Here's a recap of this week's dinner menu. It's been kind of interesting for me to look back at what I planned to do and what I actually did. Eventually, I hope that I can learn more about how much to plan, how much effort I can expect myself to exert, and what our favorites are so that the plan and the reality end up closer together.
Monday: Last week I spent a lot of Monday running to various grocery stores trying to get everything I needed for the week. Mondays are already pretty busy around here so by the time dinner rolled around, I was in no mood to cook it. So this week I decided to stick with something simple and easy and had all the ingredients on hand. We had turkey tortilla roll-ups with roasted potatoes. Potatoes cut into the shape of a french fry in an attempt to satisfy my fast food craving. Didn't work, but they were yummy anyway.
Tuesday: Still in the throes of a fast food craving, I pulled a pound of ground beef out of the freezer and made patty melts. Didn't help, but still yummy.
Wednesday: My husband had mentioned earlier in the week that he was feeling like some pasta. Since I was lucky enough to have both a third of a pound of bacon and a big ol' chunk of Parmesan cheese on hand, I decided to go with a simple favorite--pasta carbonara. I more or less use Rachel Ray's recipe.
Thursday: The kids call this my very best soup ever. Most people would probably call it vegetable beef soup. I call it pot roast soup because you start with a pot roast. It comes from my friend Liz who is an amazing cook. Since she is also an amazing sales director for Mary Kay Cosmetics, one of the top in the country in fact, I doubt she will ever write a cookbook. Therefore, I don't think she would mind if I shared the recipe with you. As long as you keep it between you and me. Don't go telling the whole neighborhood.
It's made in the crock pot so of course I love it. WARNING: You need a really big crock pot. Mine was not big enough. I ended up taking out part of the liquid to make room for all the vegetables. I just added it back in the end, and it turned out beautifully. I just wanted you to know. You can always make half a batch if you don't have a large crock pot.
Pot Roast Soup
Ingredients:
1 bunch of leeks, cleaned and sliced
1 large or 2 small onions, chopped
4-5 carrots, cleaned and sliced
3-4 ribs celery, cleaned and diced
chuck roast, 3-ish pounds
1 large can diced tomatoes
4-5 TBS Orrington Farms bouillon granules (not that cheap, gross stuff)
3-4 TBS A-1 sauce (Liz says "a big glug" so I'm kinda guessing here. Whatever I did worked, and I think it was around 3 TBS)
3-4 potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks or thick slices
1 can green beans
1 can corn
Directions: Sweat leeks, onions, carrots and celery in a skillet in a little olive oil until they begin to soften but not brown. Add to crock pot. Cut roast into large chunks. Place on top of vegetables. Add tomatoes, bouillon, A-1, and 3-4 cups of water. Cook on low 4-5 hours. Add potatoes, beans and corn. Cook 4 hours more.
Really, really yummy served with some yeast rolls smothered in butter and honey. Come to think of it, what isn't good served with yeast rolls smothered in butter and honey? Never mind.
Friday: Fridays are pizza and movie night at our house, and we usually order out. Instead, I decided to make French bread pizza A)because I am getting really sick of the same old pizza week after week and B) to further reign in our restaurant spending. The kids were less than thrilled about this, but I was really happy with how the pizza turned out. I'll tell you how I made it sometime soon.
Saturday: We went out, our planned night out for the week.
Sunday: I ended up making some macaroni and cheese for the kids. The boxed stuff even. I'm so ashamed. :) I heated up some leftover soup for hubby and me.
And that whole "cutting down on the cheese in our diet" plan I talked about last week? Let's just forget I ever mentioned it, shall we?
Monday: Last week I spent a lot of Monday running to various grocery stores trying to get everything I needed for the week. Mondays are already pretty busy around here so by the time dinner rolled around, I was in no mood to cook it. So this week I decided to stick with something simple and easy and had all the ingredients on hand. We had turkey tortilla roll-ups with roasted potatoes. Potatoes cut into the shape of a french fry in an attempt to satisfy my fast food craving. Didn't work, but they were yummy anyway.
Tuesday: Still in the throes of a fast food craving, I pulled a pound of ground beef out of the freezer and made patty melts. Didn't help, but still yummy.
Wednesday: My husband had mentioned earlier in the week that he was feeling like some pasta. Since I was lucky enough to have both a third of a pound of bacon and a big ol' chunk of Parmesan cheese on hand, I decided to go with a simple favorite--pasta carbonara. I more or less use Rachel Ray's recipe.
Thursday: The kids call this my very best soup ever. Most people would probably call it vegetable beef soup. I call it pot roast soup because you start with a pot roast. It comes from my friend Liz who is an amazing cook. Since she is also an amazing sales director for Mary Kay Cosmetics, one of the top in the country in fact, I doubt she will ever write a cookbook. Therefore, I don't think she would mind if I shared the recipe with you. As long as you keep it between you and me. Don't go telling the whole neighborhood.
It's made in the crock pot so of course I love it. WARNING: You need a really big crock pot. Mine was not big enough. I ended up taking out part of the liquid to make room for all the vegetables. I just added it back in the end, and it turned out beautifully. I just wanted you to know. You can always make half a batch if you don't have a large crock pot.
Pot Roast Soup
Ingredients:
1 bunch of leeks, cleaned and sliced
1 large or 2 small onions, chopped
4-5 carrots, cleaned and sliced
3-4 ribs celery, cleaned and diced
chuck roast, 3-ish pounds
1 large can diced tomatoes
4-5 TBS Orrington Farms bouillon granules (not that cheap, gross stuff)
3-4 TBS A-1 sauce (Liz says "a big glug" so I'm kinda guessing here. Whatever I did worked, and I think it was around 3 TBS)
3-4 potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks or thick slices
1 can green beans
1 can corn
Directions: Sweat leeks, onions, carrots and celery in a skillet in a little olive oil until they begin to soften but not brown. Add to crock pot. Cut roast into large chunks. Place on top of vegetables. Add tomatoes, bouillon, A-1, and 3-4 cups of water. Cook on low 4-5 hours. Add potatoes, beans and corn. Cook 4 hours more.
Really, really yummy served with some yeast rolls smothered in butter and honey. Come to think of it, what isn't good served with yeast rolls smothered in butter and honey? Never mind.
Friday: Fridays are pizza and movie night at our house, and we usually order out. Instead, I decided to make French bread pizza A)because I am getting really sick of the same old pizza week after week and B) to further reign in our restaurant spending. The kids were less than thrilled about this, but I was really happy with how the pizza turned out. I'll tell you how I made it sometime soon.
Saturday: We went out, our planned night out for the week.
Sunday: I ended up making some macaroni and cheese for the kids. The boxed stuff even. I'm so ashamed. :) I heated up some leftover soup for hubby and me.
And that whole "cutting down on the cheese in our diet" plan I talked about last week? Let's just forget I ever mentioned it, shall we?
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