Menu of the week: October 15

Monday Crispy Fillet of Fish (tilapia) Mashed potatoes (yukon gold potatoes) String beans Tuesday Chicken with Black Bean Sauce Rice (brown rice) Broccoli Wednesday Ground Turkey Enchiladas w/ spinach and all the fix-ins (lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream) Thursday Pasta (any suggestions???) Shopping List: (I’m pretty good on ingredients so it shouldn’t be big) tilapia [...]

Monday
Crispy Fillet of Fish (tilapia)
Mashed potatoes (yukon gold potatoes)
String beans

Tuesday
Chicken with Black Bean Sauce
Rice (brown rice)
Broccoli

Wednesday
Ground Turkey Enchiladas
w/ spinach and all the fix-ins (lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream)

Thursday
Pasta (any suggestions???)

Shopping List: (I’m pretty good on ingredients so it shouldn’t be big)

tilapia
cream of wheat (for fish)
tarter sauce
potatoes
string beans
chicken
black bean sauce
ginger
brown rice
broccoli
ground turkey
tortillas
sour cream
cheese
lettuce
tomatoes
frozen spinach
onions
pasta

What’s cookin’ in your neck of the woods this week?

Restocking the cook book shelf

So I’ve been on this cooking kick, as some of you may have noticed if you keep track of my menu plans each week. I’ve realized, though, that I am ready to kick it up a notch and I am totally bored with all of my current cook books. I love cook books though so [...]

So I’ve been on this cooking kick, as some of you may have noticed if you keep track of my menu plans each week. I’ve realized, though, that I am ready to kick it up a notch and I am totally bored with all of my current cook books. I love cook books though so I am looking for a few good suggestions.

I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz about Jessica Seinfeld’s new one called Deceptively Delicious. Wouldn’t it make more sense being called Deliciously Deceptive? That’s besides the point. The book looks really good and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

Currently my staples are Barefoot Contessa, The Healthy Cook, and a collection of printed out recipes from the food forums here. I have a few Williams Sonoma and other random books, but none of them do much for me.

What’s on your cook book shelf?

Menu of the Week: October 8

Each week I’ve been making a plan, but things come up and it’s been hard to stick to my menu exactly. I still find it to be very helpful to have an idea what I’m making and if it doesn’t work out for that week, I can push it forward to the next week. We’re [...]

Each week I’ve been making a plan, but things come up and it’s been hard to stick to my menu exactly. I still find it to be very helpful to have an idea what I’m making and if it doesn’t work out for that week, I can push it forward to the next week. We’re eating pretty simple this week. Here’s the menu:

Monday

• Italian style tilapia
• Garlic broccoli
• Salad

Tuesday

• Grilled chicken
• Corn on the cob
• Mashed potatoes

Wednesday

• Turkey bolognese
• Salad

Thursday

• Spinach quiche
• Soup

Friday

• Pizza
• Salad

What’s your plan this week?

Menu of the Week: October 1

Happy Monday, everyone! Here is my meal plan for the week. I am trying to work around what I have in the house, for the most part, and only buying minimal ingredients such as fresh produce at the supermarket. Monday Apricot chicken Asparagus Potato pancakes Tuesday Chicken quesadillas Salad (lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado) Corn Wednesday [...]

Happy Monday, everyone!

Here is my meal plan for the week. I am trying to work around what I have in the house, for the most part, and only buying minimal ingredients such as fresh produce at the supermarket.

Monday

• Apricot chicken
• Asparagus
• Potato pancakes

TuesdayÂ

• Chicken quesadillas
• Salad (lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado)
• Corn

Wednesday

• Spinach quiche
• Butternut squash soup

Thursday

• Asian-style Tilapia
• Mashed potatoes
• Â Salad

Friday

• Sesame chicken
• Garlicky broccoli

Fifteen Kitchen Gadgets I Can’t Live Without

Alright, these aren’t all gadgets. In fact, most of them are not, but I am not a gadgety type person so much. Well, that’s not entirely true. I LOVE gadgets, but we don’t choose to spend our money on them. Yeah, that’s it. So anyway, here are fifteen kitchen “gadgets” I cannot live without: 1. [...]

Alright, these aren’t all gadgets. In fact, most of them are not, but I am not a gadgety type person so much. Well, that’s not entirely true. I LOVE gadgets, but we don’t choose to spend our money on them. Yeah, that’s it. So anyway, here are fifteen kitchen “gadgets” I cannot live without:

1. garlic press
2. food processor
3. mini food prep
4. whisk
5. silicone spatula
6. microwave
7. toaster
8. coffee press
9. sharp knives
10. corkscrew
11. tea kettle
12. oven
13. fridge/freezer (d’oh)
14. mixing bowls
15. pots and pans

What type of cool gadgets do you have in YOUR kitchen? …..since I have none. haha!

Private Practice Spoiler

Only a few more hours until the Season Premiere of Private Practice! It will be airing tonight at 9 pm on ABC. As Addison Montgomery discusses her impending departure from Seattle with Dr. Richard Webber (the Chief of Surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital), she talks a bit about her new colleagues as a way of [...]

Only a few more hours until the Season Premiere of Private Practice! It will be airing tonight at 9 pm on ABC.

As Addison Montgomery discusses her impending departure from Seattle with Dr. Richard Webber (the Chief of Surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital), she talks a bit about her new colleagues as a way of introducing them. Then she and Sam (Taye Diggs) have an interesting encounter………

Come back tonight after you’ve watched and discuss what you think of the new show. I can’t wait!

Lack of sleep may be deadly!

If your sleep life is anything like mine, you may be in danger! I suffer from serious sleep issues and have honestly not had a good night’s sleep in at least 3 years. Pregnancy and then parenthood is what did me in. I am chronically tired and lack energy. It’s awful. So is the news [...]

If your sleep life is anything like mine, you may be in danger! I suffer from serious sleep issues and have honestly not had a good night’s sleep in at least 3 years. Pregnancy and then parenthood is what did me in. I am chronically tired and lack energy. It’s awful. So is the news below……

According to a large British study just released, people who do not get enough sleep are more than twice as likely to die of heart disease.

Although the reasons are unclear, researchers said lack of sleep appeared to be linked to increased blood pressure, which is known to raise the risk of heart attacks and stroke.

A 17-year analysis of 10,000 government workers showed those who cut their sleeping from seven hours a night to five or less faced a 1.7-fold increased risk in mortality from all causes and more than double the risk of cardiovascular death.

A third of the population of the UK and over 40 percent in the U.S. regularly sleep less than five hours a night, so it is not a trivial problem.

The study looked at sleep patterns of participants aged 35-55 years at two points in their lives — 1985-88 and 1992-93 — and then tracked their mortality rates until 2004.

The results were adjusted to take account of other possible risk factors such as initial age, sex, smoking and alcohol consumption, body mass index, blood pressure and cholesterol.

In terms of prevention, the findings indicate that consistently sleeping around seven hours per night is optimal for health.

SourceÂ

Menu of the Week: September 24

I’m trying to use up the stuff in my fridge this week. You know how you buy stuff and it kinda just sits there forever?!? Yeah, well that is my fridge, freezer and pantry. I’ve noticed that since I started trying all these new recipes out that I just keep going to the grocery store [...]

I’m trying to use up the stuff in my fridge this week. You know how you buy stuff and it kinda just sits there forever?!? Yeah, well that is my fridge, freezer and pantry. I’ve noticed that since I started trying all these new recipes out that I just keep going to the grocery store and spending A LOT of money on ingredients that are barely used. So, this week is a new challenge. I am going to try and stay far, far away from the store and just use what I have. I am also going to plan this week differently in that I am not assigning meals to a specific day. We’ll just go for whatever we’re in the mood for that day.

Last night I made meatballs and spaghetti. What I did was make a GIANT batch of sauce and I am going to freeze the leftovers for another time (or two).

Some other things we’ll be eating this week:

• Sesame chicken with garlicky broccoli
• Chicken burgers with corn and black bean salsa
• Spinach pizza and a salad

For the remainder, I’ll have to get back to you guys and let you know what I end up throwing together.

Menu of the Week: September 17

Monday Terryaki Chicken Fried Rice Asian Salad Tuesday Shrimp Scampi w/ Angel Hair Pasta Caeser Salad Wednesday Chicken Dijon Sauteed Zucchini French Bread Thursday  Tuna Nicoise Friday Spaghetti and Meatballs Iceberg Wedge Salad What’s cooking at your house this week?

Monday

• Terryaki Chicken
• Fried Rice
• Asian Salad

Tuesday

• Shrimp Scampi w/ Angel Hair Pasta
• Caeser Salad

Wednesday

• Chicken Dijon
• Sauteed Zucchini
• French Bread

Thursday

• Â Tuna Nicoise

Friday

• Spaghetti and Meatballs
• Iceberg Wedge Salad

What’s cooking at your house this week?

Fifteen TV shows I watch

I used to be way more into television than I am now-a-days, but I still watch quite a bit. Here is a list of 15 TV shows I currently watch, not all my choice….as you will see. 1. Dora the Explorer 2. Go, Diego, Go 3. Little Einsteins 4. Big Brother 8 5. Days of [...]

I used to be way more into television than I am now-a-days, but I still watch quite a bit. Here is a list of 15 TV shows I currently watch, not all my choice….as you will see.

1. Dora the Explorer

2. Go, Diego, Go

3. Little Einsteins

4. Big Brother 8

5. Days of Our Lives

6. House Hunters

7. Rescue Me

8. Curb Your Enthusiasm

9. Last Comic Standing

10. What Not To Wear

11. Rock of Love

12. Hogan Knows Best

13. Gene Simmons Family Jewels

14. The Two Coreys

15. MTV Cribs

Very intelligent choice of shows, I know. What can I say? I used to watch a better variety, but I don’t have the concentration to watch the serious dramas anymore. I’m sure when Fall Season of tv starts, my list will change and I will do another Friday Fifteen post on it. For now though, this is it.