Herb-Inspired Dinners

Recently, my summer herb garden has really been a huge inspiration for my cooking. I find that I am constantly running out to grab a sprig of thyme or a few leaves or basil to add flavor to whatever meal I am making. This week, I used a lot of basil, cilantro and rosemary to make our dinners healthy and full of flavor.
Here's our line-up:
Monday: Mom's Meat Sauce with homemade Parmesan-herb bread sticks (I used olive oil as my fat, and a mixture of dried herbs, fresh rosemary and Parmesan cheese to spice up this easy recipe from Epicurious.com)
Tuesday: Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Elexia's Guacamole
Wednesday: Asian Chicken Wraps with cold sesame noodles (I used left over peanut sauce from last weeks Thai-style chicken and tossed it with cold noodles and sesame seeds for a quick and easy side-dish)
Thursday: Falafel with Greek Salad (This is my favorite recipe from MediterrAsian.com--the dressing for this salad, combined with the cheese, can be very high in fat and calories--a teaspoon of dressing goes a long way!)
Friday: Chicken and Rice with homemade Challah 

Chicken and Rice

Chicken and Rice is one of my husband's favorite dinners. It is super easy--here is what you will need:
Ingredients:
1 box of Uncle Ben's Long Grain Rice prepared according to the directions on the box
4 Chicken Cutlets
1 Packet Lipton Onion Soup Mix
4 tsp reduced fat margarine spread (I use I Can't Believe it's Not Butter Light)

Directions:
-Line an 8x8 baking dish with foil and spray with PAM.
-Spread the cooked rice on the foil.
-Lay the 4 chicken cutlets on top of the rice.
-Top each cutlet with 1 tsp of margarine and 1/4 packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix.
-Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes.

It's a FarmBox week this week, so I am hoping for some amazing veggies to spruce up our Thursday and Friday night dinners.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Fresh from the Farmer's Market

I think one of my favorite things about summer is the amazing selection of local produce available to me. Now that we have moved to the South, I have really been trying to incorporate more organic fruits and vegetables into our weekly meal plan. Although I am now only getting FarmBox every other week, I am finding that I am able to stretch my vegetable budget by supplementing with the amazing selection at the local Farmer's Market. Oaktree Farms is by far one of my favorite vendors, and their vegetables are appearing in almost every meal I make this week.

Here is our line-up:
Monday: Turkey Picadillo
Tuesday: Spinach Manicotti
Wednesday: Garlic-Chipotle Beef Kebabs Kebabs from the June issue of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food and Grilled Broccoli and Bread Salad from Food and Wine
Thursday: Stir Fry with snow peas and chicken (courtesy of hubby since I have to work late)
Friday: Shabbat Dinner--Chicken and Rice with Challah
Saturday: Thai-Style Chicken with Peanut Dipping Sauce
Sunday: Friend's BBQ, where I will be bringing Swedish Potato Salad with Cucumber and Red Onion

I love that all of these meals can be made ahead of time, leaving me more time during the week to get the 1 million other things I have to do done. Monday and Tuesday night's dinners are already prepared and sitting in the fridge ready to be heated up, meaning I won't really have to cook again until Wednesday. It's nice knowing that even though I am a busy mom, with a little planning I can provide healthy meals to my family while supporting local farmers and their efforts.

Healthy Meals to Nourish Your Mind.

So what do you make on a weekly basis?

A lot of people have been asking me "So what types of things do you cook?" I know that going through my blog week after week can be time consuming, so I figured I would just put it all out there--a menu of what meals I make for our family on a daily basis. Sure, I mix it up based on what's in season and what's on sale, but these menu items are our staples, our go-to items if you will. See something that catches your eye that is not on my blog? Shoot me a note in the comments section and I will be happy to share the recipe with you!

 

Poultry

Balsamic Chicken

-Grilled chicken cutlets marinated in a balsamic-Dijon dressing.

Cilantro-lime Chicken

-Grilled chicken cutlets marinated in a sweet honey-cilantro lime citrus dressing.

Grapefruit Chicken

-Baked bone-in chicken breasts simmered in a grapefruit-Dijon glaze.

Chicken Parmesan

-Chicken cutlets breaded in a Parmesan cheese-blend topped with marinara sauce and cheese.

Red Onion Crusted Chicken

-Chicken crusted in breadcrumbs and red onion, then lightly pan-fried to a crisp crust.

Chicken with Peppers and Onion

-Sautéed chicken breast, onions and peppers in a light white wine sauce.

Chicken with Olives and Fruit

-Thinly sliced chicken oven roasted with olives, apricots and dried plums in a white wine sauce.

Brick Chicken

-Skin-on chicken pieces, rubbed with olive oil and fresh herbs, seared to a crisp skin and slow-finished in the oven.

Chicken and White Bean Chili

-Pulled white-meat chicken, sautéed green peppers and navy beans in a thick chicken-broth base.

Chicken Marsala

-Pan-seared chicken cutlets topped in a mushroom-marsala wine sauce.

Chicken Cacciatori

-Chicken cutlets seasoned with oregano and basil simmered in a thick tomato sauce with onions, peppers and mushrooms.

Chicken Enchiladas

-Tortillas filled with chicken, peppers, onions and cheese baked in a tomato enchilada sauce.

Tex-Mex Pie

-Sautéed ground turkey, peppers, and onions, seasoned with cumin and chili powder, layered with cheese and kidney beans in a flour tortilla pie.

Stuffed Peppers

-Green peppers stuffed with ground turkey, orzo and onions, baked in a tomato sauce

Beef

Swedish Meatballs

-Ground beef seasoned with onion and potato, pan fried and served with a light cream sauce.

Italian Meatballs

-Ground beef seasoned with Parmesan cheese and Italian spices, served in a marinara sauce.

Rosemary-Merlot Flank Steak

-Marinated Flank steak grilled and served with a rosemary-merlot reduction.

BBQ Meatloaf

-A mixture of sautéed onions and ground beef seasoned with BBQ sauce and baked with a ketchup glaze.

Beef Burgundy

-Braised chuck beef sautéed with onions and mushrooms in a beef-burgundy sauce.

Beef Hash

-Finely diced onions, potatoes and steak pan-fried together.

Cabbage and Beef Stew

-Ground beef, shredded cabbage, rice and potatoes simmered in a hearty tomato-beef broth.

Shepherds Pie

-Ground beef, peas, corn, carrots and onions sautéed together and topped with mashed potatoes.

Meat Sauce

-Ground beef sautéed with onions and basil-infused tomato puree.

Vegetarian

Eggplant Parmesan

-Eggplant crusted in Parmesan cheese, pan-fried and topped with marinara sauce.

Eggplant Rollatini

-Eggplant crusted in Parmesan cheese, pan-fried, stuffed with a spinach- ricotta cheese mixture, and baked with marinara sauce.

Vodka sauce with peas and mushrooms

-Tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, onions, basil and a hint of cayenne pepper, simmered until thick and then mixed with sautéed mushrooms and peas.

Marinara Sauce

-San Marzano tomatoes simmered with garlic, onions and basil.

Vegetarian Chili

-Black, garbanzo, kidney and navy beans simmered with chili seasoning and sautéed onions and peppers.

Falafel

-Chickpea patties seasoned with red onion and cumin, lightly pan-fried and served on mini-pitas with a tomato-cucumber sauce.

Vegetable Quesadillas

-Caramelized onions sautéed with peppers, black beans and corn, topped with cheddar cheese and pan-seared into a crispy crust.

Spinach Pie

-Spinach and feta blended with dill, lemon juice and scallions, layered between crisp sheets of phyllo dough.  

Hopefully this basic overview will help you create menus of your own--ones that your family will love, and you will love serving them.

 Healthy meals to nourish your mind.