Food in Review (week 9)

So, I'm a little late in the game but here's what I fed my crew last week!

SUNDAY: Oven Tacos with Rice

I've linked to this before...here it is. We LOVE this method of hard shell tacos! They don't fall apart. They stay nice and crunchy. They all come out of the oven at the SAME time -- no major assembly required! We also love how you can customize them to your liking. This last time I loaded mine with fresh avocado...MMMMmmm.

Photo from Recipe website

MONDAY: Santa Fe Beans and Rice with Chips

Another WIN for a meat-less meal! I like to try and have at least one meal per week without meat to help the budget and this one will definitely be making regular visits on our menu.

Here's the recipe I followed. I did a few modifications -- here's what I did different:

*instead of sour cream I used Greek Yogurt.
*instead of brown rice I used Jasmine Rice.
*instead of baking it in a casserole dish I used my Pie Pan (and it looked super cute!)

Photo from Recipe website 

Like I said - we loved this meal. I'm making it tonight and serving it wrapped in tortillas. Mmmm I'm drooling...

TUESDAY: Bourbon Chicken with Rice and Broccoli (crock pot) 

Good Ole Crock Pot helped me out this day! I love that I can get everything set in the morning and come dinner time I have a delicious meal waiting for me.

Here's the recipe I used. I doubled the sauce to have extra for over the rice. The recipe doesn't say to use the crock pot but I did - and it worked beautifully. So, if you don't have hours to let it hang in the crock pot use the stovetop method.

Photo from Recipe website. 

I steamed some broccoli and made some rice to round out this meal.

WEDNESDAY: Chicken Fajitas 

I made up the chicken in my crock pot with some classic fajitas seasonings: cumin, chili powder, garlic, and I accidentally (ha!) put some cinnamon in there (I thought it was cumin and then I realized....) --- side note: cinnamon on chicken with those other flavors ROCK. It was actually really good! Who knew.

Right before dinner I chopped up some bell peppers and onions to sauté on the stove top. Pair this with some rice and you have an easy dinner! We wrapped and rolled our fillings in a soft tortilla and ate away.

THURSDAY:  Turkey Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Carrots

I'm a broken record I know. I've done this meal before...a lot. We love it. It's good homestyle cooking! Can't go wrong with a delicious turkey meatloaf and classic mashed potatoes and those super sweet roasted carrots. 

Photo from Recipe Website

A friend of mine gave me the tip to bake my meatloaf in muffin tins to speed up the baking time and make them little individual sized! I ran with that concept and formed my meat into big meatballs and baked them in the oven (I lined my baking dish with foil so I would have less cleanup). 

I was feeling a little crazy with my mashed potatoes and stirred in some roasted red pepper HUMMUS while mashing them.

Verdict? Delish. It added some nice color and some spectacular flavor! 

We all know how obsessed I am with roasting my carrots. I love 'em.

Photo from Recipe website 

FRIDAY: PARTY! 

We celebrated my Grandma's 73rd birthday this day! We all worked together and created quite the spread of Asian dishes. My personal contribution wasn't that Asian though...I was in charge of FRUIT. Gotta have fruit. Especially with the amount of kids we have at those gatherings! I brought Pineapple and Strawberries. 

Speaking of Pineapple....check out this SWEET gadget I scored at Target the other day! 

It's a nifty little contraption that cores the pineapple and slices it is perfect rings! Depending how hard or soft you push on the handle dictates how thick or thin your slices will be. I used it last night (pineapple with turkey burgers? yum) and it was soooo handy to have perfect slices to go on our burgers! 

Best thing? $9.99 at Target. I adore fresh pineapple but am horrible at getting the fruit out. Win in my book.

There ya have it folks....Happy Cooking!