Meals By The Month

June Menu

2009-05-30T07:24:00.003-04:00

Okay to my small group of followers I have an apology. I was not able to put together an all new June Menu and the reasons are two fold. First, we are moving soon and my husband is heading out there before us so we aren't really using a menu for June or July. Secondly, we school, work and the like I haven't had time to put a lot of thought into this months menu. I am taking a class off and I will have a little bit more time to plan the July and August menus so look forward to some new ideas.

By the way I am looking for some contributors for new healthy recipes and reviewers. Just leave me a comment if you are interested.

So for now HERE IS THE JUNE MENU (CLICK HERE). Sorry I did not have time to prepare the grocery lists if I get time this week I will prepare the grocery lists for Weeks 2-4.

Those who choose to contribute may be in for a surprise giveaway...you never know what is up my sleeve.

Happy Cooking
~Christina

May Menu

2009-05-02T07:31:00.003-04:00

Thank you for your patience and here is the May menu. You will note that not everything is new on the menu and that we repeated some of the items from April's menu. It makes planning easier to include some sure items that the whole family will like.

Here are the grocery lists:

Week 1 Grocery List - May 1 - 9
Week 2 Grocery List - May 10 - 16
Week 3 Grocery List - May 17 - 23
Week 4 Grocery List - May 24 - 31

Mother MAY I??

2009-04-30T22:59:00.002-04:00

Mother MAY I have one more night to get you the May menu??

Sorry just had to do something corny like that. Well I just finished my final and realized that tomorrow is May 1st and my menu is only half done for May. I will have it posted by end of the day tomorrow. Not only do you need it to plan but so do I because this Mother Hubbard's cupboards are bare and we need food.

Did you say Green Chili?

2009-04-30T20:56:00.000-04:00

Yes, you see that right...in our house we make something called Green Chili and it is good. No, I know that the chili is not actually green; it gets its name from the green chilis that are put into the broth. This is one of the first meals my husband ever made for me when we were dating and I love it. Some nice tender cubes of round steak simmered in the tomato broth with green chilis is surprisingly very hearty and soothing.

Serve it over some rice or maybe some sopapillas (recipe to come soon) and you are set.

Did you try this? What did you think?

They Follow in Your Footsteps

2009-04-24T15:41:00.004-04:00

When my husband was at sea or in Iraq dinner for the kids was really simple. It usually consisted of chicken nuggets, hot dogs, fish sticks, macaroni, and grilled cheese served with some kind of canned vegetable. Easy and quick foods but foods that lacked flavor, nutrition and variety. No that my husband is home for good we are trying to get more of a variety of foods into our childrens diet. The new rule in our house is you eat what is served and no more different meals for the kids. There are some exceptions to this rule though like I don't expect my kids to eat chili (its way to spicy), french onion soup (not enough flavor or substance for their bellies) or our date night meals.

When it comes to food and children the old saying "Lead by example" is very, very true. If your children see you eating different foods especially meats and vegetables and see that you like them you will find that they will enjoy eating it too. So while people may think I am crazy for serving my kids certain foods it makes cooking a whole lot easier. My 2 and 4 year old both love grilled zucchini, steamed broccoli, tacos, pot roast and many other "adult" foods.

The newest meal to add to their menus is the one we had last night...Smoked Sausage Soup. They loved it even with the kale in the soup. I got a ton of "Good Soup, Mommy!'s" from around the dinner table last night. It is a good feeling to know that they are eating healthy and filling foods that don't take a fight to get into their bellies.

Oxymoron

2009-04-23T15:18:00.000-04:00

It is not often that you can use the words pasta and light in the same sentence and it be a good thing. Most of the time people associated pasta as a heavy dish and getting stuffed to the brim on it. However, this dish was not one of those just the opposite it was very light and filling but not stuff yourself stupid kind of dishes. This was the roasted pepper, proscuitto and kalamata pasta and it was good but I would do it slightly different next time. First, I would add some crushed red pepper and some garlic for added flavor. Secondly, I might use black olives instead of kalamata but that is just a personal view my husband like the kalamatas just fine. Lastly, I realized that the thinner the proscuitto works better than thick because the thicker pieces really didn't crisp up.

(Photo copyrighted by Christina Bodman)

Did you try to make this? What did you think? How would you change it?

Change of Tasks

2009-04-13T14:23:00.003-04:00

Usually chili is my husband's job but this month I took over and tried not to butcher it. I think I did a pretty good job except for the fact I am not used to cooking with such lean beef and it does change the consistency of the chili some.

(Photo Copyright Christina Bodman)

I have had questions before on how much is one medium onion and one medium bell pepper well I took a picture so you can get a good idea of much it looks like.
(Photo Copyright - Christina Bodman)

Do you like chili? How do you do it differently?

Easy Ravioli Bake Review

2009-04-07T19:25:00.004-04:00

Picture courtesy of Cookinglight.com

Okay, I forgot to take pictures tonight (that is why I am using the stock photo) while I was cooking because my children seemed to be on a wild rampage this evening when I was cooking. Despite all of that I was plesantly surprised in how this turned out. Now I made some changes due to hard to find ingredients at the commissary and personal tastes. First I left out the green pepper since I am not particularly fond of it in my Italian dishes. Secondly, I substituted the chicken ravioli for 3 cheese tortellini due to the fact that the commissary had no ravioli and no meat stuffed tortellini so this it what I used. Plus, I used the tortellini that was made with whole wheat so to try to stick with the better eating goal. Give this a try. Try it exactly as the recipe calls or make your own substitutions and let me know.

Can I Change Nationalities?

2009-04-04T14:09:00.003-04:00

I loved growing up Italian with all of the meats, cheeses and pastas I have been able to fall in love with but I might just need to become Greek after this meal. We had our friend Tami over for dinner tonight and I made the spanikopitas and greek salad for dinner. That's it you may ask? Yes, that was it and there was plenty of food and quite filling.

(Picture copyrighted by Christina Bodman)

The spanikopitas were flaky and filled just right. The cheese mixture was not overpowering and just the right combination. The only suggestion about these that I would make is that you line the pan with parchment paper (no cooking spray - it will mess up the phyllo dough) to keep them from sticking to the pan.

(Picture copyrighted by Christina Bodman)

The Greek Salad was just heavenly. I even had my 2 year old eating it (well atleast the cucumbers). It was so good that I was asked to make it again by my husband the next night for dinner...just that and only that. Yummy!

Did you make this? What did you think?

Leave your comments and let me know.

Cumin-Pepper Flank Steak Review

2009-04-01T10:24:00.001-04:00

I thoroughly enjoyed this meal. I was a little skeptical of the horseradish with the red wine vinegar but it was really good. We have another flank steak recipe with another red wine vinegar base but it is sooo vinegary that it can be a bit overwhelming. This however was very good.

Yes, I know the meat is pretty rare but I try to leave a good bit of my meat undercooked so when I reheat it for leftovers it is not dried out. Did you try this? Let me know what you thought.

April Menu - Finally Here

2009-03-30T06:57:00.001-04:00

Okay, let's go for it. Here is the April menu for you to link up to. All of the days also link to the appropriate recipes. Not all recipes are mine and proper credit has been give to the sources. Also here is your grocery lists by week. Now if you are like me you might want to sort this list and consolidate and buy some of your staples for other weeks all at once. As we go along I will be posting my thoughts on these recipes and would love to hear your feed back and ideas for other recipes.

Ready. Set. Cook.

Also here are the links to the weekly grocery lists. If you are like me and try to go to the store a little less often then scan all of the lists and see if there is anything you can buy in a bigger size or on sale that you need in future weeks, especially canned goods and such.

Week 1 - April 1-4
Week 2 - April 5-11
Week 3 - April 12-18
Week 4 - April 19-25
Week 5 - April 26-30

Steaming Vegetables

2009-03-28T14:42:00.002-04:00

We love steamed vegetables around here. They are quick, easy and create little mess. Some of our favorites include broccoli, green beans, and aspargus. But you can add do any vegetable this way however you might need to modify the time for steaming depending on which vegetable you choose. We steam the vegetables just to the point where they become tender and then remove them from the heat. Cooking beyond this point can alter the natural taste of the vegetables and even make them mushy. Usually we finish our steamed vegetables with lemon juice and/or lemon pepper or simply just salt and pepper.

Here are some different ways to steam vegetables.

Rice Cooker/Steamer - It is great if you have one of these but necessary if you don't feel like spending the money. Simply, follow the directions that came with the machine and you will be set.
Asparagus Pot - These are a little pricey but if you have one you can do more than just aspargus in it. Just fill the bottom with water up to the level of the insert. Set the pot on the stove; turn the heat to about medium and steam. This has no automatic shut off so you do need to keep an eye on this to make sure you don't over steam the vegetables.
Microwave - Simply get a large enough microwave safe container, place the vegetables in and add maybe a tablespoon or two of water. Microwave on high for about a minute and check. Repeat until desired tenderness is reached.
Stove Top - If you have a medium size sauce pan, colander, and lid for the pot then you can create your own steamer. Fill the pot with water about 1/3 full and place colander in the pot (colander should not touch the water, if it does some water needs to be removed), add vegetables to the colander and cover with the lid. Bring water to a boil and allow the vegetables to steam long enough to get tender. Again this will need to be watch to ensure that they don't overcook.

I hope you find you enjoy steaming vegetables and if you have any suggestions please feel free to add a comment.

April Menu on its Way

2009-03-27T09:06:00.001-04:00

The April menu will be posted by Saturday night so you still have time to get your grocery shopping done before Wednesday. I am just getting some technical issues worked out first.

On the Band Wagon

2009-03-23T12:31:00.001-04:00

Now I am not a nutrionist but hubby and I have decided to try to eat healthier so I have done my research. One of the big buzz words in nutrition right now is Whole Wheat/Grain. I have always turned my nose to it because it did have a different consistency, taste and texture. You will find that that is the same reason that most other people have an aversion to it also. Well in our efforts to become a more healthy family we have decided to cut back on our carbs and replace the necessary ones with more whole grain ones. This isn't going to be easy though I grew up eating Italian foods so I consumed a lot of semolina pasta, white bread, potatoes and rice. Then there is my husband who grew up in the South eating a lot of beans, rice, potatoes and white bread.

My biggest thing now is how to cook with whole wheat/grain and make appropriate substitutions and make them taste good. So you will find a lot of items on the upcoming monthly menu missing starches since we have cut the majority of them out our diets. Got any starchless recipes or good whole grain/wheat recipes? Send me a comment and let me know.

Here are two great links for sites about whole wheat facts and baking tips.
http://www.cliqueclack.com/food/2009/02/18/whole-wheat-versus-white-flour-lets-get-baked/

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=66

Side Dish - Roasted Carrots

2009-03-13T23:06:00.007-04:00

Okay here is one of the first of my basics that will come and go throughout my menus. Roasted carrots are a great quick addition to any dinner simple or fancy.

For a serving of 2 you will need 5 or 6 large carrots (no baby carrots), pepper, salt, and olive oil. As for equipment you need a good sharp knife, vegetable peeler, foil-lined pan and a medium sized bowl.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Peel all of the carrots.

Trim the ends.

Cut the carrots at an angle about 1/4" thick.

Cut all of the carrots this way and place them in a bowl. Add about 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper. Coat all of the slices and place them on the foil-lined pan.

Place in the oven and roast for between 20 - 25 minutes or until tender.

Let cool momentarily...they cool fast.

Serve with anything and enjoy.

I served them today with crab cakes and shrimp cocktail (for my hubby not me).

Welcome to My New Blog

2009-03-11T20:21:00.000-04:00

For those of you who really know me know that I LOVE TO COOK. Cook, bake, plan meals, set the table and all that comes with cooking. It is more than just a household chore it is a passion. The expression on my family, friends and coworkers faces when they taste what I have made and love it is pure satisfaction. This world isn't perfect though so I can't spend all day in my kitchen simply cooking. Instead I work, take care of my house, go to school and raise our kids (which besides being a wife is my favorite job in the world).

So I have decided to join my passion for blogging with my passion for cooking and share how I cook meals month by month.

Let me explain a little bit more about our "eating situation". My husband and I both work full time so cooking time is limited and the kids are always hungry when we walk in the door. So meals need to be relatively quick and good as leftovers (for the our lunches and the kids dinner the next day). We are also a military family so we have the luxury of being able to use the Commissary to buy our groceries but it is never convenient to go to unless you live right around the corner from it. So I plan a monthly menu and buy all of my staple groceries and meat plus the first week's fresh fruit/herbs/vegetables and milk. This way the remaining trips to the store are quick and low on cost at the pricier grocery store.

So what is my goal with this website might you be asking?
Helping families plan their meals so that they are healthy, satisfying, and cost effective.

I will start with an entire month plan starting with April since March is almost halfway over. For the next few weeks though I will be posting on some of my cooking basics so that some of the common sides I use and processes I use won't be so foreign.

However, and this is a big however I can't do this alone. I am looking for recipe suggestions, comments and contributors. Part of the reason I am asking for this is that I am not willing to share ALL of my recipes (family recipes always stay in the family...sorry). For all of those who do assist me there are opportunities for a great surprise giveaway!!!

I will create a blog button soon for easy linking.