Menu Monday #13

We had a super yummy weekend filled with delicious food! On Friday night, we ended up going to one of Josh's co-worker's houses for a cookout. He grilled up some delicious steaks, burgers and veggies for us. I definitely need to try the marinade he brushed on the steaks! I decided to make cupcakes to take along with us to share. After trying the blackberry cake the week before at The Riverfront Seafood Company, I wanted to try to recreate it. So, I ended up making a blackberry cupcake topped with a cream cheese icing and a little blackberry jam. It was pretty darn good, but a bit labor intensive. More about that in an upcoming post! We had a fun evening of good food and conversation while the boys enjoyed chasing around their pet ferret!

On Saturday morning, I was unfortunately fasting for a health screening, so no normal big breakfast that day. For lunch, we were in Kingsport, and we couldn't resist hitting up The Riverfront Seafood Company again! I had to get the New Orleans style BBQ Shrimp dish that Josh had had the previous week. It was perfect! For dinner, I made the chicken bacon strawberry balsamic pizza that I was supposed to make on Friday night. It was just as good as the first time I had made it. It really is one that you should put on your must try list. You will not regret it!

On Sunday morning, I wanted to use some of the leftover cream cheese icing I had from the cupcakes, so I tried a new recipe for pancakes, then topped them with the icing and fresh strawberries to make strawberry shortcake pancakes. They were awesome! More about those later too! ;)

This week I tried something new and decided to get all of my groceries at Food City. I had been a dedicated Fresh Market shopper since we moved to TN in January, but when we moved into our house, I started getting some of my stuff at Food City too, since it's just 5 minutes up the road from us. After checking out their produce section and meat counter on a few occasions, I decided it was time to give them a try. They actually have a really decent-sized organic section and I love that they sell local produce when possible. And I can't argue with the price. I ended up saving at least $50 just this week by purchasing everything there instead of getting all of my meat and produce at Fresh Market. Over a month's time, that's a lot of money! Maybe I'll convince hubby that I can finally get an iPhone if I can keep it up? ;) Yes, we are incredibly cheap when it comes to some things. I think that this pic says it best though...

Yes, we have continued to refuse to shell out a minimum of $30 per person for a smartphone data plan, along with hundreds of dollars for iPhones. It's something we haven't felt like we really needed at this point, but I definitely wouldn't mind having one. ;) So yeah, I can't say I don't cringe a bit every time I see someone on government assistance whip one out of their pocket. Ouch. I'm sure glad our tax dollars go to good use! Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now and get to the menu...

Sunday: Creamy Carbonara Cups and pan fried parmesan green beans

This is a spin on the Lasagna Cups I made a couple weeks ago. I still had wonton wrappers left to use, so I wanted to try something else with them. I made homemade alfredo sauce and used this as the sauce for the cups. Then I also used diced chicken breast, bacon and onion inside the cups. These were incredible! Can you really lose with butter and bacon though?? ;)

Monday: Grilled, blackened wild sockeye salmon over brown rice, oven roasted asparagus

We took a break from the salmon last week, but we are craving it again this week, so it's on the menu again! This time we'll have asparagus with it. Surprisingly, it's a veggie that both of the boys really like! Pretty crazy, huh?

Tuesday: Chicken Capri, roasted red pepper & basil quinoa, pan fried parmesan green beans

We haven't had this one in awhile, and it's a great low-cal dish, so we'll enjoy it this week. It is actually out of the South Beach Diet cookbook. First you season chicken breast halves with garlic powder and sear them in a little EVOO on the stove. Then you place them in a baking dish and top them with a mixture of ricotta cheese, salt, pepper & oregano. On top of that goes some crushed tomatoes, and finally a slice of cheese. I'll be using fresh mozzarella. Bake this for a bit to get the cheese melted and ensure the chicken is cooked through well. I'll serve it over the quinoa with the beans on the side. Yum!

Wednesday: Caprese burgers with baked sweet potato fries

Josh requested these again this week. It's his new favorite burger, and I'm happy to put this one on the menu! I just posted the recipe for these burgers and my fries last night. It is definitely one you should try if you want a healthier version of burgers and fries!

Thursday: Grilled chicken, oven roasted parmesan red potatoes, grilled corn on the cob

I like to marinate my chicken breast in Kraft's Roasted Red Pepper dressing all day. It gives the chicken great flavor and keeps it nice and moist. For my potatoes, I dice them into 1/2" cubes, sprinkle with EVOO, salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, garlic seasoning & rosemary and roast them for 30 minutes, until they are crispy and golden. Yum. We'll grill the corn on the cob in their husks, then season with butter, salt & pepper.

Friday: Hawaiian Pizza

I'm going to try a new pizza this week. I'll use my whole wheat dough and regular pizza sauce. Then I'll top it with diced ham and pineapple for an easy Hawaiian pizza. The boys both love this when we get it at Mellow Mushroom, so I hope they'll enjoy my version too!

Saturday: Out to eat

Happy meal planning to you this week! We're taking advantage of what is supposed to a be a beautiful week with several grilling meals again. I am loving these slightly cooler temps, as they are getting me excited for fall!! Is it too soon to start thinking about chili, pumpkins, apples and other fall favorites??