Menu Monday #40

So, we had a cheat-filled weekend with the diet, so I'm not weighing in until tomorrow. ;) Hopefully my body can recover by then and I'll have another good week!

On Friday night, we headed to our favorite local German restaurant, Freiberg's, at Ethan's request. It's delicious, but schnitzel and fried potatoes aren't exactly the lightest options on the menu. Oops! :/

On Saturday morning, I made my whole wheat banana bread pancakes, at Noah's request. That boy can eat pancakes like a champ! It is quite impressive to witness. He actually had his first one finished before I had taken a few bites of mine!! Haha! That evening, we were in the mood for burgers, so we headed to Bristol's famous Burger Bar. My favorite is their parmesan fries - amazing! We really went all out and ordered milkshakes, too. So bad for us, but they tasted oh so good!

On Sunday morning, Josh made our usual egg bagel sandwiches, and some cream of wheat. I hit up a packed grocery store later that day, then we prepared for a Super Bowl party that evening. Chocolate-covered football strawberries sounded like the perfect indulgence for the evening and we had a wonderful time socializing with other adults for a change! ;) After a weekend of crazy eating, I realized it actually left me feeling pretty crappy compared to when I eat better. No cheating for me for awhile now!

Sunday was also our sweet Daisy's 8th birthday. Wow, where does the time go? She's our first-born child, and we've had her since our first year of marriage!

Our beautiful princess!

Sunday: Super Bowl Party

Josh made a batch of our Spicy Italian Chili to take. I also tried a new recipe for a pizza pull-apart bread, and I made a batch of chocolate-covered strawberries, decorated like footballs. :)

Monday: Stovetop glazed salmon over brown rice, roasted asparagus

We haven't made salmon this way in awhile, but it is oh so tasty! The salmon is cooked in a sauce made with honey, lime juice and chili powder. It's the perfect combo! Daisy loves salmon skin, so that was a special birthday treat for her! :)

Tuesday: Melt in your mouth baked chicken, rotini, roasted balsamic green beans & mushrooms (see recipe below)

We'll have this one again because it's easy and tasty. The boys love this meal!

Wednesday: Leftovers
We still have a good amount of chili leftover, so we'll eat that.

Thursday: Seared pork chops, roasted butternut squash, toasted pine nut couscous with cranberries

This is my go-to pork meal in the winter months. I love all of the flavors and it's a pretty simple meal to put together.

Friday: Out to eat

We'll go somewhere and try to order something that sounds as healthy as possible this time! :)

Saturday: Tomato basil pasta

There isn't any meat in this dish, but it doesn't need it! This recipe produces the perfect amount of "sauce" for the pasta. I love using fresh basil when it's available in our garden, but our dried basil is a decent substitute, too.


I found this delicious recipe on Kalyn's Kitchen. Historically, I've never liked veggies, especially green ones. All of this changed when I started roasting my veggies. I love them so much now, I could eat them like candy! This is a great recipe for fresh green beans, and the mushrooms are an added bonus.

Roasted Balsamic Green Beans & Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced (I use baby bella)
• 1 lb fresh green beans (I use a ready-to-eat pkg from the produce section)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper, freshly ground, to taste
• 2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Wash the mushrooms and let them drain, or pat them dry. While they are drying, trim the ends of your beans (if needed), and cut them in half to make bite-sized pieces. Put the bean and mushrooms into a gallon-sized Ziploc bag. Combine the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and pour this into the Ziploc bag. Close the bag, and squeeze everything around to coat all of the veggies well. Arrange the beans and mushrooms on a large cookie sheet, spreading them out well, so they aren't too crowded. Roast them for 20-30 minutes. Cook until the beans are tender-crisp, the mushrooms are cooked well, and all of the liquid on the pan has evaporated. Season the veggies, to taste, with the salt and pepper, then sprinkle with the parmesan cheese. Serve while hot.


What's on your menu this week?