East Side Pies Pizza Saturday

Cooper's birthday celebration consisted of some nice East Side Pies pizza- paid for by Papa!! Thank you and Yum!!

Ground Bison Tostadas Friday

Wow... the last day of school until a long Labor Day weekend. I was having fun making Chaz's lunches too!!


For dinner, we cooked up some ground bison meat and some refried beans. Then we topped the tostadas with it and cheese. They turned out rather nicely!! I'm a little tostadaded out though (I've been eating them for lunch a lot!!). We only used about 1/2 of the lb of bison meat, so the other half went into a big egg casserole I made for Saturday morning breakfast- easy because the meat was already cooked.

Pasta with veges and leftover salmon Thursday

After the boys ate Ramen soup, crunchy Ramen, popcorn, an entire cantelope, yogurt pretzels, AND cheddar bunnies, they enjoyed a bowl of the real dinner.

I made the Soy Salmon with veges again (similar to a few nights ago). It was so yummy! I put in a head of broccoli, some onion, garlic, red pepper, soy sauce, brown sugar, and lots of basil! I mixed in some whole wheat spaghetti pasta and mixed it around. I love that meal!!

Salmon, Roasted Squash and Ezekial Bread Wednesday

I made the salmon with the soy and ginger again. yummers. I also roasted some squash, onions, garlic and olive oil. We paired it with some toasted Ezekial bread. I'm full. The boys basically had it all along with some ramen soup.

Here is what Chaz's lunch looked like today too. I was proud that I could make hearts and stars out of watermelon and carrots. That probably won't happen too often!!

Zucchini Pie, Okra, and Watermelon Tuesday

Yum... the zucchini pie is even good after it's been frozen for a week. The okra was tasty when I added my Louisiana hotsauce to it!! The watermelon was fresh and juicy!! The boys ate almost everything too (and they had added popcorn to their plates!!).

Pasta Salad and Wilted Spinach Monday

Today was the first day of school. Chaz has been munching on noodles, crackers, and just about everything else since he's been home.

Tonight, we're having a pasta salad (with black olives, red onions, red peppers, chickpeas and garlic oil and vinegar dressing). On the side, I'll be sauteeing up some onions in olive oil, then throwing in some spinach to wilt. I'll probably top it with some almonds at the end. Yum.

Tostada Sunday

Easy breezy tostadas with refried beans, cheese, and hot sauce. The boys also had some PBJs. First day of school tomorrow, so you may see more lunch ideas on here from now on!

Aug. 25- Aug. 31 Menu

Monday- Pasta Salad with Black Olives and Carrots, Spinach
Tuesday- Frozen Zucchini Pie and Okra
Wednesday- Salmon, Squash and Ezekiel bread
Thursday- Thai Basil Salmon Pasta
Friday- Ground Bison and Bean Tostadas
Saturday- Cooper's Birthday Celebration (order pizza?)
Sunday- Meatballs, Pasta, Potatoes and Wilted Spinach

Primizie Going Away Dinner Saturday

I'm bringing Katie to Primizie for her last dinner in Austin. She'll be eating kimchi and dog in Korea tomorrow (well, the next day really).

We ate the GNOCCHI DI PATATA CON FINFERLO E MAIS with the Primizie Chips and sauces, and a bottle of Multipulciano wine. Yum!! We brought some cookies, some Frito Misto, and leftover Gnocchi home for the boys.

This picture is from the Primizie website

I love Primizie!!

School picnic food Friday

Back to school picnic means pizza, chips, fruit, fried chicken, and sweets. I guess it was the parents who provided all the food for this event.

Not very full, but pretty sick feeling.

Carrot/Potato Soup and Bread Thursday

I made some soup today... it turned out nice, but didn't seem like anyone was too excited for hot soup on a hot day. You can see the soup in progress in the pics. You can also see the birthday cake we got for Cooper.

Zucchini Pie and Spinach Wednesday

This Amazing Zucchini Pie is always a fave at our house... and I finally got a picture of it!! I also made a spinach salad with grapes, almonds, Parmesan cheese, and homemade vinaigrette dressing. Even the little ones thought it was a hit!! Yay!!

Eating at the Neighbor's Tuesday

Wow... what a surprise!! Our neighbor invited the whole family over (Katie, the kids, and all) for dinner tonight. It was really nice. We had some yummy butternut squash soup (Cooper devoured it), some squash casserole, and some rice and chicken sausage. It was all really good. Then for dessert, we had chocolate pasta with ice cream, fruit, and whipped cream topping. It was so good. It kind of looked like this below pic, but only better!!





Now I have more cooking ideas and will definitely have to invite them over for dinner soon!!

Thai Garlic and Basil Salmon Noodles Monday

This was a really nice dish. We had one salmon steak leftover from last night's meal (I planned it that way), so this dish seemed to work nicely tonight. I took a recipe from the 6 O'Clock Scramble (Thai Garlic and Basil Chicken) and tweaked it to work with a lot less salmon. I added a head of broccoli and put it all on top of some whole wheat spaghetti noodles. I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome of this recipe. Here's the recipe from the scramble:

2 Tbsp. canola or vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. minced garlic (about 12 cloves)
1 large red onion, quartered top-to-bottom and cut into strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips, about 1-inch long
1 pkg. (about 1 1/2 lbs.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks (we used salmon)
5 - 7 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce (to taste)
1 Tbsp. white or brown sugar
1 1/2 – 2 cups fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped (reserve 12 leaves for recipe # 3)

In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil.
Add the garlic, onion, and peppers and sauté them for 2 minutes. Add the chicken and stir-fry it until it
starts to brown on all sides, but is not cooked through, about 3-5 minutes.

Add the soy sauce and sugar and cook the chicken, uncovered, tossing it occasionally, until the
chicken is just cooked through, about 2-3 more minutes. (At this point you can cool and freeze the
chicken for a future meal, then add the basil just before serving it.)

Add the basil, toss it well, and remove the chicken and vegetables from the heat. Cover it until ready
to serve.

Aug. 18- Aug. 24 Menu

Monday- Thai Garlic and Basil Salmon, Broccoli, Noodles
Tuesday- Going to friend's house to eat
Wednesday- Amazing Zucchini Pie with Spinach and nuts
Thursday- Carrot Soup with baked potatoes
Friday- Picnic at Chaz's school
Saturday- Tostadas or Salmon Cakes
Sunday- Fettuccine with Chickpea Tomato Sauce

Caramelized Ginger Salmon, Salad and Couscous Sunday

Wow! This could have been served at a 5 star restaurant (well, maybe 3 or 4 star) and had a lot of happy customers. We loved this meal and will definitely do the caramelized ginger salmon again!!

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 Tbsp. lemon pepper seasoning
1 Tbsp. fresh grated or minced ginger root
4 green onions/scallions or 8 chives, chopped
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 lbs. (or use up to 2 lbs. for 6 servings) salmon fillet, preferably wild salmon

In a large measuring cup, stir together the soy sauce and the remaining ingredients except for the
salmon. Pour the mixture in a large flat dish with sides, and add the salmon, flesh down. Marinate the
salmon for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours.

Preheat the grill to medium heat; about 350 degrees on a gas grill (Or, cook the salmon in the oven at
350 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes). (Meanwhile, prepare the rice.) Bend up the edges of a sheet of
heavy duty foil that is slightly larger than the fillet. Put the foil on the grill, and put the salmon on top of
the foil, spooning the extra marinade evenly on top of the fish. Close the grill, and cook it over indirect
heat for about 20 – 25 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish and your grill’s heat), until the
fish is cooked through in the thickest part—do not flip it.

East Side Pies Saturday

I've gotten lazy again (well, not really, we were out all day, the salmon never got marinated, and it looked like thunderstorms outside, so we decided not to start the grill- there's always East Side Pies!!).

Cheese and pesto. Unhealthy. The boys ate ramon and are in bed with fevers.

Bean and Cheese Tostada Friday

Change of menu plans. These tostada meals are the easiest. Cheap tostada chips from Fiesta, canned refried beans, shredded cheese, canned jalapenos and salsa. Yum! The boys like to take the chips, break them, and then dip them into a bowl of beans and cheese.

Spinach and Onion Quesadilla Thursday

I made the boys some plain cheese quesadillas (blah) with black olives and cookies. By the time I finished making their food, I decided I'd leave the rest of the dinner up to dad or Katie. Luckily, they did most of it! We sauteed some onion rings in olive oil, then added spinach to wilt, then heated up the tortillas, stuffed them with the veges, then topped it with cheese.


They were really yummy. We had guacamole and chips/hot sauce to go with them.

Also, Cooper's had a tummy problem for a few days, so you can see two items from the BRAT diet pictured here too... he didn't eat much of it!!

East Side Pies Pizza Wednesday

Thanks Erik for the pizza tonight. I forgot to thaw the salmon, the boys are going out to a concert tonight, and I am tired!!

Yummy cheese pizza though!!

Vegetarian Enchiladas Tuesday

Yummy yummy yummy. These are some of my favorite enchiladas!! Zucchini, corn tortillas, onions, spices, and cheese! The boys usually go nuts for these too. I've also got some spinach and chips/salsa for the side.

Ginger Soy Tuna, Couscous, Green beans, and Carrot Sticks Monday

I found a Ginger-Soy Flank Steak recipe and tweaked it for tuna (since we had a lot of tuna in our fridge). It was pretty good... I may cut back on the rice vinegar next time, but it was still pretty good. We added curry couscous, canned green beans (ack- no one liked those), and some fresh carrot sticks. Lord knows I bought enough of them at Costco today... probably a 5 or 10 lb bag!!!

Aug. 11- Aug. 17 Menu

Monday- Tuna (lots of it), couscous, carrots
Tuesday- Zucchini Enchiladas
Wednesday- East Side Pies
Thursday- Spinach and Onion Quesadillas
Friday- Fettuccine with Chickpea Tomato Sauce
Saturday- Grilled Caramelized Ginger Salmon
Sunday- Thai Garlic and Basil Salmon

No menu for a bit

We're dropping the boys off with Tita and Papa and driving up to Dallas to see my aunt. We won't be making a menu at least for a few days.

Pei Wei Thursday

J and I split a Pad Thai (they no longer carry the Sabo Miso!! Ahhh my favorite!!) and the boys had chow mein noodles with chicken. We had a beer and a glass of wine, and with our free entree coupon, the entire bill was only $15. Nice. It's still more than I would normally spend on a home made meal, but the convenience is totally worth the price.

Amazing Zucchini Pie Wednesday

I could kick myself for not taking a picture of this before we dove into it. There wasn't a crumb left. Cooper loved the crust. Chaz ate tacos with Tita and Papa.

1 Tbsp. butter or olive oil
2 large zucchini or yellow squash, thinly sliced (4-5 cups)
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 prepared 9-inch pie crust
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and sauté the zucchini and onion until (about 10
minutes). Add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil and oregano.
Press the pie crust into a pie dish and spread the mustard evenly over the crust.
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, cheese and zucchini mixture. Pour everything into the pie crust
and spread it evenly.
Bake it for 30 minutes, until the top is lightly browned. Allow it to cool for a few minutes and cut it into
wedges to serve it.

Left over fake lasagna Tuesday

We re-heated the fake lasagna that we hadn't finished from a couple of nights ago. We also had a great cole slaw that I made with spicy dressing.

Dover Sole Fish Taco Monday

Super yummy!!

I made these Sole tacos (breaded them with flour, eggs, then bread crumbs), baked them for 15 minutes, topped with a spicy chipotle/adobo sauce, and some yummy red cabbage and carrot cole slaw. The tortillas were fresh and warm from El Milagro.

The tacos were similar to this one I found on allrecipes.com:

Fish Tacos with Honey-Cumin Cilantro Slaw

I give this an A+. Unfortunately, the kids only had chicken nuggets and bananas. C- for that one.

AHHHH!!! Our refrigerator is broken!!!

What are we going to do???? I just bought groceries this morning too!!

More later. This week may be a really horrible menu after all... not sure I can keep the tuna and sole fresh until Friday! We may be eating the fish (we had LOTS of frozen tuna) tomorrow.

Aug. 4 - Aug. 19 Menu

Monday- Amazing Zucchini Pie
Tuesday- Vegetarian Enchiladas
Wednesday- Dover Sole Tacos
Thursday- Butter Pasta with Black Olives and Tomatoes
Friday- Been/Cheese Tostadas
Saturday- Pei Wei (free meal)
Sunday- Tuna Steak, Grilled Potatoes, and Green Beans

Ground Bison Fake Lasagna Sunday

Tonight's dinner was pretty good. We made mom's old slop or as I called it, fake lasagna. I used penne pasta, ground bison cooked up with some onions, garlic, thyme, and oregano, then poured some spaghetti sauce over top of it. I put everything in a casserole dish in layers... sauce, noodles, spoon fulls of ricotta with parsley, then colby/jack cheese (mozzarella would have been better). I topped it with the cheese layer and alumnium foil... then baked it for 15 or 2o minutes.

The kids seemed to like it but they never eat their dinner unless it consists of ice cream or cake.

Pineapple Tuna Steak with Couscous Saturday

Garage sale today!! We actually ended up still making dinner for ourselves! We marinated some tuna steaks in pineapple, honey, soy sauce, and ginger. We shish-kabobed some pineapple and cooked up some curry couscous (that the boys loved).

Katie bought us some appetizers from Primizie as well as some yummy desserts.

Black Bean Chili and Cheese Friday

Black beans (that I cooked a few days ago)
Corn
Peas
Navy Beans
Tomato Sauce
Garlic
Onions
Chili Powder
Olive Oil
Salt

All stewed together for a bit and topped with colby-jack cheese. I usually have sour cream on it too, but we're out.