Stuffed shells

Tonight I made something new, broccolli and cheese stuffed shells. They were good, but the man noticed they lacked meat. But still tasty.

Baked Ziti, Jambalaya....good food.

Last weeks meals were:

Frozen Skillet (pre packaged meal)
Pan Burrito's
Crock Pot Jambalaya
Leftovers
Baked Ziti
more leftovers, lol

So since this is more reviewing last weeks meals I'll just talk about the one's I made.

Pan Burrito's - I've made a few times before the recipe is on the blog elsewhere, I'm feeling lazy and don't want to find the link. This time I added diced onion and jalapenos while browning the beef, and adding some pepper to give the meat a little flavor. I always use spicy refried beans and this time used medium enchilada sauce.

Crock Pot Jambalaya - this turned out good. I added a little garlic also to the mixture of ingredients. I made some rice and stirred that in for the last 30 minutes or so. I also added a little bit of cornstarch (mixed with water) to help thicken up the liquid which I should have done earlier but I wasn't home. But it turned out really tasty, it was spicy. But we like things spicy.

Baked Ziti - my first attempt at something like this, not that it was complicated but it was different. Mostly using ricotta cheese was new, as the only lasagna I've made is a Mexican variety. It was easy once all the ingredients were prepped and the prep wasn't bad either, boiling noodles, browning meat, etc. Nothing too difficult. It was tasty, but makes a TON, 8 large servings. So either cut the recipe or make it when you have company. :-)

Havarti Ham and Potatoes

So I made this tonight, and changed leftover buffet to last night as there was just too much food in the fridge. Good problem, but overwhelming at times too.

Recipe

The pot roast I made was good, although a little bland in comparison to most food I make lately. It was just basic American cooking with only salt and pepper as seasonings relying upon the flavor of the meat and veggies to enhance the meal. Good but needed something more for our taste buds.

Tonight I made the Havarti Ham and Potatoes casserole it came out awesome (minus some precooked potatoes, not being cooked all the way through). Not having eaten Havarti cheese it was an experiment that turned out awesome. It was flavorful and tasty. Will make again.

Finished and served

I took a picture of the meal after we'd eaten we obviously have some leftovers. But that's okay as it was tasty.

Zuppa

On Wednesday I went out with my Red Hat group (I'm a pink hat, and joined to go along with my mom) We ordered our desserts first, and then had lunch it was fun and enjoyable. It just goes to show you that you don't always have to conform to the norm, but enjoy life and all the little things.

Meal Planning Monday (opps) 02.21.2011

Time got away from me this evening, I intended to write this prior to midnight. Oh well better late than never. This will be short as I need to get to sleep sooner than later.

Highlights of past week:

Easy Cheese Tortellini - was awesome. Super easy to assemble and really tasty, approved by me and my man. Will definitely make again, and maybe vary slightly to increase frequency (meat filled, marinara, etc).

Ribs - awesome as always, made them spicier successfully by adding more hot sauce. Delish.

Pork chops with apple stuffing - this was okay, the meat was good. The stuffing was good just different, not bad, just different. So I might make this again but not for awhile.

The rest of the week was filled with leftovers, going out, birthday parties, etc. Good times.

This week:

• Tuesday: Easy Day (either something frozen, leftover, or going out)
• Wednesday: Favorite Pot Roast (crock pot)
• Thursday: Havarti Ham and Potatoes (make ahead)
• Friday: Leftover Buffet
• Saturday: Grillin' steaks and ?? (veggies or potatoes)
• Sunday: Something Simple, aka wild card
• Monday: Pan Burritos, these are great because it's easy to keep everything on hand or make from the pantry. Being in San Antonio especially, we always have tortilla's and enchilada sauce in the house.

Note: my Crockpot is a few years old but has a built in recipe book, the recipe for the pot roast is slightly different on the programmed option that I'm going to follow. I'm going to try to make a new crock pot recipe a week, or at least make one crock pot a week. For the simple fact that my work schedule, as previously mentioned is later in the evenings and coming home to dinner already made is awesome. Also why I keep making, "make ahead" dishes. I typically make them in the morning and they sit the minimum 8 hours in the fridge. I've enjoyed it so far, it's nice to have a ready made meal in the evening. It's been interesting to make them not all casserole's. As that would just get kinda old, to me and my man.

Meal Plan - 2.15.2011

Okay so my meal planning has gone to the wayside lately. But I have to get back on track as my work hours have changed and I don't get home till 7:30-8pm now. So I needed to rethink this whole dinner making process or end up with drive thru all week...which wouldn't be good for so many reasons. I'm still on a restricted soft diet for another month or so, which basically means I have to be careful not to include rough veggies or salads, things with seeds or that require lots of chewing. I can get away with some things as long as it's tiny bites.

So last night I planned, I just didn't post. I went grocery shopping today, so I'm ready. :-)

Meals in no particular order:

• Grilled Steaks w/ sweet potatoes
• Pork ribs (crock pot) w/ steamed veggies instead of beans
• Easy Cheese Tortellini Alfredo (make ahead recipe) 
• Pork Chops with Apple stuffing (make ahead recipe)
• Easy Night (frozen skillet meal most likely)
• Leftovers

I try not to plan for every night as something always comes up once a week where we end up out, or at someone else's house. So my plan is to make dinner in the mornings so it can sit for 8 hours as most of the recipes call for, I know I'll be too tired in the evenings. I don't go to work till the afternoon, so it will work with my schedule.

Unconscious Mutterings - 419

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Trash :: day
2. Abs :: slacking
3. Dating :: sucks
4. Hooked :: on phonics
5. Face :: book
6. Algebra :: class
7. Reading :: more lately
8. Horrendous :: hair
9. Looks :: matter more than we want them too
10. Python :: Monty

http://subliminal.lunanina.com/?/um/ind/week_419/

Unconscious Mutterings - 418

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Agency :: advertising
2. Ministrations :: castration
3. Charlie :: brown
4. Bricks :: mortar
5. Contingencies :: backup
6. Dad :: father
7. Zoned :: traffic
8. Direct :: sunlight
9. Team :: spirit
10. Cave :: man

http://subliminal.lunanina.com/?/um/ind/week_418/

Unconscious Mutterings - 417

1. Girlfriend :: me
2. Crushed :: garlic
3. Source :: paper
4. Corner :: Baby (dirty dancing)
5. Gossip :: girl
6. Encounter :: of the first kind
7. Make an offer :: real estate
8. Stylish :: clothing
9. Profit :: margin
10. Waste :: garbage

http://subliminal.lunanina.com/?/um/ind/week_417/

---

This is something I used to do, back when Live Journal was "the place" to be. I still follow the words weekly via google reader but haven't posted my thoughts in awhile. Going to try and keep up. The words are posted by http://subliminal.lunanina.com/mutteringslogos.php weekly, she explains the process as:

Free association is described as a "psychonanalytic procedure in which a person is encouraged to give free rein to his or her thoughts and feelings, verbalizing whatever comes into the mind without monitoring its content." Over time, this technique is supposed to help bring forth repressed thoughts and feelings that the person can then work through to gain a better sense of self.

It's interesting and typically somewhat entertaining as to what you really do think of when provided with a otherwise unrelated list of words.

Meal Planning 01.17.2011

Happy belated new year!!! Hope everyone is off to a fine start this year. :-) I've been slacking in some departments but am getting back on track, slowly.

We have a new pet now, a bearded dragon he's been an interesting addition and I must admit I never thought I'd find a reptile cute. His diet involved some veggies and squash which is encouraging me to use more in our meals as well. :-)

Here's the meal plan for this week:

Monday - Tilapia (steamed for me, fried for him) with zucchini and yellow squash

Tuesday - Pulled pork sandwiches (cooked in the crockpot), w/ salad

Wednesday - simple something

Thursday - Taco fiesta Chicken lasagna

Friday - Goulash (casserole got the recipe from my mom, will post later)

Saturday - Turkey w/ "lizard" greens (collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens) sauteed with garlic

Sunday - Leftovers

Breakfasts:
Eggs (omelet, sandwich, hardboiled)
Turkey bacon
Oatmeal
Cereal
Yogurt

Lunches:
Tuna salad
Egg salad
Sandwiches
Pizza bagels
Salad

Snacks:
Veggies
Cottage cheese
Hummus w/ wheat thins (or veggies)
Nuts