The 2023 week 42 menu plan is complete.
Breakfast
Spinach, Mushroom and Cheese Breakfast Casserole
Lunch
Lentil Quinoa Fall Salad with Maple Dressing
Pizza Stuffed Portobello Mushroom
Dinner
Hits and Misses
Breakfast
Recipe states one serving…maybe for a child…definitely not for the ‘Ole Buckeye.
This frittata is an all time favorite. We enjoy it as a cook once/eat again breakfast, but it is also guest worthy.
Lunch
Yet another healthy plant based soup, nutritious but not a favorite.
Two new salads…both plant based aside from a small amount of goat cheese, and both very successful. The vegan lentil salad has more protein, but both served as a main dish for lunch and would be great as side for dinner. Both were unique and flavorful.
Farro Salad with Pecans, Cranberries, Kale, and Goat Cheese
Lentil Salad with Capers and Balsamic
Dinner
I love risotto and I was very happy to find a more healthy preparation. We have come to love the texture of farro, so unsurprisingly this risotto became an instant winner.
Farro Risotto with Mushrooms and Peas
This had good flavor and I served it over a brown rice/quinoa pasta. Is it worth a repeat…most likely not.
Creamy Balsamic Mushroom Pasta
I knew this salad would be good and although it might not be our favorite salad ever…it was very good. Just a note…I did not use sugar but stevia in the dressing. This is definitely a salad I would repeat…perfect for guests as well.
When I developed the menu plan there were 2 highly rated salads. This one did not make the mark. Compared to Best Salad Ever it wasn’t even close…plus it had way more ingredients. I elected to make it as a side for dinner, so eliminated the chicken from the recipe. It will not be repeated.
The ‘Ole Buckeye and I created a slow cooker Greek Chicken recipe years ago and I decided to make it one again. This time however I tweaked it by combining my recipe with the one linked below. Our recipe used a can of diced tomatoes which I included. The big difference was the sauce which I poured over the tomatoes. This chicken was tender and delicious. In the future this recipe will replace mine.
I made this recipe on a whim…because it was easy and I always have homemade hummus on hand. It was surprisingly good. I served it over Trader Joe’s red lentil pasta for additional protein. It was quick, ea
I have only one comment on this dish and it comes straight from the ‘Ole Buckeye…”Never Again”.
Zhoug Pasta with Brussels Sprouts
Food for Thought
Capers have become one of our favorite additions to recipes. It began with our love of chicken piccata, but has been included in many many meals since. On our recent trip to Spain and Croatia I was struck by how much bigger the fresh capers were there. Wow. In fact I fell in love with the beautiful caper bush that was grown in Croatia. (Oh how I wish I could grow it in Virginia).
It wasn’t until recently that I learned the nutritional benefits of capers. Capers are prized for their anti-inflammatory properties. When combined with poultry or red meat, capers may help limit the creation of harmful byproducts that have been linked to cell damage and an increased risk of cancer. They also help with blood sugar management. I love it when something we enjoy eating has so many health benefits!
Recap
I must admit this past week involved lots of experiments…some successful and some not so much. We tried a lot of new salads and several are excellent. We also tried a lot of pastas, most of which will not be repeats. This coming week we will have house guests for several days, so during the days leading up to the visit I will rely on cook once/eat again proven meals with only a few new recipes thrown in to keep me on my toes. Our journey to eating more meals continues. Bon Appetit!
