What is on the menu for the week?

Karina has been a bottomless pit. I know that seems like it shouldn't be a problem, because most toddlers won't eat anything, but to have to feed her every 40min to an 1hr...it is ridiculous! (Especially after I just put her back to bed at 10:30pm because she wanted a snack). I'm trying not to, but if she's hungry then I will give her a snack. I am just really trying to keep it healthy. Maybe its because she started walking this week...

So, as I've mentioned before I have started doing meal planning for each week and then shopping just for what I need. It has made a difference in our shopping budget and the amount of space in our fridge!

Its been a while since I posted a meal plan for the week...so, here is what I have planned for the week: (who knows if it will actually happen, but most of it is what I have on hand)

Sunday

• Breakfast = smoothie (I mix plain yogurt with frozen berries and apple juice.)
• Lunch = sandwiches (turkey, cheese and tomato or roast beef cheese and tomato) or leftover swedish meatballs and cauliflower mashed potatoes
  
• Dinner = Fish (still to buy tomorrow), rice (made in the rice cooker) with edamame (frozen and then takes 3 minutes to steam in the microwave)
• Snacks for Karina = cheddar cheese, grapes, apple sauce, goldfish crackers, craisins

Monday

• Breakfast = one egg, whole wheat toast and sliced pear
• Lunch = leftover rice and edamame + deli turkey meat
• Dinner = roast pork (cooked in the slow cooker with beef stock, balsamic vinegar, worchestershire sauce, dried rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper.), cauliflower polenta (buy the tubes from Trader Joes or Safeway and just mix in some steamed cauliflower, parmesan and milk) and salad
  
• Snacks = yogurt, whole wheat pita with white bean hummus, carrot sticks, craisins and goldfish.
  

Tuesday

• Breakfast = oatmeal and apple slices (or a whole mini apple that I discovered at Trader Joe's last week. A friend turned me on to their mini pears, but I couldn't find them, then I found the mini apples - perfect size for a toddler's hand)
• Lunch = quesadilla with leftover pork, black beans and cheddar cheese
• Dinner = Whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce. (If I have time, I put a couple of cans of diced tomatoes in the slow cooker while Karina's eating her lunch, with a diced onion, some garlic, bay leaf, touch of oregano, rosemary, salt and pepper. Otherwise, I just used jarred).
  
• Snacks = orange slices, cheddar cheese, grapes, whole wheat pita, craisins and goldfish (sensing a pattern...?)

Wednesday

• Breakfast = egg, cheerios and peaches (canned peaches).
• Lunch = pasta, deli turkey and green beans (frozen, steamed in microwave for 3 min)
• Dinner = French onion soup (this is more for me, its an amazing recipe from Rachel Ray's Comfort Foods...mmm...we'll see if she likes it) and leftovers.
• Snacks = apple sauce, grapes, cheddar, carrot sticks, goldfish and craisins

Thursday

• Breakfast = smoothie.
• Lunch = turkey, cheese and blackbean in a whole wheat tortilla wrap.
• Dinner = leftovers
• Snacks = peaches, cheddar, whole wheat pita with white bean hummus, grapes, apple

Friday

• Breakfast = egg, toast, orange slices
• Lunch = peanut butter and jelly sandwich, mixed veggies (frozen, steamed in microwave for 3 minutes).
• Dinner = TBD (either order food, see what's on sale that day at the grocery store or my husband will pick something up at Pike's market on the way home from work).
• Snacks = apple sauce, yogurt, whole wheat pita and whatever else is left in the house until I go shopping on Friday :)
  

That is a fairly typical week for us. It really has taken a lot of the stress out of cooking to have the meals planned. Things always come up though, so having a couple nights of "leftovers" or keeping pasta and jarred sauce or tortillas, canned black beans and cheddar on hand can make easy pasta or quesadilla nights or allow you some flexibility.

Karina finally meet a cheese she didn't like this week (to my surprise)...Gorgonzola. She really is her father's daughter...

Happy cooking!

Kale and Cauliflower

Everyone seems to be talking about kale this week :) One blog I follow, Frantic Foodie, recently highlighted a recipe for Kale chips. At my bookclub last week the conversation was all about kale and cauliflower. So I've never been a big fan of either, but in the spirit of getting Karina to eat healthy food I'm willing to try new things. My guest blogger for the day is my friend Amanda (mom of 2). Here are some recipes she uses. I plan to try them out soon...I tasted the cauliflower delight and it was delicious (and I don't usually like cauliflower or mayo)! Thanks Amanda!

Cauliflower delight!
Cut the thick stalk from the underside of Cauliflower
Place in microwave safe dish and add 1/2 cup of water
Cover and microwave for 6 minutes.

Prick with fork to check for tenderness...
if cooked to your liking, spoon a mixture of 1/4 cup mayo and 2 TB dijon mustard on top of cauliflower and then 1/4 cup grated cheese (cojack or mild cheddar)
Return to microwave for 45 seconds to warm topping and melt cheeeeeeeeeezzzzeeeeee
yum.


Easiest Kale Salad EVER (also from Cynthia Lair -- below)

One head of Kale, rinsed and chopped
tsp cooking oil (oil is optional-- you can cook kale with the water left on it from rinsing. This sort of steams it. Just as good and even easier)

dressing:
3 TB seasoned rice vinegar
1 TB sesame oil
1 tsp hot pepper oil
1 tsp maple syrup

2 TB sesame seeds

Cook over med-high heat stirring around the pan until bright green and 1/3 original volume.
toss with sesame seeds and dressing. good hot and cold

**If kale is a little strong in flavor for you when you first try it, you can toss it in boiling water for a few minutes (like 3)... just until the bitterness goes away. Keep tasting it. there seems to be a magical minute where it still tastes fresh, less kale-y, but not blah from being overcooked.

Massaged Kale and Currant Salad

Recipe reprinted with permission from "Feeding the Whole Family" (third edition) by Cynthia Lair (Sasquatch Books, 2008). FeedingFamily.com. *** the above cookbook is so good--- totally changed how I cook and shaped my ideas about feeding kids.. Cynthia Lair is awesome.

Serves 6

Bastyr University adjunct faculty member Jennifer Adler contributed this recipe. Jennifer likes to make a large batch of this salad to ensure that she has dark leafy greens ready when busy days are ahead. It tastes better as the days go by.

Preparation time: 15 minutes.

1 bunch of kale

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/3 cup toasted sunflower seeds

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/3 cup dried currants

3/4 cup diced apple

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons unfiltered apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

De-stem kale by pulling leaves away from the stems. Wash leaves, spin or pat dry. Stack leaves, roll up and cut into thin ribbons (chiffonade). Put kale in a large mixing bowl and add salt. Massage salt into kale with your hands for 2 minutes.

To toast sunflower seeds, put in a dry skillet over low to medium heat and stir constantly for a few minutes until they change color and give off a nutty aroma.

Stir onion, currants, apple and toasted seeds into kale. Dress with oil and vinegar. Taste for salt and vinegar, adding more if necessary. When at desired flavor, toss in cheese. This salad will keep for several days and still be great!

The other favorite recipe from childhood (that takes about 20 minutes start to finish) is .....

"Pepper steak!!!!!

put 11/2 cups rice/ 3 cups water on to cook

SAUCE:

mix 1 TB maple syrup and 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/2 water and 2 TB corn starch in a bowl--

cut up 2 carrots, 1 crown of broccoli, green peppers (or red or orange) onions, a few small thin matchsticks of ginger.

thinly slice a small serving of beef...

Stir fry veggies in a pan or wok with a little oil over high heat. Keep moving in pan so they cook but don't burn.

Remove veggies from pan and set aside.

Add beef and stir fry that around until barely undercooked.

Add Veggies and sauce to beef and continue to cook until sauce thickens.

Serve over hot rice and enjoy.