This week's Menu Plan takes on a Winter Theme with ingredients that can easily be acquired during the season coupled with comfort foods ideal for colder weather.
On the home-front, my work hits a peak with countless grant deadlines coming due in February and March. We have headed into a crazy extracurricular period with basketball season in full swing with two games per week for the high school and golf now starting for Connor; while Miss B is playing both indoor soccer and the outdoor soccer season just kicked off. Needless to say, we need fairly quick meals that I can assemble in advance (on the weekend) or let simmer and slow-cook all day.
Monday
Korean Beef Bowls - recipe to follow as this is a family favorite and fairly healthy, quick option
Steamed Brown Rice
Stir-fry Asian Vegetables
Fresh Citrus Salad with Tangelo, Grapefruit, Blood Oranges and Mandarin Oranges
Tuesday
Brown Sugar and Spice Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Pear (Lime Ginger) Sauce
Foccacia
Steamed Broccoli
Wednesday
Stuffed Bell Peppers - My mom made these growing up and I love them to this day but truly had forgotten about them until shopping recently and spied gigantic peppers that I equated with stuffing perfection. Flashbacks of the peppers stuffed with ground turkey, rice, seasonings, tomato sauce, topped with grated cheese and baked in the oven. I read they can be popped into the slow-cooker and simmered all day.
Spinach
Strawberry-Kale Sorbet
Thursday
Fastest Sweet and Sour Chicken - Sauce: 1/4 cup fresh orange juice, zest from orange; 1/2 cup white wine vinegar; 1/3 cup brown sugar; 1 Tab. fresh chopped rosemary; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 Tablespoon oil (I'm using coconut oil) - Combine and simmer over medium heat in a saucepan for 10 minutes.
Rice
Fresh Peppers and Pea Pods
Fresh Pineapple
Friday
Potato Leek Soup
Crusty Sourdough Bread
Salad and Fresh Vegetables
Fruit Platter
Saturday
Chicken Pot Pie - trying this recipe from AllRecipes because I have a leftover chicken, I have all the ingredients on hand, and it received several thousand (5,478) positive reviews.
Homemade Chunky Applesauce - I have a ton of apples on the brink of looking grim.
Oatmeal Dried Cherry Cookies - the original recipe off the oatmeal box lid with a few tweaks and dried cherries instead of raisins.
Sunday
Carmelized Onion Pizza with Gorgonzola - not sure if the kids will brave this selection but I always make two pizzas at a time. I will make a second pizza with Turkey Pepperoni or Salami. Pesto Parmesan Chicken is another favorite.
Fresh Vegetables and Fruits
Chewy Homemade Granola Bars - I love these easy bars that are quick to throw together and taste far better than the store-bought distant relatives. I mix a handful (1 cup) of chocolate chips into the mix and they melt when the hot honey hits the chocolate for a chocolate version.
Raspberry Cereal Bars - recipe to follow -these were such a hit that they didn't last past the first day. My kids thought the bars (they weren't even cut yet) were raspberry crisp and dug out huge portions which they readily devoured. (Sigh...I guess they like them).
Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Cherries (not raisins) - when I bake cookies I typically bake them in small batches so we have fresh cookies versus a whole pan of cookies. They fly off the baking stone when they are hot or freshly prepared (and I must hide the dough from The Hubs and Miss B as it mysteriously disappears with these cookie dough fans).
Trying the Apple Crisp Smoothie: 1/2 cup old fashioned oats, 1 cup apple juice, 1/2 cup applesauce, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1/2 cup ice
Here's to a great week!
