I am planning the menu for week 79 as I sit at my son’s home awaiting the 11 year old’s waking up on a beautiful sunny, but cold Sunday morning. The Creme Brûlée French Toast is in the oven awaiting her. Our 5 days with her have not been as anticipated. I always have hopeful plans with the girls, but at their age they are much more interested in their friends and their technology. During the week the after school hours were spent bent over homework in a halfhearted attempt to get it completed…frequently interrupted with phone pings and loud music. The English essay due next week is also looming. Friday was spent at a girl friend’s and a sleepover. Saturday her sleepy eyes returned home with very little time spent on school work. Her indoor soccer game in the afternoon was followed by roller skating with friends. Dinner was followed by a long soaking bath. I have no idea when she went to bed…we turned in and left her dawdling in the bathroom. I fear that the planned shopping spree for today will be shelved due to the essay writing that has been purposely neglected. In the meantime I will be productive.
The plans for breakfasts during week 79 revolve around morning favorites as well as an oatmeal recipe that has been on the docket for weeks, but remains untried. It needs to be refrigerated overnight and heated in the morning. I can’t seem to remember to do the initial prep beforehand. Hopefully this week will be more successful. The Cream Cheese Easy Egg Bake was successful once again last week, but I plan to make a Greek rendition this week using peppers, onions, olives, feta, Greek oregano, and dill. The Giant Pancake has been added to the morning rotation. Instead of making it in a 9×13, I prepare it in two 8 inch pie pans and freeze one. It is great to serve for the Grand Girls, they love it.
Some weeks it’s soup, some weeks it’s salads for lunch. The menu plan for week 79 has one new soup, but the emphasis looks to be quiche. They say “Real men” don’t eat quiche, but I beg to differ. A frequent repeat on my menu plan in the past has been the crustless broccoli quiche. Since I have a huge container of spinach left from Costco that must be used, I decided to try two new spinach based quiche recipes in hopes that they will not only be great additions, but easily frozen for back up as well.
Our Favorite Soup THM S
Spinach Feta Quiche Muffins THM S
The dinner plans for week 79 include a request for a favorite of the ‘Ole Buckeye’s…Greek Meatloaf. I have homemade tzatziki sauce left from the meatballs a week ago that will be great with it. Wild Caught Cod is on special and I have a recipe from Blue Apron that was quite enjoyable. The Greek Chicken is a new recipe that looks interesting and simple. The weather promises to be warmer and outdoor grilling might be an option. The noodle rosa is a meatless favorite which we have not had in months.
As I prepare for the week ahead I will do a brief recap of some hits and misses from new recipes that I tried over the past few weeks.
Cinnamon Roll Protein Smoothie THM E
I treated myself to a new smoothie on Valentine’s Day.
I have found in the past that often the way a smoothie is named is more exciting than the actual taste. This one however lived up to my expectations. It was quite good and was filling enough to last me until lunch, which most often does not happen. This was indeed a treat.
Creme Cheese Egg Bake THM S
I made this once again and the 11 year old loved it. This time I added chopped onion, chopped yellow, red, and orange peppers, grated cheddar cheese and chives. It was very good.
The biggest hit with the 11 year old however was the creme brûlée French Toast! Creme Brûlée French Toast
I couldn’t eat it, but to watch her eyes light up when it came out of the oven was soooo worth it. A big plus…there was enough left over for breakfast on Tuesday (Birthday morning for the now 14 year old).
The Chili Relleno Casserole was good and would be a great casserole to use as a side with other Mexican or Tex/Mex Meals. Both the ‘Ole Buckeye and I agreed that it needed more punch, even though I used Pepper Jack Cheese.
I used mild green chili’s from a can. I think the next time I will do a mixture of mild and medium chili’s.
This could also be a great brunch meal using chorizo or sausage.
I failed to mention several weeks ago how successful the Award Winning Chili Pie found in Trim Healthy Table page 142 was. Outstanding.
It was a hit with the ‘Ole Buckeye as well as the grand girls. I froze a portion and we had it as a cook once/eat twice meal and it was even better. I understand why it received the name “Award Winning”. It will be a definite addition to our meal rotation.
Another week of great eating was shared with our grand daughter. We had some special moments and it’s funny how often the best interaction is at the table when sharing a meal. It was gratifying to watch her enjoy the food that I prepared, not having any idea that she was eating healthy (aside from the Creme Brûlée French Toast!)
We have returned home and are back to “normal”(whatever that is). We look forward to yet another great week of healthy eating. Bon Appetit.
