Weekly Meal Plan 4/18-4/24/14

Artichokes

I'm back from vacation and boy did I learn a tough lesson about health and eating. I was on a regimented diet before I left for California. It was one that my body had grown accustom to and was thriving on. I ate modest sized breakfasts, lunches, and dinners with small snacks in between and was eating more protein, dairy, vegetables and fruits and barely any carbohydrates or sugars. On my trip my schedule was so jam packed that I would have large meals (with more carbs than I'm used to) and may not eat for several hours at a time. My stomach was not happy with me and what resulted was being sick with nausea for the whole week! Once I came back and returned to my normal eating routine my body felt a lot better. Moral of the story: don't sacrifice your health on a trip!

This week I'm going to try to cook with whole artichokes for the first time. Wish me luck! And I finally invested in a cast iron skillet. I'll be making more frittatas and breakfast pizzas that used to be a struggle to make without a skillet I could put in the oven.

Friday - Date night
Saturday - Ham and Asparagus Frittata with Spring Greens 
Sunday Brunch - Cinnamon Roasted Pineapple with Macadamia Nut Cream and a side of Waffles
Sunday Dinner - Steak, Green Beans & Onion Rings for my husband, Crab Stuffed Artichokes with a side of Roasted Butternut Squash and Green Beans for me
Monday - Fried Thin Cut Pork Chops, Roasted Asparagus with Green Onions and Leek Gratin with carrots for dipping
Tuesday - Mediterranean Chopped Salad, Grilled Chicken Kabobs and Pita
Wednesday - Tacos (Lettuce Shells for me, Corn Shells for my husband)
Thursday - Pork Stir Fry 

Here are some deals I'm taking advantage of:

Market Basket
Applegate Organic Lunch meats
Love Beets sale plus coupon
Jumbo Green Peppers
European Cucumbers
Butternut Squash
Vegetable Tray with Dip
Polar Seltzer

Whole Foods
Clif Bars Coupon
Luna Bars Coupon
Green Valley Organics Yogurt Coupon
Mangoes

Weekly Meal Plan 3/28-4/3/14

Shaved Steak with Peppers and Onions

Friday – Date night
Saturday – Shaved Steak with Mixed Peppers and Onions, Provolone Cheese on a Roll
Sunday Brunch – French Toast with Sausage
Sunday Dinner – Honey Cashew Chicken with Brown Rice plus Pea Pods and Carrots
Monday – Deep Dish Breakfast Pizza 
Tuesday – Picadillo with steamed green beans plus rice for Carlos and cauliflower steaks for me
Wednesday – Mustard Pork Loin, Vinegar and Oil Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Asparagus with Green Onions
Thursday – Steak, Asparagus, Brussels Sprouts, Alexia Waffle Fries, Eggs

Here are some deals I'm taking advantage of:

Market Basket Sales
Almond Breeze Almond Milk (Unsweetened)
Sundown Vitamin D (plus coupon)
Shaved Steak
Pork Tenderloin
Chicken Breast
Green Beans
Sliced Mushrooms
Russet Potatoes

Whole Foods Sales
Asparagus
Spring Onions
Red Field Peppers
Organic Valley Half n Half Coupon
CLIF Bar coupon
Luna Bars coupon
Alexia Waffle Fries Sale plus Coupon
Plantain Chips

What are you cooking this week?

There will be no meal plan for the following week. Carlos and I are traveling to California where we'll be enjoying the weather, eating at In-N-Out Burger and having fun at the TCM Film Festival. Catch ya later!

Vinegar and Oil Mashed Potatoes

Vinegar and Oil Mashed Potatoes

It doesn’t look like much but this is my favorite way to eat potatoes.


The Portuguese love their potatoes and my family is no exception. I’m half Portuguese on my father’s side and I grew up eating one of my dad’s favorite dishes to make: salt cod, grelos/broccoli rabe and boiled potatoes with red wine vinegar and olive oil. A common sight on a traditional Portuguese table is an oil and vinegar tray and both condiments are poured on potatoes, fish, cooked vegetables and salads. I was craving some boiled potatoes with vinegar and oil but decided to make it as chunky mashed potatoes instead. What a discovery! This is the best way to eat potatoes in my opinion. I love the tang from vinegar and the flavor of the oil. I can never get traditional mashed potatoes quite right. That balance of cream, butter, salt and pepper is difficult to attain and I always tend to prefer chunks versus a silky smooth mixture.

It took a few tries but I figured out that the best formula for this recipe is a 1:1:1 ratio. 1 boiled russet potato, 1 tablespoon of red white vinegar and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. You can modify this if you like. Less vinegar if you don’t like how tart it is, more olive oil if you want it to be less dry. I like the 1:1:1 formula the best and that’s what I’m using!

Vinegar and Oil Mashed Potatoes
5 Russet Potatoes, peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes
5 tablespoons of Red Wine Vinegar
5 tablespoons of Olive Oil (I use Extra Light)
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Put the peeled and diced potatoes in a pot of cold water. Enough water so that the potatoes are covered. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Uncover and cook 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are done.

Add potatoes to a strainer. Add the vinegar and oil to the bottom of the pot. Return the strained potatoes to the pot. Add salt and pepper and the stir carefully to incorporate all the ingredients. Serve hot and enjoy!

Vinegar & Oil Mashed Potatoes, Chorizo, Roasted Tomatoes and Asparagus

Weekly Meal Plan 3/21-3/27/14

Soba Noodle Bowl

Sunday is my husband Carlos' birthday! So I have his favorite brunch, his favorite dinner and his favorite dessert planned for that day.

I'm also going to try my hand at making my own Taco Salad. I'm adding rice for my husband but no rice for me. I saw Smitten Kitchen's taco recipe and was inspired to make something similar but as a salad instead. I love cooking with ground chicken thighs which I get at Whole Foods at a good price. I prefer that over ground turkey or ground white meat chicken now! Plantain chips are on sale at Whole Foods and I thought it would be neat to add them on the top of the salad like croutons.

Friday – No cooking tonight!
Saturday – Soba Noodle Bowl

Carlos' Birthday!
Sunday Brunch – Challah French Toast and Jones' All Natural Sausage
Sunday Dinner – Pastel de Choclo
Sunday Dessert - Hello Dolly Bars 

Monday – Ground Chicken Taco Salad (Ground chicken thighs, black beans, corn, chopped tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, mixed peppers over brown rice and topped with crushed plantain chips) Inspired by Smitten Kitchen 
Tuesday – Chicken Vegetable Stirfry with Teriyaki Sauce
Wednesday – Oven Roasted Pork Chops, Salad (Olivia’s Organics Spinach, Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Mushrooms), Roasted Potatoes
Thursday – Alexia Onion Rings, Steamed Green Beans and Lloyd’s Smokehouse Ribs

Here are some deals I'm taking advantage of:

Market Basket Deals
Ghirardelli Squares
Center Cut Pork Chops
Lloyd's Ribs Coupon
Olivia's Organics
Baby Portobello Mushrooms
Cucumbers
Celery

Whole Foods Deals
Avocados
Steaz Iced Tea
Tribe Hummus
Plantain Chips
Alexia Onion Rings Sale plus Coupon
CLIF bar coupon
Luna Bars coupon

What are you cooking this week?