Kate's Best Bites: The Week of Jan 14th

Hi Best Biters!  I know I am a few days behind this week, so hopefully you will all forgive me.  This week we will only be featuring my supper menu, as my kids are eating almost the exact same things this week that they did last week.

(Truthfully, they eat almost the same lunches every week, but they like them, so why chance what works, right!?)

So here we go!

Tuesday:  Pork with Mustard Lime Vinaigrette, Steamed broccoli, gluten free rolls, and a fruit salad.
Wednesday: Spinach and Gruyere Quiche
Thursday: Ratatouille and roasted red potatoes
Friday: Pizza Night
Saturday: Home made Mac and Cheese (and this is amazing!)
Sunday: Crock Pot Indian Chickpea Curry

Prep Day:

If you notice I am doing a lot of, 'day of' cooking this week, because that is what I was in the mood for, but there are some quick things you can do on your prep day to make it go faster.

Cut all your produce ahead of time (except your eggplant) and store in air tight containers, so that they are ready to do a quick assembly. If you are not buying your cheeses pregrated (and really you shouldn't because it costs way more that way!) shred all your cheeses for the week and store them in portion sized bags, so you can simply add them when it's time rather than shredding and measuring on the day of. and finally there are some meals you can make ahead of time, if you want to freeze them.  You can make both the Ratatouille and Mac and cheese on Sunday (or whenever your prep day is) and then freeze them. Then you can simply pull them out and throw them in the oven when you need them.  But, if you do the things I suggested on your prep day, none of these meals take long to assemble and cook.

Shopping List:

pork tenderloin 3/4 lb

Dijon mustard

olive oil 

red onion 1

lime juice  

cilantro 

gluten free rolls (normally I make whole wheat ones instead, but I am cooking for a friend this week who is gluten free)

spinach 3 bunches

eggs 9

shallots 3

Gruyere

 cheese 2 cp worth

whole wheat pie dough 1

half and half

nutmeg

onion 2

garlic 2 heads

tomato puree 1

eggplant 1

zucchini 1

yellow squash 1

red pepper 1

thyme

1 1/2 lbs red potatoes

whole wheat elbow mac

butter

flower

whole milk

dry mustard

grated sharp cheese Colby, Monterrey jack,  (you can get a bag of blended cheeses if you don't regularly stock different cheese) 1 lbs worth

ginger 1 inch worth

cumin

coriander

turmeric

chickpeas 3cp cooked

garam masala

Salt

Pepper

Veg Oil

**Normally I buy stuff in bulk because I shop and plan for 2-3 weeks at a time. If you can plan an entire pay cheques worth of food and buy in bulk accordingly you will save money, but as I only post one weeks worth of food at a time, I am only posting a shopping list for what you will need that week.

Recipes:

I learned to cook from the internet. And one of the best things about that is that I've collected a lot of great recipes along the way. Another plus is that instead of having to then rewrite down those recipes if I want to share them with others, like we did in the old days, I can simple share the links with you here. (sadly, that is not always, or even most of the time the case. Good thing I type fast!)

** You'll notice that I have replaced everything that is white flour based in our shopping list with whole wheat. You can make similar subs, such as healthier oils, and lower fat milks if you want. Since my sons are on the lean/underweight side of things, I tend to use whole milk in recipes, still rather than replacing it. Be your own health advocate and scientist and don't ever be afraid to experiment along the way! 

Tenderloin with mustard lime vinaigrette 

Quiche

Ratatouille

Recipe for Roasted Red Potatoes

Preheat oven 350

In a large mixing bowl add 1/4 cup of EVVO and 1tsp rosemary and 1tps thyme with some minced garlic (to taste)

Cube potatoes

toss potatoes in oil mix and lay in single layer on shallow baking pan.

Roast for about 40 minutes on 350 F

Test to see if tender with fork or tip of knife

Home Made Mac and Cheese

Crockpot Chickpea Curry

There it is friends, this week's food at the Carleski Place. Remember Oatmeal and fresh fruit is a can't go wrong breakfast, and you can check out Last Week packed lunch ideas!

Enjoy!