Sunday, April 30, 2017

Weekly Meal Plan: April 30th

It is a busy week this week in our house.  We are trying to do recipes that are prepped ahead to get dinner on the table faster at night this week.  Tuesday we are cooking a whole chicken so we can use the leftovers for enchiladas Wednesday night.  Just shred the chicken and make the enchiladas the night before, it is perfect.  We also have one true Instant Pot recipe this week on Monday, I am anxious to see how dried beans turn out in the Instant Pot.  Also a side note, Instant Pots make awesome rice and quinoa.  So, two slow cooker recipes, one Instant Pot recipe and one recipe that can be made the night before, should be an easy dinner week in our house.

Sunday- Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup





 http://www.thecookierookie.com/skinny-slow-cooker-chicken-tortilla-soup/?utm_content=bufferaeb8c&utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest.com&utm_campaign=budgetbytesbuffer

Monday- Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice

Tuesday- Whole Roasted Chicken with Grilled Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
 http://www.skinnytaste.com/grilled-brussels-sprouts-with-balsamic-glaze/

This is a simple oven roasted chicken recipe, obviously you could use any recipe you like but the key is to have leftovers for the enchiladas


http://bestrecipebox.com/recipes/roast-baked-whole-chicken/


Wednesday- Enchiladas Verde
http://www.skinnytaste.com/enchiladas-verdes-green-enchiladas/

Thursday- Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken

https://www.averiecooks.com/2016/02/slow-cooker-thai-peanut-chicken.html#
We will be substituting cauliflower rice for regular rice in this recipe

Thursday, April 27, 2017

Meet Our New Kitchen Obsession!

We have a new awesome member of our small appliance kitchen family and we wanted to introduce you to it.  It is called an Instant Pot and it is remarkably awesome.  Why is it awesome you ask? Well, because when you are constantly going, it makes it easy to cook delicious, healthy food in very little time.  We were able to make an amazing chicken burrito bowl a few nights ago in less than 20 minutes start to finish.  That was with delicious moist chicken, long grain rice and sautéed onions and garlic all in one pot.


So what exactly is an instant pot might be the question you are thinking in your head.  Instant Pot is a multi-cooker that does the job of a slow cooker, electric pressure cooker, rice cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, sauté/browning pan, and warming pot.  We are still experimenting with all the different functions this machine has to offer but lets just say so far everything we have used it for has impressed us.  Perfect fluffy quinoa with no effort, no problem.  One pot meals that save cooking time and decrease dishes in your sink, yeah, it does that.  Hard boiled eggs that peel easier than any other hard boiled egg I have ever seen, yep, covered.  We even baked little tiny personal mini cakes in it last night.  Next on the agenda homemade yogurt, which I can't wait for since they add so much sugar to the store bought varieties.



You might see more Instant Pot recipes in the future on our blog and social media posts.  There is no shortage of recipes out their as this appliance has a huge cult following.  This isn't your grandma's pressure cooker, you don't have to be scared of it.  It wont blow up in your kitchen, at least I should say ours hasn't yet, as long as you follow directions you should be ok.  Tune in later to see how the homemade yogurt experiment goes.

- Dr. Chris

Monday, April 24, 2017

Weekly meal plan week of April 23rd

Sorry the meal plan is being posted a day late this week.  We had a wonderful family barbeque on Sunday evening, it was such a great day for being outside we didn't get around to planning.  The rest of the week ushers in colder weather and warmer recipes.  One thing that will be new this week is Instant Pot cooking.  This is our newest cooking gadget and so far we have really liked it.  Look for more posts in our blog as we explore all the cooking potential of the instant pot.  Also keep your eyes out on the blog for more information on Rock Tape, a form of kinesiology taping used to alleviate pain and increase functional mobility.

Monday- Pressure Cooker Chicken Black Bean Burrito Bowl

http://cookfasteatwell.com/pressure-cooker-chicken-black-bean-and-rice-burrito-bowls/

Tuesday- Kale Pesto Quinoa Bowl
http://www.theironyou.com/2015/02/quinoa-kale-pesto-bowls-with-poached-egg.html?m=1

Wednesday- Ground Turkey Chili

We Substitute two pounds of lean ground turkey instead of beefhttps://www.chowhound.com/recipes/spicy-slow-cooker-beef-chili-30669

Thursday- Sweet Potato Sloppy Joe
http://www.skinnytaste.com/sloppy-joe-baked-sweet-potatoes/

Sunday, April 16, 2017

Weekly Meal Plan: Week of April 16th

This week was kick started with sweet sugary beans and chocolate shaped like little eggs and bunnies.  Time to get it back in gear Monday.  We have a couple one pan dishes on the agenda for this week as well as a salad, and we will be re-visiting one of our favorites, the zoodle.



Sunday- Easter (Chocolate, Sugar and Ham)

Monday- One Pan Sausage and Potato
http://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/roasted-garlic-potatoes-and-sausage/

Tuesday- Kung Pao Chicken Zoodle

http://www.skinnytaste.com/kung-pao-chicken-zoodles-for-two/ 

Wednesday-One Pan Chicken Fajitas
 http://www.cookingclassy.com/sheet-pan-chicken-fajitas/


Thursday- Apple, Blue Cheese, Pecan Salad with Chicken
http://kitchendreaming.com/apple-pecan-and-blue-cheese-salad-with-apple-vinaigrette/
We add Roasted chicken to this salad to make it more filling

Sunday, April 9, 2017

Weekly Meal Plan: Week of April 9th

Back from vacation and ready to get back into eating healthier and feeling good again.  I feel like I ate most of the seafood the gulf coast had to offer last week.  If I'm being honest though it probably isn't the seafood so much as the small amount of cold adult refreshments that left me feeling like I gained 10 pounds on vacation.  Or maybe it was that area in the kitchen that had all the sweet goodies? Who knows, but it is time to get back to being serious. 


Sunday- California Sushi Bowl
http://wonkywonderful.com/california-roll-sushi-bowl/

Monday-  Stuffed Pepper Soup
We use ground turkey in the recipe instead of ground beef
http://skinnypoints.com/2015/12/15/slow-cooker-stuffed-pepper-soup/

Tuesday:  Spring Rolls and Crab Asparagus Soup

http://www.skinnytaste.com/shrimp-summer-rolls-with-peanut-hoisin/
For the crab asparagus soup I use a packet of egg drop soup from the Asian aisle of the grocery store.  After the soup packet is made I add the left over crab from Sunday night and a handful of asparagus.  Just let it cook on low until the asparagus is tender.

Wednesday- BLT Balsamic Chicken Salad
https://cafedelites.com/2016/07/26/blt-balsamic-chicken-avocado-feta-salad/
You can replace turkey bacon for the real bacon to decrease calories a touch

Thursday-  One Skillet Paleo Mediterranean Chicken
http://www.paleonewbie.com/one-skillet-paleo-mediterranean-chicken-recipe

- Dr Chris