April 2017 - Page 2 of 2 - NY Foodie Family

Happy April! I am ready for some April Showers and warmer weather. April is a busy month for us as we celebrate my wedding anniversary, my daughter’s birthday, Passover and Easter. I am joining Anne and Jess once again for the monthly Currently link up. Make sure to join us next month, Wednesday May 3, when I co-host with Anne and we share what we are currently baking, listening, loving, planting and remembering! For April, here is what I’m currently:

Accomplishing – I am accomplishing lots of birthday planning. We are celebrating my daughter’s 11th birthday with the family on Easter. So, with some input from her, my husband and I are working on getting the menu finalized. She’s also having her friends party the weekend after. Since she’s a game lover, she’s having a Minute To Win It themed party with lots of games. There’s definitely lots of planning that needs to be finalized for this party.

Feeling – lucky. My husband and I just celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary yesterday. While 13 may be considered an unlucky number to some, we are feeling very lucky. We have created a beautiful family and wonderful life together over these years and can’t wait to create lots more memories. To celebrate, my parents took us out to dinner this past weekend and we have a belated lunch date tomorrow!

Needing – to eat healthier. Spring is here! While I belong to the gym and have been taking lots of classes, I haven’t been the best about eating healthy. My husband and I have agreed that for the next few months, while eating at home we are going to make healthier choices. However, all bets are off when we go out! LOL!

Practicing – shopping restraint. It’s so easy to run into the store to buy something I need and come out with a bunch of other things that I didn’t! While I pride myself on being a bargain shopper and getting a good deal, we are trying to cut down on extraneous spending. So, I’ve really been trying to stick to the shopping list!

Pinning – lots of recipes, as usual, as well as NY focused travel pins. This summer I’m planning on taking the kids on some road trips around the state. Some of the stops include Albany, Niagara Falls, Lake George and the Catskill Mountains. Plus, lots of day trips around the area and NYC. I love living in NY state and it has so much to see and do. I figured this summer is a great time to explore the state before we venture out further in our travels.

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend and are ready to rock another week! Monday means that it’s time for another meal plan. If you are looking for some dinner time inspiration, my weekly meal plan is the place for you. Each week I showcase what was on my previous week’s meal plan, with pictures, recipe links and most importantly, my family’s review of each dish. There are so many food blogs, cookbooks and recipes out there and I am always on the lookout for new family-friendly recipes that are quick and easy! If you are new to meal planning, read more about how I make my weekly meal plan. Here’s a look at what was on our menu this past week:

Saturday: We hosted our monthly supper club this month. This month’s theme was Polish cuisine. I bought some kielbasa from the Polish deli and made homemade pierogies. It was very labor intensive, but oh so good! And my husband made stuffed cabbage rolls. It was a delicious dinner!

Sunday: My husband made a roast that I had picked up earlier in the week. He cooked it a perfect medium. He used the leftover potato pierogi filling and made croquettes to go with. He served with some broccoli to round out the meal.

Monday: We had so many stuffed cabbage rolls left from Saturday that we had the extras for dinner. Sadly, I do not have a picture of them. While they are a Polish staple, they weren’t my favorite.

Tuesday: My kids helped me make Zia Donatella’s Gumbo by Giada De Laurentiis. It’s on a recipe card from her children’s chapter book New Orleans! in her Recipe for Adventure series. The andouille sausage in this recipe gave this dish a surprising amount of heat. While probably not authentic New Orleans gumbo, this is a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and it was very good! I’m not quite sure that I’ve ever had gumbo to have something to compare it to. The kids ate it, spice and all! While still tasty the next day, the gumbo did not get its soupy texture back. So, I’d recommend eating the first day!

Wednesday: I made Cilantro Lime Chicken with Rice Skillet from A Kitchen Addiction. I don’t make a lot of brown rice and this recipe uses instant. So neither my kids or I were a fan of the rice in this dish. I used chicken thighs instead of breasts, but otherwise made the recipe as directed. The lime flavor was noticeable. While this dish was light and easy to make, it’s not on my repeat list.

Thursday: I made Chorizo and Fried Egg Breakfast Tacos from How Sweet It Is. I ended up making scrambled eggs instead. Breakfast for dinner is always a hit at our house and both my kids had two of these tacos.