What We Are Eating This Week (Week of 6/29/15)

This is a sample of how I often plan the week.  I write down what I have on hand (either full meal or specific ingredients), then I plan out meals to make from those items, then I write down what I need to buy.  From there, I transfer my list into my Kroger app.  It's my favorite for grocery shopping!  It keeps my list all sorted by category, I can keep my store coupons in there, and I can also add items directly from the weekly ad.

I pretty much cleaned out the fridge this past week, so for inspiration this week, I decided to use another technique.  Sometimes I will take either a cookbook or food magazine and pick all my recipes from there.  It's nice to just need one guide for all of the week's meals.

This week I'm using an Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine from January/February 2015.  I really like this magazine.  It's always full of fun recipes and information.  Rachael Ray was the first TV cook I watched and she taught me so much.  I love her creativity and casual approach.  She does a lot more pasta and cheese than I eat, but she has some great ideas!  Here are the recipes I plan to make:

These adorable mini meat loaves with customizable mix-ins. I think I'll let the kids choose how to flavor their own!

Roasted Pork Chops with Green Beans and Potatoes-one pan means less mess!

For lunch-Korean Style Rice Bowls. I'll use brown rice instead of jasmine and may do grilled chicken instead an egg.

Beef and Kale Stri Fry-will use brown rice, honey instead of sugar

For breakfast, lunch, or snacks, I will try this Avocado Smash or this White Bean Smash on top of Ezekiel bread and have either an egg or grilled chicken on the side.

Looks like a delicious week!  I hope that helps with your meal planning! 

Chicken with Zucchini Noodles and Avocado Cream Sauce

I had some friends over for lunch the other day and decided to make them something with zucchini noodles.  As I always do when I have company, I chose to make a recipe I've never made before, and didn't even follow a recipe, just used a few as a guide.  I don't know why I do this, but it usually works out just fine.  The end result was really good!  Creamy from the avocado, tangy from the lemon juice, nutritious from the zucchini, and filling from the chicken!  I will definitely make this again! When I do make it again, I will add a photo. We ate it so fast I didn't get a picture!

Chicken with Zucchini Noodles and Avocado Cream Sauce

Serves 4

2 cups cooked and diced chicken
4 medium sized zucchini
1 small avocado
1 clove of garlic
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup plain greek yogurt

1. Prepare the avocado cream sauce.  In a food processor, pulse the garlic clove a few times to break it down.  Add the avocado, lemon juice, olive oil, greek yogurt, and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Puree until the mixture is well combined and creamy.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add olive oil.  If your chicken is cold, add the chicken and saute 2-3 minutes until heated through.  While the chicken is cooking, prepare your zucchini noodles.  I use a Vegetti, but you could use a food processor with the correct attachment, or a vegetable peeler and make strips.

3. Once the chicken is heated thoroughly, remove from the pan and add more olive oil to the pan.  Increase the heat to high.  Saute the zucchini noodles for 3-5 minutes.

4, Combine the chicken, zucchini noodles, and avocado sauce and serve!

I hope you enjoy this recipe.  Let me know if you tried it!

Cinnamon Apple Crunch

Last night after dinner I was really craving something sweet, but I'm really trying to be good since I'm going to Hawaii next week.  I thought about what I had eaten during the day and realized I was a little low on fruit.  I decided to create something to satisfy my sweet tooth and man, it was yummy!

Cinnamon Apple Crunch

1 small apple (I used a golden delicious)
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp peanut butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup quick oats, uncooked

Heat the coconut oil in a small skillet over medium high heat.  Slice the apples thinly and spread out in an even layer in the warm pan.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  Once the apples have cooked a few minutes and begin to soften, flip them individually.  Pour oats over the top and drizzle with peanut butter.  After about 2 minutes, turn up the heat and stir continuously until everything is well combined, and apples are soft.  Try not to burn your mouth, it's hard to wait until the apples are cool enough to eat!

21 Day Fix Equivalents:
1 purple
1 yellow
2 tsp

This recipe would be easy to modify as well. If you don't have any yellow containers left or are trying to stay away from grains, pecans would be great instead of the oats.  You could also leave out the peanut butter and do a small drizzle of honey instead. Either way, it's delicious and fast and I will definitely make it again!