Trader Joes Beef Stroganoff

They had this as a sample the other day, so I made it that night for dinner. It was yum!

1 package Quick Cook Beef Sirloin (this meat is good stuff!)
1/2 Bag TJ's Chopped Onions (I only use dry and very little since we don't like onions)
1 package TJ's sliced mushrooms
2 packages TJ's Garlic Linguini
1 Tub TJ's sour cream
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook noodles according to directions on packages. Drain. Saute onions in butter until brown (unless you're using dry onions and then you can just add them to the meat while it's cooking). Add beef to a frying pan and cook until it is almost completely cooked. Add mushrooms and cook until tender and meat is completely cooked. Don't drain meat. The juices will mix with the sour cream to make a delicious sauce. Toss cooked noodles with beef mixture. Gently fold in sour cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meat Loaf Muffins

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup ketchup, divided
1 1/2 pounds ground beef, extra lean (raw)

1 cup finely crushed fat-free saltine crackers (about 20)
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, chopped carrot, dried oregano, and minced garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Cool.

Combine onion mixture, 1/2 cup ketchup, and the remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl.

Spoon the meat mixture into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Top each with 2 teaspoons ketchup. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Serve with fresh beans and potato wedges.

another good pasta dish

this one is from my mom, who got it from one of the santa margarita stake recipe books.

ingredients:

12 oz. angel hair pasta
1 C chicken broth
1/4 C grated parmesan
1 tsp dried basil
chicken- cut into bite size pieces
2 cloves of garlic-minced
half a crown of broccoli-pulled apart into bite size pieces
1/2 zucchini-cut diagonally and in half
2 carrots- sliced
2 tbsp oil

1. saute up the chicken in 1 tbsp oil, when fully cooked remove from pan.
2. start pasta on stove- you want it to be done around the same time as the next step to that you can throw it all together and eat!
3. add another tbsp oil to pan then add garlic, carrots, zucchini, broccoli. saute for a few minutes till soft.
4. add broth, basil, parmesan, and chicken to pan, reduce heat and simmer for 2 min or so.
5. drain pasta- don't rinse!
6. dish up pasta, place good stuff from pan on top and try to get some of the sauce on there to.
enjoy!

hope these directions make sense, i didn't have them so i am just going off of what chicken scratches i wrote from my mom! ether way, it tastes really good- a lighter summer pasta dinner.

This week's menu

Now that I am not crazy busy with church stuff, I have time to cook! yay! Here's what we are eating this week:

Sunday:
Pork tacos with cheese, sour cream, salsa, onions, cilantro, tomatoes, avocados and black olives
steamed rice
broccoli sauted in olive oil and kosher salt
salad (organic continental blend from Costco, red onions, avocados, mandarin oranges and homemade ginger dressing)

Monday:
Lime marinated flank steak
leftover salad
Butter and Parmesan pasta (just out of a box-kids love it)

Tuesday:
teriyaki salmon
buttermilk mashed potatoes
lima beans
dinner rolls

Wednesday:
Chicken cacciatori over pasta (in the crock pot with the simmer sauce from Trader Joes)
corn

Thursday:
Baked Chicken Bites with BBQ sauce, honey mustard and ranch dressing
peas
applesauce

Friday:
Glazed Pork Tenderloin
fresh pineapple
steamed rice

Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple

fresh pineapple
3 T. hoisin sauce
2 t. grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 t. Dijon mustard
1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin
coarse salt and pepper
Quick Ginger Sauce (below)

Combine the hoisin sauce, ginger, garlic and mustard. Place the pork on a broiler pan fitted with rack, brush with sauce, season with salt and pepper.

Place the pork in the broiler, about 4 inches from the heat. Broil the pork until instant read thermometer reads 155, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the broiler, let rest at least 10 minutes before slicing. Slice and serve with pineapple and Ginger Sauce.

Quick Ginger Sauce
2 T. hoisin sauce
2 T. pineapple juice
2 t. grated fresh ginger
1 t. soy sauce
fresh ground pepper

Combing all ingredients in a small bowl.

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

1 1/2 Pounds (4 medium) new potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 to 1/2 Cup buttermilk
2 Tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Directions
Place potatoes in a large saucepan; add enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil; add 1 tablespoon salt, and cook until potatoes are very tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 20 to 25 minutes.

Drain; place in a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher, then add buttermilk and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Mash until smooth and combined.

Flank Steak with Lime Marinade

1/3 Cup freshly squeezed lime juice, (about 4 limes)
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 scallions, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
2 Tablespoons minced, peeled fresh ginger
1/2 Teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 1/2 Pounds flank steak
Vegetable oil, for grates
Coarse salt and ground black pepper

Directions
In a resealable plastic bag, combine lime juice, soy sauce, scallions, ginger, and red-pepper flakes. Add steak, and seal bag (place in a dish to catch any leaks); marinate in the refrigerator, turning occasionally, up to 1 hour.

Heat grill to high; lightly oil grates. Remove steak from marinade, letting excess drip off (discard marinade); season with salt and black pepper. Place on grill; cover. Cook, turning once, until meat reaches desired doneness, 6 to 8 minutes for medium-rare. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing thinly.

Berry Good

I made this for my morning snack today and it was "berry" good. I topped cottage cheese with fresh blackberries, some granola, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. So yummy! You could probably use any sort of fresh berry (strawberry, blueberry, rasberry, etc.) and it will taste just as good!

I don't like to deviate from my usual morning bowl of cereal and orange juice, but I'm sure this would be just as scrumptious for breakfast. Add a Trader Joes whole wheat English Muffin with honeybutter and your day is off to a great, nutritious start.

pasta salad

i know there are like a million pasta salad recipes out there, but i really like this one. I am so excited for lighter cooler summer foods, this will be a weekly menu maker. i made it the other day and took a picture because it was so pretty and colorful, so i thought why now post it on here???
you will need:
one bag pasta- it's more fun with different colors

dressing:
1 C oil
1/2 C red wine vinegar
1 C Parmesan
1 TBSP each: parsley, basil, garlic salt
red pepper flakes as desired
(i usually half this with one bag of pasta, but you will have to figure that one out depending on how much dressing you like, and if you don't feel up to making dressing, just open up a bottle of Italian dressing and that is yummy too!)

you may want to add:
chunks of mozzarella cheese, chicken, red or green peppers, onions, carrots, celery, peperoni, green onions, black olives...
there so many delicious possibilities, you really can't go wrong!