Menu Monday

In an attempt to be a "real blogger," I'm going to hop on board the sharing meals/ recipes train. Knowing that I wanted to do a Menu Monday link up provided the extra motivation I needed last week- and I was quite pleased with the results. We prepared dinner at home six out of seven nights (!!!). Not only that, but we ate at our dining room table (as opposed to the couch/ coffee table) for every dinner. This is a personal record, on both counts. I am proud, more than that, I found it be really enjoyable. The time spent preparing and enjoying dinner each evening, away from the noise and distraction of the tv and computer, was restorative.
I have been making an effort to eat healthier and cut out processed carbs in an effort to loose some of the winter/ post- wedding weight.
Food photographer I am not, but this is my first try so hopefully I'll improve with time?

Sunday: Kale & Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad. Super easy. Omitted the croutons, topped with a generous serving of fresh shaved parm.  Grilled the chicken on the BBQ (marinated for 10 minutes in a little evoo, garlic & lemon juice). Sean makes a delicious homemade caesar, but I opted for Newman's Light in the interest of saving calories/ mess on a Sunday night.

Monday: Warm Asparagus, Gorgonzola & Steak Salad. I've seen this recipe on quite a few blogs. Everyone seems to love it and the simplicity attracted me. Sean and I gave it two enthusiastic thumbs up. I am not a huge steak person, but I will happily eat anything that pairs with blue cheese (I used crumbled blue instead of Gorgonzola, because that's what we had) and asparagus. Sean was pleasantry surprised that we were eating steak at home. So easy, so satisfying. This is a keeper.
(I completely forgot to take a picture of the dish after it came out of the over. I was hungry.)

Tuesday: Shrimp & Veggie Asian Stir Fry. Sean has mastered the stir fry. I have no idea how he does it, but this one contained sliced peppers, broccoli, mushrooms & Trader Joe's frozen uncooked wild blue jumbo shrimp.

Wednesday: Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Zucchini Boats
I forgot to take a picture, but Gina's is a lot prettier than mine anyway. These turned out pretty well. Better than I expected honestly. I had to cook up some chicken just for this dish, which added to the cook time/ effort. Next time I will probably just make this when I have leftover shredded or rotisserie chicken. However, for being low carb- you really do get the chicken enchilada flavor here. It was a satisfying dinner, and possibly even more enjoyable for lunch the next day (but I'm pretty partial to leftovers). I think it's important to note that Sean & I both really like zucchini, if you don't like zucchini I would avoid this recipe/ or stuff a different vegetable.

Thursday: BBQ chicken tenders with Mustard BBQ Sauce, roasted cauliflower & Addictive Brussels Sprout Salad 
I love Brussels Sprouts and this salad was a fun twist on my favorite slaw recipe. I added a lot of fresh parm, and loved the nuttiness paired with the toasted walnuts. The cauliflower was roasted at 500 degrees with a bit of olive oil & cut up garlic for 10-15 minutes. I sprinkled a little leftover parm on top for grins. I LOVE roasting veggies at a high heat. The chicken tenders were marinated, grilled on the bbq & topped with a little pre-made Mustard BBQ sauce. So simple, so good.

Saturday: Sausage and Kale Mock Lasagna Casserole
I started to get nervous as I was preparing this dish. Kale leaves in place of noodles? Will my Italian husband  think I'm insane? It actually worked and tasted really good! Be sure to use plenty of kale (I used 2 huge bunches), because you need "lasagna" coverage for two full layers. Also, using a healthy amount of cheese helps to separate the layers too. I think the recipe calls for a 9x12" casserole dish. I went smaller, and enjoyed that it was a little thicker. Nonetheless, this was pretty easy in the end and really satisfying. The leftovers were possibly even better.