Meal plan for April 8 - 12

Meatless Monday - I didn't cook tonight, so my man made us some macaroni with veggies and tomatoes and then baked it in the oven with cheese. I was so happy that he stuck with Meatless Monday!

Tuesday - Caesar salad and homemade hamburgers. We made these awhile ago and froze them.

Wednesday - roast chicken (store bought to save time) and Parmesan Spinach Orzo

Thursday - Pumpkin pancakes

Friday - El Diablo Chicken I had this dish when I went to Dave's Evil Grill in Jasper in February. It was one of the best dishes of food I have ever had and I have been craving it ever since. I searched and searched for this recipe and I finally found a knock-off. I am scared that I will be badly disappointed, but I have to give it a try.

Italian Drunken Noodles

Italian Drunken Noodles

This recipe is another keeper! I loved this dish and it was a huge hit with my son who LOVES sausage. This recipe is very easy to make, especially if you do the prep the night before. The only thing I added was spinach at the end, which I am glad I did. I love spinach.

As a side note, I made the  lentils and brown rice last night and it was so so...I used the wrong kind of lentils and rice, so I will be attempting it again and when I do, I will post the recipe then. The marinade for the pork chops was DELICIOUS though.

Now, back the Italian Drunken Noodles....

One of my favorite dishes is a Thai Drunken Noodle at a Thai restaurant in our city. It will always hold a special place in my heart because I was eating it when I went into labor for my daughter. I ate mine, half of my man's. My dessert and most of his dessert....then I went to the hospital shortly after.

So, when I saw another bloggers spin on the Drunken Noodle, I had to try it. So, here it is.

Ingredients:

Olive oil
4 spicy Italian sausage links, casings removed **I used 3 and it was SPICY, use mild if you would like less spice**
1 large onion, quartered and sliced thinly
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1 orange bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
½ cup white wine (I used Chardonnay)
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
¼ cup fresh basil leaves
8 ounces Pappardelle noodles, uncooked **I used whole wheat fettuccine and it was great**

Preparation:

- Place a large, heavy-bottom pan or braising pot over medium-high heat; add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and once the oil is hot, crumble the spicy Italian sausage into the pan in small chunks, allowing it to brown in the oil for a few moments on each side; once the crumbled sausage is browned, remove it from the pan/pot with a slotted spoon and place into a small bowl to hold for a moment.

- Add the sliced onion into the pan with the sausage drippings, and allow it to caramelize and become golden for roughly 5 minutes or so, stirring to keep it from burning (add a touch more olive oil, if necessary); once the onion starts to become golden, add the salt, Italian seasoning and cracked black pepper, and stir to combine.

- Add in the sliced bell peppers, and allow those to saute with the onion for about 2 minutes until slightly tender and golden. I start boiling the water for the noodles at this point.

- Add in the garlic, and once it becomes aromatic, add in the white wine and allow it to reduce for a few moments, until almost completely reduced. 

- Add in the diced tomatoes with their juice, and return the browned spicy Italian sausage back into the pan, and gently fold the mixture to combine; allow it to gently simmer for about 3-4 minutes to blend the flavors, then turn the heat off.

- Add the noodles, basil and parsley. To finish the sauce, drizzle in about 2-3 good tablespoons of the olive oil to create a silky, rich flavor, and add the spinach if you want to at this point.

-I didn't do this, but to garnish, you can sprinkle some more basil; you can even top with shaved Parmesan, if desired, and an extra drizzle of olive oil.

Meal plan for April 2 - 5

Tuesday - Brown Rice and Lentils (1st time eating lentils!) with Pork Chops with this marinade (click)

Wednesday - Italian Drunken Noodles

Thursday - We are eating on the road from piano to karate

Friday - Asian Chicken Kebabs and rice

Broiled Tilapia with Thai Coconut-Curry Sauce

I learned how to make this dish at a local cooking class with my 2 girlfriends. It smelled soooo good while it was cooking and it tasted even better. I don't eat fish. 

Of any kind. 

But I wanted to give it a try and I have to say Tilapia has no taste, so I liked it. I decided to make it at home instead of substituting it with chicken. It was a nice treat for my man who loves fish, but rarely gets to eat it at home. Even though I like it, my disdain for fish is so deep, that I still struggle a little with each bite, but I think I will get better.

This dish came together very quickly when the food prep was done the night before.

Ingredients:

hot cooked basmati rice

tilapia fillets (I cooked 2)

lime wedges

Cooking spray

1 tsp     dark sesame oil

2 tsp     minced peeled fresh ginger

2          garlic cloves

1 cup    finely chopped red bell pepper

1 cup    chopped green onion

1 tsp     curry powder

2 tsp     red curry paste

1/2 tsp  ground cumin

4 tsp     low sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp   brown sugar

1/2 tsp  salt, divided

1          (14oz) coconut milk

2 tbsp   chopped fresh cilantro

         

Directions:

1. Heat 1/2 tsp of sesame oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic, cook for 1 minute.

2. Add peppers and onions, cook for 1 minute.

3. Stir in curry powder, paste and cumin, cook for 1 minute.

4. Add soy sauce, sugar, 1/4 tsp of salt and coconut milk, bring to a simmer (not boil). **the recipe did not say how long to simmer it, so I didn't for very long, but next time I will simmer it for longer to reduce the sauce and thicken it up more**

5. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

6. Brush fish with 1/2 tsp of sesame oil, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt. Place fish on baking sheet covered with cooking spray. Broil for 7 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork **we broiled it for 12 minutes I think**

7. Serve fish with sauce, rice and lime wedges.

Thai basil Pork/Chicken

I enjoy this meal. It is also really quick and easy to make, especially if you do your vegetable prep the night before. When I made this, I didn't have fresh basil, so I had to substitute for the frozen stuff and I didn't find it as good, so I do not recommend it.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breast or strips of pork
½ medium red and orange pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

5 tbsp oil
1 tsp chopped garlic
6 fresh hot chillies, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp soya sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
4 tbsp water
20 whole basil leaves
1 tsp cornstarch and 2 tbsp water 

Instructions:

1. Slice meat into strips – ¼ inch thick, 2 inches long & 1 inch wide. **I used already cut pork strips, it saves on prep time**

2. Heat oil in wok until just about to smoke, add garlic and chillies – stir fry for 30 seconds. 

3. Add chicken or pork and fry for 2 minutes. 

4. In a bowl, combine fish sauce, sugar and soya sauce. Add to the wok and stir-fry for 1 minute. 

5. In a bowl, combine oyster sauce and water. Add to the wok and cook for 30 seconds. 

6. Add peppers, onions and ¾ of basil leaves to the wok. Fry for approx 2 minutes until begin to soften. 

7. Dissolve cornstarch in water and add to the wok. Stir fry until it thickens thicken. 

Place on top bed of jasmine rice … and top with remaining basil leaves.

Meal Plan for Mar 25 - 29

Here is this weeks meal plan!

Meatless Monday - Biggest Loser Oatmeal Pancakes with a homemade berry sauce

Tuesday - Thai Basil Pork. No, I am not making this for the 3rd week in a row...I am trying to actually make this! Every time I put it on my meal plan, we end up going to my parents for supper. I am not complaining....it is nice to not have to cook or do dishes :)

Wednesday - Broiled Tilapia with Thai Coconut-Curry Sauce. This is the dish that I learned how to make at a cooking class with some girlfriends. And for those who know me....yes, you see correctly, your eyes are not deceiving you...I am COOKING and EATING FISH!!! I actually tried it when I went to the cooking class and this fish did not smell or taste like fish. It was actually really good.

Thursday - Frozen dinner night. I made some Turkey Pot Pies when I was pregnant and I am going to cook the last one.

Friday - Spicy Chipotle Chicken Pasta

Spaghettini with Spinach, Garlic and Lemon

Spaghettini with Spinach Garlic and Lemon

I made this for lunch the other day and it is was so yummy. I think I may make a large batch and use it for lunches at work.

I wouldn't serve this dish as an entree, but it could be a good side dish to any kind of protein for supper.

The only adjustment that was not in the original recipe, was that I added Parmesan Cheese. Cheese makes everything better.

Ingredients 

1 lb spaghettini, angel hair or spaghetti pasta

6 tablespoons olive oil
8 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
zest of one lemon
juice of one lemon
10 oz bag of baby spinach
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan Cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions.

2. In a skillet, heat 6 tablespoons olive oil over medium low heat. Add garlic and cook for 2-4 minutes.


3. Scoop the pasta out of the pot with tongs and add to the pan. Stir to make sure it is all coated.

4. Add lemon zest and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and stir. I like to let the juice reduce, then I add the Parmesan cheese. Stir every few minutes to try and get the noodles a little crispy.

5. Add the spinach and stir for 2 minutes to let it wilt. Then serve.