Sure we could see a new start...

Well, hello February.  And hello blog that I have neglected for the last half of the month.
And hello to you, dear reader.

The last month has been a little nutty for the NMOTB household and while we did do a nice job of sticking to our meal plan (as much as we could), the sticking to "No self-imposed life changes for awhile" resolution we made to ourselves...hasn't gone quite as well.  Namely, my husband started a new job last week.  No worries.  It was just a great opportunity that sort of fell into our laps and after a lot of careful discussion, we jumped on it.

It did require my husband to travel more than originally planned in January, so of course, that did require me to scrap a lot of our meal plan and did not leave me a whole lot of time to do recipe reviews or cook actual meals.

So, here's the February meal plan (which features a whole lot of the January meal plan, sorry about that) and a whole lot of holes because our February is not only short, but it's also really really busy.  Not to mention, we've already had to change things around before I could even post this.  And I'm four days later than planned...

Make sure you check back as I'll try to attempt to be a blogger again this month and will also be doing some recipe reviews - both the ones from January and the ones for new recipes we are trying this month.  Phew.

{February 2013}

February 1 - Well, as this post was being created, we were covered in several inches of snow and it was still falling.  Going to the grocery store just wasn't in the cards.  Our cupboards were unfortunately pretty bare, so we had to order Chinese.

February 2 - SUPER BOWL SUNDAY.  (Wait, I think I'm technically not allowed to call it Super Bowl because it is like trademarked or something.  Whoops.)  Basically our dinner will consist of buffalo chicken dip, guacamole, chili, and all kinds of other things that are ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS.

February 3 - Chicken Parmigiana; Pesto Pasta; Broccoli

February 4 - World's Best Chicken; Pasta; Asparagus

February 5 - Slow Cooker Classic Beef Stew*; Bread

February 6 - Breaded Pork Chops; Roasted Acorn Squash; Cous Cous

February 7 - Chicken Caesar Salad

February 8 - Skillet Chili Mac*; Cornbread

February 9 - Italian Drunken Chicken*; Salad

February 10 - Leftovers

February 11 - No meal plan

February 12 - Asian Chicken Salad*

February 13 - Moist Lemon Chicken; Cous Cous; Salad

February 14 - Valentine's Day!  So, my husband and I usually don't do anything big for Valentine's Day, but every year since TIH was born, we've always gone out to a casual dining restaurant. (Our favorite was a BBQ place when we were still living in St. Louis.)  So, this year we'll likely do the same thing, though we haven't yet found our special, non-special spot.

February 15 - Pork Carnitas*; Fiesta Lime Rice

February 16 - Spicy Sausage Pasta; Salad

February 17 - Leftovers

February 18 - Chicken Stir Fry; Brown Rice; Asian Salad (Here's a good stir fry recipe I found, but usually we just pick our favorite chicken and veggies, toss them together in a skillet with a nice bottled sauce, and fry it all up.)

February 19 - Slow Cooker French Onion Soup Pork Chops*; Boiled New Potatoes; Roasted Zucchini

February 20 - Italian Chicken (Found this recipe on the back of a Progresso Italian Panko box and it is GREAT); Pasta; Salad

February 21 - Pizza; Salad

February 22 - No meal plan, we'll be attending the annual Auction for Autism!

February 23 - Chipotle Grilled Steak with Lime Butter*; Smashed Potatoes*; Broccoli  (THIS MEAL PLAN WILL FINALLY HAPPEN THIS MONTH.  I hope...)

February 24 - Garlic/Brown Sugar Chicken; Pesto Orzo; Sauteed Zucchini

February 25 - No meal plan

February 26 - No meal plan

February 27 - Chicken and Broccoli Noodle Casserole*; Salad

February 28 - Burgers; Tator Tots; Salad

Comfortable...

Unless you've been living in a cave, you've probably heard that regions in the Midwest are experiencing something called a "Polar Vortex." (I linked you to a Wikipedia article to explain what that is, but I'll give you the Cliff's Notes - it's freaking cold.  Chicago was colder than the South Pole during parts of the day.  They brought the Lincoln Park polar bear INSIDE because it was too cold.  TOO COLD FOR A POLAR BEAR.)  Needless to say, we've all been snowed in (literally, our garage is frozen shut) and have been doing what we can to stay warm and not bored out of our minds.  (I love me a snow day, but being cooped up in the house gets a little maddening after awhile.)

So, what else could possibly be better on a too-cold-for-a-damn-polar-bear kind of a day than a nice, cheesy, comforting, casserole?

Before I go on to share this old family recipe, I must provide the following disclaimer: I know that cream-of-whatever soup is not good for you.  You'll notice there are a lot of foods I post on this blog which ignore some of my own basic food rules (i.e., feeding my  family with mostly whole foods packed with great nutrients).  SOMETIMES YOU BREAK THE RULES.  There are a ton of substitution recipes out there for cream of celery (et al) out there, so if that's your thing - check it out.  Otherwise, continue on.  All the while knowing that this recipe is built for comfort, not health.  And that it should be served in moderation. On days that are too cold FOR AN ACTUAL POLAR BEAR.  Now, proceed...

This used to be one of the simple recipes my dad would put together for us as kids when my mom would work late.  She would cook it sometimes too, but I think my dad was pretty much the king of casseroles in our house when I was growing up.  When my husband and I got married, he requested that I gather some of the simple weeknight meals that my family was accustomed to eating so that we would have some easy things to cook for the two of us.  This recipe?  At the top of his list.  You're gonna love it.  Let's get started.

{NMOTB Hamburger Casserole}

Ingredients
- 1 lb. of ground beef (We usually use the leanest beef we can find.  Go with what makes you happy.)
- 1 box of rotini noodles (We always use whole wheat rotini.  Growing up we used a lot of different shapes of noodles and obviously didn't use whole wheat.  You can experiment here if you want.)
- 2 cans of cream of celery soup (Just get over it.  It's fine.)
- Milk (You're just going to fill up one of the soup cans with milk.  LOOK, RECYCLING.  YOU'RE WELCOME.)
- Cheddar cheese (I use most of a 2-cup bag.  Eyeball this.  You just want enough to cover the top of your casserole)

Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta.  I forgot both steps while photographing this tutorial.  That was a bummer choice.  Do me a favor and don't forget.

- Begin by browning your pound of beef in a large skillet.  Truth be told I've never tried this with ground turkey or chicken (obviously, it's HAMBURGER casserole), but if you wanted to be experimental, I'd love to hear your results...

- Drain your beef once it is browned.  Add to your skillet both cans of cream of celery and then fill one empty can with milk and add that in there too.

- Stir the mixture around until everything is combined and allow to cook over medium low heat until it bubbles and thickens. (At this step my mom would also sprinkle in a little thyme. We've tried it both ways and like it better without. But, by all means - experiment! It's a casserole. You can almost never screw it up!)

Don't worry, it'll look more appetizing in the casserole.

- In the meantime, I hope you were boiling your pasta and didn't forget like me.

- Once your soup mixture has thickened a bit, your casserole is ready to assemble.  Begin by draining your pasta and putting it in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish.  (You can probably put it in something slightly smaller, but you may want to adjust cook times.)  Pour your soup mixture evenly over the noodles.  You don't have to worry about mixing it up, it'll get in there, but make sure it's relatively even so the whole casserole is layered correctly.

- After you've layered the noodles and soup mixture, sprinkle the entire top with cheddar cheese.  Like I said, I usually use most (if not all) of a 2-cup bag of cheddar cheese to do this.  Hey, no one said this recipe was health food.

- Then, just like any good casserole, you stick it in your preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted/bubbly.

You know it looks delicious.

- We usually serve ours with some sort of salad or green vegetable.  Because it makes me feel better about eating something so rich.  IT BALANCES OUT, RIGHT?  Recipe serves at least 8.  Or, two people who like seconds and a busy 3 year old who eats two pieces of pasta - with leftovers.  ENJOY!

'Tis a gift to be simple...

A couple of times a month, I will be sharing new recipes I have tried as part of our meal plan.  Yet again, we have had another month full of successful new recipes (several we will be repeating on future meal plans).  I'll be posting our December meal plan soon, so check back to find out what other new yummy things we'll be trying next month as well as what old favorites we are bringing back for a second round.  Remember, I also repin the pins for all of the recipes I try through Pinterest on my board "I Made This" so make sure you are following!


Chicken Tortilla Bake - I pinned this recipe a while back because it reminded me of a dish I had at a potluck once.  I didn't know who brought it so I couldn't ask for the recipe. After trying this recipe, I'm pretty sure this was the one, but I have to say I think my tastes may have changed a bit.  Or maybe the person who brought the dish to the potluck had a secret ingredient or two they added.  Because, I didn't really like this that much.  It was a simple enough recipe to make, but it was just kind of blah to eat.  The only thing I think I may try before I abandon this all together is to use tortilla chips instead of cut up corn tortillas. This may affect bake time, but I guess it is worth a shot.  Looks like I need to go hunt down that random stranger about their tortilla bake and what made it so good.

Buffalo Pork Chops - I pinned this recipe assuming it was going to just be a "man-pleasing" meal and that my husband would love it and I would just tolerate it.  Instead?  I LOVED IT.  (He loved it too, of course.  It is meat smothered in buffalo sauce...what's not to love?)  We used Frank's Red Hot Wing Sauce (our favorite) and served it alongside some Alfredo pasta and steamed asparagus.  It was perfect and better yet?  It was SUPER easy.  We will definitely be making this one again.

Crock Pot Lemon Chicken - I had initially planned on making a different recipe, but when I went back to look at my pin on my "I Made This" board, I realized we actually didn't like it the first time we had it.  Whoops.  So, instead, I went looking for a different recipe and stumbled upon this one.  I have to admit, it wasn't our favorite.  The flavor of the broth is great (as indicated in the recipe), but the potatoes come out bland (I would definitely recommend doing a bit of a seasoning rub on them as well as the chicken).  I also cooked this on high for 3 hours (though you can also do a slow and low cook with this recipe instead) and I fear it may have dried out the chicken a bit.  (I was also using a brand of chicken breasts I don't really like all that much, serves me right for trying to change things up...)  Overall, I think I was just disappointed by this recipe.  The smell of all of the seasonings and lemon and garlic when you're putting the dish together is intoxicating, but for us, the recipe just fell sort of flat.

Chipotle Grilled Steak with Lime Butter - We had to abandon a couple of our meals this month due to other engagements, and this was one of them.  Bummer because it looked great and though I'm rarely a steak eater, I was excited to give this one a try.  It is definitely going onto our December menu.  So check that out when I share it!

Cheese Bacon Beer Soup - The name alone should tell you why I pinned this recipe.  Cheese?  Good.  Bacon?  Good. Beer?  GOOD.  In fact, it looked almost too good to be true and so I was positive the recipe was going to fall flat of my expectations.  WRONG.  It was, quite simply, the perfect food.  Admittedly, with an entire stick of butter, bacon,   cheese, and half & half, this recipe falls very far from the healthy category.  And that also probably contributes to the fact that it tastes like HEAVEN.  Everyone in our family loved this.  I cut down on the cayenne pepper by a lot (recipe recommends 2 tsp., I did a little less than 1 tsp.) and served it with some freshly sliced chives on top.  Oh and bread.  Because you're gonna want to mop up all of the delicious cheesy goodness.  Such a great recipe and SO simple.  We will absolutely have this again.  Maybe not next month (given the decadence), but for sure we will be having it in the future.  WOW.

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Any good recipes?  I'm looking forward to December and needing some inspiration!  Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I know I will...I was greeted by this yesterday:

Welcome home.

Happy Thanksgiving!

If it ain't broke don't fix it...

When I was growing up, we never had stuffed peppers.  I can't remember which one of my parents it was, but either my mom or my dad didn't like stuffed peppers.  A few years ago, a co-worker brought her homemade stuffed peppers to work for lunch and I thought, "Wow, that seems like a really healthy recipe."  I did some research and found one that wasn't only a great foundation for the recipe I'm about to share, it's also one of the few stuffed pepper recipes you will find that does not feature breadcrumbs or cheese in the recipe.  In fact, by my calculations this recipe is 288 calories per serving (1 pepper.)  Not bad, eh?  The original recipe turned out okay, but the next time I made it I made several adjustments so it would fit our tastes a little better.  I actually searched for the old recipe for awhile and never found it.  Good thing I printed it out!  (This was in the days before Pinterest.  I know. Weird, right?)

So, get yourself ready.  You're going to want to keep this recipe in mind for a rainy day (or any day...it doesn't have to be rainy. Whatever.)

{New Mom on the Blog's Stuffed Peppers}

Ingredients

1 pound of ground beef (I use the leanest ground beef I can find, but have used ground turkey before as well and it was great.)
1/2 cup of uncooked brown rice (Or you can use one of those awesome Uncle Ben's Boil-in-a-Bag things [pictured below]s and just stick it in the microwave.  Otherwise, cook your rice in a cup of water/chicken broth and set it to the side.)
4 bell peppers (My husband likes red and I like green so we always do two of each.)
1 yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
2-15 ounce cans of tomato sauce
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Salt to taste
(I think you could easily make this recipe vegetarian by using more rice and no meat.  I think quinoa would also make this super interesting both with and without meat.  I haven't tried either substitution, but if you do and it is a success, let me know!  I'd love to try it!)


Directions

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

- Cook rice in a sauce pan or use one of the delightfully easy boil-in-a-bag thingies.  You'll thank me later.

Thank you, kind sir.  You make life easier.

- In a skillet over medium heat, add onion and garlic and let warm up a bit.  Add uncooked ground beef (or turkey), mix it around, and cook until evenly browned.

 - Meanwhile, remove and discard the tops, seeds, and membranes of the bell peppers.  Arrange the peppers in a square baking dish with the hollowed sides facing upward.  (Sometimes this is a balancing act, so when I'm choosing peppers in the store, I always try to make sure I get some that will sit evenly in the pan.)

Gorg.

- Once the meat is browned, mix the meat, cooked rice, 1 can of the tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and onion powder in a large bowl.

Trust me.  This tastes amazing.

- Mix the remaining can of tomato sauce with the Italian seasoning in a separate bowl.  Add salt to taste.

Look familiar?  Basically the same as the sauce for my Chicken Parmigiana recipe.

- Spoon an equal amount of the rice/meat mixture into each hollowed pepper.  (You may have a little bit leftover depending on the size of your peppers.)  Pour the other bowl of sauce evenly over the tops of the peppers.

Peppers before the final "saucing."

- Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Serve with some freshly baked bread.  You'll want it to mop up the yummy sauce.

Enjoy!

On certain Sundays in November...

November is here!  The month of my favorite holiday by far - Thanksgiving.  Our family is switching things up quite a bit this year.  We usually spend Thanksgiving with my husband's family.  But, since our move, I've only seen my dad's side of the family twice and it has been really bumming me out.  So, instead we decided to switch up our usual plans and spend Thanksgiving in St. Louis.  Not to mention, I haven't been to this particular Thanksgiving feast since the year I found out I was pregnant with The Incredible Hulk.  I actually found out the day before Thanksgiving that I was pregnant.  So, as you can imagine, I didn't really get to enjoy the food that day.  Since I was just focused on trying to keep it all down.  Gah.

In addition to Thanksgiving festivities, rumor has it that in the first week of December, someone is turning 30 (eek!) so we're also going to be celebrating my plunge into my next decade while we're there.

Due to all this travel, some exciting social engagements for the month, and inevitable turkey-leftover-eating, November was actually a VERY simple month to meal plan for, and this month (unlike October where I really failed on the preparations), I had quite a few recipes bookmarked to try.  I'll be trying out a few new recipes this month, so make sure you're checking back because I'll review new recipes on the blog a couple of times this month.

So, let's get started shall we?

{November 2013}

Friday, November 1 - This was a really high-stress week for me, so by the time Friday rolled around, I was in no mood for cooking.  We checked out a new Mexican restaurant that recently opened down the road and were pleasantly surprised to find a new favorite place to dine out.

Saturday, November 2 - We went and had dinner in the city at a Chicago original - Pizzeria Uno.  Let me tell you, it was worth every minute of the 45 minute wait!

Sunday, November 3 - No meal plan.

Monday, November 4 - No meal plan.

Tuesday, November 5 - No meal plan.  (See!  I told you.  Easy peasy.)

Wednesday, November 6 - Easy Lemon Chicken*; Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Cous Cous (Didn't get to this meal last month, so I'm excited to throw it back onto the menu!)  {Click here for recipe review!}

Thursday, November 7 - Mexican Casserole*; Guacamole (I pinned this awhile ago and forgot about it, but a co-worker tried it and said it was awesome!  Very excited when someone reminds me of a good recipe I have at my disposal!) {Click here for recipe review!}

Friday, November 8 - Buffalo Chicken Wraps; Tator Tots (This is an easy recipe for buffalo chicken we make in the crock pot and then serve up with cheese & shredded lettuce in whole wheat tortillas.  The only change I make is that at the end, I add just a couple of tablespoons of cream cheese and stir it in to take down the heat a bit.)

Saturday, November 9 - Spicy Sausage Pasta; Salad  (LOVED this recipe.  So we had to have it again.  Of course.)

Sunday, November 10 - Pot Roast; Noodles in Beef Broth; Roasted Vegetables (My husband's favorite meal growing up was pot roast.  My mom's pot roast was also the very definition of comfort food for me.  When we got married, we started doing a blending of the two recipes and sort of made it our own.  I've noticed there are kits you can get that come with a good cut of meat [we like chuck roast the best, it has the most flavor and comes out so tender!] and all of the vegetables you need.  But, I've also provided a link to an easy pot roast recipe you can make in the crock pot.  However you decide to do it,  it's always a good night when it's pot roast night!)

Monday, November 11 - Pesto Cavatappi with Chicken*; Bagged Salad (I'll probably just grill up some boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of using a whole chicken.) {Click here for recipe review!}

Tuesday, November 12 - Taco Stuffed Shells* {Click here for recipe review!}

Wednesday, November 13 - Ranch Pork Chops; Brown Rice; Steamed Asparagus

Thursday, November 14 - Grilled Chicken with Avocado Lime Sauce; Quinoa with Corn/Scallions (Another yummy meal I didn't get to again last month.)

Friday, November 15 - Taco Salads  (Nothing fancy, just some taco meat on a bed of lettuce.  I may look up a yummy dressing to make to go alongside it.)

Saturday, November 16 - No meal plan as we'll be celebrating my niece's upcoming FIRST birthday!

Sunday, November 17 - Chicken Tetrazzini; Salad (We used to make a recipe for this all of the time.  I can't seem to find it on the internet right now.  YIKES.  I found one that is somewhat similar, but we might have to do most of it from memory.  I use a rotisserie chicken to make things a bit easier and have adapted the recipe a bit to fit our tastes - for instance, we add some sliced red pepper and use whole wheat spaghetti.  This is a great recipe to have in your arsenal if you're ever wanting to bring a casserole to someone who is sick or if they just had a baby.  OMNOMNOM.)

Monday, November 18 - Chicken Tortilla Bake*; Guacamole (I had a recipe similar to this at a potluck once and I have been looking for a similar recipe ever since.  Fingers crossed that this is the one!)

Tuesday, November 19 - Buffalo Pork Chops* (assuming this is going to be a husband pleasing meal); Fettucini; Broccoli

Wednesday, November 20 - Crock Pot Lemon Chicken*; Sauteed Zucchini; Pasta

Thursday, November 21 - Chipotle Grilled Steak with Lime Butter* (Another husband pleaser since I'm not a big steak eater); Baked Potato; Bagged Salad

Friday, November 22 - Pizza & Salad

Saturday, November 23 - No meal plan as we will be heading over to Medieval Times Chicago to check out the show and have a great dinner.  Jealous?  Check back soon as I'll be giving away FOUR passes to see the show here in Chicago!  SO EXCITING!  (And, if you're following me on Instagram, you'll get an insta-sneak peek on this day!)

Sunday, November 24 - Cheese Bacon Beer Soup* (YES YOU READ THAT RIGHT, OMG); Bread

Monday, November 25 - Grilled Marinated Chicken with Corn/Barley Salad (We had this one time before and all LOVED it.  It's a little bit labor intensive, but WELL worth the effort.)

Tuesday, November 26 - No meal plan.

Wednesday, November 27 - No meal plan.

Thursday, November 28 -  THANKSGIVING!  WHOO HOO!  In years past, I have always made this delicious Corn Casserole recipe. (Ignore the fact that it's a Paula Deen recipe.) My husband and I both love it and I've been requested to make it at other events as well.  I'm not sure if my grandmother will want me to bring this or if she'll need something else.   No matter what, I'm really looking forward to enjoying some of my old favorites at my grandparent's house. (Even though I'm really going to miss my mother-in-law's feast...it's pretty stellar.  Wonder if leftovers would ship well?)  I also made this Rosemary & Cranberry Spread as an appetizer last year and it was a big hit.  I probably ate well over half of it myself :)

Friday, November 29 - My 30th Birthday Celebration!  EEK.  (In addition to celebrating my 30th with some dear friends, this is also the THIRD bloggiversary for NMOTB.  I don't really have anything special planned for that...but at least one glass of champagne will be raised that night to 3 years of blogging fun.)

Saturday, November 30 - No meal plan, but I'll bet there will be some leftover turkey in my future!

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How is meal planning going for you?  Anyone have something awesome they would like to share this month?  I'd love some ideas to start my December menu ahead of time!  I have to admit that last month I tried a simple substitution on a recipe I've made about three billion times and it totally screwed it up.  We ended up having to order some Jimmy John's (but, no complaints here from me about that.)  Literally in our entire 5 years of marriage, that has never happened to me.  Not bad, but still I'm baffled about how such a small change could mess up such a good thing!   Oh well.  Happy cooking, everyone!