Dinner: February 9-15

Before I share our menu for this week, I want to give a review for the meals last week.

Monday: Leftovers

Always good.

Tuesday: Spicy Black Bean Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Avocado Lime Sauce

Really, really good and not too complicated or time consuming for a weekday meal. The only change I would make next time would be to either cook the purple onion a bit to soften it or leave it out entirely. I am not a huge fan of crunchy onions. Other than that, it was really good and so satisfying. Plus, we had a ton of the avocado lime sauce leftover which we've been using as a chip dip. Yum.

Wednesday: Roasted chicken thighs, asparagus, sweet potato tots

I usually cook chicken thighs once a week because it is so easy and I love leftover chicken for lunches or dinners. I usually buy an 8 pack of thighs, season them with salt and pepper, brown them in a cast iron skillet for a few minutes and then into the oven (350 degrees) for 20 minutes. I love this healthy recipe for asparagus and we love the Alexis brand of sweet potatoes. The tots were a huge hit with Juni - "more, Mo, more?"

Thursday: Honey Chipotle Lime Quinoa Bowls

Forrest's lovely aunt and uncle took us out to dinner. Ahhh, the bliss of someone else cooking for me and no dishes.

Friday: Pizza

I always do a honey salami pizza and a veggie pizza. Have you ever put honey on the crust of your pizza? It's a game changer.

Saturday: Honey Chipotle Lime Quinoa Bowls

Forrest and I really loved this. It is filling and full of so many flavors. I think this salad will end up in a permanent rotation when the summer months roll around and tomatoes and fresh lettuce are in abundance. There was quite a bit for leftovers which I especially love for lunches.

Sunday: Freezer meal

The lasagna was so good, Lesta! :)

...

Okay, so here's the menu for this week!

Monday: Roasted chicken thighs, broccoli, mashed cauliflower

Tuesday: Ginger Fried Rice

Image retrieved from Smitten Kitchen

Wednesday: Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche Tart & a salad

Image retrieved for A Sweet Spoonful

Thursday: Chipotle Chicken Chili & homemade corn bread muffins

We are having one of Forrest's classmates over for dinner, and, true confessions, I am always so nervous about cooking for other people. So what is my secret for overcoming this anxiety? Soup. Soup is oh so forgiving and usually something comforting. I have made this chili a few times before and since I have leftover chipotles from the honey lime quinoa bowls I thought this was the perfect choice. Homemade corn bread muffins are always a win too. 

Image retrieved from The Pioneer Woman

Friday: Pizza

Saturday: Freezer meal (Steak & asparagus)

Sunday: Leftovers

A note about Sundays: as a full time, stay at home mom I don't really get days off, so that's why on Sunday I've made a pact with myself to take it easy. No cleaning, use the dishwasher (unless there aren't many dishes) and take it easy on the meal front. It does a lot toward refreshing my momma heart. I highly recommend it! 

What's on your menu?

xo

Dinner: February 2-8

I am embarrassed at how long it has been since I did one of these "dinner" posts, but no time like the present to jump back into the routine, right? I just finished a workout so my limbs feel like jello, I have a 3-month-old beside me that has just woken up from a nap and a 2-year-old who is simultaneously coloring, watching Peter Pan and eating animal cookies. All that to say - this will probably need to be kept pretty short.

On Saturday I made a big pot of black beans so I was planning on making a few meals this week that would use up all the leftovers. Last night I asked friends on Facebook what vegetables would pair well with the beans, and it was so great to hear people's ideas! I'm definitely going to heed their advice.

Here is our week in dinners:

Monday: Leftovers

Tuesday: Spicy Black Bean Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Avocado-Lime Sauce

Image retrieved from Dishing Up the Dirt

Wednesday: Roasted chicken thighs, asparagus, sweet potato tots

Thursday: Honey Chipotle Lime Quinoa Bowls I'll probably use leftover chicken from the night before and add in some black beans.

Image retrieved from Viance

Friday: Homemade pizza (a family tradition)

Saturday: Freezer meal (thank you, Lesta!)

Sunday: ?

Alright, A is officially melting down so I have to go.

What are your dinner plans this week?

xo

Dinner: May 12-18

Happy Monday!

Before I share the menu for this week, I want to tell you how we liked the meals from last week.

Monday: Chipotle chili

I have made this chili several times but I've always substituted chicken broth for the beer. This time, however, I decided to stick to the recipe and try the beer. I have to say, I didn't like it as much. I used a quality dark beer (Oregon no less!), but I thought the taste was too prevalent. I'd much rather taste the chipotle and spiciness, but that's just me.

Tuesday: Thai basil fried rice (sans radishes - I hate 'em)

I need to stop trying to recreate Thai dishes. Why? In a word: fish sauce. I know it's all in my head because Forrest couldn't taste it at all, but the fish taste was so strong for me that I had a bowl of cereal instead.

Wednesday: Baked potatoes with leftover chili

Good. Nothing too amazing but definitely filling and comforting.

Thursday: Crispy paprika-parmesan fish with green beans

Again, I should just stay away from the fish. My tastebuds are super sensitive and even the smoked paprika and parmesan couldn't mask the fishy taste. Forrest liked it though.

Friday: Taco pizza (Friday night is always pizza night)

Instead of cooking we went out to eat! Forrest finished his first year of grad school last week so we went out to celebrate. It was lovely. Especially the no dishes thing.

Saturday: Rotini pasta with ground turkey and broccoli

We had  Taco pizza instead. It was okay. I think I would have preferred refried beans as a base instead of black beans, but, honestly, I think I'm a little burned out on homemade pizza so this poor pizza didn't really have a chance.

Sunday: Grilled chicken, grilled corn on the cob, homemade sweet potato fries (Forrest is making all of this since it's Mother's Day)

We had a big lunch out for Mother's Day which was really special because we almost never eat out twice in one week. I definitely felt spoiled. So for dinner we just had leftovers.

...

Now for this weeks menu! Hopefully there will be a few winners since, for me, there were so many duds last week.

Monday: Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

Image retrieved from The Kitchn

PS: I can already tell you that this is wonderful! I love a good Chicken Tortilla Soup and that is what this soup reminded me of. It makes a ton so we're all set for lunches this week.

Tuesday: Easy Sausage, Pepper and Onion Frittata

Image retrieved from Feed Me Phoebe

Breakfast for dinner? Yes please.

Wednesday:  Turkey Bolognese

Image retrieved from Dinner A Love Story

Pasta with tomato/meat sauce is one of the few meals that I know Juniper will eat. However, I've been trying to cut back on the amount of sodium we eat and pasta sauce is loaded with it. Even when I tried to look for a low sodium or "no salt added" option for tomato puree (needed for this recipe), I was out of luck. I ended up buying diced tomatoes (no salt added) that I'll just puree myself.

Thursday: Stir-fried Minced Beef with Chiles and Basil

Image retrieved from Orangette

This recipe is an old favorite that I love to tweak. For instance, it tastes amazing with sauteed red and yellow peppers. This week I'll be substituting ground turkey for the beef, and, needless to say, I won't be adding the fish sauce. I couldn't find Thai chiles so we're going to be boring and use a jalapeno.

Friday: Tacos

Because who doesn't love a good taco night? Also, I've been craving a double-decker taco from Taco Bell but I just can't bring myself to actually go and order one. 

Saturday: Grilled chicken and homemade sweet potato fries

Rerun from last week because we didn't make it. Also, the weather is supposed to be 82 so I know we'll want to be outside.

Sunday: On the road!

We are headed to Arizona to see my parents and I just can't wait!

...

There you have it, friends. What's on your menu for the week? I'd love to hear.

xo

Dinner: May 5-11

For my birthday this year my parents got me the cookbook, Dinner A Love Story by Jenny Rosenstrach.

Dinner A Love Story

Jenny had me at "dinner diary." Every week (for fifteen years!) she wrote down what she wanted to eat for the upcoming week. Brilliant, right? This book, part cookbook and memoir, is the fruit of those 15 years. It is divided into the various stages of Jenny's life (i.e. Just-Married Stage and the New Parent Stage) with stories and recipes that correspond to those days. This book has given me hope for the days to come (you know, when my child might actually eat the food in front of her instead of playing with it. Or, wait - does that ever change?) and perseverance in the nitty-gritty of early parenthood. Basically, it revolutionized the way I do dinner in our house.

Since I love plans and lists I have started planning my own menu at the start of every week. When Sunday rolls around I write down what we're going to have Monday-Sunday of the upcoming week and then on Monday (usually) I head to the store with a complete list of all the ingredients I need to make those meals a reality. Planning out our meals has relieved so much stress! Of course, we don't always follow the plan, but it's such a relief to know that the guesswork has been taken out of "what are we having for dinner tonight?" Plus, when I'm stumped about what to include on the menu it's nice to have a handy reference to look back on - "oh yeah! we had (insert meal here) a few weeks ago and it was awesome! I'll make that!"

So, I've decided to let you in on my weekly menu. Maybe this doesn't interest you in the slightest, or maybe, if you're like me, you love this kind of stuff. I also hope that maybe it gives you fresh ideas for dinner because I know how easy it is to fall into a dinner rut. Finally, I hope you'll share your favorite dinners in the comments below. I always love to hear new ideas!

Without further ado, here is our menu for May 5-11

Monday: Chipotle chili (I decided to make this a vegetarian meal to save money)
Tuesday: Thai basil fried rice (sans radishes - I hate 'em)
Wednesday: Baked potatoes with leftover chili
Thursday: Crispy paprika-parmesan fish with green beans
Friday: Taco pizza (Friday night is always pizza night)
Saturday: Rotini pasta with ground turkey and broccoli
Sunday: Grilled chicken, grilled corn on the cob, homemade sweet potato fries (Forrest is making all of this since it's Mother's Day)

What are you having for dinner?

xo

Review: Healthy Blueberry Muffins (for the toddler who won't eat anything else)

18 months, my friends, is a tumultuous age. I almost feel like I have a mini teenager in the house with all the emotional highs and lows.

While Juniper can still melt my heart with her toothy grin, she can also throw one impressive temper tantrum - in public no less. So far we have survived a tantrum in the library and a tantrum at the park in front of some new friends. I have to say that the latter was more humiliating and I had to fight back tears while my child screamed and kicked and the other child sat watching in quiet fascination and horror.

I have been told that consistency is the key - to keep on disciplining even if it seems like nothing is getting through. But it's hard. Really, really hard.

These days...these days are long and hard and wonderful. These days when she won't eat anything but bagels and cookies... these days when I catch her drawing on the floor, the walls, the kitchen cabinets... these days of pitching fits and then wanting nothing but to be held and cuddled... these days are all too fleeting.

Because these days can be full of a toddler's highs and lows, I have found it imperative to find a few things that lift the spirit. Added bonus if it also fills the tummy and accommodates the picky tastebuds of an 18-month-old.

These muffins are just the ticket.

Sure, they're still starchy and sweet (like a cookie), but unlike a cookie there are more of the good things and less of the bad things.

Here, she looks unsure about what she just put in her mouth.

Ahh, here we go!

I love a muffin that can put a smile on her sweet face.

If you have a picky toddler or if you just need a pick me up, try out these muffins. They are hearty, filling and somehow encouraging for the soul.

xo

Healthy Blueberry Muffins
From The Wednesday Chef

Makes 12 muffins

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 c shredded unsweetened coconut
1 large egg
1 c cooked oatmeal
1/2 c whole milk (I used 1% organic and it worked fine)
2 Tbs unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/4 c fresh or frozen blueberries
Preheat the oven to 400 F and butter a 12 cup muffin tin. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and coconut in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg with the milk and butter. Then, with a fork, add the oatmeal and break up the clumps.

Combine the wet ingredients with the dry and then add the blueberries. Both times I have made this, the mixture was really, really thick. I find that it helps to use your hands to incorporate those last bits of coconut or flour in to the mix. Drop by spoonfuls into the prepared muffin pan and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve warm or at room temp. Apparently these are also perfect to freeze (after completely cooling of course) and heating up whenever the need or mood strikes.

Drips & Trips

Seems like everything is leaking over here. And by everything I mean the sky and Juniper's nose. While I love a rainy day, I do not particularly care for a drippy nose especially when our holiday trip to Colorado is right around the corner.

Whenever we take a trip I tend to go overboard with the planning and preparation. For example, we leave on Friday so this is what my week looks like...

Monday - Laundry
Tuesday - Grocery shop
Wednesday - Clean house & car
Thursday - Pack & prepare snacks

I don't know about you, but when I travel I like to snack... a lot. Since we are trying to make healthy choices, I didn't want the car to be an excuse to eat Oreos and Cheez-Its. I found a lot of great ideas from the website, 100 Days of Real Food and then some ideas that are variations of what we eat everyday. Here is a list of what we'll be munching on from Idaho to Colorado!

Cheese & Triscuits (did you know there are just a handful of ingredients in Triscuits??)
Grapes
Apples
Bananas
Carrot Sticks
Peanut Butter
Homemade Granola
Nuts
Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies (our sweet tooth indulgence!)
Roast beef sandwiches
La Croix

There you have it! What are some of your travel go-to snacks? I'd love to hear.

My kitchen helpers (ha)

Because everything is better in a jar

PS - The posts might be a little more infrequent over the next two weeks. Keep checking back though because I'll be posting some Christmas gift ideas that I think you'll love. xo

The Goodness of Sauce

Ahhhhh....

The baby is asleep.
The sky is gray.
A hot cup of tea is beside me (Honey Vanilla Chamomile by Celestial Seasonings).
Dinner is already in the works.

I am so thankful for a quiet moment in the afternoon which are few and far between in the Johnson household. Part of the reason I am grateful has to do with a very yummy sauce that I have been meaning to tell you about.

As you already know, I make a big pot of beans fairly regularly around here. It is cheap, a good source of protein and everyone from the baby to the husband likes it. Plus, there are so many variations - beans & rice, enchiladas, burritos, chili, etc, etc.

However, here's the thing: sometimes I feel that black beans and rice is, well, bland. Even if I doctor it up with some avocado, cheese, and salsa, I still get the feeling that this is a poor man's dinner.

There is a place in Portland called The Whole Bowl which serves a bean and rice dish but it is anything but ordinary and poor feeling. I think it has to do with their sauce. I found a recipe for the sauce back when we were living in Portland, so this past week I wanted to find it again and recreate it. But, here's the thing: there is also a place in Portland called Cafe Yumm! and they have a special sauce too. For some reason, I googled Yumm sauce instead of Whole Bowl sauce.

I'm actually really, really glad I did.

The Yumm sauce is a little tart (from the lemons) and a little savory (from the garlic and spices) and it is heavenly on a plain old beans and rice bowl. In fact, it elevates the plain old beans and rice bowl to oh-my-gosh-I-could-actually-eat-this-for-every-meal-bowl.

The ingredients are simple and cheap which keep this meal in a lovely price range.

I hope you try it and love it as much as we do.

Yumm Sauce
adapted from the Original Yumm Sauce

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup almond meal or finely chopped almonds
1/2 cup cooked garbanzo beans
1/4 cup cooked soybeans or 1/3 cup tofu*
1-2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp dried cilantro

Just put everything into your blender, food processor, magic bullet - whatever you've got, use it - and blend.

*I couldn't find soybeans at Winco and I loathe tofu, so I just added a few more garbanzo beans and it tasted fine.

One more thing, I couldn't find out how long this stuff is good for. I'm guessing a week in the refrigerator. Any other guesses?

Review: Shepherd's Pie

Casseroles are easily one of my top ten favorite dinners. A casserole is usually easy to make, everything is in one pan, and cleanup usually involves putting saran wrap over the pan and sticking it in the fridge.

Win. Win. Win.

A while back, I saw a recipe for Shepherd's Pie with Potato, Parsnip, and Goat Cheese Mash on one of my favorite food blogs, Rosemarried. It looked easy enough (I had a newborn at the time) and, more importantly, it tasted amazing.

The Party

Juniper turned 1 last Tuesday, but we decided to have her party on a Saturday so that more family could come. While we really missed having this party in Portland with all our buddies, we were blessed to have a lot of family here to celebrate with us. Here are a few pictures from the day!

A photo from every month of Juni's first year. This is still hanging in our window...

 Funny story: I found this tutorial for making a golden number, and I really, really wanted to do it for this birthday (you know, it being her golden birthday). The gold tinsel was ridiculously hard to find and then ridiculously expensive. Not to mention, the smell of it made us feel slightly ill. All for a little decoration. :)

Forrest made the amazing poster. Notice the juniper bush with a golden 1. Pure awesome. 

Monkey Banana Cake & smash cake

This cake is my pride and joy... uh, next to Juniper, of course. Never have I made a cake that was so moist and so stinkin' cute. I found the recipe at Smitten Kitchen, and her directions made the whole process so easy.  Juniper has a dairy allergy, so I made a dairy free icing using almond milk and margarine. It tasted amazing.

This little area had small pieces of golden paper that people could use to write memories, prayers or wishes for Juniper. Then they could clip the wishes to the gold tinsel (getting our money's worth there) with a baby clothespin. 

My dad decorated this amazing onesie.  

Pre-party pretty

Of course, we had beans for dinner. Also, she's started holding her chin like this. Cracks us up.

I wanted to keep the menu simple and affordable. I cooked a large pot of black beans on the stove all day, and then right before everyone arrived I whipped up some homemade cornbread muffins. So the beans wouldn't be too boring, I had shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, avocado, and tortilla chips as toppings. So good!

Time for cake?

Opening gifts

Family!

Hmm...what is this?

I'm not so sure I like it...

...but I'll play with it!

Cheese!

After this came the meltdown. It's hard work being the center of attention.

All in all, the party was simple but so special. We had a blast.

Love,
Elizabeth

PS: Look at Fran eyeing the carnage in that last picture. :)

Review: Healthy Cookie Bites

I love to make cookies. I always have.

I remember when one of my dear childhood friends would come over to play that we would, more often than not, choose to bake.

It was either that or instigate a mud war with my younger brother and his friends.

Despite our great love of baking, the results were not always...well...edible.

Review: Creamy Avocado Pasta

It has kind of been one of those days.

The kind where I just want to use every swear word in the book when I can't get a kitchen drawer to open because it sticks.

Sigh.

Just keeping it real over here.

Honestly, it has not been all that bad. Sure, the baby has been a little more clingy, but overall there have been some smiles, some giggles, some exercise and some book reading. Not too shabby.

What really sent me over the edge, however, was dinner. I found this recipe that sounded different but promising. Now, don't laugh, but the recipe was for creamy avocado pasta.

Did you laugh?

Zucchini Stew

When we woke up this morning it was cold.

Wonderfully cold.

It felt like Fall, and my heart could not be happier.

The day only got better with clear skies and temperatures in the high 60's. This is my favorite kind of weather, and all of a sudden Pocatello is not looking so bad. :)

This change in weather made me want soup, and since we had just been given quite a bit of summer squash, I decided to make my momma's zucchini stew.

Swedish Meatballs

I married a man of Swedish descent.

I wish that meant that I was somehow now Swedish too.

Anyway, since Forrest has a deep affection for all things Swedish, I thought I would make a little treat for dinner - Swedish meatballs!

I got the recipe from his Farmor, which is Swedish for paternal grandmother, and I'll admit that I was a little nervous. In fact, if you are at all squeamish with raw meat just turn away right now. I mean it. This is a recipe that requires getting your hands dirty.

Despite the raw meat handling, the process was easy and the result was delicious. 

Unfortunately, the nice camera pooped out and I had to take the following pictures with my iPod, which does not have the best resolution. Also, why is food SO HARD TO PHOTOGRAPH? It ends up looking really unappealing. Just trust me when I say that it was really good, okay? How do I know? Because when Forrest took his first bite he gave me his this-is-so-good smile.

Swedish Meatballs
by: Forrest's Farmor

I halved the recipe and it made 21 meatballs. Also, I might lessen the amount of salt next time, but Forrest said they are supposed to be salty. :) Oh, and in case you're curious, I paired the meatballs with mashed cauliflower and green beans.

2 lb ground beef (you could also use some ground pork or a mixture of the two)
1 grated onion
2 eggs
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp allspice
2 slices bread (I used whole wheat) soaked in 3/4 c milk
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

Mix all ingredients together. Then, this is a special trick, wet your hands first and then roll the meat mixture into balls. (This prevents the meat from sticking to your hands. I had to keep wetting my hands, but it worked really well.) Brown under broiler, turning once, or you can brown in a frying pan on the stove (I went with the latter because I get nervous making the oven that hot with a little, grasping toddler around my feet at all times). Transfer to a casserole dish and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

These would have tasted even better with a sweet jelly like Lingonberry.  In fact, if I still lived near an Ikea I would have picked some up... along with a lamp, a bookshelf and all other kinds of things I don't need.

Enjoy!