It’s been a minute since I’ve been around here, hasn’t it? Last week was pretty hectic (mostly because of the annual cleanliness inspection–more on that another day), and it doesn’t look like things will be slowing down for me. But I’m going to try to carve out a little more time this week for sharing stories and things (especially {infatuation friday}) with you.
Anyway, on to the noms of the week!
We didn’t plan much for this round of meals because I’ll be out of town for four days next week. Josh is content with cans of soup and tuna and other quick fixes, so we made sure we have plenty of that kind of stuff, but we only planned three main-dish recipes. I did, however, come up with some interesting snacks and side dishes. Plus, I’ll be making a special dessert for Josh sometime this week (we’re both pretty excited about it).
Here’s the plan:
The Meals
- Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
- Crockpot Chicken Teriyaki
- Oatmeal Pancakes
- Grilled Tilapia
The Sides
- Crunchy Baked Okra
- Crispy Baked Tomatoes
- Carrot Fries
- Mixed Veggies
The Snacks
The Treats
- Peanut Butter-Chocolate Krispy Bars
Notes on the last round of meals:
Several meals didn’t happen because I planned too many (I forgot I’d be visiting my mom for three days last weekend). We nixed the Almond-Crusted Tilapia and the Crockpot Chicken Tacos but were able to have the Chicken Tenders (with Baked Steak Fries) at my mom’s house. (We also had skilled-cooked flounder with rice and broccoli, which was a nice change of pace.)
Again, I didn’t make time for the Snacky Black Beans; I’d love to try them, but because they have to dry for an hour, I’ll have to plan (time-wise) better. So I’m keeping them off the list this time, especially since we have plenty of other snacks planned.
The Crockpot Lasagna Soup didn’t turn out so great. Maybe it was because I subbed in extra-fiber penne noodles, or maybe I used too little meat substitute but it was pretty awful. When I usually make slow-cooker recipes, Josh and I both love how the house smells. But this time it smelled like too many different and strong ingredients at once. And it didn’t taste much different. I won’t go as far as to say the recipe was bad (I’m never afraid to admit I may have done something wrong),but we won’t make this recipe again.
The Shepherd’s Pie was better than I expected. I’ve never tried it before and was afraid I wouldn’t like it, but I really enjoyed it. My sister ate with us and told me she wants to make it for her fiance. I’d definitely say it was a winner. It’s only downfall is it’s very carb-heavy (not complex carbs though) and didn’t keep me full for long. But if I can find a way to change out some of the simple carbs for complex carbs, and maybe increase the fiber and protein, I’d love to have this again.
I cannot say enough good things about the Gluten-Free Chicken Chili with White Beans, Sweet Potato and Lime. Josh and I both loved it. (He had to stop himself from going for seconds when he was already full.) It was fairly time-consuming and took a lot of effort, but it was so worth it. We will definitely have it again soon!
The snacks and treats were the best part of our last meal plan. I took my first attempt at creating my own scone recipe, and it turned out surprisingly good. (I honestly expected to have to throw at least one batch away, but I got it right on the first try.) You can find that recipe here. I also made Whole Wheat Blueberry Bites and loved them. Josh said he liked them but only ate one or two from the batch; I think he was concerned about the amount of carbs and sugar. Regardless, I’ll probably make them again sometime. (More for me, right?)
Check out Instagram for photos of these recipes and more!
Amanda's New Life 