Kristine's Menu

Sunday: Crispy Baked Chicken Fingers. Garlic Baked Fries. Salad.
Monday: Chicken wraps (chicken, tortilla, cheese, lettuce, veggies) with leftover chicken fingers and homemade honey mustard dressing
Tuesday: Lasagna. Salad. Fresh french bread.
Wednesday: Chicken Enchiladas. Salad. - I'm branching out from my normal creamy, white sauced chicken enchiladas
Thursday: Stir Fry. Rice.
Friday/Saturday: Asian Chicken Pizza. Salad. This is a recipe I have been making for years. Out of all of the people who have tried it, I have only come across ONE person who didn't love it. It sounds so weird, but it's tangy and delicious.

Chocolate Pudding Pie

This pie is sooo yummy and easy. You could make the chocolate pudding from scratch, but the day I wanted it, the weather was too hot to stand over the stove and stir pudding. You HAVE to make the whipped cream on your own- nothing beats fresh whipped cream.

 Ingredients:

12 oreos

Half a stick of butter, melted

Chocolate pudding mix

Whole milk

Whipping Cream

Sugar, about a teaspoon

Vanilla (optional)

Pulse the oreos in the food processor until they are crumbs, then pulse in melted butter. You want the crumbs to stick together when you pinch them between your fingers. Press the buttery crumbs into a pie plate. Make the pudding according to instructions, then pour it into the pie crust. Chill the pie until the pudding is set. Before you serve it, dump a small container of whipping cream into your kitchen aid or a bowl and use a hand blender, put it on high, add in a teaspoon of sugar. You can add a teaspoon of vanilla if you want, but it's good either way. This pie tastes way too good for how easy it is to make!

Kristine's Menu

I have been so bad about posting my menu. I have been planning it out, but the last time I planned it out, I threw away my list and just never got fully organized after that. No point in planning a menu if you don't follow it!  Here is my menu for the week.

Sunday: Tri tip steak and mashed potatoes. Salad.
Monday: BBQ chicken chop salad -  I have had this on my list of things to make and am FINALLY making it
Tuesday: Baked Ziti. Salad. - I liked it so much I am already making it again. It is SO easy. Have you made it yet?
Wednesday: California Club Pizza - I'm obsessed. Someone told me that they made this and it was kind of plain. However, they didn't put bacon on it. The bacon is NECESSARY! It adds a lot of salty flavor. Don't leave it out!
Thursday: Orange Chicken. Rice. Broccoli - this chicken has also been on my list for probably over a year!
Friday: Jordan will be at a football game, so I will probably be stuck at home eating leftovers :)
Saturday: Beef Tacos. Another recent repeat, but they were deeeeeelicious.

refreshing lemon, cucumber, & mint beverage

photo & recipe credit

This is my new favorite drink! I don't recommend drinking it with a meal so much but by itself it is an amazingly refreshing beverage. I highly recommend trying it. 

I read that it's supposed to help keep your belly flat (if you have a flat one, yeah right!!) and help control your weight. I don't know how true it is, I just know it's delicious and only has natural sugar. YUM!

2 quarts of water

1 lemon juiced

8-10 mint leaves

1 medium cucumber, sliced

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher with a lid. Allow it to steep all night. Stir each time before pouring a glass. 

This will quench your thirst, I promise. I think next time I'll add limes too. Mmmm...

Natalie's Menu

We are finally getting back into a normal dinner schedule after 2 weeks of moving in and unpacking. We didn't have silverware/pots and pans until Friday (they were packed up and stored somewhere else), so we've been eating simple meals or cereal or eating out. I'm excited to finally make dinner every night this week! Here's what I have planned:

Monday: Steak and shrimp fajitas, bell peppers + onions (never made these before)
Tuesday: Waffles, bacon  + fruit
Wednesday: Calzones (frozen ones my mom made last week) and salad
Thursday: Steak, mashed yukon gold potatoes, roasted green beans
Friday: Cilantro lime quesadillas, spicy pinto beans

My Green Smoothie

I've loved drinking smoothies forever. My first taste was Juice it Up's Strawberry Wave when I was young. Since then my taste has changed and I think most smoothie place's ingredients have gone downhill in quality...so I don't mind making them on my own now :) 

My palette has become more 'sophisicated' with varying ingredients. I have a general recipe that changes based on what I am in the mood for and what's in my fridge. Here's one I had a month or so ago. 

This is the breakdown:

Fruit, at least 3 kinds

Juice, just a splash and I only use not from concentrate juices

Milk or water, just a splash (regular, almond or coconut)

The green: a big handful of kale, spinach, or chard

A large scoop of ice

This particular smoothie included half an apple, a scoop of cut up melon, a kiwi, a scoop of berries, a splash of simply orange, a splash of coconut milk, a big handful of kale and lots of ice. I think the trick is making sure you add in season fruit so the flavor is good. You'd be surprised how much green you can add without even tasting it. The ice makes a huge difference, too. These smoothies get me full, give me energy and make me feel good about my day since I usually drink them for breakfast. What do you put in your green smoothie?