Real Food Menu for Week of 3.23.2020

March 23, 2020Foodaztecan quinoa salad, covid-19, french onion soup, meatloaf dinner, mediterranean pasta salad, pina colada green smoothie, strawberries and cream overnight oats, teriyaki salmonarthurized Leave a comment

These certainly are strange times we’re living in. My heart goes out to everyone whose lives have been upended by COVID-19. So many of us are preparing for the unknown, working long hours, living in self-isolation or under shelter in place orders. I think that social distancing and resisting the urge to hoard have become our era’s victory gardens; everyone can do their part to stop the spread of this disease.

On Saturday, Mark and I went out to do our weekly grocery shopping and as everywhere, we encountered empty aisles throughout the stores. Surprisingly, we were able to find (or substitute) nearly everything on our list. We took pictures of the stores so that Pa Kettle could see what is happening from the comfort of his home.

In this week’s menu, I’ve got a fantastic, new quinoa salad. Packed with protein and minerals, this tiny seed is a nutritional powerhouse. It’s mild, nutty flavor lends itself to sweet and savory dishes.

Breakfast :
Strawberries and Cream Overnight Oats – This recipe makes one jar, so multiply it by the number of servings you need. We like to add fresh blueberries, because, why not?
https://cleanfoodcrush.com/clean-mornings-strawberries-cream-overnight-oats/

Lunch:
Meatloaf, Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes” and Roasted Green Beans – Delicious, comfort food!
https://cleanfoodcrush.com/meatloaf-dinner/

Dinner:

French Onion Soup – An old favorite; served with crusty, gluten-free Brazilian Cheese Bread

French Onion Soup

Servings: 4-6
Time: 10 minutes prep, 55 minutes cooking time
Difficulty: Easy
Print

I’ve had this recipe for so long, that I can’t remember where I found it! I substitute gluten-free all-purpose flour for the wheat flour. The key to this rich soup is in caramelizing the onions until they are a deep, golden color. It’s worth every minute in flavor. Serve with crusty bread or sandwiches on the side. We like Brazilian cheese bread or gluten free baguette.

Ingredients

8 brown onions, sliced
1 oz. butter
1 T. olive oil
2 T. thyme leaves
2 T. plain, all-purpose flour (I use gluten free)
2 T. brandy
2 T. dijon mustard
8 cups beef stock
2 cups water

Directions

Place the onions, butter, oil and thyme in a large saucepan over medium heat, cover and cook for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden.
Add the flour and cook, stirring for 3 minutes.
Add the brandy and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the mustard, stock and water and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

http://www.arthurizedhome.com

Aztecan Quinoa Salad – New Recipe! My quinoa has a longer cooking time than the recipe, so I cooked it according to the package directions, cooled and fluffed it with a fork. You’ll need about three cups of cooked quinoa. The flavor profile is similar to our favorite Greek Salad.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aztecan-quinoa-salad-recipe-1970211

Teriyaki Salmon – Here’s an easy, sheet pan meal! I substitute gluten free tamari for the soy sauce. Cook until the salmon flakes easily and the veggies are tender-crisp.
https://cleanfoodcrush.com/homemade-teriyaki-salmon-meal-prep/

Mediterranean Pasta Salad – So satisfying! Red lentil penne holds up well in this salad, but any sturdy noodle will work. Don’t forget the feta for that creamy, salty goodness!
https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/mediterranean-pasta-salad/

Snack:
Fresh fruit, veggies and hummus and popcorn are the order of the day.

Treat:
Pina Colada Green Smoothie – We sampled this refreshing drink and prepped a pack for the freezer. Mark generally does not care for green smoothies, but he rated this one a 10!
https://cleanfoodcrush.com/pina-colada-smoothies/

There’s a reason that food bloggers post picture of the ingredients for green smoothies, not the finished product! They never look very appealing.

Be well and safe, everybody. I hope your week is off to a good start!

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Copyright 2019-2021 © Arthurized Home – All Rights Reserved. This post is the original content of Arthurized Home. If you’re reading this on another site, it’s unArthurized.

Real Food Menu for Week of 10.6.2019

October 7, 2019meal prepblack bean hummus, creamy tuscan soup, garlic butter sauteed spinach with salmon, green beans almondine, mediterranean green lentil soup, perfect roast chicken, strawberries and cream overnight oats, summer squash oreganoarthurized Leave a comment

I quit keto last week. I’ve been solidly in ketosis since late May and lost 13 pounds over the summer, but I don’t think the results were worth the restriction. I recently switched primary care doctors and my new doc feels that the Mediterranean diet is a better fit for me.

So I quit. I mixed up a salad of chickpeas, cucumbers, garden tomatoes (which are soon coming to an end), tuna, black pepper, apple cider vinegar and olive oil. And it was good. So good that I had the leftovers before my run this morning. Weird breakfast, huh? Going forward I will continue to focus on eating foods made in nature, and keeping the carbs low to moderate. Until the doctor tells me otherwise!

Breakfast:
Strawberry Overnight Oats – Overnight oats are back and I’m so excited! I’m decreasing the Greek yogurt slightly, and leaving the honey out of mine.
https://cleanfoodcrush.com/clean-mornings-strawberries-cream-overnight-oats/

Lunch:
Mediterranean Green Lentil Soup – It’s officially soup weather! My mother-in-law made the best lentil soup. So tasty and filling. It’s one of Pa Kettle’s favorites, so he orders lentil soup whenever we go to Zoe’s Kitchen.
https://www.unicornsinthekitchen.com/easy-mediterranean-green-lentil-soup/

Dinner:

Cedar Plank Salmon – {UPDATE: We found this salmon to be dry and flavorless. The green beans were delicious, however!}
Earth Fare had these on sale this weekend, and the ingredients all appear to be clean. I wish the package stated the source of the salmon, because we try to buy wild caught if possible. I’m serving the salmon with Green Beans Almondine and a little brown rice.
https://www.food.com/recipe/green-beans-almondine-14804

Perfect Roast Chicken – Again. But seriously, we never tire of this, and love turning the leftovers into something amazing the next day. Carrots and potatoes for Mark, Brussels sprouts for me.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/perfect-roast-chicken-recipe-1940592

Creamy Tuscan Soup – New Recipe! We’ll use leftover roast chicken in this soup.
https://cleanfoodcrush.com/creamy-skinny-tuscan-soup-recipe/

Garlic Butter Sauteed Spinach with Salmon – We’re subbing in olive oil for butter.
https://www.eatwell101.com/garlic-butter-sauteed-spinach-recipe

Summer Squash Oregano

Servings: 4-6
Difficulty: easy
Print

This old Southern Living magazine recipe is a favorite. It’s so old that I can’t find the recipe online!

Ingredients

3 T. butter
1 onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small, green bell pepper, chopped
1 T. chopped fresh oregano
3/4 lb. yellow squash, sliced
3/4 lb. zucchini, sliced
4 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Melt butter in a large skillet; add onion, garlic and bell pepper and saute until tender. Stir in oregano, yellow squash and zucchini. Cover, and cook, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. Stir in tomato, salt and pepper; cook, uncovered, until squash is tender. Spoon into a serving dish, sprinkle with cheese.

Snack:
Black Bean Hummus with Cucumber Slices – Hummus, how I have missed you! Not the prettiest dish to photograph, but this one is slap yo’ mama good! (Don’t worry, no actual mamas were injured in the making of this snack.) I swapped out chickpeas for black beans. Go easy on the lemon juice, but the more garlic, the better. We should not have any vampire problems leading up to Halloween.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/hummus-recipe-1940499

Treat: We’ll give the Mediterranean practice of fruit for dessert a try this week. I will likely stick with fresh berries. Or dragon fruit.

Happy Monday, and have a great week!

Real Food Meal Prep for Week of 4.14.19

April 15, 2019meal prepberry smoothies, bowl of doom, chicken pineapple curry, chocolate chip chickpea blondies, cumulus spiced eggs, lemon baked cod, strawberries and cream overnight oats, teriyaki salmon with broccoli and carrotsarthurized Leave a comment

My husband decided that his first full marathon should be America’s toughest road race, the Blue Ridge Marathon with its 7,430 feet of elevation gain/loss. I’m very proud to say that he successfully completed it, so we’re taking it easy on meal prep today. We’ve planned a few tried and true meals this week.

Breakfast:
Berry Smoothies – Frozen berries (we like strawberries and blueberries), coconut milk, a banana for sweetness, a small handful of baby spinach and/or a half an avocado. Add ice cubes if needed and blend. If you like a sweeter smoothie, add honey to taste.

Berries and Cream Overnight Oats
https://cleanfoodcrush.com/clean-mornings-strawberries-cream-overnight-oats/

Lunch:
Chicken Pineapple Curry – This is an easy favorite that we’ve made for several years now. It’s creamy and mild, but you could certainly add some heat if you like. Use one can of coconut milk if you prefer a thicker sauce. We usually serve this over cauliflower rice, or brown rice.
https://www.5dollardinners.com/chicken-pineapple-curry/

Dinner:
Bowl of Doom – Don’t let the name deter you, there is nothing ominous about this breakfast hash. Simple and satisfying, this recipe feeds two and you can arm-wrestle over the leftovers for lunch the next day. Or fry a couple more eggs, add a veggie side and you’ve got a nice dinner for four. I give the sweet potatoes a 1/4″ dice; and use either ground beef or Jimmy Dean Natural sausage, depending on what’s on hand. If using sausage, I do not add salt.
http://www.vicariouslypaleo.com/bowl-of-doom/

Shepherd’s Pie
Beef and Vegetable Filling:
1 lb. ground beef
1 T. coconut oil
1/2 c. diced onions, optional
3 – 4 large carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 bag of frozen peas, thawed
12 oz. tomato sauce
1 t. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. cheddar cheese, grated – for topping

In a large pan over medium heat, thoroughly brown the ground beef. Remove beef from the pan and set aside. Melt the coconut oil, then saute the onion and carrots until tender. Add the beef, spices and tomato sauce. Mix well, then fold in the peas.

Mashed Potatoes – Two real food options:
Bob Evans Natural Mashed Potatoes are made with the same ingredients you would use at home; Potatoes, Milk, Butter and Salt.
OR
Homemade:
8 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 c. plain sour cream
8 T. unsalted butter
1 c. milk
salt and pepper to taste
Add the cubed potatoes to a large pot of boiling water and cook until fork tender. Drain the water and return the potatoes to the pot. Add the sour cream, butter, milk, salt and pepper. Mash with a potato masher to desired consistency. Add more milk if needed.

Spread the beef mixture into a buttered 9″ x 9″ casserole dish, and spoon the mashed potatoes over to cover. Bake at 350° for an hour, covered. Uncover, sprinkle cheddar cheese on top and broil for two minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Serve.

This dish can be assembled up to a day ahead of time, refrigerated and baked just before serving.

Clean convenience food. Make sure that it says All Natural, not Original.
Made with: Potatoes, Milk, Butter and Salt.

Teriyaki Salmon
https://cleanfoodcrush.com/homemade-teriyaki-salmon-meal-prep/

Cumulus Spiced Eggs – Such a simple and tasty dinner! We tried this recipe for the first time last week; my husband loved it and suggested that we put it on the menu this week. This comes together so quickly! I had dinner on the table in under 20 minutes, start to finish. I used two teaspoons of coriander, a jar of organic marinara sauce and added a smidgen of crushed red pepper flakes. I knew that trying to sneak goat’s cheese past my husband would be a step too far, so I used shredded cheddar on top.
https://thestonesoup.com/blog/2012/07/24/the-5-most-common-dinner-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them/

Lemon Baked Cod
https://momfoodie.com/lemon-baked-cod/

Snacks: Apples and Peanut Butter, Oranges, Bananas, Cantaloupe, Cucumbers, Bell Peppers, Tiny but Mighty Popcorn

Treat:
Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies
https://cleanfoodcrush.com/chocolate-chickpea-blondies/

I hope your week is off to a great start!

This is not a sponsored post. I am not in partnership with, nor do I own any of these websites or the recipes linked here.

Meal Prep for the week of 3.17.19

March 18, 2019meal prepcarrot cake breakfast cookies, chocolate coconut granola, Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry, hearty stuffed bell pepper soup, hormel natural pepperoni, kathys southwest sausage and egg breakfast casserole, pizza baked chicken, sheet pan steak fajitas, strawberries and cream overnight oats, weeknight taco souparthurized Leave a comment

With St. Pat and his truckload of potatoes in the rear-view mirror, it’s time for a fresh week of clean eating. We’re trying some new recipes and eating a few meals from the freezer, which is the beauty of double batching during meal prep. The taco and bell pepper soups are ready to heat and eat. Here’s what’s on the menu this week:

Baking Chocolate and Coconut Granola. Your kitchen will smell amazing while this is in the oven!

Breakfast:
Berries and Cream Overnight Oats. If it ain’t broke, why fix it? We make this recipe as is and add a handful of blueberries. https://cleanfoodcrush.com/clean-mornings-strawberries-cream-overnight-oats/

Lunch:
We’re trying a couple of new recipes this week.
Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas https://kirbiecravings.com/sheet-pan-steak-fajitas/
and
Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry https://www.theendlessmeal.com/creamy-coconut-lentil-curry/

Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas – The flavor is amazing and the spice mixture is spot on. The next time we make them we’ll try grilling the steaks and sauteing the onions and peppers separately.

Dinner:
Southwest Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole. My sister-in-law, Kathy gave me this recipe, so I don’t have a link but I’ve shared it below.
Taco Soup https://cleanfoodcrush.com/clean-eating-weeknight-taco-soup/
Pizza Baked Chicken https://cleanfoodcrush.com/clean-eating-pizza-baked-chicken/
Bell Pepper Soup https://cleanfoodcrush.com/?s=bell%20pepper%20soup
Grass Fed Beef Burgers with Steak Fries

A note about pepperoni:
We try to eat 90/10. 90% foods made in nature, and less than 10% foods made in a factory. This is part of the 10%. Try to find uncured pepperoni without added nitrates.
We eat pepperoni sparingly, as a condiment.

Snacks:
Bananas, Apples, Oranges, Cantaloupe, Grapes
Cucumbers, Bell Peppers, Cherry Tomatoes
Chocolate Coconut Granola with Greek Yogurt – I left out the brown sugar and added some honey. I also reduced the baking time to about 12 minutes, each round. Watch this carefully so that it doesn’t burn. I sprinkled some Lily’s chocolate chips on while the granola was still warm and let them melt into it. The next time, I will sprinkle some extra coconut along with the chocolate. https://www.momables.com/chocolate-coconut-granola-recipe/

Treat: Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies https://kristineskitchenblog.com/carrot-cake-breakfast-cookies/

Kathy’s Southwest Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole – Great for guests and brunch potlucks. Bake it the night before and warm gently before serving.
Recipe:
1 lb. Sausage – I use Jimmy Dean’s Natural
1 medium onion, minced
1 4oz. can green chilies, drained
1 t. garlic powder
Cook all of the above together and spread evenly in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.
10 eggs, beaten
1 T. crushed red pepper flakes (or to your taste)
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Mix the eggs with the crushed red pepper flakes and pour over sausage mixture. Sprinkle the cheese on top and bake for 45 minutes at 350°.

If you try these recipes, let me know in the comments. Have a great week!

This is not a sponsored post. I am not in partnership with, nor do I own any of these websites or the recipes linked here.

Meal Prep for the Week of 3.3.2019

March 6, 2019meal prepcheesy cauliflower muffin, chicken bacon skillet, chicken sausage kale and red potato soup, chicken tikka masala, coconut snowballs, convert kale salad, crock pot italian chicken soup, southwest chicken and rice bowls, strawberries and cream overnight oats, superhero muffinarthurized 2 Comments

Here’s what we prepped on Sunday:

Breakfast:
Strawberries and Cream Overnight Oats (my husband can’t get enough of these!) We add blueberries when we have them on hand.

Lunch: Crockpot Italian Chicken Soup and Superhero Muffin, Convert Kale Salad or Cheesy Cauliflower Muffin

Crockpot Italian Chicken Soup – this is a favorite soup and very versatile. Use whatever frozen veggies you have on hand.

Dinners:
Chicken Sausage, Kale and Red Potato Soup
SW Chicken and Rice Bowls – like Chipotle, only you don’t have to stand in that line!
Meatballs, Marinara and Zoodles
Chicken Tikka Masala
Roast Chicken with Carrots and Bacon – can you tell that chicken was on sale last week?! We’re practically clucking!

Snacks: Cucumbers and Sweet Peppers with Dill Dip
Apples, Grapes, Bananas and Oranges

Treat: Coconut Snowballs