Menu Recap - Week of April 12

For some reason this week didn't go as planned, but I'm okay with that! It stemmed from various appointments that were scheduled after I made the meal plan, I think. I'm not too upset about it - life happens!

I seem to have lost the pictures I took of my Easter dinner. The boys really enjoyed the meatloaf (All You Need is Loaf from ESBM) along with lots of veggies and mashed potatoes. I didn't end up making tofu for myself, instead I just enjoyed a huge plate of veggies and had some nuts throughout the day. 

Quick Protein Salad (inspired by refresh)

I ate this about three times throughout the week and I just love it. 

I actually took multiple pictures of this salad and proceeded to bombard Joey with them when he came home. The marinated tofu cubes are delightful and it is just a great combination for a salad. I added some avocado and hummus instead of the chickpeas and drizzled it with 2 tsp. of flax oil - yum!! 

Pizza & Broccoli

I used the same crust as last time, and made the pizza with pesto, ground pork, green peppers and zucchini. It was quite yummy! I tried pre-baking the crust this time and that worked a little bit better, although I did manage to crack the crust in the center - oops! So I didn't win points for presentation, but it sure did taste good. 

Big Carrot Take-Away

Lunch on Saturday came courtesy of the deli counter at The Big Carrot. We enjoyed sweet potatoes with dill, coleslaw, thai tofu and noodles. I definitely did not finish this plate, but Joey was happy to help me out. I love their take away counter!! 

Vanessa's Birthday Celebration

On Saturday night, my best friend from junior high/high school was celebrating her 25th birthday (and getting into law school!) with a Hawaiian themed party. 

(Birthday girl Vanessa, me and Alicia - the three of us were inseparable in junior high and high school)

Joey and I managed to find the place (Navigating Mississauga and GO Transit just isn't my forte) 

There was quite an impressive selection of food, but I had to stick to the basics because I couldn't really wander around asking what was in everything! I enjoyed some greens with rice and chicken along with some strawberries. 

Joey got to be a little more adventurous with various noodles and meats but I enjoyed my plate. It was a fun night with Joey and old friends!

Weekly Meal Plan - Week of February 22

Ahhh it feels nice to be back on the meal planning train. Last week was pretty crazy and over the last two weeks I made quite a few of the dishes I set out to make the week of the 8th Everything was good. I also created a stuffed sweet potato one night which I really enjoyed. Joey claimed that he wasn't hungry, but then he saw mine and wanted one!

Stuffed Sweet Potato

- 1 sweet potato (Mine was organic)

- 1/4 - 1/2 cup of corn

- shredded cheese (I used cheddar)

- 1/4 cup salsa

- 2 tbsp low fat sour cream

Cut slits in the sweet potato. Put on a plate and microwave for 8 - 12 minutes, until soft. Add corn and cheese on top of sweet potato and microwave for an additional 30 seconds. Add salsa and sour cream and enjoy! This would also be really yummy with black beans, but I didn't have any in the house that night.

We also remembered how much we love All You Need is Loaf from Eat Shrink and Be Merry. It's been awhile since I made it, and it was so delicious. I served it with some mashed potatoes and veggies and it was a great classic meal. If you don't own ESBM, you really need to get yourself a copy or a least borrow someone elses. Everything I've ever made from that book has been amazing and definite "keepers" in our house. I really appreciate that it's Canadian so the recipes never include items that we can't get here. Everything is WW friendly and the fact that the nutritional information is included at the bottom of each recipe makes calculating Points a breeze!

This week I'm doing my show, but I've got a couple of nights off which will be nice. I'm back in with my slow cooker after neglecting it for a week. I hope there are no hard feelings. Tonight I'll also be making some banana muffins from the Refresh cookbook that I picked up a couple of weeks ago in addition to the black bean burritos.

Sunday: Black Bean burritos (Refresh) with homemade spelt tortillas and broccoli

Monday: Better Butter Chicken with quinoa

Tuesday: Dining out

Wednesday: Taco Soup

Thursday: Slow Cooker Curry (WW Magazine recipe)

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: TBD

Be sure to check out more meal plans over at Orgjunkie

Cooking on a Sunday - Smackeroni & Tortilla Pie Edition

I'm currently in rehearsals for my new show, which means Joey & I need lunches and dinners for the week. While I trust him to cook on his own, I know that making meals for him is more nutritious and delicious and it keeps things interesting for me and ensures that we spend less money on fast food as well as groceries.

Last week I made my famous lasagna and the Ladle in Red chili from ESBM. This week I figured I would post the recipes I made as well as some pictures of the results.

First up...
Smackeroni & Cheese from ESBM

We had some for dinner and it was so good that Joey went back for seconds. This recipes is easy, cheesy and delicious!!

Next up...
Rose Reisman's Layered Tortilla, Bean, Tomato & Cheese Pie

I love this recipe and it's so easy to make. I took some pictures as I went through the process of layering this yummy vegetarian dish

This is what the filling looks like when it's all mixed together in the pan. You've got two types of peppers, roasted corn, tomato sauce spices and two types of beans. I love how colourful it is!!

This is the first layer of the pie. That's a whole wheat tortilla on the bottom with a layer of the veggie mix and then a cheese layer (I didn't have mozzarella so it was only cheddar with a bit of parm mixed in. You repeat this step 3 times.

Here is a picture of the finished product!

I like to serve a piece of this pie with a dollop of sour cream and salsa with a green salad on the side. The leftovers taste awesome too!

My Sunday is starting to become a tradition and I'm really starting to enjoy doing it. A couple hours in the kitchen means great meals for the week and happy bellies and wallets!