Menu 2/7-2/18

Yes, you read that right. I am going to attempt to shop for an entire week and a half. We'll see how that goes!

I am going grocery shopping tonight, so I want to cook simply. I also have to cook the salmon that I intended to cook last night, since it's ready to eat NOW.

Thursday: Wasabi Salmon with Crabby Potatoes and Edamame (no recipe...I make this up as I go along.)
Friday: Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchiladas with salad on the side (and Cilantro Pepita Caesar dressing!)
Saturday: I'll be wine-tasting all day, so I need something easy. In fact, I MAY not cook that night, so I need something super easy or something that isn't too perishable to save for next week. Ravioli in Balsamic Brown Butter with a salad
Sunday: Pesto Spaghetti Squash with Chicken
Monday: Gym night...need a lighter meal: Tilapia Francaise with steamed broccoli and Parmesan Sweet Potato Fries with Horseradish Sauce
Tuesday: Veggie Lasagna with French bread (I'll try to healthy it up a LITTLE bit)
Wednesday: Gym night again...need another lighter meal: Pan-Seared Scallops on Linguine with Tomato-Cream Sauce with French bread
Thursday: Valentine's Day - going out for dinner!
Friday: Garlic Cheddar Chicken with baked or mashed potatoes and peas
Saturday: Having a party...we will be BBQing burgers, sausages, Boca burgers, and I will serve finger foods and I think I'm going to make Buffalo Chicken Dip to serve with carrots and celery
Sunday: Cheesy Baked Mushroom Tortellini with salad and bread
Monday: Gym night again, need a lighter meal! Lemon Parmesan Risotto with Shrimp served with a side salad

Also this week, I am planning to make cupcakes (recipe is mine for now!) and Mix-and-Match Applesauce Granola. I am going to try making the granola with a vanilla bean instead of vanilla extract and see how that turns out.


Now, the challenge is that I need to keep my grocery trip within a budget. So, if I notice things getting a little too pricey, I have to slow down. I color-coded my shopping list by meal, so I know which ingredient goes to which meal. That way, I can skip the items that are for the meals I plan to make at the end of my list. I'll give you an update tomorrow on how I do!

Weekly Menu 1/28-2/2

I decided to go back to my cookbooks this week, rather than use only blog recipes. I was browsing through my latest Cooking Light annual cookbook (2008), and I discovered that in the index, there is a Menu page that gives you entire menu selections, not just one course! I'm going to try to use as many of these recipes as possible.

Monday - Garlic & Herb Oven-Fried Halibut; Red potatoes w/Herbed Vinaigrette; Steamed broccoli
Tuesday - Buffalo Turkey Burgers w/Blue Cheese
Wednesday - Crisp Salmon w/Lemony Spinach and Potatoes
Thursday - Grilled Chicken Tapenade Sandwiches; Grilled Vegetable Skewers; Cubed Cantaloupe drizzled w/Port
Friday - Chicken & Asparagus in White Wine Sauce; Parmesan Chive Mashed Potatoes
Saturday - Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Shells; Roasted Green Beans & Garlic
Sunday - Beef & Beer Chili; Jack & Red Pepper Quesadillas; Salad w/Cilantro Dressing

Stay tuned for recipes and results! :)

Weekly Menu 1/21 - 1/26

Wow, this has been a rough weekend. Other than meeting my wonderful friend Rachel for happy hour on Friday evening, which was delightful as always, things just went from bad to worse. To top it all off, my Chargers lost, which sunk me into deep depression. And Patriots fans, instead of being courteous, rub it in our faces. I am trying to be happy that only two teams in the entire NFL made it further than we did, which is no small feat! I just don't deal well with people making fun of me and the things I love. :( I did make some fun Chargers cupcakes though, that I will post when I get a chance to take the pictures off of my camera.

So, moving on...here's hope for a better week. After today, I only have 5 more Mondays at this job that I hate. Here's hoping that my business will get off the ground quickly in these next couple weeks!

Here is my menu for the next week:

Monday: Sesame Chicken & Vegetable Rice
Tuesday: Bruschetta Chicken with Pasta & Salad
Wednesday: Grilled Fish, Baked Sweet Potatoes, & Steamed Veggies
Thursday: Pan-Fried Stuffed Chicken With Prosciutto, Mozzarella and Basil
Friday: Buffalo Chicken Burgers
Saturday: Grilled Italian Sausage

My menu for this week

Sooo....I am bored here at work, so I figured I'd update my blog. I don't have any new pictures to add, but I can at least throw out some recipes. :) (I'll try to find as many as I can.)

This is a quick week, since I've decided to cook Christmas dinner on Sunday.

Monday: Chicken Parmesan - This is one of our staples, and a favorite of us both!
Tuesday: Peanut Butter Noodles - This is also one of our favorites.
Wednesday: holiday party with Mike's coworkers
Thursday: Udon Soup
Friday: Chicken & Potato Pizza - this is from my friend Clara's blog...she and our friend April rave about how good it is.
Saturday: Grilled Pastrami-Style Salmon with Roasted Vegetables
Sunday: (all Christmas recipes taken from Cooking Light)

• Apple Cider Brined Turkey
• Pear-Sourdough Stuffing
• Mashed Potatoes
• Meringue Topped Sweet Potatoes
• Cranberry Chutney
• Green Beans with Hazelnut-Lemon Butter
• Hazelnut Cheesecake
• my secret Daring Baker's challenge ;)