Recipe: Kale & Citrus Salad

This was a big hit for my family. My five year old even asked me to make more for her lunch tomorrow. I omitted the jalapeño and the nuts but it was still flavorful without being too citrusy and earthy without being to kale-y. It was a perfect side but can be part of a main dish too. This would be amazing topped with broiled fish, too!

Perfect for Fall Kale & Citrus Salad
1 bunch kale, washed, trimmed, and sliced roughly
Juice of 1 orange
Salt and pepper
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp evoo
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, chopped finely (optional)
1/2 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
1 large orange or 2 tangelos, peeled and diced
Feta, blue cheese or goat cheese to top
Toasted nuts (optional)

Mix orange juice through jalapeño in a jar. Cover and shake vigorously. Add yogurt and shake until well combined. Pour onto kale and mix well. Top with orange pieces and feta, toss lightly. Top with nuts if preferred.

Weekly Meal Planning for Sept 25-Oct 1

You know it's gonna be a rough week when you plan the meal for Sunday to be a quick weeknight meal because you have to rush! Ah well. Some weeks are just like that. We are also doing several meatless meals to help cut down on our grocery budget a little bit. It seems to have gotten out of control! 

Sunday: spinach and mushroom linguine 

Monday: crustless broccoli cheese quiche and pumpkin bread

Tuesday: black bean chili nachos (a la one of our favorites, The Grit restaurant in Athens)

Wednesday: butternut squash soup and  Parmesan crisps 

Thursday: roasted Rosemary lemon chicken, roasted potatoes, cauliflower, and carrots 

Friday: leftover chicken and veggies, green salad 

Saturday: Cobb salad with shredded roast chicken 

Recipe: Chicken Curry

I gave my kids a choice for dinner last night - chicken curry or chicken pot pie, and I was shocked when they chose chicken curry. And I was even more pleasantly surprised when I realized how easy it was to make and how fast it came together. It ended up being a perfect, hearty meal for a gloomy, rainy Sunday evening. I doubled it since we had my mom over, and I wanted leftovers. My kids each said "I don't like this, I love it!" Here's what I did - barely modified from the original.

1 Tbsp avocado oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp curry powder
2 pinches (an 8-year old's) turmeric
12 chicken thighs, skinless, some boneless, trimmed and seasoned with s&p
chicken broth splash
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large sweet potato, diced (should've had two)
1 cup coconut milk
2 10oz bags of frozen sweet peas
chopped cilantro for garnish
basmati rice, cooked

Heat oil over medium high heat in a dutch oven. Add onions, stirring around for a minute. Add garlic, stirring around with onions until soft. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp curry powder, and 1 pinch turmeric. Remove onions and place into a bowl. 
Place 6 pieces of chicken and brown on both sides, remove and brown remaining chicken. Add remaining spices. Remove chicken, splash chicken broth to break up browned bits at the bottom of the pot. 
Put the chicken and onions back in. Add potatoes and coconut milk. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are soft. Add peas and stir until warmed through. Sprinkle half of cilantro (about a tsp). Heat through and serve over rice. Sprinkle cilantro on each serving. 

Weekly Meal Planning Sept 18-Sept 24

There is a crisp feeling in the air most mornings, the leaves have started showing hints of changing, and apples are showing up at my local farmers market! This can only mean one thing. FALL IS COMING. My favorite season officially begins this week. In honor of it, I will make a couple of new, heartier recipes to help us welcome the fall! 

Sunday: chicken curry with peas and potatoes
Monday: attending the Georgia Restaurant Association Chairman's Reception where my nephew will be recognized for being the winner from Georgia for the FLOTUS's Healthy Lunch Challenge!
Tuesday: vegetarian tamale pie
Wednesday: school spirit night
Thursday: leftover pie
Friday: farmers market veggie lasagna and a green salad
Saturday: out for our anniversary dinner

Recipe: Beef Stroganoff

I found this beef stroganoff recipe that we loved several years ago. I hadn’t made it in a while and decided to make it again. I modified it slightly, but it was still a big hit! 

Beef Stroganoff

4 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup flour

Salt and pepper

1.5 lbs sirloin strip steak, trimmed and sliced thinly

1 onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 green bell pepper, sliced

4 oz mushrooms, sliced

½-1 cup beef broth (I poured a splash of red wine first then added beef broth)

1 Tbsp liquid aminos (in place of Worcestershire)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup sour cream

Heat butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions to the same pan. Cook for a few minutes, and then add garlic, peppers and mushrooms. Cook until tender. Remove and place in a bowl.

Lightly season beef with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with flour. Heat a little more butter if necessary. Add beef and cook (in batches as to not overcrowd) in the heated pan. Once all the meat is cooked, add the vegetables back in. Add wine, broth, liquid aminos, lemon juice, and a sprinkling of salt & pepper. Cook until mixture thickens, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in sour cream, mix until smooth and creamy. Serve over rice or egg noodles.

Weekly Meal Planning Sept 11-Sept 17

The weekends seem to be flying by now that school and activities are in full force. We enjoyed some family time and extended family time and lots of soccer! Thankfully, the weather was great - although still hot during the daytime hours. My youngest had a soccer game Sunday afternoon so we picked up another Zoes Kitchen Family Meal. The $10 off coupon I had expires tomorrow so I wanted to get another use out of it. :) This time, we actually have leftovers!

Sunday: Zoes Kitchen Family Meal - assorted skewers, roasted vegetables, pasta salad
Monday: leftovers + greek salad
Tuesday: dinner at my mom's house
Wednesday: leftovers
Thursday: beef stroganoff, spinach salad with strawberries and toasted almonds
Friday: leftovers
Saturday: at a school event

What does YOUR week's meal plan look like?

Weekly Meal Planning Sept 8-Sept 10

Whew! Long weekend away + a birthday girl who requested a specific restaurant meal equals A LOT of eating out. And lucky for us, there were plenty of leftovers for a full second dinner from said restaurant. Score! So I'm just now meal planning for this *week*.  

Thursday: lemon roasted chicken with carrots, green beans and potatoes
Friday: my nephew's winning recipe for the Kids' State Dinner contest hosted by FLOTUS Michele Obama
Saturday: leftovers

And that's a wrap! What did you have this week?