Fast & Furious Into Fall

Week's Meals | Prep | Recipes | Grocery List  

No, this is not a review of a really awful movie series (sorry to all you super fans out there..), but a wow.. school starts and here's a week of stormy weather! (update - it's crazy hot now & we all got a bit too much sun yesterday... but carry  on :))

I'm happy to say the plunge back into planning and prepping meals made the week a very smooth one. We were so prepped that we were a week early to dance class! We scurried around getting ready, found missing foot paws, repaired broken tap shoes, clambered into the car devouring granola bars to stave off starvation until dinner... only to find out after the 30 minute drive that dance starts next week. -.-

Hope y'all survived and thrived the 1st week back to school, and are enjoying less: tracked in chalk dust, a lull in demand for Band-Aids & popsicles.. an earlier bedtime for all, as well as not missing your babies too much <3.   It's such a strange contradiction, You're ready for back to school, yet miss them fiercely when they're gone.  

This week's meals have me going down Asian cuisine alley this week, so I hope you're ready for some chopstick love!

xoxo,
Meg

PS - I'm also going to be getting some canned pumpkin this week, in preparation for fall recipes and possibly pumpkin butter from Trader Joe's (this stuff looks as good as cookie butter?!) - Canned pumpkin is a good way to incorporate some veggies into muffins, pancakes and even pasta dishes - and perfect for fall!

WEEK OF MEALS:

(If you see a link, click for the recipe... if not, scroll down for mine):

• Sunday Soup Night - Beef Noodle Pho with salad & wontons (thx Costco)
• Monday - Bbq'd Chicken legs with corn/tomato/garbanzo/avocado salad & bread/butter
• Tuesday - Chicken Satays & Shrimp Salad Rolls with dipping sauce..
• Make it over the Hump Wednesday - Tuna Melt Pizza's - Tandoori Naan bread for large tuna melts & veggie of choice
• Thursday - Cashew Chicken with sautéed green beans
• Friday - CrockPot - Mexican Corn & Bean Soup

• Jar Salad - Quinoa Tabouli (courtesy of Costco) with spinach & chicken added.

• Random -  Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins!  Using recipe out of Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious cookbook... Appears that she uses more canned pumpkin,  applesauce, brown sugar, and a couple other swaps that give these some good healthy upgrades :)  Here's a similar recipe that looks great!

• Favorite Treat - This Sopapilla pin has been making me drool daily - I'm not going to fight it anymore - 4 ingredients, looks really easy - Dairy Free - YES

PREP DAY -
(My key sanity saver and essential to our family eating on the healthier side)

• Clean & Chop weekly veggie picks - Carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, Mushrooms - Chop for snacks and the no-whining before dinner bowl, as well as any other veggies needed for the week.  (Except onions... only chop your onions before making a meal)

• Roast Whole Chicken (Olive Oil, sea salt, bbq until lovely) - Chop after cooled - Using for dinners during the week.

• Quinoa  - Cook 2 cups of  quinoa (bulk @ Winco) in chicken or veggie broth.   - Use it in jar salads, heat up for breakfast.. .eat with salsa & fried or hardboiled egg / or chop up an avocado with fried egg & quinoa... 

• Jar Salad- Quinoa Tabouli (courtesy of Costco) with spinach & chicken added.

• Other - 
• Pumpkin Muffins - Double Batch, freezing a bunch for easy heat-up!
• Prep chicken satays from the roasted chicken, marinade and bag up for later in the week

RECIPES/NOTES:

Beef Noodle Pho - I can't find my recipe that I had floating around here... So put on your throw it in with exact measurements cap and roll with it - This is easy, quick, warm and tasty :).  You can also search roast beef pho on pinterest

You can pretty much throw anything in that you would find a typical Asian dish... I do not recommend throwing in beets, or Italian tomatoes lol.... keep it in the Asian food profile and anything goes. I could list broccoli, bells, spinach as more throw-ins, but I like the simple version below.   Because the roast beef is already cooked - this is a chop your veggies, boil, combine and eat dish!

• 4-8 cups beef broth
• 1 lb deli roast beef
• scallions
• sliced onion
• chopped cilantro
• bean sprouts
• sliced mushrooms
• sliced jalapeno
• rice noodles  *I would like to make a note that it is hard to find the perfect rice noodle - most stores either sell the bean thread (which is a bit funky in texture), or the super thick pad thai noodles... Do your best to find something in between, and if you like the soup - stock up at the Asian market (our closest is on 181st and division)
• sesame seeds - *Did you know sesame seeds were a calcium powerhouse?
• peanuts

Soak rice noodles in separate pot, while in another pot add beef broth, sliced onion, sprouts, mushrooms, jalapeno and bring to a boil.  You may want to add in more beef broth or water if it's looking like not enough liquid.

Once it's to a boil, add roast beef to the broth, top with cilantro & sesame seed. season accordingly (AKA - Salt.. asian spice blend etc..). When ready to serve, put the rice noodles in your dinner bowls and pour soup over the top.

Salad Rolls - If you've never tried salad rolls before, I recommend you run, not walk to your local Thai or Vietnamese restaurant to do so!  These are a requirement whenever dining out, and are actually quite easy to assemble in your own home.

The trickiest ingredient is the rice paper - which can now be *usually found in supermarkets.. 

It really is up to you what you want to combo - Usually there is a protein of chicken, shrimp or tofu in them, julienned carrots, spinach/romaine, mint... if you wanted to add sprouts, scallions you could 

Soften the rice paper with a bit of water, layer your ingredients and roll.  *Note - They do not have to look like the restaurant's beautifully rolled versions to taste great - shoot, make them into a taco, and drizzle your dipping sauce and enjoy.

Finally - Hoisin, sweet chili or peanut dipping sauces can be found anywhere - try them all to see what your prefer - YUM

Chicken Satay - Chicken breast tenders skewered vertically, marinade in teriyaki, or any Asian dressing/marinade that tickles your fancy ;-)  Throw on the bbq, or stick in the oven to cook :)

Bbq'd Chicken legs with corn/tomato/garbanzo/avocado salad & bread/butter

• Simple weeknight meal - Place chicken legs in 9x9 baking pan, coat with bbq sauce and sliced onions - Bake at 375 for 35 - 40 minutes.
• Corn garbanzo salad - scroll down quite a ways on this post to read garbanzo salad throw togethers
• Dave's slice of bread & butter :)

 
Tuna Melt Pizza's - Winco, Freddy's & Costco all have this amazing Tandoori Naan bread that is so great for easy pizzas at home.  To mix up my tuna melt, I'm using naan for tuna melts. Everyone has their own recipe for tuna melts... I like to add in shredded carrots as a veggie upgrade - the kids groan when they spot it, but still inhale :)).  Layer your tuna salad, top with cheddar or hummus if you want a dairy free option, throw in the oven until toasty melted easy goodness.   

GROCERY LIST  (Including most everything needed for recipes, just cross out the staples you already have... I won't always include some things - like spices etc.. that are always on hand.  To be on the safe side, check the recipe over to be sure you have everything!)

Produce -

• Bag of avocados (4 or 5)
• Bag of carrots - 2lb bag
• Bag of onions
• 1 head of romaine (egg sand/tostadas)
• Spinach/Kale - Jar Salads
• Tomatoes 
• Apples
• 2 limes
• 2 lemons
• 2 Bunch of cilantro
• 2 Scallions
• Sprouts
• 4 bunches of kale
• 8oz of mushrooms
• 3 bell peppers (Love our bells)
• Mint
• Garlic
• Zucchini - 1
• Pico De Gallo

 Bulk - 

• Peanuts - Roasted/Salted
• Cashews - 
• Oats

Breads -

• 2 loaves Dave's
• SinDawg
• Corn Tortillas
• Crusty Loaf of bread
• Pita Bread

Protein -

• Shrimp (Hallelujah Ella has grown out of her shellfish allergy!!)
• Chicken Legs
• Whole Chicken
• Turkey lunchmeat
• 1.5 lb roast beef
• EGGS

Freezer -

• Outshine Popsicles
• Puff Pastry
• 1 -1 pound bag frozen corn kernels

Dried Goods -

• Hoisin
• 2 ounces thin rice vermicelli noodles (Asian market on 181st or any grocery) 
• 8 sheets (8 ½-inch round) rice paper (Asian Market on 181st) (dn)
• 2 cans of garbanzos (during the week snack with avocado cubes, cilantro and lime juice.. toss and eat all week)
• 2 -15 ounces cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 -28 ounces can diced tomato
• 1 32 oz vegetable broth (dn)
• Triscuits
• Hoisin or sweet chili or peanut sauce
• Tortilla chips
• mayo (dn)
• Craisins
• Honey
• Cinnamon (dn)
• Sugar (dn)
• Spelt Flour - Woohoo breaking into a new kind of flour!
• Veggie Oil
• Almond Milk
• Beef Broth
• Tuna Fish

Dairy -

• String Cheese
• Individual hummus's for kids' lunches
• Eggs
• Small carton milk

(dn - don't need, but want to store on list for using this menu later!)