Meal Plan - 1/14/13

My kids helped me with this week's menu because I was feeling fairly uncreative. The only new recipe this week is the soup tonight. I'm still catching back up from our trip to San Diego last weekend.

Monday - Turkey Minestrone Soup * with Whole Wheat French Bread Rolls
Tuesday - Chili with Cornbread with Cranberries and Pecans
Wednesday - Healthy Turkey Pot Pie
Thursday - leftovers
Friday - Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
Saturday - Pizza and salad
Sunday - Chicken on the grill with baked potatoes and broccoli

New recipe reviews from the last couple of weeks:

Shrimp Pasta with Tomatoes, Lemon and Spinach - I was so proud of myself for remembering this recipe from Pinterest. I used leftover shrimp from Christmas Eve shrimp cocktail, leftover tomatoes from the veggie tray that night, plus all other ingredients that we already had on hand. I added feta cheese and capers to mine which really pushed the whole dish over the top for me. Kaylin sat at the table sobbing because she refused to taste the shrimp. As soon as Mike convinced her to try just a bite, her face lit up and she devoured her bowl. We all gave this a thumb up or two.

Leftover Turkey and Swiss Panini - Oh. My. Heavens. Again, I was proud to use the cheese from our cheese-and-crackers plate from Christmas Eve and leftover turkey breast from Christmas Day. I also used some homemade cranberry sauce my mom made (and am willing to admit that I didn't try it that night, but it was a DELICIOUS addition to the panini!) and I grilled the outside of the bread with the leftover herb butter from Christmas day, too. This was truly a leftover sandwich and it was awesome. I savored every bite.

Cheesy Beef Enchilada Casserole - I intended to use leftover turkey for this recipe, but it ended up requiring ground beef, so I made it as directed. This recipe was great - I layered the mixture between tortillas and cheese, like lasagna, and it was much easier to prep and serve than rolling everything inside the tortillas. Plus, I think we ate less tortillas this way. 

Ham and Spinach Quiche - I made this crustless with some leftover Christmas Eve ham and it was great! One of my kids didn't like it, but I can't remember who or why. It just tasted like a scrambled egg bake to me...easy, quick and good.

Healthy Krispie Treats - I used Brown Rice Krispies and honey for this recipe. They were a little too good because I ate most of them...I will not be making them again for that reason. I was able to justify the sweet treat (again and again) because they were healthy-er.

No-Bake Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies - Do you like chocolate?  Do yourself a favor and make these. Immediately. I don't like anything coffee flavored, not even mocha ice cream, but the instant coffee in these little guys just punches up the flavor of the chocolate. One word: wow. Mike and I decided not to share these little gems with the kids. Yes, we're selfish.

Chia Cranberry Apple Crisp - I used leftover whole cranberries in this recipe from Christmas and it was a bit tart. My family doesn't love cranberries, so I'm ashamed to say that I consumed most of this. In less than 24 hours. Warmed and topped with Blue Bell Vanilla Bean ice cream. Because I didn't want my family to suffer. :)

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls - I've seen these in Christmas cookie tins, but was never a huge fan until recently. They're pretty good! I can see why they're so popular.