what's for dinner??

october 14-18

roast beef with veggies & sweet potatoes

parmesan pork with applesauce

chicken caesar salad
blackened mahi-mahi sandwiches with chipotle fries

peanut chicken with whole grain rice

roast beef with veggies & sweet potatoes

there’s just something about a roast on a sunday..makes me all nostalgic and homesick for pennsylvania sundays in the fall when mom would put the roast in the oven before we all piled in the station wagon for church.  hours later we would come home to our warm, cozy house smelling crazy delicious... does anyone else leave their oven on when they’re at church??? we also left our front door unlocked in those days....but that’s another post for another time..

let’s get to the beef. 

chuck roast

salt & pepper

evoo

beef broth

carrots, onions, sweet potatoes (chopped and pealed)

preheat the oven to 275. 

season your roast with salt and pepper. drizzle a lil’ bit of evoo in the bottom of your dutch oven, set it to high and sear your roast on both sides (about a minute for each side). remove the roast, toss in your veggies in the bottom. next, put the roast on top of the veggies, pour in about a cup of broth and do a dance. because you’re done.

put it in the oven for 3 hours (4 if it’s over 4 lbs.) and take a nap. ooooh! that’s my favorite part!

when it’s done, you can either serve your sweet potatoes as they are or mash them with a teeeny, little bit of brown sugar, cinnamon and butter. yum! 

parmesan pork with applesauce

found this recipe in Real Simple years ago, and it’s one of our favorites. quick and easy-but looks fancy! 

1 pork tenderloin (about a lb)

1/2 cup flour 

2 large eggs

1 cup dry bread crumbs (i generally use panko crumbs-less crazy chemical ingredients that i can’t pronounce. but this time i found some gluten-free bread crumbs, so i’m gonna try those out..)

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 cup grated parmesan 

4 tablespoons evoo

preheat the oven to 400.

divide your tenderloin into 8 even pieces. next, pound ‘em out into nice little medallions that are about 1/4” thick. put your flour in a shallow dish or bowl. put your eggs in another one and slightly beat them. then in another dish mix your salt, bread crumbs and parmesan. 

assembly line time! coat the pork first in the flour, next in the egg and finally in the bread crumbs..heat 2 tablespoons of the evoo in a large skillet then drop in 4 of the cutlets into the pan. cook them on medium-high heat until golden (about 2 minutes on either side, turning once). wipe out the skillet and add new evoo and the remaining 4 cutlets. 

once done, transfer the pork to a baking sheet and bake until cooked through, 8-10 minutes. 

you can serve them with a side salad, or baked sweet potatoes, but i’ve decided we’re going with applesauce. just because it’s good. and under-rated as a side dish. i like rooting for the underdog. 

chicken caesar salad

chicken breast

romaine lettuce

parmesan

fat free caesar crutons

light caesar dressing

i like to marinate my chicken for this salad. you don’t need to, but sometimes it’s as simple as dropping it into a bag of italian dressing for a bit. or you could sprinkle it with  more of the blackened seasoning from mahi night. in either case, remember to pound out the chicken a bit before you do anything so that it will grill evenly.

again, i’ll be using my grill pan! set to a medium-high heat, grill chicken for about 6 minutes on either side. while that’s cooking, chop up the romaine...i love a fresh head of romaine...it’s just beautiful! 

once your chicken is done, chop it up. toss it in with the romaine and croutons. grate some cheese over it and measure out your dressing on top. mix it all together and enjoy!

blackened mahi-mahi sandwiches with chipotle fries

this is the one exception my hubby will make when it comes to seafood. mahi is extremely mild and flaky and H.G. will eat it if it’s got blackened seasoning all over it. so that’s what i’m doing!

2 4-6 oz mahi fillets

blackened seasoning

whole grain wheat buns

chipotle fries (yup! made ‘em last week, but they’re so yummy that i have to have them with this!)

the mahi will cook quickly, so put your fries in the oven first...

season the fillets with blackened seasoning. warm up your grill pan, (you can use a skillet, coated with cooking spray, but i have a special relationship with my grill pan...i can’t say no to it. and i certainly wouldn’t dream of cheating on it with another pan.)

sear each fillet for about 2 minutes on either side. let them sit for about one minute, then bun ‘em up! you can add a little “smart balance light mayo” on the bun...maybe add some lettuce and tomato! oh man! is it thursday, yet??? 

get those fries out of the oven, and enjoy such a simple, yummy healthy meal.

peanut chicken with whole grain rice

chicken breast

salt & pepper

evoo

3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup peanut butter (i prefer an all-natural brand)

2 tbsp teriyaki sauce

1 1/2 tsp hot sauce

whole grain rice

get your rice started... real rice takes time. however, real rice makes yummy, flavor-packed rice....so the time is worth it!

ez pz: chop up your chicken into 1” cubes. season with a little salt and pepper. heat up your wok on medium-high heat. drizzle in just enough evoo to coat the pan. when that’s good and hot, drop in your chicken and stir around until cooked through-about 8 minutes. 

in the meantime, mix up your peanut sauce! in a medium bowl, mix the broth, peanut butter, teriyaki and hot sauce. pour it in with the chicken! bring it to a nice little bubble for about a minute. oh man. this is gonna smell good! 

once the rice is done, you can either put the chicken and sauce on top of the rice, or on the side...depending on the picky eaters in your family! 

so that’s what we’re eatin’ this week! hope this is helpful, or at least amusing.