Five Meals for Your Family Table...Week 1

Happy Monday friends! The first full week of work and school this week.... it seems like a long time since we had that! So what better way to help you get through this week, than our launch of Five Meals for Your Family Table.

Here are 5 meals for you to put on the table this week....Don't be afraid to try them...I keep them simple with less than 7 ingredients....and full of flavor!

One

Black Bean Soup & chicken quesadillas. Soup just tastes so good in January and this one comes together quickly! We pair it with some easy quesadillas. Take some whole grain tortillas and top with shredded cheddar, shredded rotisserie chicken & chopped scallions. Top with another tortilla and bake at 400 for about 5-6 minutes. Kiddos don't like onions....just omit the scallions on theirs!

Two

Turkey & Quinoa Zucchini Bake. I mentioned making casseroles a little healthier this month and this one is a great start. The quinoa is a better choice than pasta and there is very little cheese....and still just as yummy!

Three 

Grilled Salmon with Lemon Dijon Sauce & Cauliflower Rice. My family loves salmon, but you could easily sub in any fish for this dish. Just grill or bake your fish and place it over cauliflower rice. This lemon dijon sauce is really simple. I take 6oz plain Greek yogurt, 1-2 TBSP dijon mustard, juice of half a lemon and salt & pepper to taste. Mix together and add a little water to thin it out. It's a perfect topping for seafood or chicken and without all the additives of a pre-made sauce. You can save some of the extra sauce for your walnut crusted pork. My kids love a lemon slice with their fish...have since they were little. They think it's funny to taste how sour it is! I guess it makes eating fish more fun!

Four

Walnut Crusted Pork with Steamed Broccoli & Sweet Potatoes. This is a really delicious way to cook your pork. Take a one pound pork tenderloin & season with salt & pepper. Rub 1 1/2 TBSP of dijon mustard on  top of the pork. Place on a foil lined baking sheet and press 1/2 cup of  finely chopped walnuts on the pork. I pulsed mine in the food processor along with a few sprigs of thyme.  Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes. Let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing. This would also be delicious with pecans too and don't forget to try some of your leftover lemon dijon sauce with it too!

You can find the potato recipe here...they are amazing!!

Five 

Maple Glazed Chicken with Acorn Squash. This is a family favorite in fall & winter. For the glaze, whisk together 1/4 cup  EVOO, 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, 1 TBSP whole grain mustard and the zest & juice of half an orange. Brush it on one pound of boneless chicken breasts and bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. You can find the squash recipe here.

Here are a few things you can prep to make your meals easier during the week....

Chop the onion & carrot for your soup and store together so you can just dump it in the pot when you are ready to make the soup.

Chop the onion and zucchini and store together for the casserole. You can even make this casserole on your prep day and then just bake it during the week.

Rice your cauliflower....store it and it's ready to go.

Chop your nut mixture for the pork & clean and prep your broccoli.

I find if all my chopping is done on my prep day, it makes my dinner come together much quicker.....and I am not pulling out the cutting board to chop each night. 

It may seem like a daunting task to plan out meals, but  stay with it! I have found that with about 30-45 minutes of prep at the start of the week and a plan for what I am making, it makes the dinner hour a lot easier and healthier! 

Hope your family enjoys these meals... we will share 5 more next week! 

Did you make any New Year's goals? I am linking up with some bloggers on Wednesday to share my goals. See you then.....there's always room for one more at our family table.

xoxo

Genevieve

Better for you Casseroles....#1

Casseroles... who doesn't love a good casserole in the winter??  Unfortunately most are loaded with pasta and lots of cheese.....neither of which love your waistline...oh wait they do..they stay there...for a long time! Ha! So this month I am on a mission to make some hearty casseroles a little better for you! First up... Turkey & Zucchini with Quinoa.

Ingredients

1lb ground turkey

1 box quinoa (rinsed)

1 medium onion chopped

2 medium zucchini chopped

1 clove chopped garlic

1 28oz can of chopped or crushed tomatoes 

2 TSP Italian Seasoning (no salt added)

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

EVOO

1. Cook your quinoa according to package instructions. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. While quinoa is cooking, heat a large sautee pan over medium high heat and add the ground turkey. Cook until browned, breaking up into smaller pieces.

3. Move the turkey to the side of the pan and add  2 TBSP of EVOO and add the onion. Cook until softened and then add the zucchini and garlic. Cook for about 5-6 minutes.

4. Combine the turkey with onion & zucchini and add the Italian seasoning and salt & pepper to taste.

5. Add the crushed tomatoes to the pan, along with the cooked quinoa. Mix to combine.

6. Pour into a 13*9 baking dish and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. 

You can make this dish and store in fridge for a few days and bake when needed. Just add a few minutes to the bake time to ensure it is warmed through. You can also substitute ground chicken. I hope your family enjoys it as much as ours does!

Friday Favorites... 2017 Edition

Happy first Friday of 2017! Gosh.. this was a long, short week. Not that it dragged, but the holidays seem a lifetime ago as we settle back into our daily routines. We all needed it though...bedtimes were a little lax... and I know I was was ready to get back into our usual routine.  So while it was a fairly quiet week, am I am linking up with  Andrea, Narci, and Erika to share some of my favorites. We recapped our start of 2017 this week and you can catch up here.

Well it was a quiet week, until Thursday afternoon. I had planned out this post on Wednesday night....then I came home from work around 12.30pm on Thursday and it was like driving through a Winter Wonderland! I left in the morinng and you could see patches of grass, but by dinnertime we could measure our snow in feet! I have to admit I do love one good snowstorm each year! I grabbed the kids early from school, because I knew the buses would be so late with the weather. So we all hunkered down and enjoyed the snowfall......

Maddie was LOVING life.....

The kids were loving it too!!

 

I see some skiing and sledding in our future this weekend! Now onto my Friday Favorites!

one

Reading!! I love to read, but I always put it on the backburner of my daily life. So when I would sit down at the end of the day to read....I was lucky to get through a page before closing my eyes! I had surgery in the fall, and while I was out on leave from my job I picked up reading again. Oh how I missed it! So I am happy to say that I have made reading a part of my daily routine... after dinner.... while I am still awake enough to get through more than one page! E & L love reading too, so I have loved our nights snuggled together reading! This is my current book, and so far, so good!

two

Cooking! I have tried some great new recipes this week and can't wait to share them with you! Be sure to check back on Monday.... we will be launching our first week of meal plans. 5 simple meals for your family table!!

three

A decluttered, clean house! We have taken down all the Christmas decor and done a thorough cleaning... going to bed with a clean kitchen makes this mama heart happy!

four

The everyday......

Luke trying out his new binoculars.....he and Maddie were scoping out some bunnies!

Ella snuggling with Maddie......

And these facebook memories that pop up just get me.....my littles 5 years ago!

That's about it for our first week of 2017! We have some fun stuff planned this year... it's going to be a great year! Be sure to check in on Monday to get your meal plan & recipes for the week....so much yumminess in one post! See you then.... there's always room for one more at our family table.

xoxo

Genevieve

Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

I have seen these Hasselback Potatoes popping up in photos and on social media and they look amazing! So of course I had to play around and try my own spin on them. Oh....my.... gosh....they were amazing!!!! Here you go....

Ingredients

4 medium organic sweet potatoes

1 TBSP unsalted butter

2 TBSP coconut oil

4 springs of thyme

Sauce

6oz plain Greek yogurt

2 scallions, finely chopped (could also use chives)
Himalayan Salt & Pepper

1.Preheat oven to 400.
2. Wash and dry the potatoes. I recommend organic, to avoid pesticides as you will be eating the skin. If you can't do organic.. just be sure to wash them really well.
3. Place the potatoes on a plate and microwave for about 5 minutes. This helps make it a little easier to slice them.
4. Slice the potatoes thinly about 2/3 of the way through. I found a tip to put wooden spoons on either side to stop you from cutting all the way through. I placed two chopsticks there and that worked too. I also cut off the ends from each side.

5. Place your potatoes on a baking sheet. Melt the butter and oil together and spoon some on each potato, trying to get in between the slices. Sprinkle each with some Himalayan Sea Salt, pepper and some thyme.  

6.Bake for 45 minutes.

While they are baking, you can prepare the topping. Mix the yogurt with the scallions and add salt & pepper to taste. You can top them with a dollop of the sauce or break off the slices and dip them. The outside is crispy and the inside is soft, the perfect mix! Friends.... you need these potatoes....they are soooo good!! We love them with my walnut crusted pork... just so yummy!

Weekend Wrap Up....Hello 2017 Edition!

Happy, happy New Year friends!!!! 2017 is off to a great start and we sure ended 2016 with an action packed weekend!

I just love how the holidays fell this year with the extra day! But I have to be honest... I had no idea what day it was most of last week! Here is a little recap of our last few days of the year....

We packed up the car with our good friends and ventured down to Holiday Valley for some snow tubing. The night did not start out as planned as we got to the tubing company and they were sold out of tubes.. SO BUSY!!! So we went to plan B and did dinner first....over an hour wait at the restaurant! But we found a spot at the bar, ordered some apps and called it dinner!

We went back to the Tubing spot and got our tubes... and it was so much fun! They hook your tube to a pulley and you ride up the mountain.

 It was snowing like crazy while we were there!!! It felt like we were inside a snowglobe! The kids had a blast.......and the adults did too!

 

I mean, look at all the snow on my hat.....it was coming down so hard!

 

Of course we had to warm up with hot cocoa afterwards......

We laid low on Friday night and played with some of the kids' new toys....

 

And then I began to take down the Christmas decor. As much as I love putting it up, I love it just as much when it comes down! I was cleaning like crazy. If it wasn't tied down, I was donating or tossing. Love starting the year of fresh!

Is there anything sexier than your guy vacuuming on a Friday night? I think not!😍

Of course I found myself at Target Saturday morning wanting to buy all new stuff for organizing and decorating! #tellmeimnotalone   I restrained and just bought the few things I went in for....and maybe these placemats I found for 75% off.......

Saturday night we went to a fabulous New Year's Eve party at a friends house. There were over 30 kids there.... and I made some cute Oreo pops to celebrate!

We all had so much fun! Great friends....

a fun balloon drop & confetti poppers....

and a champagne toast to end the night!

Sunday I was still in cleaning mode, so Paul took the kids sledding. The kids were so excited when they saw their good friends there too. Sledding with your friends is apparently way more fun than with just Dad!

 

We finished out Sunday with some pizza and football at our friends house. The kids had fun catching up and sharing Christmas stories!

After all the festivities of December, I was happy to start out my Monday with a clean family room, my new mug and start a new book....

We joined my parents and sister for lunch and spent the rest of our afternoon getting ready to head back to school & work! 

2016 was such a fun year for us! I recapped my favorite things from the year last week. If you missed that post, you can catch up here.

Next week I am starting up a new weekly post. 5 meal ideas you can share at your family table each week. I know a lot of friends out there want to change the approach they take to food this year. Whether it's meal planning, recipe ideas, eating healthier, or getting your kids involved in the kitchen....I hope to help with all of that each week!

 I did a meal planning post a few months ago & you can read that to get an idea of where to start. Be sure to add your email to follow our blog, or check us out on Facebook or Instagram so you don't miss anything! 

I hope 2017 is off to a good start for all of you too! I am excited to share lots of great recipes & things to do as a family this year. I am thankful to you for following along and hope you will invite some friends to join us.....there's always room for one more at our family table!

Here's to a great year!

xoxo

Genevieve