Chicken with orzo vegetable salad, roast beef dinner, greek marinated pork tenderloin, garlic butter tilapia, roast beef stroganoff and lentil and mushroom pasta sauce.
I'm still kind of in shock that kids are back to school this week already. I know I keep saying it, but I'm still not too sure where the summer went. Maybe it's aging that makes time go by so fast, but whatever it is, I wish it would slow down a little... I also can't believe how much it feels like fall. The days are warm(ish) and the nights are cold. I love this kind of weather!
On the menu September 1 - 7, 2019:
Sunday Crispy Caesar Chicken with Orzo Vegetable Salad and broccoli
My son is a big fan of Shake 'N Bake Chicken and it's been a while since I made it, so I thought I'd try it tonight. I take mine up a notch, though, with the simple addition of some Caesar salad dressing (see link above). Usually we keep things easy with Uncle Ben's Broccoli and Cheese Rice (yes, the packaged kind), but tonight I made something different. The cheese rice was missed, but I noticed that several helpings of this salad were had. It was tasty although I modified the recipe slightly. I omitted the capers and didn't make the lemon dressing since my son is not a fan, but I'm sure it would have been good, too. I also added some sweet bell pepper and used canned artichoke hearts, not marinated ones. Instead of the original dressing, I made the dressing from this recipe, Orzo Salad and it was great! Don't skimp on the feta (although with the price right now, it was tempting!)
Monday leftovers / takeout / eat out
Tuesday Roast beef dinner with oven roasted potatoes, carrots and gravy
I usually cook my roast beef from frozen, but today it was fresh. It cooked quickly and was tender and moist. To cook from frozen, add an hour to the cooking time and put the vegetables in 1 1/2 hours before the roast will be done. I put a roast (we like eye of the round) in a roasting pan with about 1 1/2 inches of water in the bottom and a beef bouillon cube. To that I add two peeled, whole onions. Then I roast it at 350 F, covered, for 2 hours. After 1 hour, I add washed potatoes and peeled whole carrots to the roasting pan. Then I use the drippings to make gravy. Always a family favourite.
Wednesday Greek Marinated Pork Tenderloin
This pork tenderloin was really good, although next time I would cut back on the salt in the marinade slightly. I marinated it about 8 hours all together. Grated cucumber may seem like an odd marinade ingredient, but it worked! My son and I both thought it tasted like lamb, but my mom didn't agree. I cooked it for almost an hour rather than just the suggested 25 minutes as we are not fans of pink pork. The Greek salad went very well with it and I would make this again.
Thursday Sheet Pan Garlic Butter Tilapia with Crispy Potatoes and steamed broccoli
I may be the only one, but to me tilapia tastes like swamp water. I always substitute another fish - this time I used sole. I had broccoli on hand, so I used it instead of asparagus and steamed it. I love fish done this way. Cooked from frozen, it was almost poached, and moist and delicious. We love these Crispy Potatoes, too, and they pair nicely with this dish.
Friday Leftover Roast Beef Stroganoff with egg noodles, broccoli and green salad
We still have some leftover beef from Tuesday, and this my family's absolute favourite way to eat that. This recipe is fast, easy and delicious - what more could you want in a Friday night supper?
Saturday Lentil and Mushroom Pasta Sauce with spaghetti and green salad
This sauce recipe is definitely a keeper! Lentils are hearty and inexpensive and they went a long way here, with 8 servings. This would be a great budget saver for college students or anyone who would like to reduce their grocery costs. I added in chopped zucchini as suggested and we topped it off with freshly grated Parmesan cheese (not pictured). My son loved this, and typically he hasn't always been so happy to eat lentils. I call that a win!
Comments