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

 

Super snacks!

I happen to LOVE football, but what I love even more are the snacks that go with the big game.  With Super Bowl this weekend I thought that I would round-up some tasty snacks that you could make and serve for family and friends.

• Mexican 7 layer dip, who doesn’t love a good Mexican dip?!  This one is slightly different…
• Skinny chicken enchilada dip
• Spinach artichoke dip
• Crispy carnitas guacamole
• How to make a sweet and salty snack board
• Totally epic loaded nachos
• Jalapeño popper pull apart bread
• Soft pretzel twists
• Mini chorizo chilis bread bowls, these look like one bite perfection!
• Meatball sub bread bowl, this is simply brilliant!
• Slow cooker black bean and taco chili
• Ancho baked chicken wings with avocado ranch
• Spicy chicken and jalapeño pizza
• Pepperoni pizza bombs
• Brownie footballs
• Peanut butter football dip
• Chocolate peanut butter footballs

I will be serving guacamole, chips, pizza bombs and caesar salad.  I haven’t yet decided what sweet treat will end our game.

Go Pats!
Sara

Ole!

Cinco de Mayo is this Friday, and really who doesn’t love a little Mexican fiesta to start their weekend?!  Some of my oldest and most favourite recipes are Mexican inspired.  From starters to salads, here are some recipes to please every palate.

Layered taco dip: I know that everyone has been to a party and had this dip.  I make this dip to feed a crowd and it never disappoints.  Start by spreading a layer of refried beans as the base for the dip.  I use a large round platter, so that there is room to add chips along the side.  Next, cover the beans with guacamole, this can be bought or home-made. The third layer is a mixture of sour cream and taco seasoning.  I buy the seasoning from Trader Joe’s in the U.S.A. and bring it home with me.  If not buy one that is MSG-free and low sodium.  The final layer is cheese.  You can buy a Mexican blend or shred cheddar and jack cheese.  I like to top the dip with sliced tomatoes, jalapeños and cilantro.
Guacamole:  Making guacamole is very simple, and requires basic ingredients.  I make it the same every time, but it always tastes a little different.  Mash three avocados, season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Squeeze the juice from one lime over top and add a large heaping spoonful of sour cream.  To give it a little zip I use Frank’s RedHot sauce (10 dashes) and then a spoonful of salsa.  Serve as an accompaniment to nachos or as a starter with taco chips.

Burritos from the Best of Bridge, this may be one of my most favourite recipes of all time!  Serve with a green salad.
Enchiladas also from the Best of Bridge Ladies, I serve this with a salad on the side.
Chicken fajitas from @marthastewart I make this recipe all of the time.  Instead of broiling the veggies and chicken on two separate pans, put all of it on one pan it works just as well.
Sloppy Joe tacos from @gimmesomeoven I have shared this recipe before, but it is a kid favourite.
Baked tacos with hard shells from @byjillee my mom swears by this recipe.  The beef filling for these tacos is delicious.
Fish tacos and the best sauce from simply-gourmet.com I have made these with fresh halibut and they were outstanding.
Black-bean tostadas with corn relish from @marthastewart this is another recipe that I have shared before.  It is a great vegetarian option, especially when corn is in season.
Chopped chicken taco salad from @howsweeteats I really enjoy a chopped salad, especially if someone else makes it for me!
Cilantro lime chicken salad with mango avocado salsa from @cafedelites this is a recipe that I have never made but looks great.
Churros with chocolate sauce from @justataste
Lime margarita from @epicurious

Cocina feliz,
Sara

Superbowl snacks

With the Super Bowl five days away one must start planning the snacks that will be served to watch the big game.  We all know that food served on Sunday is almost as exciting as the game itself.  I have rounded up some great recipes that are sure to be a hit this weekend.

Chili
Turkey sweet potato chili from @iowagirleats (This is a super easy crock pot meal)
Beer chili from @howsweeteats
Super Bowl chili from @damdelicious

Pizza
Pizza wheels from @spoonforkbacon (this is another version of a recipe posted on my weekly meals)
Bagel pizza bites from @kevinandamada (this will be a kid favourite)
Skillet cheeseburger pizza from @howsweeteats

Meatballs
Slow cooker buffalo chicken meatballs from @howsweeteats
One more buffalo meatball recipe from tablespoon.com
A more traditional meatball recipe from @damdelicious

Dip
Crock pot enchilada dip from @iowagirleats
Blt and pepperoni pizza dip from @emilybitesblog (the pizza dip is amazing)
Queso from @whatsgabycookin

Nachos
Green chile beef nachos from @howsweeteats
The Pioneer Woman’s loaded nachos
Sheet pan nachos from @damdelicious

This list could go on and on, but I needed to stop somewhere.  Other great football snack ideas include: burgers, wings, tacos, pulled pork and pretzels.

Happy Super Bowl,
Sara