Last week's recipe reviews:
Braised Balsamic Chicken - I made this the week before last, but completely forgot to review it. I was so excited about this one. So excited! My house smelled amazing, the sauce looked divine...but it didn't taste all that incredible. The kids complained about the tomatoes in the sauce and I never got Mike's opinion because he ate quickly before running off to a meeting. I likely will not be making this again.
Braised Balsamic Chicken - I made this the week before last, but completely forgot to review it. I was so excited about this one. So excited! My house smelled amazing, the sauce looked divine...but it didn't taste all that incredible. The kids complained about the tomatoes in the sauce and I never got Mike's opinion because he ate quickly before running off to a meeting. I likely will not be making this again.
Black Bean Burgers - My family was extremely skeptical about these, but once we threw on a little ketchup and some lettuce and tomato, they weren't bad! If you're trying to eat more vegetarian meals, give this a try. It's not beef, so don't expect it to taste like a true hamburger, but as a healthy, cheap alternative...not bad! Jason scarfed down an entire burger, Mike and I ended up eating two (mostlly because we were starving, not because we loved them) and the big kids finished their whole burger with the incentive that they'd get a hot dog afterward. (Ryan insisted that he needs meat in his burgers and asked for a hot dog as a compromise.) If the budget called for cheaper meals, I'd make this again, but probably not until then. :)
Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies - A beautiful, classy Valentine treat! I made these in a 7x11 inch pan because I wanted them to be thin enough to cut into hearts with a cookie cutter, hoping to use them for our fondue night Monday. Unfortunately, they barely made it to the party. I gave a few to friends to try, the kids and Mike snacked on a few...putting them in the freezer wasn't enough of a deterant. They were delicious! I'm looking forward to dipping the last of them in chocolate on Valentine's Day.
We have an odd, busy week this week: Valentine's Day, Kaylin's and my 1/2 birthdays, Bunco night for me, a sleepover birthday party, the annual Daddy/Daughter Dinner at our church...lots on the schedule!
Monday - Deceptively Delicious Spaghetti Pie, followed by our 2nd annual {family} VALENTINE'S FONDUE PARTY**
Tuesday - Kaylin's 1/2 Birthday - she chose Quesadillas for dinner. Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting for dessert
Wednesday - {Crock Pot} Minestrone Soup with Whole Wheat Cornbread*
Thursday - {Healthy} Turkey Pot Pie
Friday - Daddy/Daughter Dinner/Dance (I'm taking the boys on a picnic and out for dessert)
Saturday - My 1/2 birthday - Pesto Tortellini with Whole Wheat Bread
Sunday - leftovers
Baking:
Granola bars - I'm in search of a healthy granola bar recipe, so I'm going to try this one which has a little butter, but no flour and this one which is dairy-free, but has whole wheat flour in the recipe.
* New recipes will be reviewed in next week's meal plan
** For our Fondue Party, I simply melt semi-sweet chocolate chips in our fondue pot and we'll dip strawberries, bananas, pineapple, marshmallows, graham crackers, Angel Food Cake* and Mini Chocolate Cheesecake Cups*.
** For our Fondue Party, I simply melt semi-sweet chocolate chips in our fondue pot and we'll dip strawberries, bananas, pineapple, marshmallows, graham crackers, Angel Food Cake* and Mini Chocolate Cheesecake Cups*.
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3 comments:
Love the Cheesecake Brownies in heart shape!!!
Happy Valentine's Day, Katie!
My dad makes the most amazing granola bars. If you are interested here is the recipe.
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup slivered almonds
(place on baking sheet and toast in 350' over for 15 minutes)
1 T. unsalted butter
1/2 c. honey
1 T. brown sugar.
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
(melt butter and honey, add brown sugar, salt and vanilla and combine in pan)
1 cup coconut (if you like it, you can omit)
1 cup craisins/raisins (your choice or both)
(pour toasted oats into large bowl with coconut and fruit. Pour in honey mixture and stir until combined. It will seem dry.)
Spray an 8x8 or 9x9 pan with pam and pour in oat mixture. Press mixture firmly into the pan using wax paper on top. Bake in 300' oven for 15 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool until firm, slice into bars.
Tricks: I add flax seed to the oat mixture for the added omega 3. You can also add things like mini chocolate chips or marshmallows for the kids.
If you don't want bars and/or prefer cereal-like granola, simply remove the baked granola from the pan when you pull it out of the oven (our onto a cutting board). I love it this way mixed into plain yogurt.
So easy, so good and hardly any butter or sugar.
So happy to see you posted about 1/2 birthdays!
My youngest just turned 4 1/2. Since his birthday is at the end of July, we held a 1/2 birthday party for him. Often friends are vacationing in summer and it is difficult to have friends over. I think we will have a family birthday party for him in summer and continue the 1/2 birthday deal for him in winter.
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