesan soup (all the things I love in a bowl), gluten-free turkey meatballs (I must be on an Italian kick!) and butternut squash kale salad with goat cheese and apricot vinaigrette (just add some grilled protein and you have a dinner salad).  A very short grocery list 119

Happy cooking,
Sara

Weekly meals Feb. 10 – Feb. 14

Meal updates from last week:
We really enjoyed all meals from last week.  I especially liked the Thai pork with noodles,  but LOVED my recreation of the Cali bowl from Craft Beer Market.  Here is how I made the bowl:

• Buy boneless skinless chicken breasts, if they are large then cut them in half so that they are thinner and cook quickly.  Rub with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  I cooked mine in a frying pan for about 4-5 minutes per side, or you could also grill them.  Rest your chicken on a plate covered in foil until you assemble your bowls.
• I used a bunch of lacinato kale, stripped from stems and then dressed very lightly with lemon juice and olive oil.  Set aside.
• I bought pre-shredded beets from CO-OP, or you can buy whole beets and shred them yourself.
• A bag of green beans, trimmed and steamed to crunchy tender.
• Can of chick peas drained and rinsed.
• Steamed brown rice, or your grain of choosing.

To assemble the bowl start with a base of rice and then add all of your other ingredients to the top.  Add sliced chicken on very last and top with a simple honey lemon sriracha dressing (squeeze half a lemon, add 1/4 c. of oil, tbsp. of honey and a squeeze of sriracha, mix to combine and add taste for spice and sweetness).  Before serving I crumbled some feta and added it to the kale.  If you try this recipe, post and tag me @three_plates_full or #threeplatesfull

We spent the weekend away on a family ski trip.  I managed to go quickly to the store late today and buy the necessities for dinner and lunches for tomorrow.  This week we will be eating at home Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.  Wednesday is my birthday, so we will be eating out to celebrate.  This is a short school week for my son and I am off to Convention at the end of the week.  We will celebrate Valentine’s Day at home with our kids.

• Chicken shawarma salad from @oursaltykitchen we ate this tonight and it was really good, I served some warmed pita on the side.  You could also stuff the pita with all of the ingredients.
• Cauliflower, bacon, sausage and spinach soup from @thedaleyplate you can find the recipe from her Instagram page, she lists the ingredients and steps to make the soup.
• BIRTHDAY DINNER!  I did find this recipe for salmon avocado salad, so that’s what I am sharing for tonight.
• Cashew chicken from @pinchofyum I will serve this with brown rice and a steamed green veggie.
• Valentine’s dinner: typically I will make lobster or something a little more for Valentine’s, but this year I am going to make heart shaped pizzas with caesar salad.  I will use the pizza dough from CO-OP or the Italian Centre Shop.  We will top our pizzas with sauce, meat, veggies and cheese.  I even have a heart shaped cake pan to ensure that the pizzas maintain their shape!

There won’t be much time this week to bake, I did want to make dessert to serve on Friday but I’m not sure what that will look like?  I saw a very simple recipe for brownie trifles, layered with strawberries and whipped cream.  What time I have, will dictate what I make.

Happy cooking and Happy Valentine’s Day,

Sara

Weekly meals Feb. 3 – Feb. 7

Meal updates from last week:
We enjoyed all of the meals from last week, but especially liked both sheet pan dinners.  The shrimp fajitas were so easy to make and had a ton of flavour.  I loved the cauliflower mash that we ate with the mini meatloaves, my kids had no idea that they were eating cauliflower and not potatoes!  The brown rice bowl was a quick and easy weeknight meal, and it made for some delicious lunches for the rest of the week.

This week we are eating at home Sunday-Thursday, Friday we are heading away for a ski weekend.  Last night we hosted some friends for Super Bowl dinner.  We kept it really simple as we had all spent the morning on the ski hill.  We made a large veggie tray with hummus, chicken enchilada nachos and then a football shaped cheesecake ball for dessert.  I will be packing lots of snacks, dry goods and a lemon loaf for our weekend away.  We are going to eat out a couple of times and then cook one night.

• Greek lemon oven roasted chicken thighs from @lemonblossomsblog I had this just recently on my weekly meal plan, but I never got the chance to make it.  I served the thighs with roasted potatoes and green beans.  Very flavourful dish!
• Grilled Thai pork tenderloin with soba noodle salad from @howsweeteats I will be using boneless pork loin for this dish and also substituting regular pasta noodles for the soba noodles.
• We went out for dinner on Friday to Craft Beer Market, and I was pleasantly surprised with my meal.  I ordered the Cali bowl and added grilled chicken.  I loved it so much that I am going to try to recreate it at home.  Stay tuned!  Ingredients are: kale, beets, chickpeas, brown rice, green beans, cucumber with a soy-sriracha dressing.
• Chicken BLT burritos with creamy southwest sauce from @melskitchencafe I was looking for a quick and easy weeknight meal and I think that this is the one!  I’m not sure if I will serve these with some raw veggie or add some waffle fries as well.

I don’t have plans to bake this week, but I have been thinking about making some carrot muffins.  If I can find the time I will bake a batch and take them with us this weekend.  There is no grocery list this week.

Happy cooking,
Sara

 

Weekly meals Jan 27 – Jan. 31

Meal updates from last week:
The crispy tofu bowls were amazing!  You wouldn’t even have known that you were eating tofu.  My son gave them a try and loved them, he just ate the tofu without the Thai sweet chili sauce as he thought it was too spicy.  I will be making these again very soon.  The sloppy joe tacos were also a family hit.  The kids ate theirs with hard shell tacos, and I made mine into a salad.

This week we will be eating at home Sunday-Thursday, we continue to stay busy with kid’s activities and family skiing on the weekend.  February is a jam packed month, full of travel, ski trips, my birthday and Valentine’s Day.  It is going to be a good one!

• Grilled turkey burgers with tater tots and a citrus salad.  When I make turkey burgers I keep it very simple: ground turkey, lemon zest, garlic, Dijon mustard, panko, salt and pepper.
• Mini turkey meatloaves with cauliflower mash from @howsweeteats I haven’t made meatloaf in a long time, we will see what the kids think.
• Mediterranean chicken bowl with broccoli and tomatoes from @foodiecrush the recipe calls for quinoa but I am going to use brown rice.
• Sheet pan chicken pitas from @pinchofyum this looks like a great time saving weeknight meal.
• Lime sheet pan shrimp fajitas from @howsweeteats this looks like a winning recipe!

Blueberries are plentiful right now, so it might be time for some muffins or a loaf.  We will see what the week brings. Grocery list 118

Happy cooking,
Sara