camping beneath a full moon

Meals (7/5 – 7/9)

MEAL PLAN:

Tuesday (7/5):  Spaghetti & Turkey-balls

Wednesday (7/6):  Grilled Chicken with Grilled White Corn Mango Salsa.

Thursday (7/7):  Ground Turkey Chili with Black and Pinto Beans

Friday (7/8):  Big Spinach Salad with leftover Grilled Chicken

Saturday (7/9): AM: Eggs with Spinach, Green Bell Pepper, Onions & Avocado

Lunch: Leftovers (Chili, Spaghetti, etc)

PM:  Burgers (with Morning Star Grillers)

SHOPPING LIST:

• Ground Turkey
• 3 ears of White Corn
• Mangoes
• Bell Pepper
• Lime
• Black Beans
• Pinto Beans
• Spinach
• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Avocado
• Eggs
• Morning Star Grillers
• Swiss Cheese
• Hamburger buns

I had on hand:

• Pasta
• TJ’s 3 Cheese Marinara
• Onion
• Garlic
• Feta
• Chicken
• Diced Tomatoes
• Simply Organic’s Chili Mix
• Salad Dressing
• Fixings for Burgers

This is how I plan our meals each week.. I go through my fridge, freezer and pantry and see what I have on hand, then I go through the weekly ad for Sunflower Market and see what’s on sale and in season (usually the same things!)  and go from there. When I’m shopping if there’s a great sale on something not on my list, I ‘ll usually buy it and freeze or store it for the future. This makes meal planning simpler but also fun because we eat in season.

I’ll be following up with posts for each meal (hopefully) so stay tuned!

I’m back!

What a month it’s been for me! I dropped off the face of the blogosphere around mid-May (finals) and haven’t had a chance to even log in since then. I took four classes in summer school (so I can graduate in December!), took 8 exams in 4 weeks, trained not one but two new girls at work, went on vacation, moved to a new apartment, and almost had a meltdown because with all that going on I hardly got a chance to cook, let alone eat a normal meal at a normal time.

This is what led me to add a new page to this blog called, “Menus, Shopping Lists & Recipes.” I’d go shopping, get a few things that looked good and were on sale and then I get back home and realize I couldn’t really do much with what I got. Then having no time, it was easier to get a not-so-healthy alternative on the go. Perhaps having it all figured it out will make it easier on me when things get real hectic again and maybe it will help someone else out there, too!

It feels good to be back and on the right track to health again! I’m so excited!

veggie soup

I was craving soup (crazy, I know, it was like 96 degrees here yesterday!) and had a ton of veggies on hand so this just kinda came together. I cooked some onion and garlic in a little butter.

Added some chopped carrots and yellow bell pepper.

Poured in chicken broth and broccoli,

let simmer for a while before throwing in a few handfuls of spinach.

I blended batches of the soup and added a couple of tablespoons of flax seeds.

I returned the blended soup to heat and added a tablespoon of heavy cream.

Then came the fun part, I put the soup in ramekins and covered with a slice of provolone cheese.

After a couple of minutes under the broiler, this was the result:

The soup was so good, we each had a second serving (skipped the cheese). For dessert we each had half of this adorable mini watermelon.

second backpacking trip

 

saguaros

mmmahi mahi

Last week, Sunflower Market had mahi mahi for $3.99 / lb! I was all over that deal! We grilled the mahi mahi with a mango chipotle sauce I picked up at World Market earlier this week. We made the mango salsa by combining mango, minced onion, garlic and green bell peppers with avocado, cilantro, a little orange juice and few dashes of our favorite hot sauce. We served the fish with the salsa on top and grilled white corn on the side. We combined the leftovers to make a cold salad for the next day. This salsa really complimented the fish’s flavor and the whole meal was fresh and summery.

grilling

Summer is here! In southern Arizona a grill is a must have cooking untensil for the summer. It becomes waaaaay too hot to cook indoors and even though it’s hot outside it’s worth keeping your home cool. Also, if your lucky, your grill is near a pool and you can stay cool, too!

We marinated these chicken breast tenders with jamaican jerk and hot sauce and they came out spicy and crisp! We grilled the aspargus in foil with butter and lemon and garlic. Yum! We used the leftover chicken in spicy spinach salads!

JUICY

We made this juice from apples, carrots, cucumber, spincach, tomatoes, beets, ginger and a couple oranges. Vibrant color and taste!

Breakfast tostada

We made this tostada with some leftover black beans, zucchini, scrambled eggs, salsa, avocado and cilantro over a toasted corn tortilla. It was fresh and very satisfying. Yum!

White Bean, Chorizo & Kale Soup

This soup is one of my all-time favorites. It is soooo easy and quick but packs huge flavor from very few ingredients. I get rave reviews each time I make it.

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil, add chorizo and stir for a minute or so to brown. Throw in a can of rinsed white beans and stir around a little more to coat beans with chorizo flavor. Add chicken broth and bring to boil and then let simmer until the chorizo is cooked. Add the kale and turn off heat. This is seriously good! I’ve also made this soup before with red potatoes instead of the beans and it is also really good.