Hey good lookin', whats cookin' ~Week of Oct 16th

fall is in the air. oh wait its 100 degrees. outside. welp. i'll close my eyes, make myself a hot apple cider, and imagine its cool outside.

{halloween marshmallow rice crispies}

secret. time. i already made them. and they are so good! only thing i would change-less reeses. personal preference but they are still amazing.

{spaghetti squash lasagna}

looks amazing and at only about 400 cal per serving, sounds even better.

{honey lime enchiladas}

i've blogged about these before and they are one of our fav meals

{addl items on the menu this week}

~i never got around to making the cupcakes on last week's blog, so those are coming soon.

~also never made the salad. will def be doing that this week.

~frozen soup either chili or the italian soup from last week

{last weeks review}

-a-chocolate wasted cake-unbelievable. way too rich to really make again, unless it was something super special or for a chocolate lover. i also wouldn't use the liqueur next time.

-b-mexican stuffed shells. loved them. they are so easy and are delicious. i used half the cheese and they were still plenty cheesy enough.

{xox-kristen}

Weekly Menu June 26th to July 2nd

A Short Week of Food=San Fran on Friday!!!!!

[not guilty cookies]

Umm...yeah cookies at 45 cals a piece...sounds right up my ally! This recipe is pretty easy to change, so your imagination is the limit of different ingredients you could add to it!!!

[lighter sesame chicken]

Who doesn't love asian food?!? And a lighter version made at home...pretty much makes my day!!!!

[chipotle chicken sliders]

I know, I already posted these bad boys in my burger post, but I am actually making them this week and super excited about them!

Recap of last week:

[a&b] Churro-yum, Custard-ehhh

[c] quinoa lunch bowl=heavenly good

[d] i got too lazy to make the eggplant canneloni...still on my to do list of course

[e] pineapple salsa chicken is always a fav and always leaves me with plenty to freeze

[burger post] i made the black bean burger and it is my new favorite thing. both of us really liked it and it was soooo easy and healthy!!!!

Lots of love and happy early fourth of july!!!

Weekly Menu June 19th to June 25th

First off~ Happy Belated Father's Day to all the amazing dads out there, especially my dad and Thomas' dad. We are very blessed to have been raised by such awesome heros. Now, onto some yummy treats and healthy eats!!!

{ONE}

Churro Cupcakes. This was one of two desserts I made for a friends summer fathers day bbq and I loved them!! They were pretty easy and I thought perfect for a summer treat! They made me thing of fair food, which is always a plus!!! Next time I would double the recipe because 14 of these bad boys just wasn't enough!

{TWO}

Coconut Custard Pie. The second dessert I made....I figured out I don't like custard...or maybe just this one. It was too sweet and buttery for both Thomas and myself. Others said it was good, but I think they were just being nice!!! Maybe I messed up somewhere in making it...

{THREE}

Quinoa Lunch Bowl. I am so excited to try this recipe out!!! It's been on my to do list for a while!!! I hope it is as good as it looks!!!! I am really on a quinoa kick...so you will be seeing more of this super food!!

{FOUR}

Roasted Butternut Squash and Eggplant Cannelloni. I think this looks so yummy!!! I've never cooked butternut squash or eggplant so this should be a learning experience....we will see how it goes :)

{FIVE}

Pineapple Salsa Chicken. DELICIOUS. I have made it before and I love that it gives tons of leftovers. Its a great freezer option. Last time I froze some and made some into taquitos and froze those as well. I'm pretty obsessed with freezing things lately.

{Two weeks ago review}

So I realized I never reviewed June 5th-June 11th so here goes!

{a} Creamy Quinoa is still one of our fav new meals. It is extremely filling and makes a ton of leftovers. Now we aren't fond of it leftover, soooo from here on out i'm only making 1/2 the recipe

{b} Crunchy Asian Salad was so easy and by far the best salad and homemade dressing I've done. We both really liked this and plan on doing it again soon!!!

{c} I never made the chicken marsala so its on the to do list!

{D} the fauxtisserie chicken is now a weekly or every other week thing. I make it sunday and use the chicken for lunch meals or in my dinners. then i freeze the rest...of course!

Weekly Menu June 12th to June 18th

Healthier Week Two: So I actually have already made all of this weeks items, just a little behind on blogging :)

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins- Good, but not great. I don't know if I just had too many blueberries, but they were way to mushy...much better if they had cooled, possibly in the fridge.

Lowfat Baked Ziti with Spinach~ I really liked this meal!!! I would prob cut the spinach by 1/3rd next time....

Lemon Orzo Chicken Salad~ Ok seriously my new fav meal. It's TO DIE FOR and was so healthy!

Chicken Tortilla Rollups~ These are amazing, but should NEVER be done as a main meal like I thought it could. Only eat as an appetizer.

Hope everyone enjoys!!!

Weekly Menu June 5th to June 11th

~A new Beginning~

So, I am still going to post a weekly menu but for two reasons it is a new beginning. Reason one: I am officially on a new diet. I started workout bootcamp and am really motivated to lose those post college pounds that seem to stick around. Now with that being said, no judging if you see butter (gasp) or bread (big gasp) in the menus. I will be tweaking and molding to be a healthier recipe. Reason two: We are officially on a strict budget so we will be using everything thats in the freezer to supplement each weeks groceries. With Thomas in school and me working part time, things are a bit snug in the wallet area. Its kindof an exciting challenge for me to see what all I can buy with our budgeted amount!!! Ok, enough rambling...on to the yummy stuff!!

{Recipe One~Creamy Quinoa Primavera}

Delicious! I've made this before and I think its a great budget friendly and waist friendly meal. You can use any leftover veggies you have. Its very easy to adjust!!!!

{Recipe Two: Crunchy Asian Salad}

Can't wait to try this!!!! It looks so amazing!

{Recipe Three: Chicken Marsala}

This looks so delicious and of course I will need to adjust to make it a little healthier. It will def be my splurge meal of the week.

I also did a fauxtisserie chicken this week and have used it to make a healthy chicken salad. This is by far the best tasting chicken yet. I love it by itself or mixed in to a dish!!!

{Last Week Review}

{ONE} The mini whoopie pies are so amazing!!! I LOVE them!!!! If you make these, agave nectar is kept usually near the sugar

{TWO}I haven't gotten around to the sweet potato crisps, but I plan on making those this week

{THREE} Asian Lettuce Wraps are my moms fav from the week. They really are to die for!!!

{FOUR} Vanilla Frozen Yogurt Pops....perfect summer refreshing treat.

{FIVE} Soft baked pretzels were good. I made them with wheat flour and I thought they were still amazing. If you are wanting to mimic a mall pretzel, stick with all purpose flour.

{SIX} Broccoli Apple Salad~ it was ok....I would make it again but it wasn't a new favorite.

{SEVEN} Buttermilk Pancake cupcakes are UNBELIEVABLE!!! I will be making these again...not till after the diet and will have to be a special occasion but man...they were gooood.

Wow, I def made a lot last week!!!! Happy Tuesday everyone!!

Weekly Menu May 29th ~ June 4th

Mom's in town, which means lots of relaxation and of course trying some new recipes!!! There won't be a daily meal plan like normal because we aren't sure of which night's might be a girls night out ;). But, I wanted to share what we want to make this week!!!

{1}

Mini Whoopie Pies from HEALTH magazine. These look delicious but are a healthier alternative for someone trying to watch their weight but still have something sweet! Sounds right up my ally!!!!

{2}

Sweet Potato Crisps. YUM-O! This is a great snack or side to a summer dish. Sweet Potatos are my fav thing.

{3}

Asian Lettuce Wraps from the amazing women at Our Best Bites. I've made them before and decided it would be a great thing to make mom. They are soooo good!

{4}

Vanilla Frozen Yogurt Pops from HEALTH magazine. Another healthier alternative. I can't wait for these. I am in love with greek yogurt and then add graham crackers...yeah I'm sold!

{5}

Soft Baked Pretzel Bites. Yes, I know what you are thinking, not so healthy Kristen....Well, I don't care! I just had to try them after seeing them on a blog. I think I'm going to adjust the recipe for wheat flour and see if they still taste right.

{6}

Broccoli Apple Salad. Looks so fresh and yummy! Of course I will be using a low fat/olive oil mayo. I think this would even be good to add some cooked and diced chicken to if you want to make it a main meal with a little more body to it.

{7}

Buttermilk Pancake Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream. no words can describe how excited I am for these bad boys.

Thats the end of our things we want to try this week... Hopefully we get to most of them! But just looking at the pictures makes me so hungry! We are also making the priscuitto stuffed pasta shells again and my mom is making me some chicken salad!!!

{Recap from two weeks ago}

{a} The pancakes were good, just took forever to cook! But I would def make them again.

{b} That cake was delicious and so easy! Everyone at worked loved it! It's the perfect simple recipe and is easy to keep the ingredients on hand for any surprise guests or parties!

{c} I didn't get around to making the honey lime enchiladas...maybe next week when Thomas gets back.

{d} The pasta shells were TO DIE FOR! I am making them again this week. I love priscuitto so really I had not reserves on this one.

~Kristen~

Weekly Menu: May 15th

{Sunday}

A good start to the day.... Strawberry Whole Wheat pancakes (with flaxseed and all)!!!!

I also made this delicious cake for work tomorrow!

{Monday}

I have several pre-assembled frozen meals, so I decided to thaw one. Yummy Buffalo Chicken Pasta!!!

{Tuesday}

Honey Lime Enchiladas with some Dirty Rice.

{Wednesday}

Dinner with some friends :)

{Thursday}

Pasta Shells with Proscuitto and Mushrooms....Yummy! I have a strange addiction to Proscuitto. I love the stuff!

{Last Weeks Review}

{a} Refrigerator bran muffins were amazing! I love that they lasted us all week and I still have leftover batter in the fridge. I split the recipe in half because it was way too much for just the two of us.

{b} The sesame chicken was good, but way too much sauce for my chicken. Def didn't taste like take out sesame chicken but prob much healthier and a great alterantive!!!

{c} Oh the fish tacos~ Delicious, but will never make them again. They made our house smell all week no matter how many scentsy's and candles and vinegar bowls I had.

{d} The mexican lasagna was so good! I will def be leaving out the sour cream next time and may mix in the cream cheese with the tomato sauce mix.

{e} Tuscan Garlic Chicken was good, I thought it was a little flavorless, but it was a very healthy meal with whole wheat noodles and the baked chicken. Thomas really liked it.

{f} The homemade orange rolls I didn't get around to~ maybe this week!!!

{Enjoy a great week}