Meals at a glance....

I woke up this morning to some new snow on the ground.  I usually do not mind the cold or snow, but I am getting a little tired of it and am ready to see the spring flowers.  I treated myself to flowers at the market and have them in different rooms of the house, but it's not the same as seeing them outside!  Feeling a little hopeful though, because as I'm sitting in my office I see the sun trying to come out today.

This is a celebratory week for us...two birthdays and Easter with extended family.  Baskets & eggs need to be filled and special desserts need to be prepared.  All fun things to look forward to in the days ahead.  Both my husband and daughter love coffee flavored treats so one birthday cake is dark chocolate-espresso with mocha whipped cream and caramel drizzled on top.  Complete with mini chocolate chips as a final touch.  The second dessert is coffee ice cream pie with an Oreo cookie crust and crushed Oreos on top.  May have to drizzle the remainder of the caramel sauce on top.  Needless to say I will be teaching extra classes this week to work off all the sweets I will be enjoying!  Look out Garage Girls---tough workouts for you too.

Meals for the week:


Monday:  recreating a lunch I had out last week---Fish Tacos--corn tortillas filled with chopped lettuce, avocados, black beans, white fish, and a mango salsa.

Tuesday:  Birthday dinner--Grass Fed Hamburgers with lots of toppings and a Red Quinoa Salad with chopped red peppers, tomato, onions, avocado, black beans, cilantro, and lime juice.

Wednesday:  Spaghetti Carbonara-made with whole wheat spaghetti, skim milk, Applegate Farm nitrate-free bacon, eggs, and cheese.  Tossed salad on the side too.

Thursday:  Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad with good bread on the side.

Friday:  Birthday dinner--treating ourselves out as a family!  If home it would be Odds & Ends Night with leftovers and fun finger foods.

Saturday:  Make your own pizza

Sunday:  Easter Brunch with family---I'm making a Lemon Ricotta Pie and fruit salad to bring.

Please feel free to contact me if you're interested in seeing more of a recipe.  Continue to share your ideas and comments.  They are always appreciated.

Here's to a warmer week and more sunshine!

Best,

Donna

Meals at a glance...

Time is moving too quickly.   My oldest turns 15 this spring and my daughter will be 13 next week. My younger two still play with toys and trade Poke Mon cards....thankful!  I know I cannot stop time, but oh how I wish I could slow things down.  I have used the word "embrace" for my Word of the Week before.  It is a challenge to embrace all moments, but trying to slow down and enjoy family time is important.  Meal time is my family's time to be together, share our day's events, laugh, and have a break from homework.  It does not always happen every night that we are able to sit together because of sports, but we do our best.  Now that it is light out longer, we have dinner later in the evening so it seems to be working out.  The week ahead holds parent-teacher conferences and spring sports try outs.  Meals are easy to prepare and have a little bit of everything!  We used recipes from 3-Step Express Meals, Clean Slate, and Power Foods cookbooks.

Our picks for the week:

Monday:  Crispy Flounder, Roasted Purple Potatoes, and Salad

Tuesday:  Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Soup with Panini Sandwiches

Wednesday:  Grass-fed Flank Steak with Steamed Broccoli in a Miso-Sesame Dressing

Thursday:  Penne Carbonara with Broccoli & Cauliflower

Friday:  Odds & Ends Night--picnic style dinner with left overs and finger foods

Saturday:  Birthday Party Dinner--Fruit kabobs, Sushi, Salad, and Spaghetti with Meatballs or Butter and Cheese (Grandma will be here so homemade sauce is a special treat!)

Sunday:  Roasted Salmon and Parsnips with Ginger

Wishing you all a happy week ahead.  Please continue to share what's on your tables.  I appreciate the feedback.  Remember to slow down and savor the moments!

Enjoy!

Best,
Donna

Meals at a glance...

As spring approaches and the snow finally is melting, I find myself craving fresh fruits and veggies. I'm looking forward to the farmer's market and buying what's in season.   I have a little bit of time before the one's in Connecticut are open for business, so I'm trying to find nice looking produce at the grocery store.  Sticking to a budget has been my goal lately.  I find that once spring arrives all I do is write checks for sports, field trips, clinics, etc.  Planning meals ahead helps me stay within a budget and keeps me organized and focused when I'm shopping.

We had a few favorites from last week's meals.  The veggie enchiladas, and the healthier version of chicken Alfredo were the top 2 picks.  Meals for this week are simple since late afternoons and evenings are filled with various practices.  I try and prep ahead of time in between my classes and training sessions.  If you do not have time to do that, Sunday evening is a nice alternative to plan ahead for the week.  A client of mine grills chicken on a Sunday and stores it for a few days to put on top of salads, use in tacos or chili's, and add to soups.  Great way to save time.

For our week ahead I'm trying to fill our plates with many vegetables, lean protein and a carbohydrate.

Monday:  Keeping it meatless...Chinese Fried Rice with Shrimp (an old recipe from a kids cookbook that is easy and healthy-long grain brown rice, Chinese cabbage, peas and fresh ginger)

Tuesday: Open-Faced Egg Sandwiches

Wednesday:  Won-Ton Soup (found a great recipe in an old issue of Real Simple)

Thursday:  Roasted Chicken and Vegetables with Risotto

Friday:  Odds & Ends Night...Picnic style dinner with left overs and easy finger foods

Saturday: Homemade Mac N' Cheese...a healthier, low-fat recipe that uses vegetables

Sunday:  Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes/Cauliflower

Salads are always served on the side as well as a bowl of cut up fruits.

I was so happy to hear from college friends saying they have starting following my blog and have begun incorporating ideas like the Odds & Ends night.  I love hearing from people about what works and what doesn't.  Please continue sharing with me and feel free to comment on my page.

Best,

Donna

Meals at a glance...

When I saw the picture of French Food Rules, I thought it would be a perfect attachment to my blog post.  I think we as parents sometimes forget that we are in charge.  In fact just last night as I was pouring myself a glass of red wine, one of my sons said, "How come you can have wine and I can't have soda?"  I almost caved and gave him some ginger ale, but I thought he had a special treat last night!  So I responded, "because mommy's the adult that's why I can have a glass of wine."  No response back.

I am in almost complete agreement with the French when it comes to the food rules.  However, I like to have my children participate with the menu planning because I feel they are more willing to try new foods when they help with the planning and preparing.  I have the final say and encourage healthy meals.  Being a healthy role model is key.  I also believe in snacking which is not  European.  I allow for healthy snacking because my kids are active and need some nourishment in between meals. I too need some snacks and find when I have them it keeps my eating under control.  All the other rules I try to follow, especially number 10..."Remember eating is joyful. RELAX!"   I studied abroad in Italy, and I loved that meal times lasted for hours.  I try to have our weekend meals be relaxing and long so we can laugh and have conversations around the table.  Something I wish could happen more often during the week.

Being in the fitness industry, I like to keep up with what is the latest and greatest.  I subscribe to a variety of fitness magazines and keep most of them so I can review exercises, recipes, etc.   I was rereading an older Self issue and found some great recipes that we all would like to try.

Our week ahead has a little bit of everything!

Monday:  Keeping it meatless with Vegetable Enchiladas, I love the cilantro, avocado, corn and beans used in this recipe.

Tuesday:  Angry Shrimp served over Brown Rice and Vegetables

Wednesday:  Garden Chicken Alfredo, a healthy alternative to a creamy dish using yogurt instead of heavy cream.

Thursday:  Trying a new recipe from a friend, (Thanks Cindy!) Cozy Lentil Soup with Delicata Squash.  I'll have a hearty loaf of bread for dipping. (Maybe loaves with the way everyone is eating lately!)

Friday:  Odds & Ends Night, picnic style eating with some leftovers and finger foods.  Still top favorites are pesto, cheeses, veggies and hummus, shrimp cocktail, and mini pizzas made out of whole wheat pitas.

Saturday:  Tuscan Lasagna, made with either whole wheat noodles or brown rice noodles, spinach and low fat ricotta cheese

Sunday:  Steak with Red Wine Mushroom Sauce and Roasted Vegetables

Thanks again to all of you who share what's on your tables.  It's always fun to have new ideas and try new food.  As always if you'd like any recipes please give me a shout.  Enjoy!


Best,

Donna

PS  Don't forget to spring forward with your clocks!  Yeah for brighter evenings!

Meals at a glance...

Daylight savings is a little over a  week away.  Spring is around the corner.   Despite the cold, the sun has been shining and the sky has been an incredible shade of blue.  My family has been busy outside and the fresh air and activity has increased their appetites!  I love shopping at different markets for a variety of foods and have found myself back at BJ's wholesale store to buy bulk size containers of berries, nuts, yogurts, bars, fish and meats.  They have a nice organic line of chicken and sell wild fish caught in the states which is nice.  I still head to my local grocery stores and Trader Joe's for items, but I'm trying to stick to a budget and BJ's helps with keeping me in line!

We found some new recipes to try this week from the Clean Slate cookbook and from various clippings from magazines that I have saved.

Finishing basketball this week and beginning spring sports soon, so keeping meals fairly simple, nutritious and easy to prep ahead of time.

Monday:  Spicy Sesame Noodles-a homemade attempt to make Pad Thai

Tuesday:  Grass Fed Flank Steak, Roasted Purple Potatoes,  & Green Beans  (can now get to the grill:)

Wednesday:  Quinoa, Chicken & Pesto Bowl

Thursday:  Back by popular demand...Bake Sweet Potato/Potato Bar with all the fixins'

Friday:  Odds & Ends Night...Picnic style dinner with all our favorites like bread, cheese and pesto, shrimp cocktail, variety of dips and veggies, homemade whole wheat pita chips and antipasto platter

Saturday:  Mediterranean Chicken Stew with Couscous

Sunday:  Baked Cod with White Bean, Potato & Kale Stew


I love trading recipes and ideas so please be in touch.  I would love to hear what grocery stores other's like best and find economical.

Enjoy the week ahead!


Best,

Donna