Lacking Inspiration....

Well I have been really good and continue to make warm meals at home for my family.  Unfortunately, I have lost inspiration and have been stuck in a pretty boring dinner menu.  The same pasta and fajita meals seem to find their way onto our dinner table at least once a week.  Mind you, in the past it was rare to eat the same meal 2 weeks in a row (unless of course it was left over night).  Without my weekly delivery of produce to dictate our menu as well as create inspiration and drive us to try new foods, I am left to fall into this dismal spiral of uninteresting meals- although still tasty.

So as well as being committed to continue to create homemade and healthy meals for my family, I will pledge to become more creative and inspired again!

Thursday, February 9- Marinated Grilled Sliced Steak over Brazilian Rice Beans will kick off my menu!

The steak will be marinated in lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin and chili pepper.  After marinating it will be grilled and served over Brazilian Black Beans (Feijão) and Rice.

Feijao WW Pts: 1

1-2 cans black beans

2 cloves garlic (pressed)

bacon (chopped)

black pepper

1. Fry up bacon until crispy
2. Add garlic and saute
3. Add beans with juices and add about 1/4 cup water to pan
4. Simmer for 10 minutes
5. Serve over rice.

Rice WW Pts: 3

1 small onion diced

1-2 garlic cloves minced

1 cup long grain rice

1 1/2 cups water

1 tsp salt

1. Saute onion until soft
2. Add garlic and saute.  Add rice and stir fry.
3. Add water and salt, bring to boil.
4. The water level will begin to drop.  Cover and reduce heat.
5. When the rice is cooked, turn off the heat and let the rice rest for about 10 minutes.

Friday, February 10-  I have adapted several recipes to create tonight's meal of Pasta with Sausage, Beans and Greens.

Pasta with Sausage, Beans and Greens WW Pts: 8

• 3 cups small sized pasta (i.e. shell)
• 3/4 lb. Italian turkey sausage - half hot, half sweet or plain
• 3 cups of kale, broccoli rabe, or baby spinach, chopped (if using kale, or leafy green, remove and discard center stem) **I will be using spinach**
• 2 tsp sage
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 15-ounce can of white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta in salted water as directed on the package, until al dente.
2. While pasta is being prepared, sauté Italian sausage until brown - about 8 minutes crumbling sausage. Use a slotted spoon to remove sausage from pan. Add garlic and sage to the same skillet; stir/saute for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. 
3. Add in the beans, spinach and broth; bring to boil.
4. Lower heat and simmer about 5 minutes or until spinach is just tender.
5. Add pasta and sausage to green mixture and Parmesan cheese (optional). Add chile pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste and simmer until heated through. Serves 6- 1 1/2 cups.
   **I had purchased fully cooked Italian chicken sausage earlier in the week.  I will dice this up and saute in place of the loose turkey sausage.**  

Saturday, February 11-  I came across this concept for dinner while searching for inspiration on the internet.  Southwestern Chicken Bake - Take a taco seasoning packet and empty into a plastic bag.  Add chicken and shake to coat.  Bake chicken in a 350 degree oven until cooked through.  I will serve the chicken with any left over rice and beans.  If there aren't any leftovers then I might bake the chicken with sliced peppers and onions and then serve the dish as fajitas or even over rice.  Still working out the serving part of the meal :)
Sunday, February 12-  With the wintry weather, I feel like roasting.  I stumbled across this recipe and was instantly drawn to it, Beef Roast Braised in Zinfandel, www.simplyrecipes.com. Beef Roast Braised in Zinfandel Recipe 1 (3 1/2 pound) chuck roast, boneless Salt and ground black pepper 4 oz pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch cubes 2 medium onions, chopped medium (about 2 cups) 2 medium carrots, chopped medium (about 1 cup) 2 ribs celery, chopped medium (1 cup) 1 Tbsp tomato paste 3 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon) 1 (750 ml) bottle Zinfandel wine (can substitute Cabernet Sauvignon) 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained 1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary 1 If your roast is very fatty, trim some of the fat. But it is important to keep some fat, as this will keep the roast moist while braising. In many supermarkets chuck roasts will already be properly trimmed. Salt the roast well and set aside at room temperature while you prepare all the other vegetables. 2 Pour a little water into a Dutch oven or other heavy, lidded pot. Set the pot over medium heat and add the diced pancetta. As soon as the water begins to simmer, lower the heat to medium-low and slowly crisp up the pancetta; the water allows some of the fat in the pork to render out without charring the pancetta. When the pancetta is crispy and brown, remove it with a slotted spoon and set aside. 3 Preheat the oven to 300°F. Pat the beef roast dry with a paper towel, increase the heat to medium and brown all sides in the pot. Once the meat has browned remove it to a bowl and add the onions, carrot and celery. Sprinkle salt over the vegetables while they cook. Increase the heat to medium-high and sauté for 2-3 minutes. 4 Add the tomato paste and stir well, sauté for another 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a minute more. Increase the heat to high and add the tomatoes, the pancetta, herbs and red wine. Nestle the beef roast into the pot, cover, place in the 300°F oven and cook for 3 hours. At the halfway point, use tongs to turn the beef roast over. 5 Remove the pot from oven and transfer beef to a large bowl; tent with foil to keep warm. Allow the liquid to settle in the pot for a few minutes, if you'd like, skim off some of the fat with a wide shallow spoon. If you have an immersion blender, use it to blend the contents of the pot. If you don't, use a whisk to help break down the vegetables. Boil the sauce until it is reduced to about 3 1/2 cups. Strain liquid through large fine-mesh strainer, pressing on solids with spatula to extract as much liquid as possible; you should have a couple cups strained sauce. Add any accumulated juices from the bowl you have the beef in. Boil the sauce again until it has reduced to 1 1/2 cups. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. 5 Cut the meat into roughly 1/2-inch-thick slices and pour the sauce over them. Serve with a bold red wine and crusty bread or mashed potatoes. Yield: Serves 6. Monday, February 13- A slow cooker meal works best for tonight due to limited time to prepare a great meal.  We made this for the Superbowl using our family recipe but substituting ground turkey for the ground beef. **I will update with recipe shortly.** WW Pts: 3- 1 cup Tuesday, February 14-  Well it is Valentine's Day and I really don't want to cook.  I think hubby will be bringing home a bento box from Red Bowl. Wednesday, February 15-  This is a crazy night with Girl Scout meetings and piano lessons.  Again, tonight needs to be simple and quick.  I think the girls will have Mac N' Cheese or quesidillas, 2 of their favorites.  My husband and I will eat later either leftovers or fajitas with peppers and onions.