Monthly Meal Wrap Up for April

I checked out a bunch of cookbooks from the library again and this month I made a couple things from Katie Lee's Endless Summer Cookbook. The biggest success were these healthy banana oat muffins!

Who knew that spelt flour bakes so nicely? I'm super glad this recipe gave me the excuse to buy some, and now I'm going to use it instead of whole wheat. We also made her recipe for a creamy chipotle sauce to use in lieu of our usual cilantro lime sauce on fish tacos and is was delicious. 
We also tried this Mexican Lasagna recipe from The Kitchn. It was tasty, but I'd use almost half the suggested noodles next time.

I happened to catch Trisha Yearwood's show on Food Network and decided to try her Pork Medallions recipe which we'd definitely make again! 

I didn't catch what the 'ginger sauce' was or where to find it, so I used Trader Joe's Soyaki for both the Teriyaki and ginger sauce the recipe calls for and it turned out great.
Speaking of Trader Joe's... ZOMG, the cauliflower gnocchi is TO DIE FOR - that is, if you are a fan of gnocchi. 

I do enjoy cauliflower, but if it's not your thing, I'd still try them. They taste like perfect pillowy gnocchi, with the added bonus of more fiber and veggies! As per the advice from the peeps at Trader Joe's List, I just sauteed them from frozen instead of steaming them in water per the package directions and they come out great. I've been heating them up with some sauteed onion, garlic and butternut squash.
And last, but not least, we went on our first Spring Break family vacation in April! Since this focus of this trip was sightseeing and family fun, I didn't delve too deep into foodie mode like our previous trips. However, we did enjoy some fun local eats. On advice from a San Diegan friend, we hit up Mona Lisa Pizza in Little Italy which was so adorable, so reminiscent of little family owned Chicago eateries, and delicious comfort food: chicken Parmesan, stuffed shells, lasagna, garlic bread and of course, the kids (and adults) loved the pizza!

Another recommendation that was a hit for brunch: Breakfast Republic. My kids were over the moon for the pancake trio with choices like cinnamon roll, Oreo cookie and strawberry cheesecake.

I cannot resist eggs Benedict and their mushroom and pesto version with SPINACH HOLLANDAISE was to die for. Plus you can upgrade your potatoes with Brussels sprouts!

At the end of our trip, we decided to take the kids out for a 'fancy' dinner. Since they both eat steak at home, we decided on Ruth's Chris as they actually have a kid size steak on the kid's menu. Although, in the future we'll probably have to order the eleven year old the adult size portion! They were so adorably striving to act like grownups in the 'fancy' restaurant, and the looks on their faces when their virgin daiquiris arrived were priceless. Of course, that's a picture I didn't take! They discovered the allure of virgin drinks at the pool and asked if they could order one at the restaurant. Ruth's Chris has a slightly elevated presentation compared to the pool bar, and I think my kids now have slightly elevated expectations for our next restaurant adventures!

Monthly Meal Wrap Up - February and March (with lots of love for new Trader Joe's products)

It has been quite awhile since I checked in on the meal front! Y'all, I'm just having a hard time finding stuff worth writing home about. I've tried a few new cookbooks and one or two new recipes in the last two months, but nothing that we'll be adding to the regular rotation. With the exception of this recipe I found from Delish for Goddess Bowls - SO GOOD. 

I was getting real tired of stir fry sauces for chicken/veggies/rice and this was a perfect way to change things up. However... 

This new product from Trader Joe's is deeeeelicious and perfect to throw over rice with some snow peas and chicken for an easy and tasty dinner.
They are on FIRE with awesome new products right now. Seriously, it's not just my bias of having a big brother who is a longtime TJ's Captain. (Related: my favorite TJs items can be found here and here.) They have really stepped up with healthier options for the grab and go salads. I mean, they are usually tasty - but often have a leeeetle too much saturated fat in the dressings and such for my liking. This corn and quinoa salad is light, refreshing AND satisfying.

But the new Banh Mi noodle bowl has MY WHOLE HEART. I literally texted my brother pleading with him to make sure they never ever discontinue it - I limit myself to two a week for lunch, for now...

Oh, hey, yeah - I had that trip to Nashville for some girl time last month!

Not too many pictures of my food were taken, but I can vouch for the lovely cocktails and gnocchi at Jonathan Waxman's Adele's 

and the best thing I ate in Nashville was the whipped feta with honey and pita bread at Butcher and Bee.

ZOMG. It tasted heavenly. I might try and replicate - will report back.
Locally, I had a few fun coffee adventures: finally checking out the Starbucks Roastery, where I tried the tasty Shakerato Bianco (which was basically espresso on ice served with a wee pitcher of sweet cream) 

and the 85 Degree Bakery's sea salt coffee. Drooooool. 

I'm really thankful that cold coffee season is almost in full swing, since I think that's my preferred delivery method. Also coming up in soon? The first family spring break vacation! Hopefully will have some fun new food finds to share from sunny San Diego.

December Monthly Meal Wrap Up

Yep, I've been MIA around these parts for a bit. For me, this is the best time of year to unwind, enjoy time with my family and time on the couch with a book! I only perused one new cookbook this month, but I've copied down a bunch of recipes from Love Real Food by Kathryne Taylor of Cookie and Kate.

Lots of yummy salads I can't wait to try, as well as a number of sweet treats. So far I've made the Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies (because I have a thing for breakfast cookies) and they were tasty, but mine came out a little crumbly.

I may adjust the wet ingredients or add an egg in my next attempt... Most of the month's notable eats revolved around favorite holiday foods like my family's famous Salami Stacks for appetizer night on Christmas Eve, my favorite Linzer Muffins recipe from Cooking Light (which I tried with Trader Joe's Sugar Plum Jam this year - DELICIOUS)

plus Reindeer Chow and sugar cookies for decorating, of course.

We also enjoyed a few meals out and I tried the Breakfast Burrito Bowl at The Commons before we went to see Start Wars and it was as tasty as it was HUGE.

I also took my seven year old out for sushi, which usually means chicken katsu, sesame balls and fruit for her. But, this time she ate up her crab salad and tried a bite of salmon and tuna sashimi - which is heads and tails above my experimentation level at her age, so I'll take it!

And I tried a couple of new whisky cocktails this month: the Food Network show The Kitchen continues to kill it with easy and delicious bourbon recipes. This Gobble Gobble Punch is soooo good and worth purchasing the St. Elizabeth allspice dram. I also finally tried a Paper Plane when we went out for my husband's birthday, and now I must add Amaro and Aperol to our liquor cabinet...

We did try a rather decadent Chicken Tortilla Casserole I found on Pinterest, I guess my first clue should have been that the recipe was from a site called The Chunky Chef.

It will definitely be a 'once in awhile' meal, as it was rather rich, but tasty! I'm feeling like I need to reset after all the (totally worth it) holiday indulgences, perhaps with some of those yummy looking salads from Love Real Food...

Monthly Meal Wrap Up for September

We kicked the month off with a brunch outing the weekend before the school craziness set in. Mmmmm, huevos rancheros.

And it has indeed been a bit busy this month with school commitments and evening soccer practice times that necessitate tried and true easy recipes. So, I didn't get around to many new ones, however the few new things I DID try were delicious! 

Muffins (or a cookie variation) are a go-to breakfast for me: I like to make a huge batch to store in the freezer and pop in the microwave in the morning. I was looking for something new and seasonal - these Sweet Potato Date Muffins were PERFECT. It's from Sarah Britton's book Naturally Nourished, and you can find the recipe here. 

Also great this time of year are my lightened up version of Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Muffins!

As the days get colder, I'm always craving comfort soup recipes and this Coconut Curry Soup from Pinch of Yum was super easy (I highly recommend an immersion blender) and delish. 

I added shredded chicken in lieu of tofu and cooked veggies, but plan to give it a whirl with tofu another day. Also a great easy meal I usually rely on for lunches this time of year:

The Tomato Feta Soup from Trader Joe's has been a favorite for awhile, but this new Pumpkin Butternut Squash Bisque is equally delicious.

We ended the month with a trip to our favorite restaurant in celebration of our 15th wedding anniversary! Daniel's steaks can't be beat, plus the view of the sun setting on Seattle and the Olympic mountains isn't too shabby either.

Everyday Life and Menu Plan (Plus Chicago eats!) 5.23.17

I'm a little late on my usual menu planning because I spent most of yesterday getting groceries in the house, doing laundry and just enjoyed being ALONE while the kids were at school. Don't get me wrong, we had the most wonderful trip with them and I'll likely put a photo dump post up soon. But, I need to charge my introvert batteries. In the interim, I shall do a food photo dump! 

Our first night we ate at one of our favorite Chicago steak chains, Wildfire. It's been so long since I had my beloved peppercorn filet and I devoured the spinach and kale salad, which is definitely a new-to-me addition to the menu, and an excellent one. They also have a great kids menu, and it was a perfect welcome home dinner.

On our second day in the city, we just ate lunch at the aquarium and then hit up Granite City Brewery near our hotel, of which there are none in our neck of the woods and I wish there were - it's similar to Wildfire in that it has a nice atmosphere, great food selections (and beer) for adults, while having a robust kids menu. Sadly I didn't take pictures, but my pulled pork waffle and black cherry old fashioned were delicious.

The next day was full of crisscrossing the suburbs, and when in my husband's hometown, it's a MUST to visit Lake Forest Food and Wine. They've moved locations since our last visit, and it's kind of tucked away - but worth seeking out. Their Italian sub is the absolute best, and I also love the turkey and havarti on sourdough. 

Afterwards, the other must do is a trip to Sweets for a little something - usually a dark chocolate ladybug (their name for a turtle) and the kids got chocolate covered pretzel rods and a chocolate covered Twinkie! 

To cap off our suburban eating, it's always easy to find our absolute must when going home: PORTILLOS. I got the Italian beef, and my husband and kids devoured their Vienna beef hot dogs.

As if that wasn't enough indulgence, there was an Oberweis nearby and we went for milkshakes: the best in the WORLD - not hyperbole.

The last day was filled with a trip to the mall to walk and stretch our legs after a day in the car, because it was really chilly and rainy. But we did hit up Garrett popcorn for some Chicago mix before heading to the wedding. The kids were impressed: caramel corn AND cheese popcorn?! And, yes, it's a shame we didn't eat pizza on this trip. However, we do regularly get our favorite (Lou Malnati's) shipped to us and the only other place that was easy to get to with the kids was Giordano's and I'm not the biggest fan. Hopefully when we return, we'll have time to take the kids to Pequod's or Uno's or even our favorite late night delivery joint, Chicago's Pizza. So, yep, last night we had pizza at home!

• Monday - Pizza
• Tuesday - Curried Chicken with Coconut Lime Rice (from the ATK book One-Pan Wonders)
• Wednesday - Buffalo Turkey Burgers with Blue Cheese Slaw (trying this Skinnytaste recipe)
• Thursday - Chicken with Artichokes, Tomato and Mozzarella with Brown Rice (an old Emeril favorite)
• Friday - Fish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Crema (a Cooking Light staple)
• Saturday - Rigatoni Arrabbiata
• Sunday - Avocado Pine Nut Salad with Grilled Chicken (from Recipe Girl)

As always, I'm linking up with Org Junkie, and now Beth Fish Reads weekend cooking - be sure to check out all the great weekly food inspiration!

Everyday Life and Menu Plan 4.17.17

This was a nice week of getting back into the swing of things after spring break and my husband and I kicked off the weekend with a lovely brunch at The Commons on Good Friday. He had the day off work, but the kids had school - yay! Getting a warm cinnamon roll as an appetizer is required.

We don't really celebrate Easter, but we are big on traditions, especially pagan ones that involve decorated trees or bunnies that deliver presents! So after a little egg hunt around the house and baskets filled with candy and toys, we headed out to the zoo to take advantage of the lovely weather.

Also, the Grilled Chimichurri Chicken and Avocado Salad from Cafe Delites from last week's menu was DELICIOUS. We'll definitely add it to our rotation of salads, I added feta cheese and maybe will add some artichokes or roasted red pepper next time.

This week:

• Monday - Pizza
• Tuesday - Roasted Chicken and Veggies with Pita, Hummus and Tzatziki from Trader Joe's (recipe from Gimme Delicious is similar to ours, but I'd add fresh garlic and parsley)
• Wednesday - Pesto Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Roasted Asparagus (this recipe from Damn Delicious is always in rotation)
• Thursday - Green Machine Sandwiches with Turkey in the Panini Press (from Shutterbean)
• Friday - Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos (a favorite from Our Best Bites)
• Saturday - Korean Short Ribs in the Crock Pot, Roasted Broccoli and Mashed Potatoes (easy and delicious recipe from Food.com)
• Sunday - Barbecue Bacon Ranch Chopped Salad (from Foodie with Family)

As always, I'm linking up with Org Junkie, and now Beth Fish Reads weekend cooking - be sure to check out all the great weekly food inspiration!

Everday Life and Menu Plan - Spring Break Edition (4.10.17)

First things first, the Curried Chicken with Coconut Lime Rice from One-Pan Wonders last week was great!

It was super easy to prep and cook, but I may add a little crushed red pepper or cayenne next time. The curry on the chicken flavored the whole dish nicely, but could have been a tad spicier. 

We had a fun Spring Break staycation, although the weather could have cooperated more. At least we did get some time outside early in the week and no one was sick this year, unlike last year. This meant I was able to bring the kids to the Y every morning to get our day going, and my oldest even joined me for a workout!

As for afternoon activities, Monday we went to the park and Menchies, Tuesday was a hit with our first visit to McMenamin's Anderson School and the Lagoon pool.

They had so much fun and begged to go to the restaurant overlooking the pool after our swim session. It was three in the afternoon and we'd already had lunch, but I caved because I figured we were on vacation! 

I let them eat dinner and I got a Mai Tai, then gave them a bowl of cereal at dinner time. Ha! Next time we go, which will be soon I'm sure since it's about a five minute drive from our house, I'll try and time it around a meal.
Wednesday was haircut day and lazy movie afternoon, because you have to have at least one of those days. Thursday we went bowling, because you have to have that day on staycation, too. 

And we capped off the week on Friday with the best outing to see Cirque du Soleil!

I already gushed on Facebook and Instagram, but I can't stress enough how wonderful Luzia is and how much I loved sharing one of my favorite things in the world with my kids. This was probably the 9th Cirque show I've seen and it's definitely up there as one of my favorites.
Alright, time to hang up my cruise director hat and get back to the weekly routine!

Monday - Pizza
Tuesday - Moroccan Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Ginger Cream (this recipe from Half Baked Harvest can easily go in the slow cooker and blended with an immersion blender!)
Wednesday - Thai Sticky Chicken Fingers with Brown Rice and Roasted Broccoli (a favorite from Iowa Girl Eats)
Thursday - Turkey Burgers on the Grill and Roasted Potatoes  
Friday - Sheet Pat Green Chili Beef Nachos (from How Sweet It Is)
Saturday - Fancy Macaroni and Cheese (tried and true recipe from The Pioneer Woman)
Sunday - Grilled Chimichurri Chicken and Avocado Salad (trying this yummy sounding recipe from Cafe Delites)

As always, I'm linking up with Org Junkie, and now Beth Fish Reads weekend cooking - be sure to check out all the great weekly food inspiration!