What We are Eating This Week (9/21-9/27)

It's been awhile since I've posted our weekly meal plan but I wanted to do it this week so I can make sure I use what I have on hand and make some of the things I've been wanting to make.  Most of the recipes I'm making are from the Fixate Cookbook.  If you don't have it yet and want one, get it here!  For the things that aren't from Fixate, I won't be following recipes, just going with my gut :). I put a little explanation on each meal to walk you through how I'm going to do it.

Bison Burgers with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and Zucchini Bake

For the bison burgers, I'm going to mix the meat with some dijon mustard, and egg, and some spices.  I'll serve the burgers on a piece of toasted Ezekiel bread.  I'll roast the potatoes at 425 with olive oil and spices until cooked and the Zucchini Bake (pictured below) is from Fixate.

Beef and Broccoli with Cauliflower Rice
For this one, I'll saute the beef and broccoli with Braggs liquid aminos and the make the cauliflower rice.

Citrus Mahi Mahi and Roasted Acorn Squash from Fixate
I'm going to marinate the mahi in orange juice, honey, and soy sauce and then bake it at 350 until cooked through.  The squash recipe (pictured below) is from Fixate.

Crockpot Habanero Cilantro Pork Loin with Sweet Potatoes and Green Beans
This is a super easy recipe.  I use a 3 lb pork loin, cover it with store bought clean salsa, and cook it until it falls apart.  I'll bake the sweet potatoes and mash them with coconut oil and cinnamon and then roast the green beans at 425 with olive oil and seasonings.

Spaghetti with whole wheat noodles and clean tomato sauce, side salad
We all know how to make spaghetti :)

Chicken Parmesan and Roasted Veggies
The chicken parmesan is from Fixate.  I'll roast whatever veggies I have on hand at 425 with olive oil and grill seasoning.

Healthier Rice and Beans

My husband is Mexican and naturally, he loves rice and beans. My kids do too! Traditional Mexican rice and refried beans are not the heathiest options on a daily basis, but I've found a substitute that is Gonzalo-approved!

Pinto Beans and Rice 
(from the Ultimate Reset)

1 can pinto beans, with liquid
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 tsps extra virgin olive oil
2 tsps paprika
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsps Braggs Liquid Aminos

Heat beans in a medium saucepan over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, or until hot. Drain. Add reminding ingredients and mix well. Gently fold in warm cooked rice.

Pecan Pie Shakeology

Here is a delicious recipe to try if you've got vanilla Shakeology.

Kale and Bacon Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

This recipe was inspired by one I saw on 100 Days of Real Food that used regular potatoes.  I figured I could make it a little healthier and we were happy with the result!  This was very easy and filling.

Kale and Bacon Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
serves 4

4 medium sized sweet potatoes
1 bunch of kale
2 shallots
1 package of nitrate free bacon
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

Bake sweet potatoes in a 425 degree oven for about 45 minutes, or until tender.  Set aside to cool.

Cook bacon in a skillet and set aside.  While bacon is cooking, wash and chop the kale and finely slice the shallots.  Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat and reduce the heat to medium. Add the shallots and then the kale.  Cook together until kale is wilted and shallots are soft, about 5-8 minutes.  I added a splash of vegetable stock to deglaze the pan, but you could also use a little water to help steam the kale. Turn off the heat.

Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half and add the insides to the skillet with the kale and shallots.  Make sure the sweet potatoes are mixed well with the kale and then add the greek yogurt.  Crumble in the bacon.  Once everything is combined and heated through, add the mixture back to the potato skins.

Enjoy!

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!