March 1st - 8th

Gene will be home for a week so I've got things somewhat planned as far as meals go. I don't have set days or anything, but do have an idea of a few dishes that I will be making. My poor hubby has been living off of sandwiches, cheap microwave dinners and canned chili for the past 2 months (well, almost 2 months)...he needs some good home cookin'!

*Stuffed green bell peppers

*Herb rubbed grilled chicken w/ steamed veggies and noodles

*Lasagna w/ garlic bread sticks and a salad

*Roast cooked in the crock pot w/ mashed potatoes, gravy and veggie of choice

That's what I have so far. There will be a night that we go to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. Next Saturday Gene and Kate are on their own for dinner because I will be with Erin at the All Day Crop For A Cure.

**Here is a GREAT little "recipe" for doing your roast in the crock pot. My good friend, Michelle gave it to me about a year ago and I've used it every time I've made a roast since.

1 packet Zesty Italian dressing mix
1 packet Ranch dressing mix
1 packet brown gravy mix

Add roast to crock pot. Sprinkle mixes over roast. Add enough water to cover roast. Put lid on and cook until done. I usually put mine on low in the morning and let it cook all day long. YUM!

Chicken Feed recipe

This recipe, I believe, is intended to be a salad or a side dish. My sister in law, who is a vegetarian, made this about 3 or 4 years ago one Thanksgiving so she would have a little more variety. We all fell in love with it! Not as a salad, but as a salsa! It is delicious with tortilla chips! I've also used it to "beef" up taco meat, on top of grilled chicken and in salads. The name, Chicken Feed, is made up...I don't think any of us recall what it is REALLY called. One year over the holidays when my in laws were visiting us, Gene's gram saw it and said "Ewe that stuff looks like chicken feed!" Since then, we've all called it Chick Feed or Chicken Feed.

Now, I'm posting this recipe by memory. I lost the printed version long ago. Feel free to tweak it to your liking. I would love to hear feedback if anyone tries it!

Chicken Feed

1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
2 cups whole kernel corn (if using frozen, thaw before adding)
2 TBS finely chopped cilantro
1 - 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, finely diced
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp freshly minced garlic
approx. 1/4 cup olive oil
approx. 3TBS lime juice (fresh is best, but I have used the store bought and it's fine)
1/2 tsp honey
salt to taste

In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, garlic and salt. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until coated. Serve immediately or store in refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Slacking here..I know....

Hi everyone! I am ready for work pretty early today, so thought I'd take a minute to update this a bit. I honestly have not been pre-planning our meals since Gene left. Kate announced that she wanted to eat healthier, actually, she said that she wants to "live" healthier and I also have been trying to do so. Since Gene has been gone, I haven't really cooked many big meals. We've been eating lots of fresh fruit, salads, low cal. soups...and...Kashi's Go Lean Crunch cereal has become one of my favorites. We've been making a lot of high fiber, low fat things..like "Chicken Feed," which is a recipe that we got from Gene's sister a few years back. It has become a favorite here in our house (I'll find and post the recipe some day soon). Though, most often, we eat it with chips, kind of like a salsa, I've discovered that it is extremely yummy mixed in with salads, over chicken and mixed in with taco meat.

Kate and I discovered a new side dish the other night. We both absolutely LOVE the loaded baked sweet potatoes at Texas Roadhouse..but they are truly loaded with fat...butter, sugar, etc. So, on Sunday I grilled us up some steaks and tried my own version of the loaded sweet potato. I peeled and cut up 3 average sized sweet potatoes. Boiled them until fork tender and then drained them. Put them back in the hot pot and let them sit for a few minutes. Then I added about a tablespoon of low fat butter, a teaspoon of orange marmalade (thanks to Rachel Ray for that tip) and a splash of skim milk and mashed them up by hand. I sprinkled in some cinnamon then spread in a baking disk. Then, i sprinkled a little brown sugar on top and THEN...threw on a handful of mini marshmallows! I baked it at 425 until the marshmallows were golden brown. I believe Kate and I enjoyed that MORE than the loaded sweet potatoes at Texas Roadhouse. If ya'll try it, let me know what you think!

Gene will be home for a week before he has to leave for CA, so I will get to work on the menu for that week soon and post it when I can. I know there is a nice roast in the freezer just begging me to throw it in the crock pot! LOL

Still winging it...

I am still not back to really working with recipes and planning the weekly menus. I have been cooking, but mostly it's been very quick, unplanned meals. We've had BLT's, frozen meals (Chicken Viola is very yummy), left overs that I had in the freezer, salads, soups..etc. I'm trying to clean out the pantry and freezers. I will update again when I am better organized. :)