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

Happy 2020!

After Christmas and a lovely holiday in the Californian sun, I am back!  It’s time to dive into 2020, try some new recipes and cook even more.  I survived hosting Christmas for 22 people, but only because I had so much help.  It was a resounding success, but I don’t need to host next year 😉  While on holiday I cooked many times, we also got a chance to eat out as well and were hosted by others.  Here are a few recipes that I tried: crispy sheet pan gnocchi with sausage, fresh winter greens and citrus salad, chocolate peanut butter pie, citrus salad with pistachios and maple vinaigrette and berry lemon cheesecake cookie cups.  The citrus in California was amazing!  Grapefruit, lemons, limes and a multitude of oranges, my son loved the blood oranges.  I tried my best to take advantage of what was in season and use it as much as possible.  Now, we we are back in Calgary just about to start the coldest weather of winter.  BRRRRRR!

This week we are eating at home Monday-Thursday, I am meeting friends for dinner Friday and we don’t have plans Saturday.  Our activities all start up again this week, both kids are swimming, my daughter has dance and son has ball.  It is a busy but exciting time of year.

• Sheetpan sausage supper from @foodnetwork we ate this last night, but I substituted broccoli for the Brussels sprouts.  The kids didn’t love this meal, they did eat the sausage and the broccoli.
• Cashew shrimp and mango stir fry from @howsweeteats I added some edamame and snap peas to boost the vegetables.
• Chorizo crumble from @cleaneating we will eat this as a taco salad with all of the fixings.  I will add some tortilla chips for dipping.
• hamburger soup from @bestofbridge I have shared this too many times to count, but the temperature is going to dip down and we are going to need a comforting meal.  We usually eat this with cheese buns for dipping.

I’ve shared in the past, that I struggle to make and enjoy lunch meals.  Today I decided to start off 2020 by making a large batch salad and then divide it out for the week.  It did take some prep time, but I think it will be well worth the effort.  I made quinoa broccoli slaw from @cookieandkate I didn’t realize until I got home that I bought couscous instead of quinoa.  I used the couscous and it turned out really well.  I will add a dollop of hummus to the bowl and some rice crackers, and that will be lunch for the rest of the week!  I hope that I can do this at least every other week so that my home and work lunches are more exciting and enjoyable.  I won’t have time to bake this week, but possibly on the weekend I will make some banana muffins.  With it being so late into the week I won’t be posting my grocery list, but it will be back next week.

Happy cooking,
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 Sept. 3 – Sept. 7

Meal updates from last week:
We loved the soba noodles with cedar plank salmon.  The salmon had a smoky flavour from being cooked on the cedar.  The soba noodles with the buttery salmon was a perfect combination.  I added some thinly sliced snap peas and radishes to our bowls.  We also really enjoyed the chicken caesar lettuce wraps, the flavour of the chicken marinated in the dressing was amazing.  My kids devoured the bread that was grilled and then torn into pieces.

This week marks the beginning of a new chapter, tomorrow my son begins grade three and I am also going back to teaching.  I am going to try my very best to keep up with my food blogging, but I am sure recipes might evolve and change.  Days when I’m working I will try to make recipes that are simple and fast.  This also means that I need to start taking a lunch!  I am going to try to post some pictures of what I am taking for lunch.

This week we will be eating at home Monday-Friday.  As we were away this last weekend, there are no plans for this coming weekend.  I am sure that everyone including myself will be tired from all of the changes to our lives.

• Classy chicken from @bestofbridge I decided that we needed to have some serious comfort food to mark the end of a chapter.  We ate this with egg noodles and a plate of raw vegetables.
• Mushroom-based meat loaf from @cookinglight I will serve this with mashed potatoes and roasted carrots.
• Chicken stir-fry with bok choy from @cookinglight I will make some steamed rice to serve with this.
• Skillet blackened shrimp fajitas from @therecipecritic my kids are loving shrimp so I’m sure that this will be a hit.
• Grilled pork kebabs with hoisin and five-spice from @testkitchen (I access the Test Kitchen recipes via their Instagram account) and lemon basil orzo salad from @feastingathome

The Dinner List 65 is back!

Happy cooking,
Sara

Weekly meals August 20 – August 25

I am finally home from ten days of holiday with my mom and children.  We had a wonderful time visiting the seaside town of Lavallette New Jersey and went to New York for a few days.  New York with kids was a very different experience then I have had in the city before.  We went to the Central Park zoo, Museum of Natural History and hit up some different playgrounds.  For food we did a mixture of simple easy places, restaurants and also ate in one night.  After being in New York with kids I am way more confident travelling to a large, busy never sleeping city with my children.

This week marks the last full week for before I head back to work for the first time in two years.  My son will be going back to school after the long weekend and my daughter will be going to child care.  It will be a challenging transition for everyone, but I am sure that we will get the hang of it after a couple of weeks.

Since being home we’ve eaten in twice and been to friends for dinner.  We will eat in Monday-Thursday and right now don’t have plans for the weekend.  This week’s meal plan will also include the two meals that I’ve cooked since being home.

• Baked salmon with Lemon butter caper sauce, served with fresh herbed avocado salad.  This entire meal was amazing!  The sauce for the salmon was originally a marinade, but I simmered the sauce and then poured it over the baked salmon.
• Mango chicken stir fry from @ambitiouskitchen eaten over steamed rice.  For dessert I served grilled peaches with vanilla ice cream and a dusting of cinnamon.
• Hummus dinner bowls from @epicurious I will serve this with pita and some cucumbers.
• Chinese five-spice steak with oranges from @epicurious we will eat this with steamed rice.
• Chicken satay with peanut sauce from @spoonforkbacon I will serve this with carrots and beans.
• Grilled shrimp and watermelon chopped salad from @skinnytaste as my kids don’t like lettuce I may have to supplement their meal with some pasta.

This weekend I also had a chance to do some baking, I made peaches and cream scones and some banana loaf.  We took the scones to our friends as a dinner thank-you, the banana bread will be eaten by the kids.  Print the Dinner List 64 to make shopping easy!

Happy cooking,
Sara

*Steamed shrimp and watermelon salad*

Weekly meals July 23 – July 27

Meal updates from last week:
The best meals from last week were the orzo salad with shrimp and the blackened salmon with pineapple salsa.  I have not yet mastered cooking salmon on the grill so ours ended up being a little over cooked.  For lunch I ate the leftover salsa and dressing over some chopped romaine.  It was delicious.

My son’s birthday cake turned out very well, but it was not as easy as I had anticipated.  I made the dough for the cookie layers before hand and it came together very well.  The day before his birthday I let the dough warm to room temperature and then rolled it out.  The problem that I encountered was that the dough was dry and cracking, it was far too dry to make into a number eight so I had to make six circles instead.  I had initially planned on a four layer cake, but got very frustrated and only made three!  After baking I cooled the layers and then assembled the cake 24 hours before the party.  After adding the whipped cream and candy toppings it looked great and the taste was good.  I don’t think that I will try this one again, but I did love the idea of an icebox cake so I will look for a different recipe.

This week is so busy, my son is at day camp from 8-4 every day and my husband has numerous engagements that will take him away most nights.  We will be eating at home Monday-Friday this week, and ate at home on Friday and Saturday night this past week.

• Crispy sheet pan gnocchi with sausage and peppers from @foodnetwork.com this is a recipe that I have shared before, and if you haven’t already tried it you need to right now!
• Ginger-honey glazed pork tenderloin from @cookinglight we will eat this with roasted garden potatoes and steamed green beans.
• Korean chicken rice bowls from @fifteenspatulas I am going to add some veggies to this dish like snap peas and some mixed cabbage.
• Mango chicken stir fry from @ambitiouskitchen
• Chicken tenders parmesan from @marthastewart my kids will be eating this meal as my husband and I will be out.  I will serve this with some buttered pasta and raw veggies.
• Grilled shrimp tacos from http://www.onceuponachef.com

I had a chance this weekend to make a batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.  I used a recipe from @sallysbakeblog and then divided the dough into three different bowls and added different mix-ins.  The three different combinations I made were: plain M &Ms and chocolate chips, caramel and sea salt chips with mini rolos and mini reese’s chips with mini peanut butter cups.  All flavour combinations were amazing!  I bought a massive container of blueberries on the weekend, I think that I need to make a double batch of muffins.  I also have a pile of rhubarb that I need to deal with.  Ideas?  There isn’t a grocery list this week but it will return the next week.

Happy cooking,
Sara

Weekly meals June 18 – June 22

Meal updates from last week:
Everything that we ate last week was great!  I think that my favourite was the white pizza.  It was so simple, but so delicious!  I also really loved the ramen salad, and let me tell you that this is not your typical ramen salad.  I ate the chia jam over my overnight oats as well as with granola and yogurt.  I made a batch of banana bran muffins because my daughter is in need of more fibre.  I decreased the sugar in the recipe and added some prune puree.  She really enjoyed them, which is half the battle with kids and food (especially food that is good for them).

This week we will be eating at home Monday-Wednesday, I am heading out-of-town on Thursday and will be home Sunday.  Tonight we celebrated Father’s Day by hosting my family for dinner.  I made flank steak and everyone else contributed salads and dessert.  My gramma made two pies, one Saskatoon and one rhubarb, as always they were amazing.  You can find her dough recipe by using my search function.  All three recipes for this week come from Chatelaine magazine.  I found them while I was at the gym, it made meal planning this week very easy!

• Peanut and pork ramen from @chatelainemagazine
• Sesame shrimp stir fry from @chatelainemagazine
• Balsamic-peach marinaded pork tenderloin from @chatelainemagazine I will serve this with green beans and a salad
• Turkey pesto meatballs from @weelicious my husband and kids will eat this while I am away.  This is easy to cook a head of time and reheat before serving.

I also bought them some smokies and sausages to BBQ while I’m gone.  That should take them to Saturday night, after that they are on their own!  Dinner List 59 is short this week.

Happy cooking,
Sara

Weekly meals May 7 – May 11

Meal updates from last week:
We absolutely loved the sheet pan gnocchi!  My mom and dad were over for dinner and it was a huge hit for everyone.  We ate it with a caesar salad and a baguette, and that is how I would serve it again.  I wasn’t very happy with the spring minestrone, the broth was very bland, I don’t think that I will make it again.  Another hit from last week was the fish taco bowls, I used cod as instructed in the recipe and it turned out great.  I didn’t get a chance to make the kale salad but will try it out soon.

We arrived home from Nashville on Monday night, and I spent the yesterday shopping and planning meals for this week.  We had such an amazing time in Nashville and I have a list of places to eat and drink to share with you soon!  This week we are eating at home Tuesday-Saturday, we will be out for Mother’s Day brunch on Sunday and then dinner is unplanned.  This week I am mostly cooking from the June issue of CookingLight.  I have already made two recipes and they were both good.

• Grilled lemon rosemary chicken and leeks from @cookinglight I served this with grilled peppers, asparagus and corn.
• Spicy Thai shrimp cakes from @cookinglight I served this with the mixed greens salad and dressing recipe that was included on the same page.  I omitted the Thai sweet chili sauce in the ones for the kids, and they gobbled these up.
• Chicken curry stir fry from @cookinglight we will eat this with steamed rice.
• Ground chicken Thai lettuce wraps from @evolvingtable my son doesn’t enjoy lettuce, but for some reason when it is used as a vessel for something he will eat it!
• BBQ turkey burgers (my recipe: 1 package ground turkey, 1/2 c. panko, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard, salt and pepper.  Combine all ingredients and form into patties) with a kale salad from @cookinglight

Today I hosted some family friends and made my favourite banana chocolate chunk muffins.  These muffins are super moist because of the buttermilk and are sweetened with maple syrup.  I also made some rhubarb muffins last week, they were great the first day but they became pretty dry after that.

As we are halfway through the week I won’t be sharing my shopping list.  I will pick it backup next week.

Happy cooking,
Sara

*Buttermilk waffles*