Week of Dinners #4

Another round-up of our recent meals. Let me know what you've been cooking!

Sunday: Baked Chicken Parmesan, Whole Wheat Spaghetti, Broccoli and Cauliflower

I made a baked chicken parmesan recipe from my Sheet Pan Suppers cookbook. I had sliced it on my plate, so that's why it looks a little strange! On the side I had whole wheat spaghetti with the extra sauce, and some steamed broccoli and cauliflower. Here is the chicken on the sheet pan.

Monday: Steak, Baked Potatoes, Asparagus, Salad with Homemade dressing, Homemade Chocolate Eclairs

This was such a treat night! My Mother-in-law was visiting and it was her birthday, so I tried to make a special birthday dinner for her. We BBQ'd some New York strip steak that was just simply seasoned with salt and pepper. I made baked potatoes that I rubbed with olive oil and salt before baking, to ensure a crispy skin. On the side I roasted asparagus. In addition, I made a homemade blue cheese salad dressing to go on top of iceburg and cucumber. I absolutely love blue cheese and gorgonzola but I don't buy them often because nobody else in this house will eat them. It's fun cooking for someone who will eat these things!

I knew the birthday girl liked chocolate eclairs, and I went searching for them at Whole Foods. They no longer make them there, but the cashier assured me they were easy to make. So I went ahead and tried! Before this I had never seen, tasted, or made an éclair. I honestly had no idea what they were. But I thought they turned out really well! Of course I had nothing to compare them to, but I'd give them a thumbs up!

 Tuesday: Spaghetti Squash stuffed with turkey and veggies

After the previous night's decadent dinner I wanted something a bit lighter. I halved and roasted a spaghetti squash and then shredded it to make "noodles". On the stove I sautéed ground turkey with tomatoes, spinach, oregano, basil, garlic and onion. I topped the "noodles" with the turkey veggie mixture and then sprinkled a little parmesan on top before baking for another 10 minutes. Jenna and I thought it was delicious!

 Wednesday: Chile Lime Salmon, Cilantro Lime Rice and Beans, Raspberries

I had picked up this new chile lime seasoning at Trader Joe's last month and finally got around to trying it. I sprinkled it on salmon and then baked. It turned out to be really mild so next time I will be more heavy-handed with the seasoning. On the side I mixed together brown rice, black beans, cilantro and lime juice. Served with sweet raspberries!

Thursday: Broccoli Cauliflower Cheddar Soup, Cheddar Garlic Whole Wheat Biscuits

I've made broccoli cheddar soup many times but have never added cauliflower until now. I can't locate the recipe I used, but it was pretty basic. Onion, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, chicken broth, half and half, shredded cheddar, thyme......I think that's it? It turned out to have great flavor and Adam loved it! On the side I made our favorite whole wheat cheddar garlic biscuits, recipe found here. I called them "cheezit muffins" and so Ryan decided to try one. He said it was really good, but he only took 2 small bites before he was done. At least he tried something new!

Friday: Pork Tenderloin with Potatoes, Onions, Carrots. Iceburg and cucumber with homemade blue cheese dressing

I decided to make kind of a pot roast using pork instead of beef. I rubbed the pork tenderloin with dried onion soup mix (I either make it from scratch or buy the all natural kind at Trader Joe's). Then I chopped up a bunch of potatoes, onions and carrots and added to the dish and topped with water before roasting. I made a new batch of blue cheese dressing and topped more iceburg and cucumbers. (Bought a lot at Costco!)

And just to keep things real, Saturday night was a mish-mash of a whole bunch of leftovers because I was tired of cooking! (And I can't let food go to waste)

OK now I need your help. What are your favorite crock-pot meals and/or quick meals you can prepare ahead of time? I have a few days coming up where I'll be out of the house during the late afternoon and I need some easy dinner ideas!