Weekly meals May 12 – May 17

Meal updates from last week:
Most of last week’s meal plan never actually happened ;). Monday we went to my parents for dinner and then on Wednesday we went out for dinner with my mom and gramma.  So, I didn’t end up making the sheet pan chicken or the minestrone soup.  I moved the sheet pan to this week, but decided to hold off on the soup.  The recipe that I did make from last week we really liked and I will make the hot honey chicken bowls again.  This weekend was filled with sports, Friday night we grabbed takeout burgers and Saturday we went to friends for dinner.  I took my new fave copycat salad and it was a hit!  Yesterday I WAS NOT cooking, so my husband opted for sushi takeout.

This week we will be eating at home Sunday-Thursday, I am here with the kids for the long weekend, not sure what we will do as the weather is not looking great.

• Sheet pan chicken piccata from @defineddish, this is a carry over recipe from last week.  Tonight when I was going to make it I realized that I didn’t have enough time, so I opted for this recipe and served it with roasted potato wedges and slaw.
• Thai basil chicken bowls from @reciperunner I am using ground turkey instead of ground chicken for this recipe.
• Summer chipotle chicken cobb salad from @pinchofyum I love a good cobb salad and I am sure that I will love this one too.
• Grilled sausage, perogies and house salad from @skinnytaste, everyone has a sport tonight and I am working late so we are going simple!

I haven’t been in the mood for baking at all, and I think that is because I have been working on a smaller home DIY project.  Maybe when I am finished with the project I will get the itch to bake again!  Despite no baking going on, I seem to only save the baking recipes!  Here a a few new ones: lemon brownies, banana blueberry oatmeal cups, small batch chocolate cake, sheet pan chocolate chip cookies and tiramisu cheesecake.  So many yummy options.  There isn’t a grocery list this week, but it will be back next week.

Enjoy your long weekend,
Sara

Weekly meals April 15 – April 19

Meal updates from last week:
As always my family LOVED the classy chicken, I always make a double batch so that we have leftovers for the week.  We also really enjoyed the honey garlic pork and the BLT salad is always a crowd pleaser.  I didn’t get a chance to make the miso chicken salad as we went out for dinner on a whim, it will be added to this week’s plan.  This weekend I went out for dinner with a friend on Friday, we went to Pat and Betty, the food was amazing.  Saturday we had friends over and ate outside for the first time this year!  I made BBQ chicken and rice bowls and served lemon posset for dessert.  Tonight we had family over for dinner and grilled some Lina’s chicken, on the side I made baked potatoes with all of the toppings, a green salad with ranch dressing and lemon loaf for dessert.  I guess I am on a lemon kick right now!

This week we will be eating at home Sunday-Thursday, we have lots of kids activities this week and have a basketball tournament all weekend.

• Spicy miso chicken salad from @thedefineddish I will serve this in lettuce cups, but will also make some rice to fill them up.
• Creamy vegetable alphabet soup from @foodbymaria the weather is supposed to get much cooler this week so I thought that I would make some soup.  My daughter LOVES soup more than anything, so this will be a winner with her.
• Spanish rice and beans from @dishingouthealth this will be a meatless meal, but I will serve tortillas so that the kids can make theirs into veggie burritos.
• hamburger soup from @bestofbridge this is a soup week for our family!  I am going to make this soup with a mixture of deer and pork, I have never used game meat in a coup recipe so we will see how it tastes.  This soup is the most requested soup in our house.

Last week I finally made something with blueberries, I made the blueberry buttermilk breakfast cake.  The entire cake was gone in a matter of days.  It is a great little afternoon treat to have with a coffee or cup of tea.  I made two different lemon desserts this weekend, so I don’t think that I will be baking anything this week.  Here’s a few other recipes I found this week: sweet cherry Italian margarita, oatmeal raisin bars, berry cheesecake cookie bars and two huge chocolate chip cookies.  Streamline your shopping with  Grocery List 9 24.

Happy week ahead,
Sara

Welcome spring!

I am back from a wonderful family vacation in the sun!  We were home late Monday night, which made the start to our week a little slow.  We hosted family on Tuesday night, I served flank steak with roasted potatoes and salad.  Wednesday I made a bruschetta bowl with chicken, rice and a tomato mozzarella salad.  Thursday I kept it very simple with a dumpling soup with carrots and spinach.  This weekend we had Cactus Club takeout on Friday and hosted friends Saturday, we served rice bowls with ginger turmeric chicken.  Today we got out for our last official ski day of the season!

This week we will be eating at home Sunday-Thursday, we are in full spring sport swing, most nights are busy with multiple activities.

• Grilled Italian sausage, smokies, perogies and a copycat Olive Garden salad.  I made this salad when we were away and I have made it three times since coming home.  If you make this salad you have to make the dressing, it is so amazing!
• Classy chicken from @bestofbridge, I used to make this all of the time and haven’t made it in forever.  I asked for any meal requests this week and my husband asked for it.  I always serve this casserole with egg noodles.
• Honey garlic pork from @dessertfortwo I will serve this with steamed rice.
• BLT salad with buttermilk dressing from @epicurious, this is another recipe that I used to make a ton.  My husband and son really like it, but my daughter is not a fan.
• Spicy miso chicken salad from @defineddish, we will eat these in lettuce cups.

There was no time for baking last week, but I am hoping to do some this week.  Blueberries are everywhere and very sweet so I was thinking of a snacking cake or muffins.  I found these recipes: gluten-free bakery style blueberry muffins and buttermilk blueberry breakfast cake.  Here are some others that I have been looking at: limoncello and basil posset, strawberry almond cake, oatmeal cookies and cinnamon swirl cake.  Make going shopping way easier by using grocery list 8 24

Happy spring,
Sara

Weekly meals March 18 – March 22

Meal updates from last week:
We really liked the teriyaki beef bowls as well as the chicken kebabs.  I didn’t love the chicken burrito bowl, but I think that it was because I used chicken breasts and I found them very dry.  If I made this recipe again I would use thighs instead.  This weekend we stuck around home, I took my son for a dinner date on Friday, Saturday I made spicy rigatoni and Sunday we grilled chicken, smokies and had potato wedges and salad.

This week is busy with activities and work, Friday is the beginning of our spring break and we are all very excited for some down time.  We will be eating at home Sunday-Thursday, I work late Thursday so it will be takeout for the kids.

• Smashed Banh Mi tacos from @cheftomwalton I made these a month ago and we LOVED them.  Everyone agreed that they were even better tonight!  You can access this recipe on his IG account.
• Air fryer tofu from @pinchofyum I will serve this with some steamed rice and broccoli.  My daughter is not a fan of tofu, so when we eat it I made her eggs for dinner.
• Chicken gnocchi soup from @thewoodenskillet, with a blast of winter heading our way, so I am making some comforting soup for dinner.
• Takeout

Last week I did some Easter baking as I was getting the itch.  I made some mini egg oatmeal chocolate chip cookies as well as a carrot banana bread with cream cheese icing (recipe on her IG feed).  Here are a few other recipes I found this week: lemon poppyseed muffins, chocolate raspberry cheesecake, citrus cake, shrimp sushi cups, chicken and feta baked meatballs and sheet pan halloumi with avocado and citrus. There is not a grocery list this week as it is a short one, we will both be back after the Easter weekend.

Happy Easter,
Sara

Weekly meals March 11 – March 15

Meal updates from last week:
We really enjoyed the sushi bowls and miso soup from last week, I didn’t end up making the chicken fajitas, instead I made pancakes for the kids and reheated a veggie burrito (recipe I shared a couple of weeks ago) for myself.  This weekend we ate out on Friday night, Saturday I made spring roll bowls and last night we did a marinaded flank steak (recipe from Whitewater Cooks, but find a similar one here) with roasted potatoes and house salad.

This week we will be eating at home Sunday-Thursday, we have lots of different activities this week, and are hoping for one more ski day this weekend.

• Slow cooker chicken burrito bowls from @skinnytaste this is a recipe from her latest cookbook called Fast and Slow.
• Teriyaki beef bowl from @sailor_bailey, since we are having rice the night before I will serve this with rice noodles.
• Chicken kebab from @foodbymaria
• Grilled sausages, tots and a triple berry salad from @iowagirleats

I baked some small batch banana muffins last week and they were gobbled up!  I think by the end of the week I will try to make some mini egg cookies, there are so many different recipes out there for them!  Here are a few that I have found: oatmeal chocolate chip mini egg cookies, mini egg cookies, mini egg fudge or if you are not a fan of mini eggs you could try this Easter egg fruit pizza.  Shop with ease using grocery list 7 24

Enjoy the sunshine,
Sara

Weekly meals Feb. 12 – Feb 16

Meal updates from last week:
We LOVED the tacos and dumpling soup!  I will be making both recipes again soon.  The salmon was good, but I overcooked it and it was a little tough.  This weekend I was out for dinner on Friday night at Salt and Brick, Saturday we were supposed to go out but the plague is moving through our children so I made some chicken noodle soup (this a NYT recipe, which requires a subscription).  Tonight, for Super Bowl I made some buffalo chicken tenders with fries and a wedge salad with ranch dressing.

This week we will be eating at home Sunday-Thursday, we will be eating at Major Tom tomorrow night for my birthday.  This weekend is currently unplanned, we will see what happens this week.

• Major Tom
• Santa Fe salad from @sailor_bailey
• Turkey pesto meatballs from @weelicious for Valentine’s Day
• Sausage potato and kale soup from @daleyplate

Last week I made some banana muffins, I only had two bananas so I found a recipe for a small batch, and this might be my new favourite muffin recipe (the kids raved about it).  I have been very inspired with Valentine’s recipes, but I am not sure that I will be making any: vanilla raspberry heart cake, heart sandwich cookies, thumbprint heart cookies and cheesecake cups.  There isn’t a grocery list this week as I am not shopping on my birthday, it will return next week for your shopping pleasure!

Happy love week,
Sara

Weekly meals Feb. 5 – Feb. 9

Meal updates from last week:
We really enjoyed the loaded Greek potatoes, turkey bowls and the salmon.  The pasta was good, but I think that I like traditional pesto better.  This weekend my husband and I were away in the mountains skiing, eating and spending time together.  We ate at Bridgette Bar and Where the Buffalo Roam both in Canmore, and before leaving today we grabbed brunch and coffee at Communitea.

This week we will be eating at home Sunday-Thursday, Friday and Saturday we will be eating out.  Super Bowl Sunday we don’t have any plans, so we will just have to wait and see what’s on the menu.

• Hamburger soup from @bestofbridge, today I added double to veggies and served it with some flaky buns.
• Smashed Banh Mi tacos from @cheftomwalton, you can find this recipe on his IG page.
• Chicken yiros bowls from @mediterranean.diet.plan, this recipe can be found on their IG page.
• Miso dumpling soup from @dennistheprescott, this recipe is from his IG page.  I will use store bought mini dumplings that I got from CO-OP last week.  They are the perfect little dumplings to add to any soup.
• Crispy salmon bites from @lifemadesweeter I will serve these with edamame, rice and sliced avocado.

I am not sure if I will bake this week, I do have some bananas that need to be used, but we will see if I will time.  I did find two other baking recipes that are on my list to try: lemon creme brulee cookies and lemon blueberry muffins.  I sense a baking theme with these recipes!  Or maybe I should make these brown sugar cinnamon pop tart shortbread?!  Make your life easier by using my grocery list 4 24

Enjoy your week,
Sara

HNY!

I am back!  Happy 2024, I hope that you had a wonderful holiday season, we had a great time celebrating with friends and family.  There was lots of cooking, less after Christmas and it was more simple and included some takeout.  We were home last week and I cooked Tuesday-Friday, last night we ordered pizza and I made a salad.  This week we will be eating at home Sunday-Thursday, Friday we are off for a ski weekend with friends (we are in charge of Friday dinner).  This week is supposed to be a little warmer than last week, but it is not looking better until the end of the week.

• Honey mustard salmon with citrus salsa from @twopeasandtheirpod I will serve this with some steamed rice and mixed greens.
• Sausage potato and kale soup (Zuppa Toscana) from @reciprunner.
• Kalamata lemon chicken orzo skillet from @woodenskillet
• Grilled Italian sausage with orange arugula salad from @twopeasandtheirpod I will probably make some buttered pasta for the kids.
• Chicken caesar salad using two different recipes from @justataste first, dressing from her chicken caesar pasta salad, and then her recipe for chicken Milanese.
• Crock pot chicken enchiladas from @sailor_bailey, this meal is feeding a crowd so I will be making rice and also serving with tortilla chips, avocado, salsa and sour cream.

I have not been in the mood to bake anything lately, but blueberries were on sale so I might use them in muffin or loaf.  I am also craving anything lemon, but what I really want is a cake or a loaf.  I think that a bright and tart loaf will brighten everyone’s week.  New year, new grocery list 1 24 to help you while shopping.

HNY everyone,
Sara

Weekly meals Dec. 18 – Dec. 23

Meal updates from last week:
We loved both of the soups and the chicken taquitos.  The noodle salad was good, but I found it a little salty.  We liked the tofu bowls, but I have made better recipes.  This weekend was quiet, I still had a sick kid at home so we didn’t end up doing much.  Friday night we ordered food from Cactus Club, Saturday I made a simple tomato sauce pasta with salad and Sunday we had family Christmas.  My mom made the majority of the food: turkey, stuffing with Italian sausage, turnips and gravy.  I took a broccoli and cauliflower bake and there were also mashed and baked sweet potatoes as well as salad.  If you are looking for any Christmas dinner recipes just use the search engine.

This week we are eating at home Monday-Thursday, Friday we will order in, Saturday night we are going to a party and then we are hosting Christmas Eve.

• Creamy cauliflower soup from @nytcooking, you need a subscription for this site but I found a similar recipe here.
• Baked salmon from @cremedelacrumb I will serve it with some steamed rice and a green veggie.
• BBQ sausage with fries and a fall salad from @dianemorrisey.  You can find all of her recipes on her IG account.
• Pork stir fry from @theendlessmeal I will serve this with some steamed rice.
• Taking sausage stuffed dates to the party on Saturday night
• Christmas Eve: wine-braised short ribs, mashed potatoes and harvest salad.  Cookie tray for dessert.  I am thinking of serving a winter Aperol spritz, I found this recipe and this one.
• Christmas morning: cinnamon french toast muffins with fresh fruit and coffee.
• Christmas dinner: pesto stuffed shells with vodka sauce, fresh bread and house salad.

Today I baked Swiss Mountain Shortbread, the entire tray will go to my husband’s office with coffee for his staff to enjoy.  I think that means that I am finished baking for the season!  You never know if I will make another recipe, but as of today I feel like I’m done.  My grocery shop today was a huge one!  I shopped for my entire week, and then also tried to buy for the weekend including Christmas Eve and Day.  It took me a long time to make my list, and I only missed a few things that I will pick up tomorrow.  The grocery list 31 23 is really long, but includes all meals up till Christmas Day.  This will be my last post of 2023 as I am going to take a break and spend time with my family during the holiday season.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas!
Sara

Weekly meals Dec. 11 – Dec. 15

Meal updates from last week:
The turkey burgers were great, the sheet pan meal came together so fast and the orzo soup was a hit with the kids.  This weekend we had pizza with friends on Friday night and then went to a Christmas party on Saturday.  Last night we had dinner at home, the recipe will be on the meal plan below.

This week we will be eating at home Sunday-Thursday, we don’t have any Friday plans, but something possibly on Saturday night.  Sunday we are having my family Christmas, I will be taking a side-dish, I am thinking of something with broccoli, cauliflower and cheese!

• Creamy chicken noodle soup from @twopeasandtheirpod, I served this with a side salad.
• Chicken taquitos from @tastesbetterfromscratch, I bought a rotisserie chicken for the soup and then will use the leftover meat to make these.  I will serve them with sour cream, avocado and a green salad.
• Rice noodle salad from @amandafrederickson her recipe calls for chicken, but I am going to omit the chicken and add more veggies.
• Cabbage soup with ground beef from the @thenaturalnuturer I am not sure how my kids will feel about this soup, but I am going it give it a try.
• Spicy peanut tofu bowls from @pinchofyum this is one I haven’t tried, but it looks so good!

Last week I had the chance to bake the lemon thumbprint cookies as well as the almond cranberry shortbread.  I tasted both and they were delicious!  They went straight into the freezer for gifting and unexpected company.  Tomorrow I am hoping to make either chocolate dipped peanut butter cookies or gingerbread cheese cake cookies.  I won’t have time to make both, so it will be a game time decision.  After I bake the last two I think that I am finished my holiday baking, I like to take small containers with a variety of cookies when we are invited to friends.  This week’s Grocery List 30 23
is a long one!

Happy Monday,
Sara