Menu Plan Monday~ Busy Week

If the gorgeous weather isn't proof enough that winter is over then my calendar sure is.  As I was looking over our family's month of May I realized we have only 7 days that are appointment-free!  Between T-Ball starting and end-of-the-school-year activities we are going to be on the move!  This makes it difficult at times to find time to cook, which inevitably means more eating out.  And that's just not an option right now~ so what to do?

For starters, when making my meal plan this week I was careful to include several chicken dishes.  Chicken is so versatile and easy it just made sense that that is where our protein will be coming from this week.  So yesterday my husband marinated and grilled up 4 whole chicken breasts.  The main part of our weekly meals is fully cooked and ready, and then I just tried to come up with a menu that was diversified enough and not boring.  Here's what I came up with:

• Monday: Grilled Chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, green salad
• Tuesday: Chicken Fried Rice w/ sugar snap peas
• Wednesday: Chicken, brown rice pasta & roasted veggies in cream sauce
• Thursday: Grass-fed Ground beef tacos
• Friday:  Out to dinner
• Saturday: Chicken Pot Pie
• Sunday: Breakfast for Dinner~ Soaked blueberry coffee cake

Enjoy the week!

This post is part of Menu Plan Monday.
 

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Ham & Potato Soup

Last Wednesday, in the middle of our gorgeous 80 degree week, we had a wet and cold day.  The weather came out of nowhere, although I am convinced the Lord, in His sovereignty, gave me this day because I had planned on making my ham & potato soup.  Well, He may not have given this weather just for me, but I praise Him for it just the same.  My parents came over just as we had finished our soup, and I witnessed my mom return to the pot again and again for another little taste.  She must have said "Oh, this is very good" at least 10 times, which, coming from a woman who's food is raved about up and down California (by those fortunate enough to have tried some) just made my heart smile.  I love that we share a love of cooking, and I love that my cooking skills don't embarrass her. =)

For those of you who are still entrenched in winter, here's a recipe worth making while the weather permits.  And please, if anyone else's mom drops by unexpected on the night you make this, you have to let me know if she too fills your home with Ooos and Awws. =)

Ingredients:

• 3 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1 inch squares
• 3 TBS olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1/2 cup carrots, diced
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 3/4 to 1 cup ham steak, diced
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 tsp celtic sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 5 TBS butter
• 5 TBS flour (I use sprouted spelt)
• 2 cups whole raw milk
• cheddar cheese, opt.  

Prepare your ingredients.  This is probably as time-consuming as cooking the soup, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time.  This is a great recipe to let your kids help you with~ I gave my 6 year old a butter knife and he diced my ham, carrots and celery.

In a large saucepan or dutch oven, saute your onion in the olive oil, about 3-4 minutes.  Add in the carrots, celery and ham and cook another 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until the ham starts to slightly brown.

 Next, add in the wine and deglaze your pan, then incorporate the potatoes, cooking another 5 minutes or so.  If you'ld like, after the onions are sauted you could add in the other ingredients at once and cook for a few minutes, or even wait and add it all with the chicken broth.  I add in stages to bring out the flavor in each ingredient separately.  

 Add in your chicken broth, sea salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan melt butter on med-high heat.  Whisk in flour to make a rue~ make sure to whisk quickly and until there you have a smooth paste. 

Slowly pour the milk into the rue, whisking continuously.  After incorporated, cook on med-high heat for 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened, then add it to the soup and stir well.  For a chunkier soup, take a potato-masher and mash soup several times.  For a creamier version use a immersion blender.

Top with some shredded cheddar cheese and pair it with a slice of spelt buttermilk bread, and enjoy!

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop

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Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:

• 4-5 medium organic sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into strips
• olive oil, just enough to lightly coat the potato strips
• 1 1/2 TBS celtic sea salt, or to taste

Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees.  Peel your sweet potatoes and slice them into french fries. 

 

Place the fries in a ziploc baggy and lightly coat with olive oil.  Add salt and shake. 

Place the fries in a single layer on cookie sheets.  Bake about 25 minutes, turning just once, until golden and crispy.  Serve promptly, with a little extra sea salt sprinkled on top.

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Grass-Fed Beef Burgers

With springtime pretty much in full bloom in Southern California we have been enjoying the smells of BBQ around our neighborhood and taking advantage of our outdoor patio set for dinner.  These are precious times around here because pretty soon, all too soon, the blistering heat will be upon us.  There's really only 4 glorious months where we live: April, May, October and November.  The rest of them are plagued with windy and miserable cold or scourching and unbearable heat.  I'm kind of being dramatic here~ at least about the cold.  But not about the heat~ it is unbearable.  Anyway, we too have been BBQing a little more along with the rest of the town.  Here's a rendition of one of our favorite grilled hamburgers that I think you'll enjoy.  Happy Spring!

Ingredients:

• 
  
  1 lb. grass-fed ground beef (we buy from Organic Pastures)
• 
  
  1/2 cup onion, diced
• 
  
  2 garlic cloves, minced
• 
  
  2 TBS tamari (fermented soy sauce)
• 
  
  1/4 cup gorganzola cheese, opt.
• 
  
  1 tsp. pepper
• 
  
  1 tsp celtic sea salt
• 
  
  Condiments of choice

Turn your grill on to medium, around 400°.  Place your ground beef in a bowl and add in the gorganzola, pepper and sea salt.  Set aside.

In a medium skilled heat up the tamari and saute your onions and garlic in it, about 4 minutes.  Let cool slightly, then incorporate into the ground beef.

 

Separate the ground beef into four equal sections, then roll into a ball.  Flatten with the palms of your hand into patties about 3/4 inch thick.  Then make a depression in the middle of each with your thumb to keep the patties from balling up when they cook.
 

Grill for 3-4 minutes per side, until about medium (or to your liking).  At this point you could add some extra gorganzola on the top of each patty if you'ld like.

Lastly, just add on your favorite condiments (I highly recommend grilled onions), pair with some sweet potato fries and enjoy!

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday

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Fresh Chamomile Tea

When my husband came home with our Abundant Harvest box this week, I never thought it would be such a learning experience for me.  As soon as I walked by it and smelled the sweet scent, I was taken back to my childhood in an instant.  Have you ever had that happen to you?  I couldn't remember the exact time, but that scent was so familiar, and one that I had not enjoyed for so long.  It was chamomile. 

I immediately grabbed my very helpful abundant harvest newsletter, which usually contains tips and recipes for unfamiliar produce.  (I am constantly surprised by how many unfamiliar produce items I encounter.)  All it gave was a small snippet about the stress relieving powers of chamomile, and a recipe for chamomile tea.  I was intrigued, because I have never enjoyed store bought chamomile tea.  It has an unpleasant flavor and smell, and really doesn't deliver what it says it will.  From my box: "DID YOU KNOW? An single cup of  (trademarked brand) tea has been known to have the same effect as sitting for 45 minutes in a mountain meadow on a sunny day with your shoes off."  Really?  As a mother of 5 I rarely get a chance to sit in a sunny meadow with my shoes off for an uninterrupted 45 minutes.  As that would probably rank in my top 3 things to do with my spare time, I had high hopes for my boxed chamomile tea.  However, it was more like taking medicine~ just drink it as fast as possible in hopes that it will at least deliver on the stress relieving properties and not leave as strange an aftertaste as I think it probably will.  Disappointed again.  Not that I expect a cup of tea to take away all of the stress from my day, that is what the word of God is for.  Still, it would be nice to know that they are somewhat accountable to what they say on the package.  I know, I know:  too high of standards.  Well, I did a little digging and found out that chamomile does in fact have many uses.  It may not deliver in the very small proportions(and probably somewhat altered states) you find at the grocery store, but it does, historically, have a record of doing a lot of good. 

If you google chamomile, you will find all sorts of wonderful things that it can be used for.  I will not try to cover all of the medicinal purposes here, but I would encourage you to look into it, it is well worth your time! Just a little teaser for you: chamomile is used medicinally to treat sore stomach, irritable bowel syndrome, and as a gentle sleep aid. It is also used as a mild laxative and is anti-inflammatory and bactericidal.  Source  If you do get your hands on some fresh chamomile, it would be well worth looking into all of the other things you could do with it, besides tea.   Although I have to say that the tea I made with the fresh flowers was exceptional, and something that I am going to start doing a lot more often.  Here is the tea recipe that I used, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Things You'll Need:

*chamomile flowers

*a tea pot

*water

*strainer

*a tea cup

Pick the amount of flowers you will need to make your tea and wash thoroughly.  Discard the stems, only use the actual flowers.  (You will need approximately 1 TBS flowers for ever cup of tea.)

Bring the water to a boil.  After the water is boiling, add the flowers and turn off the heat.  Let steep for about 15 minutes.

When your tea is finished, strain the flowers out with a mesh strainer and add honey or lemon if desired.  Enjoy with a good book.  (TIP: wrap the flowers you have strained into some cloth and use on burns, bruises, or insect bites)  Source   I've also learned that chamomile can make a mean, muscle relaxing, stress relieving bath.  I'm excited to try that next! 

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Asparagus Risotto

Photo Credit

This warm and creamy traditional Italian side dish was made from a mix of fresh asparagus from my Abundant Harvest box and arborio rice.  I must admit that, while my husband and I love risotto of all kinds, my children are not crazy about this dish.  They love rice in general, just not "the slippery kind".  What can I say~ I have little boys. =)

• 1 lb. fresh asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 3 cups homemade chicken broth*
• 2 cups water*
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 1/2 onion, diced (or shallots)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Butter or Olive Oil for sautéing
• Celtic Sea Salt and Pepper, to taste*

*As to the chicken broth and water, you may use all chicken broth, as I did, just make sure to not add any salt.  The flavor will be very, very rich (which we prefer) if you do not cut it with the water.

1.  In a saucepan combine the chicken broth and water and heat on med-high until simmering.  Reduce heat to low and keep warm.
2. In a large skillet cook the asparagus in about 3 TBS butter until tender-crisp.  Remove the asparagus and keep warm.
3. In the same skillet sauté the onion and garlic for about 3 minutes in your choice of fat.  Add the rice and cook another 2 minutes.  Add in the wine, deglazing the pan with it until most-to-all of the liquid has evaporated. 

4. Increase the heat to a med-high and add in 1 cup of the broth-water mixture.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid has been absorbed.  Continue stirring and adding 1 cup of the liquid at a time, allowing each cup to be absorbed before adding the next.  This should take between 25 and 30 minutes, until the rice is tender and the texture is creamy.
5. Stir in the asparagus, cream, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese and simmer another 2 or 3 minutes.  Serve immediately. 

I paired this with grilled chicken and a salad for dinner, although it is more than filling to enjoy as a meal of its own!  

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Menu Plan Monday - Simple Week

I'm keeping it easy with my meals this week, mostly classics and only one new recipe (out of this months edition of Sunset Magazine).  I do have to make one note about Saturday's meal~ this is one of the easiest, most flavorful meals, plus it gives you lots of leftovers.  Don't forget to save the chicken bones along with any left-over chicken to make a yummy soup.  And don't forget to check back daily as I will be posting the recipes each day I make them =)  Have a great week everyone!

Here's what's on the menu this week:

• Monday: Grilled Chicken, asparagus risotto and a green salad
• Tuesday: Grass-fed ground beef burgers and sweet potato fries
• Wednesday: Ham & Potato Soup, steamed broccoli
• Thursday: Lime-Soaked Chicken Tacos (the Sunset Mag Recipe) and grilled balsamic artichokes
• Friday: Left-over Buffett
• Saturday: Roasted Whole Chicken w/potatoes, carrots & leeks, and a green salad
• Sunday: Breakast for dinner~ Eggs, bacon, fresh hashbrowns and toast

This post is part of Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie

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