Yummy May Fruit Salad

I bought all the fruit for this at the farmers market. All local all in season and all so yummy. So I named this yummy fruit salad.

Ingredients:
1 bag cherries, halved and pitted
1 container strawberries, quartered
1 container blueberries
1 container blackberries
3 peaches, cut into bite size pieces
1 apple, cut into bite size pieces
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons champagne
a little lime zest
3 tablespoons honey, add more if you need to


Make It:
In a large bowl, whisk together lime juice, ginger, champagne, lime zest and honey. Add all fruit to the bowl and toss to coat. Thats it, it is very simple and so good. Enjoy!

Menu for May 31st - June 6th

Well last week ended up being all messed up. My hubby went out of town on business for the whole week and the kids left on thursday, so I did not follow the menu I had created. Then the holiday came and I totally forgot to post a menu for this week, plus my energy level is low. Still oh so yummy fruit in season right now, I have a fruit salad recipe I will be posting. It is officially the last week of school yay!


Monday- Pit Beef Sandwiches, salad
Tuesday- Chicken Enchilada Casserole with Verdes Sauce, carrot sticks, sliced tomato
Wednesday- Spicy Spaghetti, broccoli, garlic bread
Thursday- California Cheeseburgers, fries, blueberries
Friday- Steak tacos, refried beans, green salad
Saturday- Jambalaya, butter carrots
Sunday- Chicken and Biscuits, fresh berry toss

Dessert of the week: Dark Chocolate Brownie Sundaes

Menu for May 24th - May 30th

We have a mellow week this week. Just school and work, then a 3 day weekend. I'm hoping for nice weather. We got blackberries for the first time this season, sweet and yummy. Also enjoying nectarines, blueberries and strawberries. The menu this week is filled with quick and simple. With school heading to the end, i'm starting to get more relaxed.

Monday- Spaghetti with a veggie sauce, berry salad
Tuesday- Chicken Tacos, Red Rice
Wednesday- Ravioli Skillet, brocoli
Thursday- Pork and Beans(crock pot), green salad
Friday- California Cheeseburger, fries, carrot sticks
Saturday- Eat out
Sunday- BBQ with friends

Dessert of the Week: Fresh berry pizza cookies

Thai Stir Fry

So the idea for this one came out of my clean eating magazine. I have often considering making a peanut sauce but never did because i thought it would taste strange. Since i'm willing to try almost anything once and want the kids to also, I decided to give it a try. It was very tasty, very different from my usual soy based stir fry sauces but still very good. As with any stir fry feel free to use whatever protein and vegetable combination you and your family prefer. I have to admit that the children don't care for shrimp yet, but I will keep trying.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon thai chili paste(depends on how hot you like it)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons peanut butter
juice of 2 limes
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups broccoli, boiled for a minute so they are a little soft
2 cups snow peas
1 red pepper, sliced into strips
10 raw shrimp, tails removed, and cut into small pieces
1 pork loin chop, cut into bite size pieces


Make It:
In a bowl whisk together the coconut milk, chili paste, red pepper flakes, peanut butter, lime juice, garlic, ginger and tomato paste. Set aside. Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Add pork to pan, stir for 2 minutes until browned. Add shrimp, stir fry for 2 minutes until shrimp just start to change color. Add broccoli, snow peas and red pepper stir fry for 2 minutes. Turn heat to medium and pour in sauce, stir and let cook for about 3 minutes, until sauce thickens a little. Serve over rice. Enjoy!

Menu for May 17th - May 23rd

I'm so glad it is starting to be warm! Summer is almost here. This week is just normal. We have a birthday party on saturday. Sorry I didn't take any pictures last week, I just didn't feel like it, lol. Now that is officially warm the oven will hardly get used, more skillet and stir fry dinners. It is great to grill in summer as well, but I leave that to the hubby. The produce at the farmers market is fantastic right now. I never knew how good seasonal was until I switched. Cherries, blueberries, strawberries and cherry tomatoes are our favorites right now. The menu this week is very simple with lots of fresh veggies. I got fava beans in my box this week not sure what to do with them or if we will like them, just have to see. Everyone have a great week.

Monday- Pizza, green salad
Tuesday- Spicy Skillet Chicken, Black and Pinto Bean Salsa, Cheese Quesadilla
Wednesday- French Onion Beef(crock pot), Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, butter carrots
Thursday- Thai Shrimp Stir Fry, Coconut Rice
Friday- Taco Pasta Skillet, broccoli
Saturday- Birthday Party
Sunday- King Crab, Macaroni and Cheese, Fava Beans, green salad

Dessert of the Week: Rice Crispie Flower Pops

Chicken and Sausage Lasagna

We love lasagna in this house, it is a very fun thing to try a bunch of different ways! In this one I mixed chicken and spicy italian sausage, it came out great!

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
3 italian sausages
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jar plus one cup spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
1 12 oz. container ricotta
2 1/2 cups mozzarella
3/4 cup shredded parmesan
8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg, whipped
9 lasagna noodles, uncooked


Make It:
In a bowl mix together ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup parmesan, basil, and garlic. Taste and then add salt and pepper to your liking. Mix in egg, cover and set in refrigerator. Heat a large pot over medium high heat. Spray with cooking spray add chicken to pan, cook till brown on all sides. Add italian sausage, stir, cook until browned. Add onion and bell pepper, stir, cook until softened about 5 minutes. Pour in spaghetti sauce, leaving the extra one cup out. Stir, allow to come to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover stir and cook for 15 minutes. Turn oven to 375 degrees. In a large casserole dish, Pour reserved cup of spaghetti sauce onto bottom, spread to cover bottom of pan. Stir 1 cup water into sauce. Begin layering lasagna, put noodles first, then 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, then 2 1/2 ladles of sauce, then 1/3 cup mozzarella, and a good sprinkle of parmesan. Continue the next two layers the same ending the top with the rest of the sauce and cheeses. Cover with saran wrap, and then foil. Bake on a cookie sheet for 45 minutes. Remove saran wrap and foil. Allow to bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven let sit for 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Chicken with Lemon Butter Sauce

So my plan was to make chicken piccata, for the first time, but after I got home I decided I did not want to go through the trouble of breading the chicken. So this is what I made. It came out very tasty.


Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, pounded thin
1/2 cup chardonnay
1/3 cup lemon juice, keep lemon halves
3 tablespoons butter, divided
salt and pepper

Make It:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Spray skillet with cooking spray. Salt and pepper each chicken breast on both sides, put in skillet 2 at a time. Cook for 2 minutes per side, remove to a cookie sheet. Once all four chicken breasts are done place them in oven for 15 minutes. Wipe out skillet, add 1 tablespoon butter, wine, lemon juice and reserved lemon halves to skillet, Bring to a simmer and allow to reduce by 1/2, should take about 10 minutes. Remove lemon halves. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to pan, allow to melt. Serve sauce over chicken. Enjoy!