Menu Monday

If you'd like the recipe, you can click on the title of the dish above the picture. It will link you to where I found it. Before I begin, I need to announce that I will have a new blog name soon. It was brought to my attention that Russell Corner is also the name of an inappropriate book :( {tread lightly if you must see for yourself...gross!} If you have any name ideas please let me know!

Chicken Quinoa Fried Rice

I'm on a quinoa roll lately! Fried rice is a guilty pleasure of mine, so if it can be healthy then sign me up. Very easy to make and I actually cooked the quinoa in my rice cooker. Next time I will double it so we can have more leftovers. I kind of want to get a wok, too.

Apple, Cheddar, Turkey Meatballs

I've been making these since 2009. I've made them in the crockpot and the oven, but I prefer the oven since it's quicker. We tried two new things this time: we browned them in a pan before putting them in the oven and shredded the apple with a cheese grater according to the recipe. (for some reason I would just cube the apple into small pieces..I guess I didn't read the recipe right, oops.) Both of these improved the recipe! I use Craisins as I haven't been able to find unsweetened, dried cranberries. I would double this as well since Peyton likes them.

pesto mozzarella chicken with sweet potatoes {crockpot meal}

This recipe was so easy. Everything (except the salad) gets layered in the crockpot. You can put it on in the morning and forget about it. We used thin chicken breasts, so I'm glad I didn't cook it for the full 7 hours. The original recipe on crockpot365 says you can use chicken thighs. 

sweet chili glazed salmon and crispy gnocchi

These are both repeats from the past month. We seared the salmon in a skillet with olive oil. (we'll try coconut oil next time) Then we put the glaze on top. The gnocchi is so good that Josh requested it again. Yes it was an Asian dish with an Italian side, but we just went with it.

oriental chicken salad

This dish has a funny back story. In med school, we would babysit each others kids to save money and also because we trusted our friends. Before Peyton was born, we watched Lindsay's twins and she made us this salad for dinner. I randomly thought about it recently and sent her a text for the recipe. She had just made it two days before! Great minds think alike :)

Cabbage mix

2 chicken breasts

1 green onion

2 tbsp sesame seeds

1/4 c slivered almonds

1 pack of Ramen noodles, break up noodles - don't cook (I used chicken but want to try oriental or a spicy one)

Dressing:

1/2 c veg oil

3 tbsp vinegar (we used rice wine vinegar...whatever you have on hand)

3 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 seasoning packet from the Ramen noodles

The chicken: I sprayed nonstick cooking spray in the pot and placed the chicken at the bottom. I covered it with water, put a pinch of salt and a few shakes of apple cider vinegar. Once it came to a boil, I turned the heat down to a simmer and covered the pot. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Cut into cubes. This is technically poached chicken and it's super easy. I liked how tender it was.

While the chicken cooks, roast the almonds and sesame seeds in the oven until light brown. Prepare the green onion by slicing it thin. Mix all of the dressing ingredients into a salad dressing shaker.

Build your salad with the cabbage mix, cubed chicken, green onions, broken noodles, almonds and sesame seeds, pour dressing on top and toss. We added a drizzle of Sriracha sauce to ours. YUM! This salad is so easy to make and has lots of flavor. Thanks for sharing, Linz!