Aspiring Vegetarian

My 13-year-old daughter is trying to become a vegetarian. I call is "mostly vegetarian" giving her the option to have a slice of bacon on occassion. Yesterday, I purchased some broccoli salad that had sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and other good stuff. Instead of having the chicken wrap, she had the vegetable salad with some cheese and hummus (she was not a fan of the hummus, but she ate it.) Maybe I will have her try tofu next.

We ate in the car...

Yes, fast food was the answer for yesterday's dinner. My husband was working late and it was up to me to get four kids to and from four different places. I can only do so much. I have forgiven myself.

Tonight: chicken wraps and cheeseburgers
salad
grapes

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Tenders

Chicken tenders are always a hit at my house. Yesterday I used chicken tenders already packaged from the grocery store- they were on sale. Most times, I cut the chicken breast myself. Here's how I made them:

In a bowl I mixed 2 eggs and 4 minced garlic cloves.
In a second bowl, I combined 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese and 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs.
I prepared a sheet pan with cooking spray and a little olive oil. Dip the tenders first into the egg, then into the Parmesan mixture. Place on baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

I made extra for later in the week.

Our side dishes were asparagus and salad.

Planning is a process

A couple weeks ago I tried planning our meals by not assigning a day to a particular meal but by just having a loose plan of meals for the week. It did not work for me. I have to go back to my original way of planning.

This week, my plan is:
Monday- Parmesan chicken tenders
Tuesday- pasta with broccoli
Wednesday- chicken wraps
Thursday- leftover buffet

I have shrimp and sauce in the freezer, just in case. (I have a feeling the chicken tenders my be devoured before they become chicken wraps.)

Holding Pattern

It is hard to believe that my days can get busier, but that is exactly what happened. My dad's neighbor made an interesting comment about the stage of life I am in with my family. He said it is like a holding pattern. It's true. We control what activities we want our family to participate in, but then those activities drive the family schedule.

All in all, it's not a bad thing. I enjoy the activities and seeing my kids succeed and/or helping them through unsuccessful times. That is the choice we make.

I have not been a very good home cook this past week. Oh well, time to regroup and get my act together again.

Tuesday Again

I cannot believe that I have not posted in a week! Spring is a busy time. Saturday, I made pork tacos to freeze. I used a pork shoulder as the recipe indicated but the shoulder is so fatty. Next time, I'm going to use a pork loin. I think the yield is much better and the pork shreads very nicely. I have the that in the freezer for our first "Sunny Sunday". The recipe is linked on the sidebar as "Wine Braised Pork Tacos".

On Sunday, I marinated a London Broil with brown sugar and bourbon (see recipe on sidebar). I grilled it on Monday and we have been using it for meals. With baseball season in full swing (no pun intended), we grab meals when we can. My job is to keep it all handy. And when I run low, the concession stand sells pizza. At least the profit is going to the kids and not the fast food companies (although, sometimes they get the business).

Terrible Tuesdays

Our Tuesdays right now are packed. Add to the madness that we are down to one car! Tuesday was my last day of my afternoon job, teaching college. Grades were handed in! I do have to get ready for a summer course, but that will be evenings (add to craziness), but afternoons are now free for other activities.

I had time yesterday afternoon to make some rice and cut some vegetables. I wanted to include my leftover shrimp and chicken into a stir fry to use them up. (I made way to much for my Sunday guests.) I also wanted to have carrot and celery sticks ready for snacking. That got done.

Once I got home, at 7:30, I pulled the stir-fry together. I used sesame oil to cook the vegetables. Once the vegetables were crisp cooked, I added the rice. I kept stirring all together adding a little butter. Last, the shrimp went in (remember is was marinated Sunday with orange, ginger and soy). It just needed to heat from there. Dinner done!

Not sure of what I am making tonight. I think our baseball game will be cancelled because of rain (again). But, I have the afternoon free to figure it out. I will check out my freezer stash while doing laundry.

Time to Grill

We finally had a nice day in the Northeast! I was planning a Sunday dinner for a friend's birthday. The dinner was going to be a chicken and potato dish, cooked in the oven, but when the sun came out, I dicided to cook and eat outside.

I marinated chicken breasts with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and basil. Later in the day, I grilled the chicken, making extra for later in the week and the freezer for other recipes.

I took some shrimp and coated it with a mixture of orange marmalade, ginger, and soy sauce. The shrimp were also grilled.

I prepped a large salad (I wish I took a picture cause it was beautiful). Salad greens topped with hard cooked egg, roasted cherry tomatoes, gorgonzola cheese, candied walnuts, craisins, olives, peppers, and croutons. My company was able to take the parts they liked and add the chicken and/or shrimp.

We purchased a chocolate birthday cake, and I also made a butterscotch pudding cake. The butterscotch cake recipe is linked on the sidebar.

My plan for the rest of the week:

chicken crepes or wraps, depending on the baseball schedule (we are expecting more rain)
and... not really sure. I want to turn the leftover shrimp into something. Keep posted.