A Triumphant Return!

Monday Meal Planning!

Triumphant Return Edition

I've had a few requests lately that I bring this back, and since we've been really good at planning meals lately, and have had some delicious meals, I thought it would be the perfect time to honor those requests. So here goes. I hope you enjoy it!

Monday - Pineapple Chili with corn chips and Tex-Mexed salad

This is an easy favorite of ours lately. It's adapted from Better Homes and Gardens' 5-Ingredient Meals special edition, and Aaron would like to eat this nearly every day. It's so easy that I might oblige him if he were really serious. The recipe is as follows:

In a large pot brown one package ground turkey. Drain if needed, and add one 14 to 16 oz. jar or container pineapple salsa (we use pineapple chipotle salsa and it's great), 1 Tbsp. chili powder, 1 14.5 oz can tomato sauce, and one can pinto beans rinsed and drained. Simmer for 10 minutes, and serve garnished with a pineapple ring. 

For the Tex-Mexed salad, we just do a tossed salad with lettuce, corn, avocado, and cheddar. I usually use ranch dressing for mine, but a lime vinaigrette is delicious too.

Tuesday - Spinach Artichoke Quiche & Fruity Salad

For this dinner, we use this recipe and substitute one cup chopped canned artichokes and one cup torn or baby spinach leaves for the broccoli, and provolone for the mozzarella. The fruity salad is my current favorite thing to eat, and it's made with these ingredients: two romaine hearts torn into bite-sized pieces, two green onions chopped, one small package (about 1/4 cup) sliced almonds, one can mandarin oranges drained, and about one cup of sliced strawberries. Serve with poppy seed dressing. Seriously, this is one amazing salad.

Wednesday - Biscuits over Creamed Chicken & Steamed Green Beans

Thanks Cassie for this recipe! The first time I put it on the menu, Aaron was dubious. This is not his kind of meal. He hates things like pot roast, chicken pot pie, chicken and dumplings, and basically every other comfort-type food from my childhood. I soldiered on and made it anyway because I really wanted it, and he LOVED it. So easy and delicious. I want to get it in at least one more time before the constant hot weather starts for good.

Thursday - Mediterranean Mostaccioli 

We love this quick and easy dinner. It's vegetable- and flavor-packed. We use more pasta than the recipe calls for and mozzarella instead of feta, but otherwise follow the recipe. Great leftovers too!

Friday - Salad Pizza 

A great quick and easy Friday night meal, we make a few changes to the recipe as written. We don't have a grill, so we use a pre-made crust (like Boboli), and make it in the oven. We don't necessarily follow the amounts, and just add as much of everything as we like. It never fails to be absolutely delicious.

Saturday - Smoky Beef Tacos with all the fixin's

This is seriously, by far, the best thing I've made in a long, long time. I throw the ingredients in the crockpot and cook it on high for 4 to 6 hours. It's so easy and flavorful, and it's a struggle not to put these on the menu every week, so as not to overdo it. The salsa, relish, and sour cream recipes included in the ingredients list are a must. They totally make the recipe. This also really screams out for margaritas, and I broke down and had a small one last time I made these. It was, admittedly, hard to stop with just that one, and even harder to stop eating these with that little bit of a buzz. Yum!!!

Happy Eating!