It's Turkey Lurkey time...

If you've never heard the song referenced in this post's title, please FEAST YOUR EYES.  Because, it is one of my all time favorites.

So, last year around this time I had this wild idea that I'd really like to host Thanksgiving at my house this year.  2013 Me was clearly a bit on the over-zealous side, but 2014 Me decided to just go with it.

As you've probably noticed, I have been a terrible, neglectful blog owner and meal planner. I've planned November, but mostly week by week.  (I will try to be back for December to finish out the year strong...maybe.)  However, I'm going to attempt to make all of that better by sharing the NMOTB menu for Thanksgiving 2014 (hopefully to be repeated in years to come.)  I'll include recipe links, but there are a few things here and there which are family recipes that I can't really share.  Not because I don't want to, but because I have practically studied how to make these things successfully. Unless you all want to swing by my house and watch me.  Bring wine.

Without further ado, I present to you The NMOTB Thanksgiving Extravaganza (AKA: How to Try Really, Really Hard Not to Give 15 People Salmonella Poisoning).

This is a picture of the veggie tray I actually made for Thanksgiving 2012. #nailedit

Appetizers Because nobody is hungrier than guests who can smell turkey but can't eat it yet.
- Veggie Tray with Ranch Dip and Hummus
- Cranberry & Rosemary Cheese Spread
- Assorted Cheeses and Olives
- Mixed Nuts

Dinner Because my middle name is "Casserole."
- Roasted Turkey with Stuffing {I'm not going to lie, I was going to kind of wing it on the turkey (pun totally intended) since I've seen my mother-in-law put hers together many times and it always comes out perfectly, but then I started getting really nervous that I'd screw it up.  So, I'm mostly going to follow the suggestions under the link.  And have my fingers crossed.  For the stuffing, I just follow the directions on the bag.}
- Mashed Red Potatoes and Gravy {Following the recipes for both which have been handed down for generations.  Trust me on the red potatoes...they make the BEST mashed potatoes you've ever had.}
- Corn Casserole
- Sweet Potato Casserole {Never been big on this myself...I put it on my plate every year (because, THANKSGIVING), but it isn't my fave.  My husband, on the other hand, lives for it, so I'm trying this recipe out.}
- Green Bean Casserole {Our family is the traditional sort that just likes the recipe on the back of the soup can.  What can I say?}
- Macaroni & Cheese {I grew up with two Southern-cooking grandmas, so this has to be on my menu.  However, I have a lovely guest bringing it for me, so I'll ask her for the recipe to share some other time!}
- Brussels Sprouts and Quinoa with Cranberries {Warning, this recipe comes from Thug Kitchen which is the best recipe website on the planet, but has language that is probably NSFW.}
- Roasted Broccoli {We were going to have steamed asparagus, but the roasted broccoli is SO much better, my husband convinced me to switch.}
- Cranberry Sauce {Another recipe out of Thug Kitchen.}
- Green Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette {I had this dressing at a dinner party the other day, and OHMYLORD.}
- Dinner Rolls {Did you see the list of food I just said I was preparing?  I bought frozen rolls. Deal.}

Dessert Because we'll all need something to tide us over before we start digging into the leftovers.
- Pumpkin Pie {Another recipe to be made by a guest. I can't bake.  It's no secret.}
- Apple Pie {My husband is making his recipe...he insists upon this every year.}
- Sea Salted Caramel Torte with Chocolate Ganache {Right, so remember when I said I can't bake?  So I decided to try baking by making an exceptionally complicated dessert with three different components.  This won't end well.  For example: I ground the almonds for the crust and then knocked the entire 1/4 cup over into the sink.  At least my apron is cute.}
- Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Oh, and drinks.  A lot of them.  I'm convinced that the trick to a successful Thanksgiving Dinner is to get your guests good and drunk so they'll all be too hungry to notice if your food didn't turn out so well.

In all seriousness, Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday.  Yes, partially because it is a holiday completely centered around eating, but also because it's a holiday that almost always begins and ends with delightful time spent with loved ones celebrating the most important thing a person can possess - gratitude. I am unbelievably excited to start my own traditions this year by hosting this delightful meal.  Here's to many returns.

Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou...

A long while ago, my husband mentioned that he was in the mood for some sort of Cajun pasta.  It was around Lent, so I thought - why not make it a Cajun shrimp pasta and kill two birds with one stone?  The problem was finding the perfect recipe.  I wanted one that didn't use heavy cream and also one that wasn't too spicy or complicated.

Basically, I wanted something that didn't exist.

My sister-in-law shared her recipe with me (which was a huge help), but sort of like all recipes that are awesome - it didn't involve a whole lot of perfect measurements or instructions.  Those are absolutely my favorite recipes - the ones that you know are finished by a feeling rather than by a window of time or oven setting.

Those recipes are also very difficult to replicate.

SO, using her suggestions as a guideline and another recipe as framework, I set out to make my own Cajun shrimp pasta.  I'm happy to say, it was a wild success.  I'm also happy to say, that I actually wrote down what I did so I can share it with you here.

Who's hungry?

{Cajun Shrimp Pasta}

Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb. of shrimp (I use frozen, forgive me.)
- 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
- Cajun seasoning (probably about a tablespoon, but you're just going to eyeball it)
- juice from 1-2 lemons
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- Garlic powder (you'll use less than the Cajun, but ditto about the eyeballing)
- Sliced mushrooms (one small can or 4-5 fresh; dealer's choice)
- 1 red bell pepper (sliced)
- 3/4 cup of milk
- 2 tablespoons of cream cheese
- 1/2 box of whole wheat linguine (cooked)
- fresh shredded parmesan
- ground pepper
- kosher salt

Look at the size of this pepper! Insanity.

Directions

- Start by thawing (if necessary) and marinading your pound of shrimp.  I like mine being cleaned and deveined, but if you're so inclined do all that yourself - go for it.  Toss shrimp in olive oil, minced garlic, juice of half a lemon, and Cajun seasoning.  Let it sit in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

- After your shrimp has had time to marinade, melt two tablespoons of butter in a large skillet and sauté the shrimp in it.  At this point you can add another good sprinkle of the Cajun seasoning as well as some garlic powder.

- Let this simmer until the shrimp is mostly cooked and then add the mushrooms and the sliced bell pepper.  Meanwhile, you can start boiling your linguine.

- Stir everything around so it gets nice and covered in the butter and squirt in some more fresh lemon juice.

- Add milk and cream cheese to the pan.  [Side note: You can use any sort of cream cheese you want. We almost always have Chive & Onion in our house, so that's usually what I use.  The cream cheese just aids in the sauce-thickening process.]

- Let all of that cook down until it becomes a nice, creamy sauce.  I usually like to let the sauce thicken up to the point where it starts to coat the spoon when I stir it.

- Toss in the linguine, add the parmesan, and season with the kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.  PREPARE TO BE AMAZED.

In the real world...

In addition to providing some reviews of all of the recipes we tried as part of our July meal plan, this month I am also providing you all with an idea of what happens in the NMOTB household after the meal plan is created (as promised.)

When people visit us and see our monthly meal plan hanging on the fridge, the follow-up question is usually, "So, do you actually stick to it?"  My answer as always been, "Well, yes.  Within reason."

But, this month I decided to actually keep track of the subtle changes we made to have a better answer for people.  Sometimes the changes we make will be to the actual meal (i.e., We have a salad instead of asparagus because I didn't see any good asparagus when I went to the grocery store) and sometimes it will be a change to the calendar because of unforeseen social engagements, travel plans that change, or simply that I just don't feel like cooking dinner.  It seemed like the changes in July were more related to the latter because it ended up being an exceptionally busy month.  In looking back, it still appears that the correct response to that FAQ is, "Well, yes.  Within reason."

July 7
Meal Plan - Beef Lo Mein using this recipe.
Reality - Beef Lo Mein using THIS recipe.  
The first recipe used beef boullion which I didn't feel like buying just for one recipe, so I did a little more Pinteresting and voila!

July 8
Meal Plan - Buffalo Pork Chops; One Pan Fettuccine Alfredo; Green Beans
Reality - Dinner with my husband's boss
We had planned to order pizza later on during this same week, so instead I just pushed back all of the meal plans by one day and we enjoyed socializing with my husband's boss at a local eatery we'd been hoping to try.

July 12
Meal Plan - Pulled Pork; Grilled Corn; Potato Wedges
Reality - Too tired to cook
I would say this happens about once a month. I plan a big meal and then realize it isn't going to work given everything else I have to accomplish on that day.  This day was TIH's fourth birthday party, so by the time we got home I didn't want to do anything.  I'm not sure what we ended up eating, but I didn't cook it!

July 13
Meal Plan - Grilled Shrimp with Mustard Sauce; Baked Potatoes; Sauteed Brussels & Corn
Reality - Pulled Pork; Grilled Corn; Potato Wedges; Cole Slaw
We pushed the meal from July 12 back onto this day and invited friends over to share it with us!  It was absolutely delightful to have everyone over and the meal was enjoyed by everyone!

July 17
Meal Plan - Stuffed Peppers; Bread; Salad
Reality - Homemade Pizza; Salad
This was TIH's birthday and he specifically requested pizza for his birthday.  Since we'd done our fair share of dining out over the course of the month already, we opted to make it ourselves.  Served with a nice slice of birthday cake, of course.

July 18
Meal Plan - Grilled Brats; Cole Slaw; Tator Tots
Reality - Snacks
Here was another example of not really being in the mood for a big meal or wanting to cook it.  Instead, my husband swung by the deli and got a few snacks (wings, cheese & crackers, etc.) and we ate that.

July 19
Meal Plan - No meal plan - having visitors
Reality - Stuffed Peppers; Bread; Salad
My husband's parents were visiting and we weren't sure how long they would be staying in town, so we weren't sure if we would be cooking for a crowd or dining out.  When we found out they were heading home early, I went ahead and moved up the meal plan for July 17 to this day.

July 25
Meal Plan - Steaks; Grilled Vegetables; Baked Potatoes
Reality - Steaks; Grilled Vegetables; Baked Sweet Potatoes
The sweet potatoes just sounded better when I was grocery shopping!

July 26
Meal Plan - Spinach & Mushroom Smothered Chicken; Carrots; Pasta
Reality - Had dinner with friends
You know me, I can't miss out on a social opportunity.  We can have this meal some other time!

July 31
Meal Plan - Breaded Pork Chops; Cous Cous; Sauteed Asparagus
Reality - Going Away Happy Hour
A very good friend and colleague is starting a new job with the next school year, so I spent the evening sharing memories over cocktails and moved this plan to August.  Great way to get a headstart!

------

As you can see, I wasn't too great with the picture taking this month, but we did try a lot of great new recipes.  Some of which I'm happy to say will for sure be making return appearances on future meal plans.

Grilled Fish - (not pictured) We initially planned to cook this on the grill, but decided to go with the oven at the last minute (took about 20 minutes at 400 degrees; my oven generally cooks slow.)  My husband had tilapia instead of salmon, but this delicious marinade worked very well with both.  We left the fish in the marinade for 30 minutes before cooking it.  I think it would be great grilled, so definitely worth a try!

Beef Lo Mein - SO GREAT.  In addition to being very tasty and enjoyable for the whole family (TIH included!), it was exceptionally easy to put together.  A friend of mine also said she tried it with chicken, so this recipe is adaptable to a variety of tastes (would probably be great with extra veggies or tofu as well, if you are so inclined!)  This recipe will be added to the regular rotation without a doubt!

One Pot Fettuccine Alfredo - I love me some fettuccine alfredo and I even have a great recipe I've honed over the years - but this is PERFECT for an easy weeknight side dish.  Sure, cream sauces aren't the healthiest dish in existence, but this is DEFINITELY better than something I would make from a box (which I've been known to do in a pinch.)  These meals that come together in one pan are obviously my new favorites.  I've already put this on our current meal plan!

Grilled Shrimp with Mustard Sauce - (not pictured) Great method for brining and grilling shrimp.  The mustard sauce was just "eh."  I would have rather had a spicy cocktail sauce or a tarter sauce or really any other kind of sauce.  The sauce itself wasn't bad, it just didn't really do much for the shrimp.  Now we actually have a method for grilling shrimp now - we've done it before, but it was all kind of lackluster.  Glad to have something in my arsenal that works!

Lemon Shrimp with Parmesan Rice - (not pictured) I think I did something wrong with this recipe.  For starters, it could have been that I used a boil in a bag rice brown rice instead of the rice recommended for the recipe.  The shrimp itself was great, but paired with the rice it was sort of a gummy mess.  My husband didn't seem to hate it as much as I did, but we both agreed it just wasn't our favorite recipe.  Worth giving it a shot if you can learn from my mistakes, but I'm not sure we'll be trying it again.

Spinach & Mushroom Smothered Chicken - (not pictured; not attempted) This is the second or third month in a row that we haven't gotten to this dish.  I swear it sounds delightful to me, but we keep scheduling it on days that it gets cancelled.  We'll get to it someday.

Cheesy Chicken Orzo - (not pictured) This was touted as "Grown Up Mac & Cheese," but really I think I would have liked mac & cheese from the box better.  We tried to doctor it up a bit by adding some spices and hot sauce, but it just wasn't really anything special.  It's a shame because I was really looking forward to it!

Whoa, whoa, I gotta go back to school again...

Well, here we are at the end of summer.  Also, when did the end of summer start to coincide with the first week in August?  That's nuts!  While I'm a little late in the month to get this monthly meal planning post up, I have a good excuse.  My family and I spent a few days exploring a beach town in Michigan, and I can say with some certainty - I have found one of my new favorite places in the world.

Amen.

Despite being on vacation, I did still do a little bit of meal planning.  We had rental house with a fully equipped kitchen, so one of our first stops was to the grocery store so we could get some ingredients for what ended up being some truly delicious summer meals.  My husband has a new-found love for charcoal grilling and I have a new-found love for not eating in a restaurant every night on a vacation.

Given that I still have a week and a half before I have to report back to work for our next school year, I'm hoping to share some great recipe reviews soon and perhaps a NMOTB post that has nothing to do with food.  (But, no promises, I always fail when I make grand plans like this.)

But, let's get on with what you're really here for - a MENU!  (New recipes that I'll be trying for the month are denoted with a "*."  I'll try to come back here on the blog to review them, but you can also look for short commentary on my Tried It! board on Pinterest.  (I'm currently rebuilding this board after the loss of my beloved I Made This board was lost in an interweb black hole, but there's some good stuff on there already.)

Love the question marks.  Somedays that's all you got.

{August 2014}

Friday, August 1 - {No meal plan - we had dinner with friends instead of eating in!}

Saturday, August 2 - {No meal plan - first night in Michigan and went out for some YUMMY Italian!}

Sunday, August 3 - Grilled Burgers; Tator Tots; Salad

Monday, August 4 - Grilled Chicken (Garlic Herb Marinade); Grilled Corn; Pasta Salad; Green Salad

Tuesday, August 5 - {No meal plan - spent our last night in Michigan enjoying some delightful Mexican food and sangria}

Wednesday, August 6 - {No meal plan - I got home to discover our cupboards mostly bare.  We ordered in.}

Thursday, August 7 - Breaded Pork Chops; Sauteed Asparagus; Cous Cous

Friday, August 8 - Seared Chicken with Avocado*; Quinoa with Corn & Scallions

Saturday, August 9 - {No meal plan.}

Sunday, August 10 - {No meal plan.}

Monday, August 11 - {No meal plan.}

Tuesday, August 12 - {No meal plan.}

Wednesday, August 13 - {No meal plan.}

Thursday, August 14 - {No meal plan. August is so easy!}

Friday, August 15 - Grilled Italian Sausage with Marinara; One-Pan Fettuccine; Salad

Saturday, August 16 - "Ribs a la My Husband" (Don't ask me what he does, but whatever it is, it tastes like MAGIC); Potato Salad (I'm going to try to steal my mom's recipe from her); Grilled Corn (Gotta have as much as we can before the farmer's market is out!)

Sunday, August 17 - One Pot Zucchini Mushroom Pasta* (Love these easy peasy wonderpot meals!); Salad

Monday, August 18 - Cilantro Lime Chicken Pasta

Tuesday, August 19 - Slow Cooker Minestrone*; Parmesan and Sour Cream Bread*

Wednesday, August 20 - PF Chang's Copy Cat Lettuce Wraps*; Chow Mein*

Thursday, August 21 - Lemon Caper Chicken with Cous Cous; Steamed Asparagus; Salad

Friday, August 22 - Grilled Pizza* (My husband and I have been talking about doing this forever so we're finally going to try it!  Fingers crossed that it doesn't become a disaster!)

Saturday, August 23 - Orzo with Cherry Tomatoes & Artichokes*; Salad (This recipe was on the back of the orzo box I bought for another recipe last month - looks so good, I thought we'd try it!)

Sunday, August 24 - Kielbasa & Potato Hash*; Sauteed Zucchini

Monday, August 25 - Beef Stew; Bread; Salad (This will be our first day with school back in session. Growing up, my mom ALWAYS made beef stew on our first day of school.  So, though it may be a little warm to be enjoying a hearty meal like beef stew, I always really enjoyed that tradition.)

Tuesday, August 26 - Chipotle Bowls

Wednesday, August 27 - Chicken Parmigiana; Pesto Pasta; Salad

Thursday, August 28 - Roasted Chicken and Vegetables; Egg Noodles; Salad (My mother-in-law made this dish for us when we visited once and it was very tasty!  I asked her for her secret and it turns out it just came from the back of the box.  That's two recipes this month.  The back of the box is a great place to look for inspiration!!)

Friday, August 29 - A new grocery store just opened near us and they have a great deli counter where you can get some GORGEOUS meals.  We used to have a grocery store like this near us in St. Louis and we would have at least a meal a month which we just picked up on the way home.  So glad we're able to do this again with this new awesome store!

Saturday, August 30 - Salsa Chicken; Cilantro Lime Rice; Corn

Sunday, August 31 - Chicken Piccata*; Angel Hair Pasta; Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Homeward bound...

Check me out.  I was able to register the New Mom on the Blog domain name over the weekend and even get it set up with my old URL.  I'm official y'all.  Though you will be redirected from the old .blogspot URL, you can update your bookmarks or feeds...just because it makes me feel fancy.

I have probably hundreds of foods tied to memories in my life, but the recipe I'm sharing here today has a taste so nostalgic for me, I might as well be sitting beside a campfire outside of my grandparent's camper the moment I take a bite.  I did a little research on Pinterest and it looks like "foil packet dinners" are becoming a pretty popular trend.  Maybe they're en vogue right now, but I can tell you that my family has been making these for decades (and upon talking to my grandmother about the etiology of this recipe - it appears they've been around for even longer than she thought.)

My family always called these "hobo dinners" and if you search for recipes for that, you'll find something very similar to what I'm going to share today. (You can also look for "foil packet dinners" as I mentioned before, or "campfire dinners.")  From what I gather now, this recipe came from a friend of my great uncle, though we always were told this was something my grandmother learned from all of her years as a Girl Scout leader.  No matter where exactly this recipe came from, we know that, like all things that get handed down, we've adapted it slightly over the years and have learned little tricks along the way.  I'm very excited to share it with you today.  The Incredible Hulk (who we all know has his picky eating moments), declared this his "favorite" meal and ate every single bite.  You know it's a winner with that sort of endorsement.

Though these are great to bring along for camping and can be cooked on an open fire, we cooked ours on our grill at home.  You can also just stick them in the oven.  Additionally, once you've learned the method of filling the packets and cooking them, you can pretty much stick whatever you want in there (even dessert items!)  This would also be a great way to cook up some veggies for my non-meateater friends.  (The vegetables were pretty much TIH's favorite part anyway.)

Let's get started.

{Hobo Dinners}

Cast of characters.

Ingredients
- 2 pieces of foil 2-3 feet in length per packet {Use heavy duty foil - we didn't and it worked, but was a pain...learn from my mistake.}
- 1 hamburger patty {Create this however you want - we used our usual method for cooking hamburgers and seasoned them as such.}
- 1 carrot per packet (chopped)
- 1 celery stalk per packet (chopped)
- 1 red potato per packet (peeled and sliced) {The red potato is so important.  My family has been using them in our cooking forever and they are just the best.  No comparison to any other potato variety.}
- half an onion per packet (chopped)
- 1/2 can of tomato sauce per packet
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 pat of butter per packet {My family always uses a pat of Fleischman's margarine which was how the recipe was taught to us.  I haven't used margarine in my cooking in years and don't even keep it in the house.  In fact, when I eat margarine now, it makes me pretty sick.  I do know for a fact that you can use either form and these will still turn out delicious.  But, Time magazine did recently devote its cover to butter with the headline: "Eat butter." Who am I to argue with Time?}

Directions
- Place one burger on top of one piece of foil and cover it with the chopped carrots, celery, onion, and sliced red potato.  Sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste.

There's a nice burger underneath all of that good stuff.

- Pour the tomato sauce directly over the vegetables and add the pat of butter (or margarine.)  Season with more salt or pepper

Next step: take a blurry cell phone image for your blog. #fail

 - Now comes the art of foil packetry.  Make a tent out of the foil and fold it at the top.  Continue rolling down until you meet your pile of veggies/meat/sauce.  Then fold up the sides.

I submit to you: the foil tent.

- Flip your foil packet over and then re-roll it with a second piece of foil in the same fashion.  This will keep the juices from leaking out.

Like so.  (As you can see, the results don't have to be pretty.)

- Repeat these steps until you have a foil packet per person ready to go on the grill.  Hobo dinners are customizable, so if anyone likes theirs a certain way (e.g., no meat, no celery, etc.) you can mark them with nail polish.  (This was a suggestion from my grandmother because she says the nail polish won't burn off on the grill so you'll still be able to see whose is whose.)

We lost our grill to a bird's nest this spring. (Gross.)  Here's the new one.  Ain't she a beaut?

- The cook time for these will vary based on the way you are cooking them.  Ours were on the grill for about 30 minutes and were turned often.  In the oven (at 375 degrees), my grandmother said they take a lot longer.  You want to cook them until the burger is just past pink and the vegetables are soft.

- After they're done, carefully open the packet.  (A lot of steam will come out and the foil will be hot...so many burned fingers as a kid.)  Transfer to a plate if you're fancy like that.

Like a warm hug from grandma.

Other ideas and bits of advice that my grandmother had to share:
- Consider using a chunkier tomato sauce for a bit more substance
- Set the ingredients up assembly line style and have the whole family build their own packet (get the kids involved!)  This is how I learned to do it, so obviously this was my favorite tip.
- Try chicken breast, green onion, mushrooms, rice, and butter and cook using the same method
- Make "banana boats" for desert (bananas, chocolate chips, pound cake, and marshmallows with a little butter).  WOW.  Done and DONE.
- Make extra because these taste even better as leftovers (You see, these people know me...leftovers are totally my jam.)
- Serve with a nice crusty bread (I did this without even hearing it from her first...totally a good move.)

So, that's that!  Trust me when I say your whole family will love this.  My husband was a huge fan - especially because of the simple clean up.  I would love to hear about adaptations anyone tried and how they turned out.  ENJOY!

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

The sweet smell of success...

I don't know if you remember, but I used to write a blog about being a new mom.  And now I write mostly about cooking and meal plans and food.  I hope you aren't growing tired of that.  I feel like people are generally pretty excited about my meal plans and recipes, but I just wanted to call out the elephant in the room.  This is still a blog about parenting.  I just spend most of my life as a parent feeding others.  I hope this makes sense to you because it basically makes no sense to me, but it makes me happy to cook and happier to share it with you.  Okay? Okay.

 So, anyway, a couple of times a month, I like to share my reviews of new recipes I've tried as part of our meal plan. The recipes we have been trying so far have been a wild success.  In case you've missed it, 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!

Slow Cooker Balsamic Beef - Well, to say this recipe was successful would be a major understatement.  For starters, my husband actually MISSED OUT on this dinner due to delayed/cancelled flights while he was out of town.  So, the next day he heated it up for lunch - and then proceeded to eat it for lunch for the next three days.  In fact, we all loved it.  I knew from the minute I mixed up the sauce and poured it into the crock pot that it was going to be perfect.  I served it with some boiled new potatoes and steamed broccoli.  Next time, I'll definitely consider serving it up with some mashed potatoes and using the sauce in the crock pot as as gravy.  Either way, this is a wonderfully easy and delicious meal.

Quick Lime Cilantro Chicken - I accidentally cut up the chicken too small when I did this recipe.  The only thing that affected was the way I wanted to serve it.  I felt like it was small enough to be a taco filling when you're really supposed to eat it over a bed of rice (review for the rice below).  My husband disagreed and said he wouldn't change a thing.  I wouldn't necessarily call this a "quick" recipe.  The prep took a bit of time (zesting/juicing limes, cutting chicken breasts, chopping cilantro, mincing garlic, etc.), but once it was in the pan it wasn't a big deal.  We did a sprinkle of both the chili powder and cayenne pepper along with cumin.  The flavor was awesome.  I am thinking about using this recipe for shrimp or fish to make fish tacos for Lent.  I'll let you know how that turns out!
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Fiesta Lime Rice - Oh, holy hell this was great.  My husband who does not like beans or tomatoes even raved about this.  TIH took one bite and said, "MMMMM."  I could eat a giant bowl of this for every meal.  The flavor reminded me of a Chipotle Burrito Bowl, minus the sour cream, cheese, meat, and guac.  So, that also means it's got all of that flavor with mostly healthy ingredients!  BEST.  We used brown rice instead of white and it was perfect.  I allowed everything to sit together for a bit before service which I think helped the flavors meld a bit.  Couldn't recommend this higher.  We had almost none leftover.

Chicken Tortilla Soup - The other day, a friend of mine texted me and asked if I could point her in the direction of a good Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe.  I knew this one was on our meal plan, so I shot her the link with the caveat that we hadn't tried it yet, so I had no idea if it was going to be any good.  She let me know that it was, in fact, delicious and I excitedly looked forward to making it for our Saturday dinner all week.  My excitement must have clouded my judgment.  Because not only did I forget two key ingredients (black beans and red bell pepper...what?!), I also totally neglected to check out the cook time and pretty  much started cooking dinner about 2 hours later than I should have.  (This was also on the day when I completely forgot about a birthday party TIH was invited to until someone texted me.  Seriously.  My brain must have turned to mush from all of the snow days.)  HOWEVER, brain mush aside - this soup is actually DELICIOUS and SUPER simple to put together (as long as you don't forget key ingredients.)  You should not only cover it with every suggested garnish in the recipe, I also read in the comment section that many people suggested serving it with a squeeze of fresh lime over the top. (Definitely do that, it was great!)  Our only snafu in serving this was that the avocado I picked up had clearly frozen at some point (probably when traveling on the truck through our polar conditions.)  So, when I cut into it, it was no good.  The next time we make it, I am really interested to see what the diced avocado adds as a garnish, but it was still pretty dang fantastic without it!

Greek Stuffed Pitas - I will admit right from the start that I had my doubts about this recipe.  First...eggplant.  I like it in small doses, but I was pretty sure my boys weren't going to be into it.  Secondly...oregano.  I know it is so strange since it is such a common ingredient in so many recipes, but oregano is just not one of my favorite herbs.  Sure, I can handle it in spaghetti or pizza sauce, but I've been known to substitute (or fully omit it) in the past in other recipes.  However, this recipe was far too easy to put together to pass up.  When I opened up the oven, I was assaulted by the smell of oregano, and I thought my suspicions were coming true - I was not going to like this recipe.  I felt this way right up until I took a bite.  AND THEN MY SOCKS WERE KNOCKED OFF.  The flavor of the chicken (oregano and all) was PERFECT.  The eggplant took on the yummy flavor of all of the juices of the other veggies, chicken, and dressing and was perfect.  We served ours in whole wheat pita pockets with a little Greek vinaigrette (thanks Aldi) poured on top.  And, of course, feta.  My husband complimented the meal several times between bites, called dibs on the leftovers for his lunch the next day, and has already requested it for a future meal plan.  Simple?  Tasty?  Husband pleasing?  WIN.  (Also, vegetarian crowd - throw some tofu in there instead of chicken, or maybe some beans of sorts and you've got yourself a happy little meal.)

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Looks great, eh?  Anybody cook anything delicious?  I'd love to hear!

Take a cup of kindness yet...

Though 2013 was a great year for me and my family (and one without any major changes, which is such a blessing, let me tell you...), I'm excited for what the year 2014 has to bring us.  It seems an exponential amount of my friends and family are getting married or having babies in the coming year and that makes me really excited for all that entails.  My own sister is getting married and I'm matron of honor in her wedding, so I could not be more excited for the next year in which we will embark upon a ton of fun wedding-related festivities.

But, hearing about what I'm looking forward to in 2014 is not why you're visiting the blog today, I'm sure.  You're here because you can't wait to hear what the NMOTB family will be eating in January.  (Please, contain your excitement.)

Unlike last month in which we were either traveling or being entertained (and fed) elsewhere for most of the month, I actually had to have a meal plan for every night of the month (a rarity).  You'll see I've rewarded myself with some easy meals (as well as making my husband the chef on a few occasions).  So enjoy these ideas.  I'm sure there will be changes (there are every month), but so far this is looking pretty good!  (Also - since I'm on winter break I had a really hard time orienting myself with the calendar - there have been changes made to this already mostly because I didn't know what day of the week it was when I wrote it.  Next Monday when I return to work is going to be a rude awakening!)

Meals with a "*" next to them are new recipes I am trying out.  As you may notice...there are a lot of them this month.  Phew...  So, make sure you check back on the blog throughout the month for my reviews!

{January 2014}

January 1, 2014 - Breaded Pork Chops; Sauteed Zucchini/Squash; Cinnamon Apples

January 2, 2014 - Slow Cooker Balsamic Beef*; New Potatoes; Steamed Broccoli {Click here for recipe review!}

January 3, 2014 - Hamburgers; Diced Potatoes {This is a simple recipe that my husband got from a friend of his in college.  I'll try to share it sometime!}; Broccoli Slaw (My own take on a pretty common oil/vinegar slaw recipe.)

January 4, 2014 - Quick Lime Cilantro Chicken*; Fiesta Lime Rice* {Click here for recipe reviews!}

January 5, 2014 - Angel Chicken; Angel Hair Pasta; Steamed Asparagus

January 6, 2014 - Tilapia; Roasted Zucchini & Carrots; Cous Cous

January 7, 2014 - Hamburger Casserole {Click here for this NMOTB original recipe!}; Bagged Salad

January 8, 2014 - Chicken Verde Tacos; Cilantro Lime Rice

January 9, 2014 - Buffalo Pork Chops; Pasta Alfredo; Steamed Peas

January 10, 2014 - Sloppy Joes (My husband's family's special recipe, I can't give it out, but I can tell you that this recipe is AWESOME); Tater Tots; Corn

January 11, 2014 - Chicken Tortilla Soup* {Click here for recipe review!}

January 12, 2014 - Spaghetti (Top secret family recipe that has been passed down in my husband's family for generations.  Special side note, we actually serve the sauce over rigatoni noodles instead of spaghetti.  But trust me, in my husband's family, everyone knows what you mean when you say you're having spaghetti.  This is the recipe that I cite as the reason why I married my husband); Salad; Bread

January 13, 2014 - Greek Stuffed Pitas*; Greek Side Salad {Click here for recipe review!}

January 14, 2014 - Homemade Pizza (We make the crust, the sauce, and don't skimp on our favorite toppings.  Homemade pizza crust is surprisingly easy to make and you can find it on the back of the pizza yeast package.  Being a family full of experimental cooks, we obviously add our own flair, but you'd be surprised how simple a homemade crust can be!); Bagged Salad

January 15, 2014 - Crock Pot Sausage and Peppers*; Egg Noodles; Salad

January 16, 2014 - Orange Chicken*; Brown Rice; Asian Salad

January 17, 2014 - Beef Tacos; Guacamole; Cilantro Lime Rice

January 18, 2014 - World's Best Chicken; Smashed Potatoes*; Roasted Brussel Sprouts (Sigh.  Here's hoping we actually get to eat this.)

January 19, 2014 - CHILI!

January 20, 2014 - Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce; Salad

January 21, 2014 - Quinoa Fried Rice*; Salad

January 22, 2014 - Buffalo Chicken Wraps; Tater Tots (Yes, twice in one month.  I love me some tots.)

January 23, 2014 - Lemony Chicken & Orzo*; Salad

January 24, 2014 - OUT TO DINNER (After all of this cooking, I'm gonna need a break.)

January 25, 2014 - Chipotle Grilled Steak with Lime Butter*; Baked Potatoes; Steamed Asparagus (Another meal I really hope we actually get to eat.  I think this has been on the menu for going on 4 months.)

January 26, 2014 - Braised Short Ribs; Mashed Potatoes; Roasted Zucchini (Both the short ribs and mashed potatoes are our own recipes!)

January 27, 2014 - Chicken Parmigiana; Pesto Pasta; Steamed Broccoli

January 28, 2014 - Baked Chicken Chimichangas*; Guacamole

January 29, 2014 - Slow Cooker Classic Beef Stew*; Bread

January 30, 2014 - Skillet Chili Mac*; Cornbread

January 31, 2014 - Chicken Caesar Salad

In a hurry to get things done...

Throughout the month, I will be sharing new recipes I have tried as part of our meal plan.  Unsurprisingly, this month was filled with meal plan changes due to some impromptu social events, illness (ugh, again), and just generally being too busy to cook every night.  I'm putting a lot of meals we didn't have back on our meal plan for January so check back tomorrow when I'll be sharing the first menu of 2014.  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!

Lemon Parmesan Chicken Skillet - My husband loved this so much and raved about it the next day when he ate the leftovers.  I thought it was pretty good, but also felt the flavor needed some enhancing.  It also wasn't the easiest meal for a weeknight, so by the time we were sitting down to actually eat, I was a bit on the exhausted side.  Definitely worth a try and definitely worth repeating (perhaps with some tweaks next time.)

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff - Beef Stroganoff was a favorite in my house growing up.  I've looked for a long time for a simpler recipe than the one my mom would always make, but that wouldn't sacrifice the flavor.  I would say this one came pretty close.  The beef we used fell apart a lot in the slow cooker as it cooked and that made the finished product (which I sadly did not take a picture of) look a little off-putting.  The taste, however, was fantastic.  Maybe we can figure out a cut of beef that doesn't fall apart so much, or we can cook it for a shorter period of time next time.  Without a doubt, this is a repeatable recipe.  Very tasty.

Chicken Parmesan Roll-Ups - My husband loved this and raved about it.  It just didn't do much for me.  I think, again, it was a lot of work for a weeknight meal and the end product wasn't all that great.  (I think I'm still hung up on my Chicken Parmigiana recipe, to tell the truth.)

Chipotle Grilled Steak with Lime Butter - Someday, I promise I will make this meal.  I hope that it will not grace the January meal plan only to be ignored again.  But, I can obviously make no promises.  I swear it looks delicious to me (and I'm not even that much of a steak eater), but I continue to plan it for nights when we end up not eating at home.  The same goes for my World's Best Chicken and Smashed Potatoes meal.  I feel like I'll never get around to that one either.  Oh well.

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So, what's looking good to you all for next month?  Does anyone have a resolution to eat healthier in 2014?  My husband is making that one of his goals, and so if you have any great recipes to share, our family would love to try them!

The best things in life are free...

As I have mentioned here before, monthly meal planning was a new endeavor for me which I started shortly after we moved here last year.  When people are astounded by the organization that goes into our monthly meal plan, I always am sure to remind them of my humble beginnings.  The time that was particularly difficult was the period right after The Incredible Hulk was born.  Between breastfeeding, exhaustion, and simply having a whole lot of new responsibilities - cooking dinner and even doing grocery shopping seemed like a really lofty undertaking.

Often the scene at the grocery store went something like this:

Me (to husband, who is at the grocery store to help me in case the baby becomes inconsolable, as babies are wont to do in the middle of the grocery store):  What should we have for dinner?
Husband:  I don't know.  What sounds good?
Me: Chicken?  We haven't had chicken in awhile.
TIH: (WAAAAHHHHH.)
Husband: (makes funny faces, gives favorite toy, changes diaper)  Okay, what do we have coupons for?
Me:  FRACK.  I forgot the coupons.
Husband:  Okay, so Monday we have planned.  What about Tuesday?
Me:  Did we plan Monday?
TIH: (WAAAAAHHHHHH.)
Husband: (orders pizza)

And so on, and so on.

So, when I was contacted by Mommy Savings about this awesome "Life Moments" shopping planner they have developed my first thought was, "Wait, where the hell were you guys three years ago?" and second, "This is the coolest thing EVER."

Quarterly, Mommy Savings is sending out a shopping planner.  In that planner includes 3 month's worth of space to meal plan; places to create a shopping list; recipes, tips, and information mostly relevant to new moms; helpful websites like New Mom on the Blog; and the best part - COUPONS.  And we're not talking about silly coupons for stuff you don't need.  We're talking at least one coupon for every item that I found in my grocery cart on a monthly basis (especially in the first year of being a mom.)  These brands include Pampers, Lansinoh, Nestle, Gerber, and Carter's.  And there's also great coupons for stuff you'll use around the house like toothbrushes, shampoo, toilet paper - basically everything your family survives on.

The price for this amazing little planner that shows up at your doorstep once a quarter?  ZIP.  NADA.  ZERO.  ZILCH.

I know what you're thinking?
SIGN ME UP FOR THE FREE ORGANIZATION AND COUPONS.

Not a problem.  If you're interesting in opting in to receive the "Life Moments" shopping planner to your doorstep, all you have to do is visit Mommy Savings and provide your email address.  They're not going to sell you anything, they're not going to charge you anything, they're not even going to make you jump through any hoops.  (I know this for a fact, I signed up myself.)

And if at any point you decide you don't want to receive the planner, you can just send it to me.  I like double coupons.

If you're considering starting to create a meal plan for your family, I think doing it on a weekly basis is a great starting point and this planner would also be a nice way to keep it organized.  As someone who forgets her grocery list on the kitchen table on a LITERALLY weekly basis, I can definitely attest to the value of keeping everything in one place.

So, what are you waiting for?  CHECK IT OUT!

Though Shopper Incite  provided me with their product for review, the opinions expressed in this post are solely my own.  Obviously I barely have the time to wash my own hair some days, so I'm not going to take the time to write about a product I don't fully endorse (plus, it's free, so whatever.)