Menu Monday: Nourishing Body and Soul

                Last year at the end of each month, I wrote lengthy posts about what I had cooked that month. I exhausted myself with the long recaps, so I can only imagine how worn out you might have been. This year I thought I would experiment with a “Menu Monday” post that shares a weekly recap of my culinary adventures, especially as I continue to build our “capsule menu.”

                Maybe a recipe or two that you find here might inspire you to cook from scratch, prepare a healthy meal, or try something new in your home! Each Monday, I’ll bring the list of what I prepared the week before!

Monday: Slow Cooker Beef Brisket featuring a Homemade Onion Soup Mix with Steamed Green Beans.

What I Loved: Ryan and I don’t eat a ton of beef right now because we can’t justify paying the high prices, so this was a special meal. Additionally, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Ryan so excited about something I made as he was about this brisket.

What I Didn’t Love: I dropped an entire, full, brand new jar of minced onion on the floor when I started to make the onion soup mix. Did you know that dried minced onion, dropped in bulk, makes a house reek in about two seconds flat? Fortunately, I bought two jars, so the mix project was saved.

Tuesday: Sheet Pan Fajitas.

What I Loved: This came together quickly, which was great, since I ended up coming home from work much later than planned. The seasoning is flavorful!!

Wednesday: Mini BBQ Chicken Pizzas, Spinach Berry Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette, Frosted Brownies.

What I Loved: The BBQ chicken pizzas were super easy and very tasty. Also, G. Hughs sugar free BBQ sauce is excellent. The spinach berry salad is on repeat in our home right now, so it’s clearly a win. And the brownies’ secret ingredient? SWEET POTATOES! So good. Ryan even declared this one a keeper, and he’s typically very skeptical about healthy desserts.

Thursday: Chicken Club Wraps with Leftover Steamed Green Beans and Sweet Potatoes

What I Loved: The homemade honey mustard sauce was really yummy. And in an effort to not waste food, I combined the leftover steamed green beans from brisket day and the leftover sweet potatoes from the brownies (that’s a weird phrase) and made a side dish for this meal.

What I Didn’t Love: While I would absolutely make this again, it didn’t over-the-top wow me. Right now I’m trying to find WOW recipes.

Friday: Monthiversary Dinner at Cracker Barrel

What I Loved: We had a gift card! Meals out always taste better with a gift card. But let me tell you about my order! I chose the Smokehouse Grilled Chicken, which I’ve had before, so I knew I’d like it. But here’s why I especially love it. It’s TWO grilled chicken breasts with a really good seasoning. Not bland at all. It comes with two sides, so I get two orders of green beans, and then I eat half the chicken and half the green beans – and have a whole meal left for later! BONUS: I don’t know if you have eaten at Cracker Barrel lately, but they have a small selection of take-home meals you can order for $5.00 if you order an entrée. One of them is a meal of one grilled chicken breast with this seasoning and mashed potatoes. So we ordered one for Ryan to have later. The price was right!

Saturday: Small Group: Blueberry Crumble.

What I Loved: I have made this before (several times) and love how quickly I can assemble it AND how great it taste. I signed up to bring dessert to small group, so I made this and we picked up some low-fat ice cream to go with it. (The rest of the meal was a chicken burrito bowl buffet, so we all created our own tasty dinners.)

Sunday: Deacon Appreciation Lunch: Baked Potato Bar. Ryan and I hosted a meal for our deacons at church, and I’m going to tell you more about it this week!

What I Loved: This was a good way to provide lots of options for a big group of people!

Breakfast: Cottage Cheese Egg Bake With Fresh Milled Flour Toast.

What I Loved: This uses whole eggs and egg whites for extra, extra protein. It also makes a 9x13, so I have leftovers, which I love. Mornings are busy. Warming up breakfast instead of cooking from scratch is always a win.

What I Didn’t Love: This takes an hour to bake, so the day I baked it, I had to have a snack to get me through until breakfast was ready!

Snack: Protein Balls.

What I Loved: These aren’t new at all, but they are always in our house. We keep a big jar of them in the refrigerator at all times, and as soon as I run out, I make more. They are portable, delicious, and filling.