Menu Monday: Nourishing Body and Soul

 

              Cooking, for me, this past week felt a bit like this: fail, fail fail, fail, WILD SUCCESS!!!!! Regardless of the failure days, here is a peek at our week in food!

Monday: BBQ Chicken Sweet Potatoes

What I Loved: I had made this similar recipe (using enchilada sauce instead of BBQ sauce) and loved it, so I hoped I would love the BBQ version as well – and I did! Both of us did! I adore how easy it is to throw all of this in the slow cooker and have a complete meal all ready to go. (Here is the free recipe…with enchilada sauce instead.)

Tuesday: Cobbled Together Ham and Cheese Sandwiches + Steamed Green Beans

What I Loved: I had a whole meal planned for this evening, but I ended up being (unexpectedly) gone all day and had no time to cook anything. I found some ham in the freezer and had two slim buns and a little sliced cheese leftover in the fridge. I grilled some sandwiches in a pan on the stove and added some steamed green beans. There really is something to be said for working with the leftovers you find on hand.

Wednesday: Fiesta Salad

What I Loved: This ended up being another day that took on a life of its own, and I did not have time to cook the planned recipe. Ryan so kindly stopped by the Swiss Village Café and purchased salads for us so we could eat quickly after church. He chose a fiesta salad for me – with chicken, black beans, and corn. I used my own sugar free Ranch dressing, but OH, that was a good salad.

Thursday: Pulled Pork Dinner

What I Loved: Well, I loved not cooking three nights in a row! Weeks ago, we purchased fundraiser tickets to a pulled pork dinner. It ended up being a complete gift in this busy week. Ryan picked it up after week, brought it home, and we enjoyed it together in our dining room. The meal came with a pulled pork sandwich, our choice of chips (Ryan chose white cheddar popcorn for both of us – YUM), a cup of applesauce, and our choice of cookies (he chose chocolate chip for me and lemon white chocolate chip for himself). We also received a drink of choice, and we each had water. It was a yummy meal and an easy one to “make” – or warm up.

Friday: Grilled Tilapia and Steamed Broccoli

What I Loved: Back when I lost weight a couple of years ago, one of the protein options recommended at least once a week was fish. I didn’t like fish at all but learned to like tilapia if it was grilled. It has become a recurring favorite for us. We often keep a bag in our freezer for emergencies. We didn’t really have an emergency this week, but we did have our first pretty day, so Ryan pulled out the grill! We just grill it, season it with a little seasoned salt, and it’s ready to eat!

Saturday: Amish Breakfast Casserole, Baked Egg Casserole, Monkey Bread, Clean Eating Monkey Bread, Fresh Fruit, Air Fried Turkey Bacon

Well, clearly when I start cooking, I COOK! We hosted our small group and (obviously) had a breakfast theme. I wanted to make sure we had plenty to eat – and we had healthy options for anyone who wanted them, which I figured might just be me! From the top:

What I loved about the Amish Breakfast Casserole: This is a tried and true recipe I’ve used for years. I always use the potatoes O’Brien to avoid messing with chopping peppers and onions. This time I used turkey sausage for the meat. It’s a super filling recipe and always gets gobbled right up!

What I loved about the Baked Egg Casserole: I couldn’t find a recipe like it on a free site, but this one has eggs, egg whites, and Greek yogurt in it, so it’s high in protein and satisfying! I added some green peppers I had in the freezer so I could have some veggies in the mix, too. You could add other vegetables if you prefer!

What I loved about the Monkey Bread: I have never made monkey bread before, but Ryan requested it, so I found this recipe on Pinterest, and it was a HIT. The entire thing was devoured before the night was over. It is indeed easy to put together.

What I didn’t love: It bubbled over in the oven, and I did not have a pan under my bundt pan. Womp womp. Learn from my mistakes!

What I loved about the clean eating Monkey Bread: It’s definitely not exactly the same as real monkey bread, but it is good. I’ll give it that. It was pretty easy to assemble, and I appreciated having a sweet treat to eat that wasn’t laced in butter and sugar!

I also bought strawberries and blackberries to serve as a fruit salad and air fried a couple packages of turkey bacon. Those were both hits as well!

Sunday: Ground Beef and Zucchini Skillet

What I Loved: I love any dish that gives me everything in one pan, and this did just that. All the protein, all the veggies, all the color, all in one pan. It was a yummy, easy dish to put together on a Sunday afternoon. Ryan added chips to his, but I ate mine true to the recipe. Yummy!