Menu Monday: Holiday treats edition!

I think that fall is best time of the year to be pregnant! You get Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas…and if you're having an April/May baby like I have, you also get Valentine's Day and Easter. Lots of great food and candy. Last week I had a craving for these peanut butter balls and decided to make two other treats to share with our neighbors.

*As always, click on the purple link for the recipe.

Peanut butter balls

These were a huge hit! I love that this recipe has Rice Krispies in it for an added crunch. I recommend shaping the balls and then freezing or refridgerating them for a while until firm. I was too impatient to wait and had a hard time dipping them in the chocolate since they were too soft. I dipped some in vanilla almond bark and some in Wilton milk chocolate candy melt.

Peppermint patty stuffed Ritz crackers

I found these on the blog and thought they sounded good. It's a nice combination of salty and sweet. Don't over microwave them or they will melt too much. I thought these were easier to dip than the peanut butter balls.

*The blog that features these is called the Gunny Sack. It's funny because my neighbor uses a gunny sack when her sons have too many toys out. The gunny sack "eats" up the toys and if you behave, he'll give them back. I will probaby be using this tool once the baby is here!

Pretzel, M&M, & Candy Cane Kisses

These are another great combination of salty and sweet. I use butter snaps and they taste great. When we made this batch, Josh and I got busy and forgot they were in the oven! They were a little too soft, but it still worked out. Watch out because it's hard to just eat one :)

Menu Monday: It's been a while...

I'm hoping to do this more often! If you'd like the dish's recipe, click on the title of the dish above the picture.

Cilantro Lime Shrimp

Served with roasted broccoli and cauliflower. This dish is a huge favorite! It has such great flavor and is low in calories. Will be making again soon.

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

We first found this recipe when doing the Advocare 24 day challenge in August. We put our own flare on it by topping them with sriracha sauce and toasted sesame seeds. So delicious!

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Josh and I were blown away by this dish. I think I said "mmmm" after every bite! Lots of fun ingredients with great flavor. We topped with shrimp for more protein.

Pioneer Woman's Perfect Potato Soup

My Mee Mee has been texting me about potato soup, so I had to make it and satisfy my craving for it. I followed the pioneer woman's recipe since she makes it so easy to follow. We used a stick blender and it worked just fine. I top mine with cheetos and Josh prefers cheez-its. Perfect for the cold weather we've had up here! (Mr. P was enjoying an apple.)

Sweet Potato Skillet Hash with Spinach

This is another 24 day challenge recipe that I would consider clean eating. Josh said that he would have preferred red potatoes. I thought the sweet potatoes were interesting and the flavor was unique, but I don't think we'll make this again.

Black Bean Tamale Pie

Love this dish! I've made it a handful of times. We like to make our own "tamale" portion by using cornmeal instead of a cornbread mix. I googled a standard cornbread recipe and didn't use sugar. We liked it much better this way. It's a fun change up of our standard taco salad Tuesday. Try it!

Menu Monday: a tale of two leftovers

Last week we had more company in town! Josh's Mom, Dad, and youngest brother made the drive up here and stayed a few days. It's SO nice to see family. (be looking for a few posts on their visit) They were awesome and brought us HEB marinated fajitas, HEB tortillas, and green tabasco. While they were in town, we grilled twice and ate out a few times. After they left, we still had a ton of fajitas leftover, so I set out to reuse the meat. I love a good challenge! (click on the blue title above the dish's picture to link to the recipe)

First up was the chicken...

Spicy Chicken Enchilada Skillet

Another successful dish! I loved that it was all done in one pan and you didn't have to boil the pasta. I used the homemade salsa that Josh's Mom made and a can of hot enchilada sauce. Josh tasted it before me and his eyes lit up "Yum that's spicy!" (he's a hot head when it comes to food...I'm going to find the video of him doing a spicy wing challenge one day) It really was spicy though. I ended up putting a little low fat sour cream in mine and it helped a bit. It tasted really good with the grilled fajita chicken.

Next was the carnitas...

Carnitas Tamale Pie

This was a little more challenging. We originally grilled the carnitas and then sliced it. Turns out that the HEB package of carnitas are not pre-marinated. I wanted it to be more like traditional shredded carnitas so I followed this recipe, along with a 12 oz can of beer and 1/2 cup of orange juice in the crockpot for 3.5 hours. When there was 30 minutes left on the crockpot, I started making the cornbread portion of the pie. It's a fairly simple recipe to follow. I accidentally used a can of diced jalapeños instead of diced chiles, but it still turned out great. The carnitas turned out really flavorful and were delicious on top of the tamale pie.

You know it's a good meal when your husband says, "can't wait for you to make that again." Hooray for both being a successful leftover makeover! (try saying that 5 times...)

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!

On the Menu Monday

jalapeno kettle chip crusted chicken 

We love jalapeños and chips so this was a no brainer to try. It was moist and had lots of flavor. When making it, the chips didn't want to stick...maybe an egg wash would help. Or be careful not to shake off too much of the buttermilk. The homemade ranch is also really good. We used it as a salad dressing.

We decided to teach Peyton how to husk the corn on our front porch. (PSA: you don't shuck corn, you husk it! You shuck oysters. I've been wrong all this time, y'all!) I think he enjoyed it, just not the strings. It's so cute that he wanted to feed it to the birds.

baked ziti

This is a great recipe for 2 reasons: it's pretty inexpensive and it makes a TON. I followed the recipe's reviews and covered it with foil. Next time I want to try covering it for just half of the baking time so that it wont be as juicy. I also want to experiment with the way I layered it. Some reviewers say to mix a ladle of sauce in the noodles before assembling the dish. Either way, Josh loved it and has brought it for his lunch two days in a row.

We have a pretty old inside joke about baked ziti in the Russell Corner. (Mamaw Carole, I hope you're reading this!) After our honeymoon, Josh had to have a few surgeries to fix his patellar tendon again after getting a staph infection in Jamaica. They were pretty painful and not very fun. Luckily, we were able to go home for a few days before the last one. The first night home, Mamaw offered to bring over hamburgers and her famous chips and salsa. Josh had seen baked ziti on Rachael Ray that morning and said "What if you take the ground beef and make baked zit instead?" Mamaw was a little surprised by this request and said "Umm...okay...I guess I can do that." Josh then says "If I don't get some baked ziti, someone will get hurt." LOL thank you pain meds! Sweet Mamaw came to his rescue and brought some over. I'm in tears from laughing just writing out this story. Love you, hubby!

stuffed tilapia and asparagus

Not a fan of this one. I don't know what went wrong. I used bread crumbs instead of stuffing mix since that's what I had on hand. It just didn't have enough flavor. Since the fish was in the oven, I used the above recipe for the asparagus in the microwave. It turned out great and I'm happy to report that Peyton ate his helping. I loved the lemony flavor. That's the leftover quinoa from a few days ago.

BBQ shrimp minnestrone

You HAVE to make this recipe! The BBQ sauce and chicken broth make an amazing soup base. I also love the roasted corn and had no clue it was so easy to do. I used whole wheat pasta and it did fine. I think next time I will double it to have more leftovers. GREAT FIND!

On the Menu Monday

We didn't cook as much as I would have liked this week. We ate leftovers on Tuesday and ate out for dinner on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday...eek. Not good for the budget or our waistlines, but there's always time to start fresh.

turkey burgers with roasted broccoli and cauliflower

Turkey Burgers

1 lb ground turkey
1/2 red onion
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 dry ranch packet (we sometimes use Fiesta ranch)
A few splashes of worcestershire
2 cloves garlic

Mix all ingredients well in a bowl, form into patties, and grill as you wish. We cook them in a pan on medium heat.

These are a staple in our house. They are so good that we probably have them at least once a month. The rice looking dish is a box of Near East couscous, an all-time favorite of mine. We love this roasted broccoli recipe, so we decided to try adding cauliflower too. They weren't as crispy but still very good. Peyton even asked for a second helping. This is a big big deal, proof...

Skinny coconut shrimp with skillet potatoes

What a keeper! So delicious and much better for you than the fried version. Luckily, my mom was able to watch Peyton while Josh and I did the breading assembly line. I followed a reviewers advice and baked them on a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet. (see below)

They turned out nice and crispy. I recommend rubbing the cooling rack with butter versus cooking spray. We didn't make the sauce because we already had sweet chili sauce in our fridge. You really don't need it. After much coaxing and bribing with applesauce, Peyton finally tried a shrimp and loved it! The potatoes are Josh's creation that he makes every now and then. They're the bomb.

Skillet potatoes

5 slices of bacon
1/2 onion
3 cloves garlic
a few pinches of italian seasoning
5 new potatoes, cubed

Cut bacon in slices and being cooking in a pot on medium heat. Once browned, add onion and garlic and stir until onions are tender. Stir in the potatoes, italian seasonings, and cover. Remove lid when potatoes are tender (around 8 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remain on medium-low heat and let them crisp up a little. Enjoy!

Salmon with sweet chili glaze

This was a stretch for me to get out of my "tilapia zone." I was pleasantly surprised. We will definitely use the glaze again, but will try searing the salmon in a pan. That's how Josh's restaurant made their yummy salmon when he was a waiter during college. We tossed the asparagus in a little olive oil and then broiled it. The quinoa is my mom's specialty. We added some edamame and chicken bouillon while boiling it. It adds a fun taste and P loves it. Plus it's packed with protein.

Let's end on a sweet note...

this boy loves frozen yogurt.

weekly menu

Everyone knows that Josh loves to cook way more than me. When he's in the kitchen, he's in his happy place! In the past 4 years of marriage, I've joked that I'm the sou chef who does the cleaning, puts things away while Josh cooks, and does the grocery shopping. Now that he works crazy hours, I'm flying solo in the kitchen! I'm a total amateur when it comes to cooking, but I'm learning quickly to keep us on a budget. We're ok with this since we haven't been blown away by the food up here...and they definitely don't have Tex-Mex. So I've decided to post our menu from the previous week on Mondays. I've linked the recipes if you're interested in trying them.

P.S. sorry, I'm not a food photographer. Just saying.

Bone-in pork chops with apple walnut relish with crash hot sweet potatoes

This one was a little challenging for me! I juggled both dishes at one time plus a curious toddler, which I don't recommend. (until I get better at cooking) The pork was so tender and we loved that the recipe was paleo. The sweet potatoes were great too. Definitely a keeper!

Lemon garlic tilapia with crispy gnocchi with tomatoes and goat cheese

The tilapia was ok. I followed the reviews and sautéed the garlic and used fresh parsley. The top reviewer also said to bake at 400 for around 10 minutes. I think next time I would try foil packets because the sauce didn't really stay on the fish well. The gnocchi was amazing! I bought the whole wheat version at our grocery store. Josh kept saying how much he loved it after each bite. Score!

Ultimate baked chicken fingers with honey mustard sauce

We will definitely make these chicken tenders again! SO delicious. I made the honey mustard sauce from another recipe for us to dip them in and to use as a salad dressing. It was super easy to make and so flavorful! It's got a great kick to it.

butter breast of chicken with summertime spaghetti squash

We made this last night. I loved that Josh was able to cook with me. I followed another blogger's advice when breading the chicken. She says to dredge one side of the cutlet in the flour, put the same side in the egg bowl, and place it in the panko dish. Then you press down so the crumbs will stick and put the piece of butter on the "naked side" and roll the chicken up. The chicken stays put without needing a toothpick. (For some reason we had a lot of panko left over. We will use less next time.) Three awesome end results: the chicken is moist, we loved the lemon, and the outer crunch is fun. YUM!

The spaghetti squash was great too! Especially since it's so much better for you than real spaghetti. We already had a jar of pesto from the gnocchi so I just used that.

Peyton refused to try either dish. BOO. I tried to stand firm and play the tough love card. But ended up making him a PB&J later on.

Jell-O Zoo Jigglers...what? How'd this get on here ;)

We picked this kit up at Wal-Mart last week. The kid loves it. It's now our new bribery tool to get him to eat his dinner. You get desperate when you have a picky eater.