Menu Monday #5

It's Monday again and time for the week's menu. Today has not been a great Monday so far, but hoping it gets better from here. I tried a couple new recipes last week - the Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo and the Strawberry Balsamic Bacon Pizza. The pasta dish was ok, but the sauce was super thick and something I would want to alter if I made it again. The pizza though, was amazing. So amazing that I rank it in the top two best pizzas I have ever eaten devoured! Oh yeah, that awesome! The boys both liked it too, which is always a plus!

For breakfast on Saturday morning, I decided to try to make a Vanilla Dutch Baby. I first discovered this recipe on an episode of 10 Dollar Dinners with Melissa D'Arabian (a Next Food Network Star winner a couple years ago) over a year ago probably. So, I finally got around to trying one this weekend! It's like a cross between a pancake and a crepe. Topped with a little powdered sugar and fresh blueberries (I was wanting something that would help utilize the 2 pound container I had purchased at the start of the week!), it was the perfect light, summer breakfast at just ~100 calories per slice!

On Saturday evening we enjoyed our dinner on the patio at the local Carrabba's. It was Josh's choice for Father's Day, and it was a great one. The weather was perfect and the boys enjoyed the change of scenery. :)

On Sunday morning, I went with another frittata. This week I had leftover cilantro from the pizza, which I added to the bacon and onion. Topped with a little salsa and sriracha hot sauce, it was perfect!!

Sunday: Cheeseburgers and baked sweet potato fries with spicy ketchup

We hadn't grilled burgers in ages due to our grill being in storage right now, but I broke out the George Foreman for some indoor grilling last night. I used lean ground sirloin and much to Josh's dismay, some whole wheat sandwich thins, instead of buns. Note to self: He said he didn't care about the extra 50 calories we saved, he wanted a real bun. Haha, oops! ;) Last week I had decided last minute to switch from baked sweet potatoes to baked sweet potato fries (which Noah had never tried until then) and they were a hit, so we had them again last night. I had found a new technique awhile back that was supposed to make them really crispy (without frying them), so I wanted to try it out. This recipe instructed to lightly coat them in cornstarch first, then place them on the pan and drizzle with EVOO, mixing them up well to coat evenly. Then you bake them for about 20 minutes at 425 degrees. This actually worked pretty well and I think I preferred this technique. I still sprinkled them with cinnamon and salt for added flavor. One of my favorite things from Red Robin (oh how I miss that restaurant) was their sweet potato fries with spicy ketchup, so I decided to recreate it using ketchup and the sriracha hot sauce (approx 1 Tbsp: 1 tsp ratio) I had purchased for the pizza last week. It was awesome!! The perfect spicy counterpart to the sweetness of the potatoes. Yum.

Monday: Pan-seared cajun tilapia over brown rice and oven roasted asparagus

We just had this meal last week, but it was so good I wanted it again! It's very healthy too, an added bonus! The boys loved my homemade fish sticks and I felt good knowing what was in them. The tilapia I bought at the Fresh Market was by far the best I had ever had. Instead of just tolerating it, I actually loved it!

Tuesday: Salsa Chicken in whole wheat tortillas with cajun white corn

We love this easy, yummy crock pot meal. I like serving this in tortillas and the corn on the side is a great addition. I boil frozen sweet corn, drain, add a little butter and season generously with the Cajun-Blackening seasoning. Delicious!

Wednesday: Schnitzel biscuit sandwiches with raspberry "mayo" and warm German potato salad

I haven't made this meal since I first tried it back in September as it is a bit labor intensive, but Josh loved it and requested it as his Father's Day meal. I didn't have a chance to make it on Sunday for him, so it will be a nice mid-week meal instead. This time I bought a pork loin to use for the schnitzel and will freeze half to use in the future. I still didn't feel like attempting the homemade biscuits, so I'm cheating and using a can of Pillsbury Grands. I know, shame on me! We're skipping the cabbage this time as it wasn't that great. For the raspberry mayo, I am going to try using Greek yogurt as a sub for the mayonnaise. We'll see how it works! The potato salad is a nice yummy side. Not our most diet-friendly meal, but a tasty one to celebrate Father's Day.

Thursday: Chicken parmesan over whole wheat rotini with parmesan stir-fried green beans

This is an oldie, but a goodie. I combine bread crumbs and grated parmesan cheese with Italian seasoning to coat thinly sliced chicken breasts that have been dipped in egg. I bake them, topping them with a little bit of shredded mozzarella cheese. I serve them on top of the rotini with a little bit of tomato sauce.

Friday: Bacon Chicken BBQ Pizza

I haven't made this one in awhile, but it is my other favorite pizza. It is fashioned after a pizza we used to get when we lived in Kentucky, at a place called Fat Kats. We loved it and it's easy to make at home. Instead of pizza sauce, you use BBQ sauce (I like Montgomery Inn the best), then top with cooked bacon and chicken, diced onion and mozzarella cheese. Josh also likes jalapeno peppers on his too. Super tasty and I am sure the boys will love it.

Saturday: Out to eat

It should be another yummy week of meals here at the Seeley residence. Happy planning!