mexican week - version 2

last days in pvr

we recently returned from a fabulous 2 weeks in puerto vallarta - so this week was mexican-inspired. with snow falling outside, couldn't seem farther away...
breakfast
yoghurt
fruit
banana muffins

snacks
rice cake nachos - just rice cakes topped with salsa, and a bit of cheese
pico de gallo
black bean dip

meals
- red peppers stuffed with chili and rice - pre cooked the peppers at 350 for 15 min to soften them up then stuffed with chili and rice and topped with a bit of cheese
- fish and salad - simple - pan fried haddock in garlic and chicken broth
- arepas with shrimp and beans - used masa harina to make the arepas
- rice and bean casserole - there was enough of the leftover shrimp and bean mix to make into a casserole with 2 cups of cooked rice
- mexican rice with fish (subbed fish for shrimp/chorizo)


i share my weekly meal plans at orgjunkie.com - you can find hundreds of meal plans on menu planning mondays there...helped me get back into meal planning.

another tour of asia week (well... mostly)

gluten free banana bread muffins

i love travelling through asia. there are many places i love. rich experiences. but if i had to choose my top 3 places in asia...well, that's easy for me...

1. chiang mai - northern thailand - i studied here, i travelled here, i learned enough basics to buy things and count and order off a menu and say please and thank you.  kop kuhn ka, chiang mai - far in distance, but near in thoughts.
2. hong kong - love hong kong. love the dirt and the smells and the chaos and the tai chi and the ferry rides and kowloon and lantau island and the gold coast. so much love can only be expressed in a run-on sentence, and there is so much substance to the place...more than i can write in that same long sentence.
3. yangshuo, china. so relaxed, such an expected rest stop in a country that is challenging to travel - from west peace (xi'an) to a 30hr train ride to yangshuo, surrounded by karst hills - my peace.

and now food, photos and recipes...

featured snack - banana bread muffins - gluten free (but could be made with regular flour
1.5c demerara sugar (or brown sugar
6tbsp butter
--- cream these
1 egg
3 mashed bananas
dash of cinnamon
1c sour cream (i used fat free
1 tsp vanilla extract
dash of salt
1.5tsp baking soda
1c rice flour
1.25c sorghum flour
3/4c oats (optional
---all of these mixed until fairly smooth
---300 oven for about 45min
makes about 18 muffins
(i added a few dark chocolate chips on top of each to make it look more treat like for the boys
---seriously yum and lots of great flavour and texture especially considering it is gluten free.


breakfast
omelette- cheese
yoghurt and fruit
fruit salad
rotate

snacks/lunch
cantaloupe
blackberries
blueberries
bananas
coconut rice crackers
veggies and dip
leftovers - lots and lots of leftovers
salads

suppers

coconut/tomato curry chicken with rice - i did this in the slow cooker this time, and didn't change a thing and it turned out great.

• chicken nuggets with peanut sauce in lettuce (for the boys
• non asian - butternut squash soup and gluten free bread from the market
 



some asian herbs - grass like blade on right is culantro



• squid, green peppers, and baby bok choy with rice noodles in black bean sauce
  1/4c water / black bean sauce / squeeze of hoisin sauce / 2 tbsp rice vinegar / 2/3 lb squid / 3c baby bok choy / 1 green pepper chopped / 2 spring onions chopped / 1tsp minced garlic / 2 tbsp turbinado sugar / 1c bean sprouts / 3tbsp chopped culantro (vietnamese looks like a thick blade of grass - can use a bit more cilantro instead
  - quickly whip up in the wok or a pan
  - quick, easy and tasty - reheats pretty well for squid
• chili and rice

i share my weekly meal plans at orgjunkie.com - you can find hundreds of meal plans on menu planning mondays there...helped me get back into meal planning.

2010/2011 week

i did take christmas week off from meal planning - well sort of.
it was a short week at home
a long drive to my parents
and quick visits - too quick
so little time for some of the most important people in my life...sigh

also, the week got a bit complicated
the tummy bug turned the home part into an all soup kind of week
little down, much up
good times

so this past week was clearly an improvement. used up the last of the freezer stash from 2010, and threw together a few recipes to round out the week.

happy new year! a photo reflection of 1/1/11 to come.

now onto pics and recipes...

new year's eve snacks
champagne and snacks including potatoes done 2 ways

breakfast
cereal with soy/rice milk
yoghurt and fruit
eggs with pesto, salsa and cheese

snacks/lunch
cherries
canteloupe
rice cakes with hummus
apples
bananas
pears
gluten free crackers with hummus
veggies and dip
sour cream and onion chips
frozen yoghurt with kit kat pieces

suppers
- chili over rice - mashed down a bit for the boys - i think we are finally done with the freezer stash on this one
- leftover tomato coconut curry
- fish in phyllo with pico de gallo topping (i went without the phyllo for me gluten free - made a rub out of mexican chili spice, garlic powder, cumin and turmeric)
- potatoes in spaghetti sauce
- pizza quesadillas - i had spaghetti sauce and rice pasta
- butternut squash soup with gluten free biscuits

i share my weekly meal plans at orgjunkie.com - you can find hundreds of meal plans on menu planning mondays there...helped me get back into meal planning.

twas the week before christmas (week)...

...and all through my kitchen, a mama who didn't feel like blogging all week was scouring through the freezer, looking at leftovers with hopes of reinventing them into totally new meals to use up before heading out of town for christmas.

i just like the idea of using up those freezer leftovers, and the produce before we bundle up, pack up, and head down to my parents' place for a quick few days over christmas.

so mostly leftovers, and items from the last big grocery shop 2wks ago...

my list of dishes with recipes and pics in the links...and some on here - adding pics as they differ from the links...(yeah that didn't make much sense, but here is the food...




breakfast
omelette- cheese and pesto
yoghurt and fruit
fruit salad
breakfast muffins/cakes

snacks/lunch
watermelon
canteloupe
rice cakes with hummus
apples
bananas
pears
gluten free crackers with hummus
veggies and dip
doritos - cheeseburger flavour
salads

suppers
- for the bubs - another rice variation - a few tbsp pasta sauce, tsp curry powder, tsp of cumin (started with one cup of uncooked basmati rice)
- chili over rice - another week with chili from the freezer (mashed down a bit for the boys
- acorn squash and potato soup (this lasted for several meals for all 4 of us - except i subbed with a butternut squash and added 3 sweet potatoes - so adjusted some of the spices for the additions
- supper at our friends - soup and salad

- slow cooker beef leftovers and leftover peanut sauce and added rice noodles and cilantro and a bit of soy sauce

- same slow cooker beef leftovers and made a quick fried rice with 3c cooked basmati rice, 3tbsp each of soy sauce, fish sauce, chopped green onions, cilantro and a tablespoon of sugar.
- leftover tomato coconut curry

- yellow bell peppers stuffed with chili over rice - and added layers of shredded cheese and jalapeno slices quick and easy chili rellenos in a 375 oven for about 20mins.









i share my weekly meal plans at orgjunkie.com - you can find hundreds of meal plans on menu planning mondays there...helped me get back into meal planning.

soup and rice week

easy and delicious - one pre-made sheet of butter puff pastry, 2 ripe pears and one apple peeled and sliced fairly thin, 1 tsp sugar, .5tsp cinnamon, 1tbsp lemon juice --- preheat oven to 375 --- in a bowl, toss pear, apple, lemon juice, sugar, and cinnamon --- place mixture in centre of puff pastry, leaving about an inch free all around so that you can now pull up the sides and make it kind of like a packet with a slight opening --- a little bit of cooking spray on the cookie sheet and a bit on top then into the oven for about 20min and done!

it ended out being a very soup and rice filled week. hmmm, stick to your gut and hearty, wholesome, slurp-worthy food - yep christmas is coming...
- not an exclusively gluten-free week (for me...mostly yes, but i did have a few bites of a pear apple galette i made - and had the heartburn and bloating to prove it).
my list of dishes with recipes and pics in the links...

breakfast
omelette- cheese and more cheese
yoghurt and fruit
fruit salad
breakfast muffins/cakes

snacks/lunch
breakfast muffins/cakes
canteloupe
rice cakes with hummus
apples
bananas
pears
gluten free crackers with hummus
veggies and dip
leftovers - one of the scores from the freezer was finding some sancocho (fish stew) that i forgot i had frozen
salads
apple-pear galette (see the top of the post)
suppers
phyllo nights - leftovers from last week - phyllo for everyone...but me
for the bubs - rice with carrots-peas
for the bubs - another rice variation - a few tbsp pasta sauce, tsp curry powder, tsp of cumin (started with one cup of uncooked basmati rice)
chili over rice
acorn squash and potato soup \(this lasted for several meals for all 4 of us)
christmas party for dh's work - kids included - we brought a big salad for the buffet of food going on

i share my weekly meal plans at orgjunkie.com - you can find hundreds of meal plans on menu planning mondays there...helped me get back into meal planning.

cold weather food week

was a bit of a busy week - am just home from a weekend of doing a fantastic course so am posting like mad to get my weekly menu up. this one was kind of a take on comfort food - a few items with a twist - an asian style fish stew and a shepherd's pie done a bit differently.

my list of dishes with recipes and pics in the links...

breakfast

omelette- pesto cheese
hard boiled eggs and toast
yoghurt and fruit
fruit salad
breakfast muffins/cakes

snacks/lunch

breakfast muffins/cakes

watermelon
rice cakes
apples
bananas
coconut rice crackers
veggies and dip
leftovers - lots and lots of leftovers
salads

suppers

thai/vietnamese - inspired fish stew
almost shepherd's pie with salad
bbq chicken and sweet potatoes
chili over rice
from the freezer - spaghetti sauce and rice pasta
takeout pizza - donair, bacon and tomato for the guys, salad and leftovers for me
leftovers and salad

i share my weekly meal plans at orgjunkie.com - you can find hundreds of meal plans on menu planning mondays there...helped me get back into meal planning.

a few family faves and kid-friendly recipes week

the past week just flew by
i've taken on the task of finally editing some of my family photos - from january onwards (yes, i did fall desperately behind on this one), so given the nostalgia of looking at photos from the newborn stage, i relied on some family favourites and wanted to post some of my go-to recipes/simple modifications for the boys
now...
my list of dishes with recipes and pics in the links...

breakfast
omelette- pesto cheese
hard boiled eggs and toast
yoghurt and fruit
fruit salad

kid-friendly recipes - breakfast and snack ideas
snacks/lunch
a lot of cantaloupe and watermelon
apples
bananas
coconut rice crackers
veggies and dip
leftovers - lots and lots of leftovers
salads
sorbet

kid - friendly meals

suppers
easy oven chicken and sweet potatoes
pad thai noodles
bbq chicken and sweet potatoes
from the freezer - slow cooker tostada lasagna 
from the freezer - chili over rice
from the freezer - spaghetti sauce and rice pasta

i'm in the unusual position of needing to use up some of the extra meals i have in the freezer - a freezer full of meals - never thought THAT would be an issue!
i share my weekly meal plans at orgjunkie.com - you can find hundreds of meal plans on menu planning mondays there...helped me get back into meal planning.

a lot of beef week

the nachos with leftover brisket, pico de gallo and leftover chili listed below

it ended up being a beefy week - wasn't feeling super creative so i used up what i had. and i had a roast and lots of ground beef - so all but one supper had beef - that is a first. am definitely going with chicken and fish next week ;)

my list of dishes with recipes and pics in the links...

breakfast
omelette- pesto and cheese
yoghurt and fruit
fruit salad
rotate

snacks/lunch
cantaloupe
pears
bananas
coconut rice crackers
veggies and dip
leftovers - lots and lots of leftovers
salads
apple slices with caramel sauce
maltesers ice cream
kale chips
sushi lunch for my birthday

suppers

• burgers and salad
•  slow cooker chili
• baked brie with apple slices and salad
• slow cooked texas style brisket - i pretty much stuck to the recipe and made

1. brisket tacos with pico de gallo,
2. then had brisket in a salad,
3. and finally nachos with leftover chili, brisket and pico de gallo

i share my weekly meal plans at orgjunkie.com - you can find hundreds of meal plans on menu planning mondays there...helped me get back into meal planning.

a little tour of asia week

pad thai from this week

i love travelling through asia. i've studied in northern thailand (nuad bo rarn - chiang mai thai yoga massage, and reflexology),
i've gotten sick in india (the formidable delhi belly beat my pants off...quite literally),
i've marvelled at the karst hills in southern china
visited sacred sites - as in yogyakarta - places i didn't know about
and several other asian countries.
oh the food - to be able to make food that was so simple in execution and rich in flavour.
am constantly striving to get there...

cooking a few meals at once

my list of dishes with recipes and pics in the links...

breakfast
omelette- pesto and cheese
yoghurt and fruit
fruit salad
rotate

snacks/lunch
cantaloupe
pears
bananas
coconut rice crackers
veggies and dip
leftovers - lots and lots of leftovers
salads
sorbet
apple slices with caramel sauce

suppers

• pad thai
• peanut/cashew beef lemongrass noodles - from leftover pulled bbq beef
• coconut/tomato curry chicken with rice
• chicken nuggets with peanut sauce in lettuce (for the boys
• lettuce wraps with lemongrass meatballs and peanut sauce
• non thai recipe - homemade hamburger helper style beef - 1lb lean ground beef (browned), 1.5 cans of condensed tomato soup, 1 onion chopped, 1/2 packet of taco mix - add these to ground beef and serve over pasta of your choice (i use rice pasta mini shells) serve with shredded cheese

i share my weekly meal plans at orgjunkie.com - you can find hundreds of meal plans on menu planning mondays there...helped me get back into meal planning.

slow cooker beef x 4 meals, and freezer leftovers week

just didn't want to go shopping this week so used what we had in the freezer - both leftovers and the ingredients for the slow cooker beef meals

now...
my list of dishes with recipes and pics in the links...

breakfast
omelette- salsa cheese
fried eggs and beans
yoghurt and fruit
fruit salad
rotate

snacks/lunch
a lot of cantaloupe
pears
bananas
coconut rice crackers
veggies and dip
leftovers - lots and lots of leftovers
salads
sorbet
pulled beef open faced sandwiches
suppers
from the freezer - slow cooker tostada lasagna 
from the freezer slow cooker tamale pie
from the freezer - dumplings and more dumplings and rice asian rolls (like spring rolls but rice-wrapped)
takeout night - cheap pizza (and as leftover lunches)
pulled beef - slowcooker as 3 suppers...

•  topping a caesar salad
• on nachos (fried up with black beans and with cheese and salsa on nachos
• asian style lemongrass beef in a peanut sauce topped with toasted cashews on vermicelli

and the non-food related recipe - deodorant recipe
i share my weekly meal plans at orgjunkie.com - you can find hundreds of meal plans on menu planning mondays there...helped me get back into meal planning.

didn't feel like cooking week

the week felt long
the endurance gone
just didn't feel like cooking
grateful for takeout / pre-made meals / leftovers in the freezer
i suppose starting the week with dh away for work for a few days and the boys on my own just left me tired
tired of cooking and organizing
so this is how the meal planning unfolded...
(note this meal plan is not completely gluten free this week)
breakfast
yoghurt and fruit
leftover zucchini breakfast slices
leftover jam pie
cereal with soy milk
snacks/lunch
watermelon
pears
apples
bananas
veggies and dip
leftovers...
spaghetti sauce over rice pasta
chicken breast pieces
salads
raspberry sorbet - made in the ice cream maker
suppers
leftover slow cooker chili from the freezer, with rice
leftover slow cooker tostada lasagna with rice
meatballs and dipping sauces with caesar salad
chicken burgers and roast potatoes
leftover mac and ch-easy bake
pizza - takeout
dumplings - leek dumplings, chicken and vegetable dumplings - i boiled then fried them and served with sriracha sauce and soy sauce - pre-made meal


*** for hundreds of meal plan ideas visit orgjunkie.com

3 meals = a week + of suppers/lunches

peach sorbet

this past week did not begin with the intention of making something new out of recipes, but this is exactly how it evolved. 3 recipes - 2 of them altered a bit made 6 unique meals, plus a hearty pasta sauce and breakfast squares and peach sorbet...made for a surprisingly easy week of meals. next week's will feature thanksgiving pics and fixings.

happy thanksgiving to all my friends and family in canada. was a beautiful weekend/day for it...and now the meal plan...

breakfast
omelette -  cheese and chicken bacon
yoghurt and fruit
fruit salad
zucchini breakfast slices

snacks/lunch
cantaloupe
pears
apples
bananas
sour cream and onion popcorn
veggies and dip
leftovers
salads
peach sorbet - made in the ice cream maker

suppers
 spaghetti sauce (my dad made it and sent it up with my mom when she visited) over rice pasta shells
easy baked cod with salad
fish chowder (made from above)
lemongrass pulled beef in rice wrappers with peanut sauce 
pulled beef pho
beef pho with rice noodles
salad with pulled beef and peanut sauce

i share my weekly meal plans at orgjunkie.com - you can find hundreds of meal plans on menu planning mondays there...helped me get back into meal planning.

italian/comfort food week - meal planning

the intention this week was to go all italian, and talk about some of the food memories i have from travel in italy. that's not quite what happened with the meal plan.

instead it ended up being a bit of italian, a bit of bbq, easy meals, and food for comfort.

what is great about meal planning is even with going off course, i had lots of ingredients that went well together. so when i whipped up meals together that weren't in the original plan...they worked. and some of the joy of cooking is throwing together a bunch of ingredients and seeing what happens - how the flavours blend, how they bring out something new in each other.

and that is part of what i love about leftovers...the challenge of making them into something new. the reward for being creative. the surprise in making simple food with full flavours.

joy.

and now the meal plan we just ate in the past week...

breakfast
omelette pizza - omelette topped with pizza sauce, garlic and mozzarella
fried eggs with italian sausage
yoghurt and fruit
fruit salad
rotate

snacks/lunch
a lot of cantaloupe - we went through 3 jumbo sized
coconut rice crackers
rice crackers and hummus
chips (mmmm!)
veggies and dip
leftovers
salads

suppers
simple crockpot pasta/sauce with garlic pita
italian nachos
shrimp and leftovers pesto pasta
steak, salad and oven baked potato wedges
bbq lamb chops, potatoes and salad
crustless potato/leftover quiche/casserole
potatoes in pasta sauce and leftover lamb chops

thanks to i'm an organizing junkie, i got myself in gear, photographed it and wrote it down...

colombian week - meal plan

why colombia? i wrote a post here about my deep and connected travels through colombia - the food, the experience, and the love that grew into a dozen+ years of love (so far!)

breakfast
omelette with salsa
fried eggs with beans (can of beans done with chopped spring onions, cilantro and bbq sauce
yoghurt and fruit
fruit salad
rotate

snacks
aji
fruit leather
dessert bars

supper
arroz con chorizo
arepas con salmon
bistec colombiano

sancocho

tostada lasagna

this menu created several leftover meals -
sancocho - approx 8 adult servings,
tostada lasagna 5-6 adult servings,
salmon topping was used in 1 further meal,
rice with chorizo was good for a full meal and as a side.

i am adding this weekly meal plan to I'm an Organizing Junkie, where hundreds of weekly meal plans are hosted during Menu Plan Monday...lots of ideas, and things to aspire to during the rest of the week.

meal planning menu - bbq week

lots of leftovers for lunches from asian week and this week
hot weather, bags of sunshine = lots of bbq!

supper
veggie burgers with baked and bbq fries
bbq salmon on pita with tomato and onion
steak and salad
pulled bbq chicken sandwiches
pulled bbq salad
night off - delicious proscuitto and sun-dried tomato sandwiches from dirienzo's with rigatoni in a spicy carbonara sauce

meal plan - some asian inspiration

breakfast, lunch and snacks are not part of the theme week

breakfast
fruit/yoghurt
omelette - pesto and pepper
oatmeal
rotated

lunch
pulled chicken wrap
leftovers
salad
soup and salad
and a lot more leftovers

dinner
several nights worth when i prepped my version of chinese takeout - i put each dish in re-usable aluminum containers with lids
so
squid and pepper and baby bok choy in black bean sauce
lo mein noodles in soy sauce
rice noodles - a bit thai inspired
lemon chicken
cashew chicken
quick dry fried noodles with chinese greens
pad thai (w/ scallops)

snacks
much like the week before
but a lot of rice crackers and dip
and cuttle fish snacks from one of the thai grocery stores

one of my past weeks of meal planning

breakfast
rotation of
yoghurt/fruit
omelette - pesto/cheese and salsa/mushroom
pancakes
eggs/fruit
oatmeal

lunch
chicken caesar salad
pasta with turkey meatballs
leftovers
pita pizza and salad
soup and salad
grilled cheese and soup
leftovers and salad

dinner
baked wings with veggies and potato skins
salmon in a teryaki sauce and asian style potato pancakes
chicken and black bean enchiladas
turkish style meatballs on pita with tzatziki and salad
leftovers
chicken and tortellini in a carbonara sauce

snacks
cucumber salad
cucumber and dip
hummus and crackers
black bean cake
rice cakes
rotate

so a mish mash - some are my own recipes, some inspired by other sites
will add the links later

meal planning - time to start posting

not the most exciting thing, but i have done meal planning with various levels of commitment over the years.

sometimes, living oh about 40 or 50 feet from our closest local restaurant is tempting - mmm pho. and inexpensive for takeout. so it can be an excuse to not plan out meals

but this year i have really recommitted to it. so i am posting the meal plans i've done starting now so that i can not only share my meal plan ideas, but to have an easy way to get back to them.

so let's start with the essentials...

i print up the weekly meal planner form from $5 dinners and use it because it has room for breakfast/lunch/snacks/dinner

here's the link