BUSY BUSY BUSY

With the end of school quickly approaching, I have been super busy with many school projects. I still have been cooking, but haven't had the time to post. Some of the meals in the last week or two have been repeats of our new favs. Here are some of the latest:

Not deserted!

Oh, what a hectic week I have had. I was so busy that I did not get a chance to try out any new recipes until today.

Tonight I made "Parmesan Chicken with Crispy Posh Ham." I wasn't sure how I would like it because I rarely eat pork, but I wanted to give it a try. I also made a green bean dish. It turned out very good...a little too cheesy for me, but Scott went back for a huge second helping. I ate all the green beans first and then tried the chicken...I was pleasantly surprised. The chicken was very juicy and had a good flavor. I even liked the ham that was on it. However, Austin was not a big fan. He didn't even want to try his green beans and only ate a few bites of chicken. Oh well...he didn't get anything else to eat. I don't want to become a family where the kids get something different than the grown-ups. I want him to learn to try new things and not be a picky eater!

Garlic Crusted Chicken and Spinach

Repeated this dinner again this week since it is so good and so easy to make. Still seemed pretty new to me and had to have the cookbook near by. Found some organic chicken at Safeway so we gave it a try tonight. Very tasty! Scott went back for seconds and even ate lots of spinach! Austin didn't go for the spinach though. I think he doesn't like the squishiness of it. Oh well...we shall try again.

Meatballs

So I wasn't going to really cook a dinner tonight because I wasn't hungry, but Scott talked me into it and he was really hungry. So I made a meatballs and spaghetti dish. It was more complitcated than the dishes I made last week, but it turned out wonderful.

Had to chop up onions and garlic...my eyes are still burning. Mix together cracker crumbs, rosemary, and egg to the beef and add to tomato sauce. The sauce included adding baslamic vingeur which surprised me. Gave the sauce a more grown up taste in my opinion. Served it up with some basic green beans (just plain out of a can...just ok). I have a recipe for fresh green beans I am going to try out later this week.

Tonight's dinner was a BIG hit with the boys. Austin started gobling it down right away!

Beef and Chicken Help!

So I would really like to buy meat that I know comes from a better place than animals that were raised in a cramped factory. I did some research over the weekend to learn more. So GROSS! But I am stuck...living in a small town, I have limited places to shop and even more limited access to organic food. Anyone have any suggestions on how to buy better products, especially better meat?

End of Week 1

So the end of last week was a hectic one with me being busy with work and Scott had to work late or out of town. Instead of giving in and just getting junk for us to eat...I kept with eating at home. I made this garlic crusted chicken. You take chicken breast and pound them out so they are thin and then coat them with some crumbs, parsley, and garlic. Bake for 15 min. Super easy and so yummy. I was surprised that Austin actually ate more than one bite of the chicken (you would think he was a vegatarian with what he chooses to eat). I had cut some chicken for him into strips. He ate a whole one with some steamed broccoli and then asked for more chicken. Scott ate some when he got home and really liked it as well. I cooked all the chicken I bought this way and it was gone the next day (Scott must have really enjoyed it).

YUM!

So tonight I had a headache and Scott was feeling very well and we almost gave in and ordered food in, but we sucked it up and Scott said he would help me make dinner. I am so glad that we did. Tonight was my favorite meal of the few we have made. It started with "A Cracking Burger"...basicly just a homemade burger mixed with cracker crumbs, egg, and parsley grilled up. DELICIOUS! I asked Scott if he wanted broccoli or spinach and he didn't care so I went for "Buttered Spinach." It turned out so good!!! Jamie Oliver has a pledge for people to sign in the beginning of his cookbook that you will share recipies with other people....so here is one I share with you:

Preheat large frying pan or wok until hot. Wash and dry 1 lb of spinach or baby spinach (I used a bag of baby spinach. Peel and finely slice 2 gloves of garlic (I used my garlic press). Tilt the pan and add a lug of olive oil, imediately followed by the garlic. Shake the pan around so the garlic cooks evenly. When the garlic is slightly brown, add in the spinach and mix it around quickly with tongs. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. After the spinach is scrunched down put in a colander to let excess water drain away. Put the pan back on the heat with 2 pats of butter. When butter starts to sizzle put the spinach back into the pan and squeeze over juice of 1 lemon. Stir around, taste, add more salt and pepper if you think it needs is. Serve up!

What a great mix of flavors...slightly sweet with a little bit of tartness from the lemon. I highly recommend you give it a try. Yummy and easy to make...love that combo!

Day 2

So last night's chicken ended up turning out ok. I was still a little worried about cooking it all the way and decided to cook just the white meat for longer and ended up drying it out. Oh well. The good news is that the veggies cooked with the chicken were so yummy. I went back for seconds and saw that Scott had all ready eaten them all up. I even ate some of the onions (for those of you who know me...that is a huge step!) and whole cooked garlic cloves. YUM!

Tonight's dinner is Macaroni and cauliflower cheese bake. Pretty easy to make. I tasted a bite and it seems really good. Austin ate some first while I wait for Scott to get home. It sits on the counter waiting to go in the oven on broil for a little browning. Austin ate a few bites, but he snacked a lot prior to dinner so I don't think he was super hungry.

Inspired

Watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution has really inspired me to get our family off to a healthier start. Scott is fully supporting me as we say good bye to processed food. Stopping in at Hastings yesterday I looked through several of Jamie's cookbooks. I ended up getting Food Revolution due to it being on sale, but Jamie's Dinners is at the top of my birthday wish list. :) I tried out a speghetti dish last night. It was actually very similar to how I made it anyway. Paired with a salad it made for a delicious dinner. Austin put the lettuce in his mouth, but spit it right out. He LOVED the pasta and ate it right up. Off to a great start.

Today for breakfast made some biscuits and followed his recipie for scrambled eggs. Now I had made scrambled eggs lots of times before, but I think I was always over cooking them. This morning they were smooth and very yummy.

Tonight's dinner started off great. Roasted chicken and veggies...used my Pampered Chef deep dish baker to cook it in the micro...well anyway while Scott was carving it up he noticed it was still raw in the middle. Back in the mirco it went. Waiting for it to finish right now. Next time I will stick with the oven. Needless to say it smells great. While we are waiting for it to finish went ahead and ate our salad. Austin tried it again, took one bite and spit it back out. Oh well...making progress. He did surprise me by eating a couple of good bits of celery. There goes the ding of the mirco...wonder if it is done...have to go.