weekly meal plan

I hope everyone had a great weekend! We had a pretty low-key couple of days and I got in some reading and relaxation time!  It is starting to get hot here in New York!  My goal for today is to try to stay cool!  Monday  means that it’s time for another weekly 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 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 to try.  If you are new to meal planning, read more about how I make my weekly meal plan. Here is a look at what was on our menu this past week:

Saturday: Our daughter was at her friend’s house, so we ordered sushi and Chinese takeout for my son, husband and me.

Sunday: We spent the day at the Liberty Science Center.  We had leftover pizza from Friday evening, when we got home.

Monday:  My daughter had requested that I make lasagna last week, but I just didn’t have the time to do it.  So, I made sure to put it on this week’s menu.  I also purposefully made it early in the week so we could eat the leftovers for lunch during the week.  I made World’s Best Lasagna from Allrecipes.  I’m not sure I’d call it World’s Best…..but with 5 stars and over 10,000 reviews, I knew it had to be good.  I only used ground beef, even though the recipe also called for sausage.  My only problem with the recipe is that it takes so long to make it.  This should have been a weekend meal, with overall cooking time being 2 hours and 30 minutes. Well, my sauce only simmered for about 30 minutes while I was doing all the other prep work!  Even with the the abbreviated cook time, this still came out delicious and my daughter was super happy.  As predicted, there was plenty of leftovers for lunches. I served this with a Caesar salad.

Tuesday: I made ground beef tacos for “Taco Tuesday.”  I picked up an Ortega nacho cheese taco shell kit that I saw in the grocery store.  They tasted like Doritos and I assume are similar to the one that Taco Bell sells.  They weren’t bad and tacos are always a hit.  The kids love being able to pick and choose what they put on their tacos.  I served these with some veggies.

Wednesday: I made Thai-Style Lime Risotto with Pork & Coconut from the May 2017 issue of Rachael Ray Every Day.  I used ground pork instead of cutting up pieces of a pork loin, like the recipe suggested.  Earlier in the week my husband picked me up some Thai green curry paste, since our local grocery stores didn’t carry it.  Well, I didn’t realize how spicy Thai green curry is.  The kids were troopers and ate this, with lots of milk to help cool their tongues off!  There was definitely some heat in this dish, so it’s not kid-friendly.  Although the flavors were different from the risottos that I normally make, I wasn’t a huge fan of this recipe myself.

Thursday:  My husband and I attended a local Burger and Beer event.  We gorged on burgers (like the one pictured above that had beer braised onions, wild berry fig jam, and field greens on a brioche roll!) and all kinds of tasty treats.  Earlier in the day I cooked up some breaded chicken cutlets for the kids which I served to them with rice for their dinner.

Friday:  Friday I made our usual homemade cheese pizza.

What are you having for dinner this week?

In a blink of an eye, it’s Monday again!  The weekend always flies by much quicker than I want it to! We had a fun-filled couple of days, but now it’s time to get ready for another week.  Monday  means that it’s time for another weekly 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 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 to try.  If you are new to meal planning, read more about how I make my weekly meal plan. Just to note, this week’s menu does not actually have any formal recipes as you will see.  But hopefully, it can provide you with some dinner ideas!  Here is a look at what was on our menu this past week.

Saturday: We were in Rhode Island for the weekend.  Saturday we spent the day in Providence.  We started the day at the Roger Williams Zoo and then went to see Water Fire.  Before Water Fire we ate at Fire + Ice, a restaurant nearby.  At this restaurant, you basically create your own meal.  You choose what starch, veggies, protein and sauce that you want.  You then bring it up to the grill and watch as it gets cooked.

Sunday: We got home from our long weekend in Rhode Island and we were exhausted.  We raided our freezer and cabinets to find something to make for dinner.  We ended up making a box of mac and cheese and some chickpea veggie burgers.  Nothing fancy or homemade and fortunately for you, no picture!  It was not photogenic at all!

Monday: It was chilly and raining on and off for Memorial Day.  So, I marinated a London broil the night before in a mixture of Teriyaki sauce, Soy sauce, Hoisin sauce and garlic. My husband then cooked the London broil and roasted some potatoes, which we had with a garden salad.

Tuesday: I made Chorizo Breakfast Nachos.  I cooked chorizo in a pan.  Once cooked, I took it out and then scrambled some eggs in the pan.  I put the scrambled eggs and chorizo on a pan of tortilla chips.  I then sprinkled some shredded cheddar on top and topped with salsa.  Then I broiled until melted and served with sour cream.  Breakfast for dinner is always a hit in our house.  I love breakfast nachos since they can be customized to whatever you want to put on or have on hand in the house.  I’ve made these before, as my kids pointed out.  I don’t normally repeat recipes.  However, when you need quick and easy, this is a go-to recipe.

Wednesday: I made a Ravioli Bake, again no real recipe.  I put some jarred pasta sauce in the bottom of a baking pan.  Once I cooked the ravioli, I put them in the pan and covered them with sauce and mozzarella cheese.  Then I baked it in the oven for about 10 minutes until heated and the cheese melted.  I served the ravioli with garlic toast and Caesar salad.

Thursday: I made Bacon and Blue Cheese Burgers which I served with fries.  I didn’t use a recipe.  I took ground beef and added Steak seasoning that had salt and pepper in it.  I then cooked the patties in a cast iron skillet and once cooked, topped with slices of bacon and blue cheese crumbles.  Easy, but tasty!

Friday:  Friday was super busy with me shuttling my daughter back-and-forth between two different events.  I managed to make our regular homemade pizza and squeeze dinner in.

Did you have a good weekend?  We enjoyed a fun weekend in Rhode Island at my parents’ house.  I’ll be posting more about it on this week’s Five on Friday post!  Hopefully you have today off and get to celebrate Memorial Day.  Unfortunately, the weather forecast is looking like rain for most of the day, even when we’re supposed to be at our town’s Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony.  Monday  means that it’s time for another weekly 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 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 to try.  If you are new to meal planning, read more about how I make my weekly meal plan. Here is a look at what was on our menu this past week:

Saturday:  My daughter and I had some Moe’s takeout while the boys were at a Cub Scout event.  We were too hungry that no pictures were taken!

Sunday: We spent the afternoon at Smorgasburg Upstate and then spent the later part of the day doing yard clean up. By the time we were ready done neither my husband or I felt like cooking.  So we had Chinese takeout and watched La La Land.

Monday: I made Pulled Pork with Cornbread Topping from the October, 2014 issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray.  My son saw this recipe in my pile of ripped out magazine recipes ages ago, and has been asking me to make it ever since.  Well, I finally made it!  This is not a quick and easy recipe.  The pork needs to roast in the oven for almost 2 hours!  Mine luckily didn’t take that long but it still has to bake 20-25 minutes more once the corn bread batter is poured on top.  I served this with some veggies.  This was super tasty and there were no leftovers!  My son was happy that he finally got the meal he wanted.  However, I’d recommend this for a weekend meal in the fall or winter since it is perfect cold-weather comfort food!

Tuesday: I made Reuben Sandwiches.  I had bought an extra corned beef back in March when they were on super sale for St. Patrick’s Day. I put it in the slow cooker, poured a bottle of beer on top and let it cook.  When we were ready to eat I put some corned beef on a roll and topped it with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing.  I know, this sandwich traditionally uses rye bread. However, I thought that the rolls would hold up better to all the filling.  No real cooking was involved, but we had a tasty sandwich for dinner!  I served the Reubens with fries.

Wednesday: I made Chicken Fajitas.  Again, no real recipe for this meal.  I sauteed some onion and bell peppers in a pan. Once they were cooked I removed them and added a pound of chicken that I had cut into strips to the pan.  I sprinkled a lot of Penzeys Fajita seasoning on top and cooked the chicken.  Once the chicken was cooked I added the onions and peppers back into the pan. I served the fajitas with sour cream and guacamole and also made Goya Mexican rice.  The kids liked this meal.

Thursday:  I made Korean Beef Bowls from Damn Delicious.  This is a recipe that I’ve actually made before but I know the kids really like it.  Plus, it’s quick and easy to make!

Friday:  We were in Rhode Island for the long weekend.  My mom cooked a turkey breast and made mashed potatoes and veggies.

I cannot believe it’s Monday again!  The weekend just flies by.  We had a jam-packed, fun couple of days.  Now, it’s back to our regularly scheduled routine.  Monday  means that it’s time for another weekly 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 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 to try.  If you are new to meal planning, read more about how I make my weekly meal plan. Here is a look at what was on our menu this past week:

Saturday:  I went out to dinner with some friends for a girls night, while my husband stayed home with the kids.  I had a delicious burger with hash browns, bacon and a fried egg on top.  Unfortunately, no picture was taken of this deliciousness!  My husband made bacon grilled cheese sandwiches and tater tots for him and the kids.

Sunday:  My husband and kids made me a delicious Mother’s Day dinner.  My husband cooked up some lamb steaks while my son helped make risotto.  We also had roasted asparagus.  While they were cooking dinner, my daughter made brownies so we could have brownie ice cream sundaes for dessert!

Monday: I made a Chorizo & Potato Frittata from Girl Gone Gourmet.  I roasted the potatoes earlier in the afternoon and then made the frittata closer to dinner time.  Frittatas are so versatile and easy to make.  I served it with salad.  Everyone enjoyed this and the leftovers were great for breakfast.

Tuesday: I made Mandarin Orange Chicken Salad Sandwiches from Melanie Makes.  I cooked the chicken in the slow cooker earlier in the day and then it was quick to put together at dinner time.  I cooked up some fries to serve with. I halved this recipe and still had leftovers! This is a perfect summer dinner, when you don’t feel like turning the oven on or cooking.  The kids enjoyed this and my daughter took a leftover sandwich to school for lunch the next day.

Wednesday: I made Pasta Carbonara from The Pioneer Woman.  It’s been awhile since I made SpaghettiCarbonara.  While definitely not the healthiest of pasta dishes, it’s very tasty!  The kids enjoyed this meal a lot.

Thursday:  I made Egg Roll in a Bowl from right here at NY Foodie Family!  This obviously is a repeat recipe for us, but the kids loved it so much the first time!  It was as much of a hit the second time around as it was the first time that I made it.

Friday:  I made our usual weekly homemade pizza.

What are you having for dinner this week?

It’s Monday again.  We survived a busy, but rainy and wet weekend.  I hope all you moms were spoiled yesterday and had a very happy Mother’s Day.  I had a great day with my husband and kids that started with coffee in bed and ended with a dinner cooked by the three of them and brownie sundaes for dessert.  Monday  means that it’s time for another weekly 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 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 to try.  If you are new to meal planning, read more about how I make my weekly meal plan. Here is a look at what was on our menu this past week:

Saturday: My husband made sliders and fries.  He made homemade frizzled onions and added blue cheese dressing.

Sunday: We went out to dinner with my family to celebrate my brother and mother’s birthdays.  We went to an Italian restaurant where I ordered this Chicken Casaletto.  The chicken was stuffed with broccoli rabe, sausage, cheese and roasted peppers and covered in a mushroom sauce.  It was so tasty!

Monday:  I made 30 Minute Teriyaki Chicken with Sesame Ginger Broccoli from Half Baked Harvest.  I don’t like ginger, so omitted that from the sauce and  I also used canned pineapple.  I roasted the broccoli, but since I bought thin sliced chicken breasts I didn’t cook everything in the oven after.  I found my sauce didn’t thicken very much, but we drizzled it over the rice I served with it, so it didn’t go to waste.  This was a kid-approved, easy dinner.

Tuesday: I made Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken Barbecue from allrecipes which I served on rolls.  This was super easy to throw together in the slow cooker in the morning. Then, in the afternoon I shredded the chicken and let it sit in the slow cooker on warm until we were ready to eat.  I served this with fries and my parents, who came over for dinner, brought a salad.  Unfortunately, dinner was so rushed that I didn’t take a picture!

Wednesday: My husband was home from work early and made Spaghetti and Meatballs.  This is one of my daughter’s favorite meals and she had been requesting it for awhile.  He didn’t follow a recipe for making the meatballs, just kind of threw ingredients together, which is his cooking style.  I bought jarred pasta sauce since there wasn’t enough time to make homemade.

Thursday:  I made Awesome Slow Cooker Pot Roast also from allrecipes.  Honestly, I’m not even sure if the cut of beef that I picked up was a pot roast.  It was a small roast that noted on the package it was good for slow cooking.  The ingredients make a tasty gravy which we spooned on the meat and on the mashed potatoes (not homemade, I used Simply Potatoes brand).  I also heated up some frozen veggies to serve with.  This was another busy night where there was no time to cook and barely enough time to eat!  I would make this again but use reduced sodium cream of mushroom soup, since I found the gravy to be a tad on the salty side.

Friday:  I decided to do something different instead of our usual pizza!  We had  a lot of barbecue chicken leftover from earlier in the week, so I (actually my husband!) made calzones.  He heated up the leftover chicken and then put it in pizza dough with some shredded cheddar cheese and chopped red onion.  He then cooked them on a pizza stone and served them with leftover BBQ sauce for dipping.

What are you having for dinner this week?

Happy first day of May!  Why does the weekend fly by so quickly?!  It’s Monday again, which means that it’s time for another weekly 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 to try.  If you are new to meal planning, read more about how I make my weekly meal plan. Here is a look at what was on our menu this past week:

Saturday:  We were out at the Sheep-to-Shawl Festival and ended up dining out in Tarrytown.

Sunday:  We celebrated my daughter’s birthday with a party with her friends.  We had two boxes of leftover pizza from the party, so leftover pizza for dinner it was.

Monday: I made Korean-Style Pork and Rice from the March 2017 issue of Cooking Light.  This dish was super quick and easy to make.  The only change I would make was not adding the two tablespoons of gochujang sauce to the pork mixture.  The dish was super spicy!  I only gave my son a couple a little bit of the meat mixture and he ate mostly rice for dinner!  My daughter ate her portion with a lot of juice to cool off her mouth!  I like a little bit of heat and found this to be a bit spicy even for me.  My husband really liked it and took the leftovers for lunch!

Tuesday: I made Hoisin Sloppy Joes from the May 2017 issue of Cooking Light.  In contrast to Monday night’s spicy Asian dinner, Tuesday’s meal was on the sweet side of Asian cooking!  This was another quick and easy dinner to make.  I’ve learned in the past not to buy regular hamburger buns when making any type of sloppy joe.  The bun just gets soggy and falls apart.  I’ve been buying small kaiser rolls from the bakery section of the grocery store and they seem to hold up well.  Instead of the 1 1/2 teaspoons of Sriracha chili sauce, I only used 1/4 teaspoon.  I learned my lesson from the night before! Cutting the heat from the dish made it much more appealing to the kids. and they enjoyed these sandwiches a lot.  I served fries with these sloppy joes.

Wednesday:  I made the rest of the homemade pierogies from our last Polish-themed supper club.  I had frozen them after we first made them, knowing we had enough extra for a future meal.  So, I boiled and then sauteed the pierogies with some onion in butter.  I served them with some heated up kielbasa.  Unfortunately, a lot of the pierogies had fallen apart when they were boiling.  They were good, but didn’t taste as great as they did the first time we had them.

Thursday:  I made Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta Bake from Emily Bites.  Seeing this picture now on the screen I realize it’s a little blurry.  However, it’s the only one I have of the inside of the casserole.  I had frozen bags of leftover ham from Easter and used one of them for this pasta bake.  It’s filled with pieces of ham and chicken breast in a Swiss cheese cream sauce. It’s finally topped with a breadcrumb, butter and shredded Parmesan mixture.  This was a hearty and filling meal!  It took a little bit of time to cook the chicken, chop the ham, shred the cheese, make the sauce, cook the pasta and then bake it in the oven for 30 minutes!  It was enjoyed by everyone though and there was enough left over for a couple days of lunches.

Friday:  I cooked a Mexican-themed meal with my daughter’s Girl Scout troop for a badge.  The meal included a homemade salsa, chicken enchiladas and Mexican rice.  There was leftover enchilada filling, so when we got home, my husband used some of it to top the homemade pizzas that he made.

What is on your menu this week?

I hope everyone had a great weekend!  We had a super busy, but fun, jam-packed weekend.  You can read about some of the highlights later this week in my Five on Friday post.  Monday means that it’s time for another weekly 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 to try.  If you are new to meal planning, read more about how I make my weekly meal plan. Here is a look at what was on our menu this past week:

Saturday: My husband made homemade Fish and Chips for us.  Except he did buy the fries from the grocery store!

Sunday: We hosted a joint Easter/birthday celebration for my daughter and had both sides of the family over.  We had ham, my mom’s twice baked potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, roasted asparagus and roasted honey carrots.  It was a pretty traditional holiday dinner for us and was easy for the number of people we had.

Monday: I made Tortellini Chicken and Arugula Salad from the April 2017 issue of Cooking Light.  This was so quick and easy to make since it uses a rotisserie chicken.  I only had to cook the tortellini and make the dressing.  This was tasty too and the kids enjoyed it.  The only thing I’d do differently is to double the dressing.  We would have preferred more and found the salad to be a bit dry.

Tuesday: We had straight up Easter leftovers.  My son hates leftovers and gave me a hard time about dinner tonight.  I let him have some of the leftover rotisserie chicken, even though I had a ton of ham, since he liked that “leftover” better.

Wednesday: I made Cheesy Ham Chowder from Taste of Home.  We had a busy afternoon and evening.  So, I made the chowder early in the day and then once it cooled, stuck it in the fridge.  When we got home at 7 pm, we just reheated bowls of the chowder in the microwave.  Don’t worry, my son pointed out that this was technically a leftover since we weren’t eating it hot the first time.  “Food tastes different when you have to reheat it in the microwave!”  Welcome to my world!  The chowder was tasty and we all enjoyed it.  I mean, c’mon, is anything really bad if it has bacon?!!

Thursday: I took a ham break and made Cuban Style Steak and Avocado Rice with Pineapple Chimichurri Bowls from Half Baked Harvest.  This recipe called for 2 pounds of skirt steak. Well, I wasn’t spending $11.99/pound for skirt steak, and picked up a 1.5 pound top shoulder blade steak (I think that was the cut I bought) for $4.49/pound.  I marinated the steak the night before, omitting the fresh oregano and I made the chimichurri earlier in the afternoon the day of.  I used diced, canned pineapple and a jalapeno pepper instead of fresh pineapple and a Fresno chile pepper.  I cooked the rice in the rice cooker when we left for piano lessons.  So, when we got home, I just had to cook the onions and the steak.  The kids weren’t a big fan of the pineapple chimichurri, saying it was too tangy (from the red wine vinegar).  My husband and I really liked this dish and honestly, I think this was restaurant quality.  My presentation may not be the best, but this dish is something you could find on a restaurant menu.  I made it for a quarter of the cost and we even had leftovers for lunch.  So overall, a little labor intensive, but definitely worth it!

Friday:  To use some more of the leftover ham I made Hawaiian Pizza.  Actually, my husband made the pizza, but I had scheduled it on the menu! There was no recipe.  He just put chopped ham and pineapple rings on an otherwise cheese pizza.  Next time I’d cut the pineapple into pieces and spread them out.  Although the rings looked nice, when you took a bite of the pizza, the whole thing fell off the slice.

What are you having for dinner this week?

Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a Happy Easter.  Yesterday we hosted both sides of the family and had a joint Easter/11th birthday celebration for our daughter.  It was a great day with family and delicious food!  The kids are enjoying one more day off of school.  I enjoyed a week of not having to wake up at 6 AM and being on a schedule.  However, I’m ready for them to go back! LOL!!  Monday means that it’s time for another weekly 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 is a look at what was on our menu this past week:

Saturday:  We were up in Poughkeepsie for the day and had a late lunch.  We got home and weren’t super hungry for dinner.  The kids just had a yogurt and I had some leftovers at 9 PM!

Sunday:  We had beef burritos.  Nothing fancy, just refried beans, taco seasoned ground beef, rice and cheese in a tortilla.  I didn’t have sour cream, so we ate these with just salsa.  We were outside most of the day doing yard work.  I was just happy we were able to find enough ingredients at home to make something for dinner!!

Monday:  We were supposed to go to my husband’s family Passover Seder.  However, our son ended up with a stomach bug.  I stayed home with him while my husband and daughter went to the Seder.  My son had some soup for dinner and I ended up eating leftovers.  I of course requested that my husband bring me home some Matzoh Ball Soup!  They did even better by bringing us back soup and a container full of desserts!

Tuesday: I made Greek Turkey Meatballs from Damn Delicious.  I served these with couscous and salad.  These meatballs were so tasty!  The tzatziki sauce was a must!  I would eat a piece of meatball with some couscous and the sauce in one bite and it was delicious!  These were easy to make and a dish that I’d cook again!  My son was still sick and not eating much, but my daughter really enjoyed these.

Wednesday:  I made Weeknight Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli Raab from Love and Olive Oil.  This is a classic dish that I’ve made numerous times.  It was the first time using this particular recipe though.  I liked the addition of wine and blanching the broccoli raab.  This was a quick and easy pasta dish that the family enjoyed.

Thursday:  I made homemade pizza and topped it with pepperoni and leftover broccoli raab.  As usual, this was quick, easy and tasty!

Friday:  Today was my daughter’s 11th birthday!  She requested soup dumplings for dinner this year.  So I found a restaurant in Westchester that serves them.  We basically had dim sum for dinner including soup dumplings, fried dumplings, steamed pork buns, pork belly in a chili garlic sauce and a fried appetizer platter with spring rolls, chicken wings, curry puffs and crab rangoon.  It was all really good and my daughter was very happy and full!

Oh Monday, here you are again!  Luckily, this week is spring break and we have a nice, relaxing week planned. For everyone who celebrates, Happy Passover!  We are celebrating Passover tonight at a Seder with my husband’s side of the family.  Monday means that it’s time for another weekly 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 – Earlier in the week I had made a visit to HMart, a Korean grocery store.  I stocked up on sauces and other staples, but also couldn’t leave without picking up some marinated pork belly.  My husband cooked it up while I made some Doenjang-Glazed Broiled Eggplant from the cookbook Korean Food Made Simple by Judy Joo.  We had it with some rice.  This was such a tasty dinner!

Sunday – My parents took our family out for an early anniversary celebration.  My husband and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary on Wednesday, the 4th.  We had a great dinner at Julianna’s where I had this White Lasagna with Polenta Sticks.

Monday – I made Sausage, Spinach and Apple Breakfast Sandwiches from Cooking Light, March 2017.  We love breakfast for dinner and this meal was a winner! I made a couple of adaptations to the recipe.  First, I used maple flavored breakfast sausage.  Second, I used Thomas’ Corn English Muffins instead of the recommended whole-wheat in the recipe.  The maple sausage paired with the sweet corn muffin made a great flavor combination.  Everyone devoured these!  I served the breakfast sandwiches with Parmesan-and-Herb Roasted Potatoes from the same Cooking Light issue.

Tuesday – I made an adapted version of Krazy Korean Burgers from Judy Joo’s Korean Food Made Simple cookbook.  These were a bit on the spicy side even though I decreased the amount of gochujang sauce and didn’t add the chili pepper flakes!  I also didn’t make the Doenjang Mayo or gochujang ketchup.  I wasn’t a big fan of these and prefer the Asian style burgers that I make with hoisin sauce.  I served the burgers with fries.

Wednesday – I made Spicy Fried Chicken Bites from Kimichi Mom.  These chicken bites are supposed to be a mash up of Korean and Japanese fried chicken.  This was one of those instances where I didn’t read the recipe before starting dinner….and should have!  The chicken had to marinate for 20 minutes in the sauce.  Plus, it took me some time to cut the chicken thighs up.  Add in the flouring and the frying and it took me about an hour to get this chicken cooked.  I only sauced half the chicken, since the kids tried some with the sauce on  and found it a bit spicy.  This chicken was really good and definitely worth the time invested.  If I had known it would take so long, I would have either started earlier or made this on a weekend instead.  I served this with Cucumbers in Garlic Sauce from A Thought For Food and rice. This was a kid-approved meal!  My husband has already requested that we shorten the cooking time by working together to cook it so we can have this again soon!

Thursday – I made Chinese Stir Fried Sticky Rice Cakes (Nian Gao) from Steamy Kitchen.  This was my first time cooking with rice cakes.  The rice cakes started out as hard little ovals but after soaking and cooking ended up with a soft, chewy texture.  My husband did all the prep work for this dish and when I got home with the kids from piano lessons I finished cooking it.  This was a tasty dish, though our ratio of rice cakes (too many) and pork (not enough) was off.  The kids ate this, but weren’t big fans.
Friday – I made Caramelized Balsamic Goat Cheese Pasta from Half Baked Harvest.  I roasted the beets earlier in the afternoon and the rest of the cooking was quick and easy.   I think this dish was super tasty and a great addition to Meatless Mondays.  While my kids aren’t the biggest fan of beets and mushrooms, they enjoyed the pasta and goat cheese!  I omitted the pomegranate arils, as it’s no longer pomegranate season.

What is on your menu this week?

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.

Friday:  We ended the week with our usual homemade pizza.  This week was another plain cheese pizza.  Super quick, easy and tasty!

What is on your menu this week?