Here's something for tempting the palette...

A couple of times a month I will be sharing new recipes I have tried as part of our meal plan. We had another few recipes that were winners in this group - I think all are absolutely repeatable and I also think all of them were enjoyed by our ENTIRE family.  (This is a trait which makes any recipe worth its weight in gold.  Lots of pasta featured here, so you low carb types might want to look away.  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!

Spicy Sausage Pasta - My aunt and I have this tried and true theory that pasta ALWAYS tastes better when you warm it up and eat it as leftovers the next day.  This pasta does not disappoint AND it also happens to taste AMAZING fresh off the stove (or out of the broiler, in this case.)  I cannot say enough good things about this pasta.  It is teeny bit on the spicy side even with the mild rotel, but The Incredible Hulk (who loves to call things "spicy" even when they aren't) devoured every bite.  As per the original poster's suggestion, I used both turkey sausage and campanelle - both made the dish even more fantastic.  My husband doesn't even like smoked sausage and still went and had seconds (plus I had to fight him for the leftovers.)  It's a little on the heavy side, so it would be perfect for a Sunday night dinner.  We will definitely be reprising this recipe in the winter months.  I just have to make sure I can guard the leftovers again...

Ingredients ready to go before cooking in the slow cooker.

Crock Pot "Fried" Rice - What an awesome and SIMPLE recipe for "fried rice" (fried in quotes because it's all cooked in the slow cooker, no frying about it.)  The night before we had this, we used a rotisserie chicken as filling for some quesadillas we made.  (By the way, if you haven't tried making chicken quesadillas using a rotisserie chicken, DEFINITELY check that out.  It is FAB.)  Knowing that the original poster for this recipe utilized leftover chicken, I bought a bigger chicken than usual and saved half of it to throw in the crock with the rice.  This plan worked out splendidly!  I used two of those Uncle Ben's "Boil-in-a-Bag" brown rices (also, these are total life savers), one diced yellow onion (some sliced scallions would be awesome in this as well) and some frozen peas/carrots.  Basically, you're throwing a mostly cooked meal (and one raw egg) into the crock pot for a few hours to warm up and cook together.  It could not be more simple and was absolutely delicious.  My husband and I could order Chinese takeout weekly and never get sick of it, but with the hefty delivery price, this is an incredible substitute.

Lemon Bruschetta Pasta (with Grilled Chicken) - This didn't turn out exactly how I expected, but it was, without a doubt, a successful recipe.  The flavor is light and fresh which makes me think it might be a better recipe for summer.  I did not use the recommended seasoning, opting instead for my own blend of seasoning.  Unfortunately, it resulted in me needing to add a lot of salt to the dish to make the other flavors come alive a little better.  Otherwise, it was absolutely perfect and I enjoyed the nice fresh sauce the romas cooked down to make.  (And basically anything that that involves fresh snips of basil is a winner in my book.)

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I'll be back sharing my newest meal plan (for October, my FAVORITE MONTH!) next week.  We're at the end of the month...did anyone try a meal plan for the first time (monthly or weekly)?  How did it go?  Share the good recipes!  We like to eat.

Ole, ole, ole, ole...

When I was in college, I was introduced to the wonder that is Chipotle Mexican Grill.
I am not even kidding when I say there were days that I had it for lunch AND dinner.
There have also been weeks where I have eaten it multiple days in a row.
I actually really admire Chipotle as a company because of their stance on many aspects of the food industry - buying local, serving antibiotic/hormone-free meats, as well as their recent decision to label (and hopefully discontinue use) of GMOs.  I know I have trouble being able to do any of this in my own household and I'm not trying to run a (successful) national business.

All that said, I sometimes get a little twitchy when I'm charged two dollars for a dollop of guacamole (albeit, a LARGE dollop), but you can purchase enough avocados to feed my family for two bucks.  (I guess us poor people have to eat our GMOs and like it.)

Perfect avocados ready to be mashed into my famous (top secret) guacamole.

So, not too long ago, we had a great idea to start making our Chipotle bowls at home!  Sure, we pay a visit to the real deal every once in awhile, but we have found that making them at home helps us manage our intake a little better.  (Though, probably not eating quite as clean as we would at Chipotle...you win some, you lose some.)

So, this is all pretty self explanatory and super easy to adapt to your tastes, but here's what a Chipotle bowl looks like in my world.

{Chipotle Mexican Grill Bowls - At Home}

To start, I make some Cilantro Lime Brown Rice.  Basically, get yourself your favorite brand of rice, some fresh cilantro, some kosher salt, and the juice from one (very juicy) lime and you're good to go.

Freshly chopped cilantro - don't be afraid to get a few stems in there.  They're good for you.

Here's a recipe if you want some more specifics, but I have found the best flavor comes from when I just throw it all in a bowl and toss it together sans measurements.  The only rule here is that you use fresh ingredients (herbs and lime juice) and kosher salt. That's the only way you're going to match the flavor profile of the Chipotle stuff.

This was a particularly successful batch.

We like chicken for our bowls and you'll find lots of copycat recipes for Chipotle's chicken on the web.  We tried one once and it burned our mouths off.  So, instead we found a marinade at the store that we like.  Yeah yeah yeah, making this from a package isn't the healthiest option, but this marinade tastes awesome in these bowls.  So, eh.  Deal with it.  Or make your own marinade.

MSG'D!

We cook the chicken on the grill (and by "we," I mean, "my husband) and slice it up after it has time to rest.

I came out to give him moral support.  And take pictures.

The rest is super simple.  Open up a can of black beans, pick up any sort of Mexican shredded cheese, chop up some nice crispy romaine, get a little sour cream and pico de gallo (we always buy ours fresh from a local produce market), and whip up a batch of your favorite guacamole.

This picture may have been staged.  A little

My husband even gets fancier and will grill up some fajita veggies for himself (I prefer mine without) and will get some spicy salsa to go over his bowl.

And, there you have it!  Could it BE any simpler? (said a la Chandler Bing)

I failed to get a good "finished product" picture, but everyone's Chipotle bowl looks different, so whatev.

ENJOY!

Messing with the flavor...

Can anyone else believe it is September already?  I thought my summer break just started!

The great thing about September is that you can serve up some delicious meals in the crock pot which give you a nice taste of fall, but it is still warm enough outside that you're able to cook on the grill.  My husband is our grill chef, so I'm usually okay with sending him outside no matter what it is like outside, but you may not be so lucky! :)

I've been asked by countless friends to share my meal plans for every month.  Please keep in mind that although I do attempt to make our meal lists balanced and budgeted, that there will always be tweaks along the way both for my family and for yours to make it successful.  I'm sharing recipes (both old and new) that I'm using this month and I will make sure to do a round-up at the end of the month on how I felt some of the new recipes turned out.  I'll also do at least one tutorial a month on a recipe that we've developed ourselves (or one that we have tweaked from a Pinterest recipe to fit our needs.)

Keep in mind that some days I won't be cooking, so there I've usually just listed "No meal plan."  We end up eating leftovers, making sandwiches, grabbing a bite out to eat, or eating at someone else's house on those nights.  If we bring a dish to someone's house, I will share that recipe as well.  You can never have enough of those, can you?

So, here is September.  Click on the links for recipes (or pictures where appropriate!)  If a recipe isn't available, I will likely be sharing it on the blog soon.  Please let me know if you see any broken/dead links.  I will do my best to fix them ASAP.  New recipes are denoted with a star (*)!

{September 2013}

Sunday, September 1 - Hamburger Soup; French Bread with Honey Butter

Monday, September 2 - Chipotle Bowls 

Tuesday, September 3 - Homemade Pizza (We just make crust using the recipe on the back of the pizza yeast package, throw together a quick marinara, and top it with our favorites.  Don't be afraid to just go Boboli - love that stuff - or make one of those awesome looking Cauliflower Pizza Crusts.  It's all yummy in the world of pizza.

Wednesday, September 4 - Pulled Pork Tenderloin, Oven Roasted Corn, Tator Tots (Who doesn't love a good tot?)

Oven Roasted Corn

Thursday, September 5 - Broccoli Cheddar Soup*, Fresh Bread (probably grab some from Bread Co.), Bagged Salad (So easy, our favorite brand is the Marketside from Walmart - what's yours?) {Click here for recipe review.}

Friday, September 6 - Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad with Chicken* (The key to this being a "Friday meal" is that it's one simple dish.  You don't want a meal with a ton of components to make clean up in the kitchen easy so you can start the weekend out right!  We also love to utilize our grill as much as possible to relegate the mess to out of the house!) {Click here for recipe review.}

Saturday, September 7 - Bruschetta Chicken Bake, Bagged Salad (Not going to lie, there is a lot of processed food in this recipe, but it is a family favorite and is SO easy.  We only have this a few times a year to avoid the high sodium.  Then again, I did just wax poetic on the concept of Tator Tots.)

Sunday, September 8 - Braised Short Ribs, Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Broccoli (The short ribs recipe is actually my husband's and even I don't know how to make it entirely.  I asked him to share it with me and he literally said, "Wait, why?"  I said, "Oh, I want to post the recipe for my blog readers" and he said, "Ohhhh, no no no no.  No. Way."  So, I linked to one I found on Pinterest and hope that some day I will be lucky enough to know how to make the blessed recipe.  Good thing he still lets me eat it!  It really is the best thing ever.)

Monday, September 9 - Baked Artichoke Chicken*, Steamed Asparagus, Brown Rice {Click here for recipe review.}

Tuesday, September 10 - Pizza Soup*, French Bread, Bagged Caesar Salad {Click here for recipe review.}

Wednesday, September 11 - Grilled Pork Chops, Garlic Roasted Zucchini, Whole Wheat Spaghetti Cacio e pepe {Click here for recipe review.}

Cacio e pepe

Thursday, September 12 - Grilled Street Corn Salad with Cilantro Butter Shrimp* {We ended up subbing with this recipe because I overestimated my ability to make this on a week night.}

Friday, September 13 - Sloppy Joes, Chips, Cole Slaw (Our Sloppy Joes are a family recipe, so we do not make them from a can. I'll share it here if I can get permission. You can make your family's favorite recipe.)

Saturday, September 14 - Game Night (No meal plan.)

Sunday, September 15 - Smoked Sausage Pasta* {Click here for recipe review.}

Monday, September 16 - Leftovers! (No meal plan.)

Tuesday, September 17 - Chicken Quesadillas, Amanda's Famous Guacamole (I couldn't share this recipe even if I wanted to.  I know it like the back of my hand and base my measurements on a feeling more than an actual recipe.  It's intense.), Cilantro Lime Brown Rice

Wednesday, September 18 - Crock Pot "Fried" Rice*, Bagged Asian Salad {Click here for recipe review.}

Thursday, September 19 - Shake N Bake Pork Chops, Roasted Acorn Squash (Recipe to come!), Bagged Salad

Friday, September 20 - Hamburgers (In order to share this recipe, I would have to also share my husband who is a wizard on the grill and you can't have him because he makes the best hamburgers. in. the. world!) Potato Wedges, Cole Slaw

Potato Wedges

Saturday, September 21 - Lemon Chicken Bruschetta Pasta*; Bagged Caesar Salad; French Bread {Click here for recipe review.}

Sunday, September 22 - Chili (Make your own recipe and serve it with all of the fun fixings - cheese, onion, Fritos, elbow macaroni, etc!)

Monday, September 23 - Leftovers (No meal plan.)

Tuesday, September 24 - Pizzadillas; Bagged Caesar Salad

Pizzadilla

Wednesday, September 25 - Chicken Caesar Sandwiches on Ciabatta, Chips

Thursday, September 26 - World's Best Chicken; Sauteed Green Beans, Smashed Potatoes*

Friday, September 27 - No meal plan.

Saturday, September 28 - No meal plan.

Sunday, September 29 - No meal plan.

Monday, September 30 - Chicken Stroganov, Whole Wheat Egg Noodles, Oven Roasted Broccoli