Monday 29 July 2013

Meal Plan July 29 - Aug 2

Monday - Steak, Asparagus with butter and parmesan cheese and Honey dijon roasted potatoes

Tuesday - Honey Garlic Sausages from Kredl's (with fried onions and peppers) and a salad

Meatless Wednesday - My man is making a Mac and Cheese recipe, I will post it if it is good.

Thursday - The Chicken Gyros that I didn't get to make last week

Friday - I am leaving this day open as a surprise or cause we may not eat at home this night, haha!

Cheesy Mexican Chicken and Rice Bake

This dish was a hit! 

I made it on the night my son had his first film premier "The Last Laugh". He attended a 2 week long "Movie Maker Camp" and all the kids helped write and act in the movie about a clown apocalypse.....he did amazing and he learned so much. I was so glad to find this camp for him. Movie making is his passion and I hope someday he will earn an Oscar :)

Now back to the dish. I made it for my mom and my in laws and they all enjoyed it. My man loved it after his first bite and has since, told me how much he loves while eating the left overs. My mother just called to tell me to hurry up and post this recipe so she can make it for my dad so he can try it. This speaks for itself.

I would recommend doing some prep the night before, especially cooking the rice. However, if you can't, then I would suggest to just use jasmine rice instead of the brown rice to reduce cooking time.

I tweaked the original recipe A LOT, so I will consider this my own recipe.



INGREDIENTS:
  • 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts *could use already cooked roast chicken to speed things up*
  • 2 tbsp of oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 servings of Brown Rice (this rice takes longer to cook unless you buy the boxed stuff)
  • 2 servings of Jasmine Rice
  • 3/4 cups Frozen Corn (my mother hates corn, so I substituted with onions and red peppers)
  • 15 ounces, fluid Can Black Beans, Drained And Rinsed
  • 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt 
  • 1/4 cup of sour cream
  • 4 ounces, fluid Can Green Chilis
  • 1 tsp of chili powder
  • 1 tsp of garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp of cumin
  • 3/4 to 1 cup of Salsa
  • 1 cup Low-fat Cheddar Cheese, Plus More For Topping
  • Cilantro For Garnish
  • Tomatoes, chopped and seeded for garnish

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. 
2. Cook the rice and put in a large mixing bowl.
3. Put the chili powder, garlic powder and cumin in a small bowl and mix well.
4.  Cut up the chicken into chunks. Add oil to a skillet and then add the minced the garlic. Saute for 30 seconds, then add chicken. Sprinkle about half of the spice mixture on the chicken.  *At this point I added the onions and peppers, skip this if you want to just stick with the corn* Cook until the chicken is cooked through.  Add the cooked chicken in with the rice.
5. in a medium sized bowl, add the yogurt, sour cream, salsa and the rest of the spice mixture. Stir well and then add it to the rice.
6. Combine the rest ingredients except for cilantro and mix thoroughly to combine. Make sure the yogurt and cheese are stirred in throughout the entire bowl. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Transfer to an oven-safe dish and top with extra cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through. 
7. Garnish with chopped cilantro and tomatoes.

Monday 22 July 2013

Meal Plan July 22 - 26

Monday - I had a busy weekend with my son and his friends, so I never got to meal plan on Sunday, so I had to wing it with some Bacon wrapped Sirloins, potatoes and raw veggies before me son's baseball game.

Tuesday - going to my parent's for supper, so no cooking for me!

Wednesday - Our Meatless day! Classic Pad Thai So, this is a new Pad Thai recipe then my usual. I just feel like trying a new one....could be a mistake....we will see!

EDIT: Tried it and it wasn't as good as my other recipe. I found it was as "saucy". I did like the heat though, so I will add some chili paste to my original recipe.



Thursday - Cheesy Chicken and rice bake



Friday - Chicken Gyros



Thursday 18 July 2013

Huevos Rancheros

So, I have been a little AWOL lately. No exotic tales regarding my absence......just life.

We went on a family vacation for a week and rented a cottage on the ocean. It was a week full of family, beautiful weather, lots of laughs and most importantly....RELAXATION. I needed a break from my every day routine and it allowed me to come back home refreshed and rejuvenated.

My other excuses as to why I have been quiet on my blog is the simple fact that I have not been meal planning for the last 2 weeks. My man is away most of this week and ...... last week...... I think my brain was still on vacation.

It was nice to not have to take the time to plan our meals, however, it lead to less healthy meals and more $ being spent. I am eager to get back onto my routine and I will have a meal plan for next week.

Here is a recipe from the last week that I did a meal plan. We have made this twice since, so it is a definite keeper and a great Meatless Monday option!

I have never eaten Huevos Rancheros before, but my man raved about one that he ate in California, so I had to try this. He LOVED this recipe, as did I. I combined 2 recipes that I found online because I didn't like how the original recipe made their beans. The 2nd time I made them, I found a a different way to prepare them and they turned out MUCH better.



HUEVOS RANCHEROS

For the Beans: (this makes enough beans for 6-8 servings of Huevos Rancheros)

  • 1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 Tbs. mild olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp. onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp. ground chipotle/chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp. cumin
  • 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1. In a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, combine the beans, olive oil, onion and garlic powders, chipotle, oregano, and 1/4 cup water. 
  • 2. Cook, mashing with a potato masher, until the beans are hot, well mashed, and thickened to a spreadable consistency, about 3 minutes. 
  • 3. Season to taste with salt. Put aside for later.
 For the rest of the recipe: (I will give you the process for 1 serving of Huevos Rancheros)

* Oil for frying
* 6 inch tortillas
* 2 Tbs. salsa (I used Costco salsa, it is soooo good)
* 2 eggs
* Cheese, grated (your favorite kind)
*  Sour cream, fresh cilantro and pepper for garnish
* 2 Tbs of the bean mixture
1. Put a small skillet over the heated burner and add the tiniest bit of oil. Lightly fry (it’s almost toasting really) a tortilla until slightly browned and bubbly. Transfer to a plate.
2. Add a tsp of oil (or a little more) to the skillet and crack your eggs in it. Continue to fry the eggs until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny. I added some grated cheese so it melts on top.
3. In the meantime, spread the bean mixture over each tortilla, followed by the salsa. Then top each with the eggs. Dollop with a little more salsa, sour cream fresh cilantro sprigs and a good grind of black pepper.
Enjoy!