Weekly Recipe Plan #10: Homemade, light & delicious

So the other day, I was feeling overwhelmed. The kitchen looked like a tornado, followed by a mudslide, followed by some sort of dish earthquake hit. It was the end of a day of watching my two wonderful young boys, naps, work and making dinner. They were having some Dad time, while taking a bath. I looked at the massive pile of food, dishes and cutting boards and gave out a big gasp. Then after taking a few big breathes, I thought "I would much rather have this disaster in front of me than take-out, fast food bags in the trash."

This weeks meals, might dirty up your kitchen. They might take time away from that weekly television show you like to watch. BUT they are light and fun. I have found a few blogs that just have a never ending reach of recipes, so keep an eye out for some of them. Do you like Greek food? Great recipe for you below. Are you juicing or want to change up your routine? I got a great recipe for you. Lots of fresh veggies, soups, snacks and some additional meal options which you can eat now or later.

Enjoy the 24 recipes and all those dirty dishes.


Meal #1

Healthy Happy Life

Arugula Salad: Mango, Macadamia & Avocado

Lighten up a bit with this salad. I do love macadamia nuts and oh they will go so well with the mango and homemade dressing. There are days that a salad just hits the spot. For some, it takes an act of all the planets lining up to get a salad into your weekly meal plan. No fear, salads are the perfect pre-meal food (eat less of the other stuff) They are also great just by themselves. Work a few into your monthly routine and see how great you feel.  Plus, go to bed and have your body love you because it does not have to work very hard to digest this delicious salad. 


Meal #2

Side Stitches

Lentil Burger 

&

Food For My Family 

Potato Chips with Avocado Ranch Dip

Lentil Burgers? Never tried them nor thought about making lentils into a burger shape. Very intrigued on how they will taste. Another light meal that might perk up some of those taste buds that might of stopped working awhile back. WAKE UP!


Meal #3

Eating Well

Chicken & Spinach Soup with Fresh Pesto

Winter might just be getting started for some of you. Can not believe it is the middle of January and my home state barely has snow (Montana). Just because temperatures might be a little higher than normal, that does not mean you and I can not sit back and enjoy a hearty soup, filled with lots of scrumptious ingredients. 


Meal #4

A Couple Cooks

Greek Quesadilla

&

Lentils with Pearl Couscous and Mint

Greek food is not something you find on our recipe lineup. I think because I just don't think to look for the Greek flavors. But these two recipes caught my eye. What are your thoughts on Greek food? Are you going to try these recipes out?


Meal #5

Homemade by Holmon

Chicken and Mushroom Dinner

&

A Couple Cooks

Tuscan Raw Kale Salad

Pair a delicious homemade meal of noodles, chicken and cheese with a raw kale salad. Go, I dare you. You might have room for desert after this slightly light meal. Plus leftovers, for the next day. Love it when a plan come together. 

Worth Trying




Appetizers (2)

Sugar Cooking

Japanese Cucumber Salad

A Couple Cooks

Cucumber Rye Toasts

Meals + (4)

Pure Mamas

Raw Vegan Red Pasta Sauce 

Hungry Cravings

Pasta with Arugula, Roasted Peppers and Italian Sausage 

Wishful Chef

Chickpea Kale Salad

Joy of Clean Eating

(SLOW COOKER)

Arroz Con Pollo

Drinks (5)

Never Home Maker

Not so Green Smoothie

The Wishful Chef

Sugar Free Vegan Milkshake

Goji Berries & Bananas

The Wishful Chef

How to Make Almond Milk (with photos)

JUICER RECIPE

Savory Simple

Basil Apple Lime Juice

Eating Bird Food

Vanilla Coconut Chia Smoothie

Treats/Snacks (5)

The Wishful Chef

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut

The Wishful Chef

Vegan & Gluten Free Chocolate Cookies

(Almond Milk Recipe above in "DRINKS")

5 & Spice

Ginger Banana Bread with Cardamom Crunchy Topping

Can't Live Without

Cardamon Flavored Chocolate Truffles

Mommie Cooks

Homemade Strawberry Breakfast Bars

This weekly recipe lineup, might help you/your family but this is what we do every week.I enjoy finding truly homemade recipes that are delicious and can provide nourishment for my growing boys. Yes, we can eat better. Yes, we can cook less, but we do the best we can. I am proud I do not let little time, and low grocery budget hinder what I can provide my family. 

So long for this week. Look forward to hearing from you about what you liked, enjoyed, won't make again or want to see more of.

Have the best week ever. See you around Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Linda Jacobson
The Helpful Sister

Recipe Lineup #9: Pinterest Pinfest of Yumminess (70+ recipes)

So my motivation to make a weekly recipe list (over 70 recipes this week) for my family took off early fall of 2011. Some how, I came across a website called Pinterest. It is the new craze for social media. It truly is the mother ship of visual information. So, this is where I get most of my weekly recipes (the secret is out.) I also have found, over 400 other recipes sites, I stumble through when Pinterest has given me my fill. 


So this week, what have I pinned? Oh a little of this and a little of that. Some great recipes for your little ones. A little selection of snacks and treats. A salad in the middle of it all. You will find some take out or restaurant recipes, which you can make in your home. Find some smoothies that will refresh and revive you.  Scroll down to find over 20+ recipes for you, your family, friends, co-workers (if you have leftovers to take to work) to enjoy. Plus a link to find 50 healthy recipes to jump start your 2012 off from Two Peas & Their Pod. 



Meal #1

Taste of Home

Cinnamon Apple Pork Chops

The Family Kitchen

Hasselback Baked Sweet Potato 

Apples & pork chops, you just can not go wrong. I have never had a sweet potato cooked this way so it will be fun to see how it turns out. Let me know how it goes at your house. 

Meal #2

Zen Family Habits

Veggie Laksa

The Family Kitchen

Homemade Pot stickers

This just seems like a fun pairing. I am hoping the finger food will be enjoyed by the our kids as much as us. I love it when I can find a delicious recipe that is a typically ordered for take out. Who here loves this pairing?

Oh, The Zen Family Habit link is not just for the Laksa. You can get 4 other quick recipes using 5 ingredients. The Laksa is the second recipe, so you might have to scroll to see it. 

Meal #3

Eating Well

Baked Cod Casserole

Turntable Kitchen

Roasted Squash with Mint, Pepitas and Balsamic

Pepitas....or no shell pumpkin seeds. Had no idea that was what they were called. What a rich meal. I think I will be using Talapia instead of the cod. Like Trader Joes selection of that kinds of fish over the cod. Might have to follow this one up with something sort of sorbet to get the taste buds back to normal. 

Meal #4

Mama Loves Food

Corn and Potato Chowder

Nicole Hunn

Cornmeal Dinner Rolls -Gluten Free

Yah, me and Dry Active Yeast are not the best of friends. Every time I try to use the stuff, the product never makes it to the oven. It might be that I don't have the patience or the skill. I would much rather make a muffin or a bread stick. Those always turn out. :) I probably will not try this because of our past experiences. However, I did think it was a fun recipe. Will any of you going to be mixing it up and putting these Gluten Free Rolls in the oven? 

Meal #5

iVillage 

Chicken and Lasagna Roll-Ups

paired with 

Iowa Girl Eats 

Homemade (3) ingredient Spaghetti Sauce

Seasoned with Love

Bucca Di Beppo Apple Gorgonzola Salad with Italian Vinaigrette

This is going to be an Italian meal for friends to enjoy as well. Happy to find this recipe for Bucca Di Beppo, which is a family style Italian Restaurant.

Worthy Trying

Drinks

Wishful Chef

Dandelion Green Smoothie with Pears & Coconut Water

Jeannette's Healthy Living

Green Tea Smoothie

Epicurious

Joint Relief Green Juice

Treats/Snacks

Thursday Night Smack Down

Meyer Lemon Curd

Fat Free Vegan Kitchen

Skinny Figgy Bars

The CopyCat Cook

Fruit Roll-Ups 

The Wannabe Chef

Raw Dark Chocolate Peppermint Pudding

Weelicious

Avocado Honey Dip

Breakfast

Martha Stewart

French Toast Kebabs 

The Kitchen

Apricot Yogurt Scones

Salad

Oh She Grows

High Protein Quinoa Almond Berry Salad

Happy times in your kitchen and stomach!


Isn't it a much better experience when you step into that grocery store and you have a list with you? Even better, isn't a great feeling to have meals planned out? Are you making any changes to how you are planning, shopping, preparing your meals since 2012 is so fresh? Do share in the comments. 


I would love to hear what your favorites were. Ones you just won't try or maybe something you tweaked. Come on, don't be shy. If you knew me you would be jumping on the comment bandwagon and shouting from the laptop all you feel. 


Many thanks to YOU, for making it all the way down to this sentence. I know your days are filled with your everyday ventures, so thanks for seeing what I do each week. If you liked this, share away. If it helped you, it might help your circle of cool people.


Want even more inspiration to have a healthy new year? Here is a great link from Two Peas & Their Pod which has 50 recipes with ingredients that could make it on your grocery list. Oh they all sound yummy. 




Munch, Munch, Yum, Num, Mmmmm Good. 


See you next week. 


Linda Jacobson
The Helpful Sister

Recipe Lineup #8 New Year New Tastes

So how did 2011 end for you? How is 2012 looking?

With 2012 now in full swing, it is time to start getting some recipes in the works. During my recipe search this week, I was really drawn to less of the cooked foods category. Have any of you ventured off into the Raw/Living food arena? We did, have and are. Not so much now, with two kids. I love the amazing depth of the tastes. As well as how the raw/living foods are digested easier and you receive much more nutrients with eating less.

Call me crazy but I do find it a tad bit fun to see how a recipe that typically take eggs, flour and an oven can be made without any of those ingredients. So for all of you out there who are not used to this kind of eating, take a seat and enjoy the ride. I will of course have some other delicious cooked recipes in every lineup. Keep your eye out for the recipe that has bacon in it. Have fun on this weeks journey into deliciousness. Here are this weeks picks.

Meal #1

The Girl Who Ate Everything
Baked Coconut Shrimp with Pineapple Dipping Sauce

Sharmis Passion

Raw Mango Rice

Zesty, light and not so much what you would eat as winter food. Pop in your favorite beach movie and catch a wave, feel that crisp beach air hit your face and ENJOY! 

Meal #2

Pham Fatale

Vegetarian Pot Pie with Lentil Pasta

Sweet Happy Life (Baking and Books)

Rustic Sweet Potato Muffin with Sweet Sage

This should warm you up while giving a little bit of a sweet taste. Looking forward to trying both. I love sweet potatoes in everything!


Meal #3 100% Raw

The Ravenous Couple

Asian Inspired Raw Zucchini Noodles

One Green Planet

Cashew Cream Cups

A raw meal which will be delicious with family and friends.

Meal #4

Picky Palate

Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

eCurry

Barley and Spinach Fall Salad 

with Maple Syrup Vinaigrette

By now you have noticed that I love pomegranate, especially since I found a fast and easy way to get the seeds out with NO mess. A Little Red House will show you how it is done. Now you and your family can enjoy this bright, sweet and high in Vitamin C fruit in every meal.

Meal #5

Smokey Wok

Chinese Celery and Pork Stir-Fry

Chop Chop A to Z

Bacon Wrapped Bean Sprouts

A Sweet Chef

Maple Ginger Glazed Carrots

Thought this meal would work well with two side. Stop the press. Add bacon to anything and it becomes a successful meal. :)


Worth Trying

Drinks (2)

Zoom Yummy

Detox Smoothie

Good Life Eats

Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate

Treats (4)

For the Love of Food

RAW Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes with Avocado Frosting

Munchin with Munchkin

Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge

Leite's Culinaria

Gluten Free Chocochip Cookies 

(p.s lots of ingredients but still wanted to share)

Vegan Yack Attack

RAW Apple Cinnamon Almond Bars

Sides (2)

eCurry

Roasted Garlic

The Duo Dishes

Garlic Grits Fries 

(scroll down to see recipe on the site)

Breakfast (3)

Barefoot in the Kitchen

Whole Wheat Zucchini Waffles

The Meaning of Pie

Gingerbread Pancakes

Healthy Happy Life 

(100% Vegan) Vegan Breakfast Burrito

The list is complete. Did you see any on there that you have seen before? Are there any that you might dive into full steam ahead?

Our family is going to enjoy this weeks lineup and I hope yours does too. From our family to yours, congrats on 2011 and keep your eyes open for a wonderful 2012. I am excited to see what this year brings for our family. I am going to intend to have less worry, more joy. Less stress and more Linda meditation time. Less need to change myself and more love for myself and everyone I come in contact with.

Oh yes, I work hard to make sure I give proper credit where it is due. So when you are on a page and it calls to you, show some love and follow them. I have never met any of the people behind the links I post, but just by what I see, they are talented souls.  Without their recipes, where would my little family be. :)

See you next week as I dive even deeper into cups, tablespoons, timers and ingredients. Thanks for stopping by and seeing what our family is eating every week.

Nameste,

Linda Jacobson
The Helpful Sister

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