Meal Plan for Nov. 30- Dec. 5th

Hope you all had a wonderful and tasty Thanksgiving Dinner, now, back to the ol' stomp and grind...

Monday-Caesar Salad with Seasoned Chicken

Tuesday- Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi, Swiss Chard, Brown Rice

Wednesday- Quinoa, Veggies & Shredded Chicken

Thursday- Mexican Lasagna

Friday- left overs plus White Bean Salad (to snack on & have for lunch)

Saturday- out

17 Mixed Beans & Turkey Soup

Here's a little concoction that I came up with, super easy, very hardy, and very little to it! This is a different soup with chunks of ground turkey in it or try it with left over turkey chunks if you're feeling adventurous! The red wine in it gives it a really great flavor, making it taste different than most typical bean soups. **Warning, you need to soak your beans the night before, so this isn't a last minute guy!

Ingredients:

2 TBSP Grape Seed Oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large (or 2 medium) yellow onions, chopped

5 stalks celery, chopped

2-3 carrots, chopped

1 bag of mixed beans (I buy mine at TJ's)

1 package of ground turkey

1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes

2 (32 oz) cartons of Vegetable Broth (also from TJ's)

3 handfuls spinach, rinsed

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp marjoram

1/8 cup red wine

Here's the bag of Beans & Barley I used...

Directions:

This recipe does require a little fore-thought, you need to soak your beans over night in a large bowl or pot of water. When you are ready to cook, use a slotted spoon and remove and floating ]extras and drain and rinse your beans. Then, in your biggest pot, add your oil and all your chopped veggies. Let those saute while you brown the ground turkey in a separate pan, adding some salt, pepper, and garlic powder to the turkey while it's cooking. When the turkey is browned and the veggies are sauteed, combine them and add your drained beans and veggie broth. Dump in your tomatoes and add your seasoning and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce and let simmer for 1 hour. Add spinach for the last 5 minutes and serve with french bread or solo- you choose.

Beans soaking over night...

Drain your beans and rinse in a collander...
All the ingredients before the broth...

Pumpkin Pie- (not from scratch!!!) and Homemade Whip Cream

Now, I know a lot of you out there are working hard at gettin' food on the table... so here's a little something you can do to cut some corners. With the holidays coming up, kids running around your ankles, and the calendar overflowing, there are some short-cuts that I prefer to take... especially when I am bringing more than one dish (more like 4!!!) to our Thanksgiving Feast! If you want that yummy pumpkin pie that everyone will ohhh and ahh over, here's your ticket- and they'll be amazed, it's still warm in a homemade dish not a store bought container!!! The secret, it's on the back of "Liby's" can!!!

1 can Liby's pumpkin (& follow her recipe plus 1 secret ingredient!)

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp nutmeg ** the one thing I add to the mix

2 large eggs

1 can evaporated milk

Pie Crust- if you have the necessary tools, make your own crust, if not, go out and get your self a premaid, prerolled, uncooked refrigerated pie crust by Pilsbury.

Directions:

Mix sugar and spices together in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat eggs, add sugar mixture and pumpkin and gradually stir in the evaporated milk. Lay your pie crust in a pie dish and push it to the sides of the dish, pour the mixture and bake for 15 minutes on 425 then turn your oven down to 350 and let it bake another 40 -50 minutes until you can stick a knife in towards the center and it comes out clean. Let it cool about 2 hours before serving.

TIP To save your crust from getting too brown, cut strips of foil and cover the crust all the way around the pie, then 20 minutes before it's done, remove them and they will turn a beautiful golden brown!

Don't forget the homemade whip cream!!!

Ingredients:

1/2 pint heavy cream

3 TBSP powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Pour ingredients in a glass bowl and beat on medium-high until it's fluffy! Refrigerate and serve a dollup with your pumpkin pie!

Homemade Apple Pie

Just in time for the holidays.....

My dad is by far the BEST APPLE PIE MAKING MACHINE OUT THERE! Without fail, his pies turn out beautiful and delicious everytime, no buts about that! I love going up for a visit during apple season, you can bet he'll be in the kitchen whipping up one of his famous crispy, warm, toasted, sweet yet a little tart- apple pies... you droolin' yet??? I am!

Ingredients:

6 thinly sliced apples (I do 4 tart, 2 sweet)

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

2 TBSP butter

1 TBSP lemon juice

pie crust, homemade or refrigerated, uncooked like Pilsbury

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425. Lay your pie crusts in your pie dish and let sit. Stir together your sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, lemon juice and salt. Peel, core, and slice your apples and add them to the mixture, gently mixing them. Pour the mixture into the dishes and cut your butter into slices and lay them on top of the apples. Cover it with the top crust, seal and flute it. Cover the edges of the pie with foil so that it doesn't burn and remove the foil for the last 15 minutes so it can turn a golden crispy brown. Cut a few slits in the top to let air and moisture escape. Bake it for 40- 50 minutes until the juice begins to bubble through the slits in the crust. Remove, let cool for a bit, but serve warm solo or a la mode!

Need some help choosing the right apples? Try these: Granny Smith, Gravenstein, Pippin, Fuij, Braeburn, and Pink Lady

Spinach Salad with Nuts, Crans, & Apples

This is a great salad to make this time of year, apples are at their peak and it looks festive in fall colors of green, red, and cranberry. It's easy with minimal chopping, therefore great to prep before hand and bring along to large gatherings (it's what I am taking to Thanksgiving Dinner!). **You can also substitute the spinach for romaine if you prefer.

Ingredients:

spinach

candied pecans (or walnuts)

apples chopped

cranraisins

goat cheese (or feta if you prefer)

balsamic dressing (use fresh garlic, it's wonderful!!!)

Directions:

Wash and spin your spinach and refrigerate until ready to eat. Candy your nuts with this recipe, the cinnamon in it gives the salad a wonderful flavor! Chop your nuts and store them in a ziplock until serving. You can prepare this salad ahead of time and then put it all together right before you eat. At the last minute, chop you apples, throw in your cheese & nuts, and pour on the dressing. Toss and serve.

Meal Plan for Nov. 22- 28

Here we go, nice and easy for this Thanksgiving week....

Sunday: heat up a frozen soup

Monday: Lime Chicken Tacos & Green Salad

Tuesday: Mixed Bean & Ground Turkey Soup

Wednesday: Gremolata Mahi Mahi & Baked Sweet Potatoes

Thursday: Thanksgiving Feast!!!

Friday: left over Turkey Dinner

Saturday: Black Bean Chili (Crock Pot)

Baked Chicken....

So when it starts to get colder, I find myself not wanting to BBQ as much and instead wanting to heat up the oven- so in that case, try this simple recipe for baked chicken, using whatever seasoning you are feelin' up for!

Super simple, here's what to do: take out a Pyrex dish, I spray a little Olive Oil spray on it then I wash and pat dry my chicken breasts, and sprinkle some salt, pepper, and garlic powder on both sides. Then pop them in your preheated oven at 400 degrees and let them bake for approximately 40 minutes (depending on how thick they are). I stick my thermometer in them and when it reads 170 I know it's done, or cut one of them in half and make sure it's no longer pink and the liquids are clear. The last 5- 10 minutes you can add some BBQ sauce if so desired! Enjoy!!! *** Picture: Served with simple asparagus and Harvest Grains from Trader Joe's****