Another Year, another blog post!

I often find myself wanting to hop on and post, but then something distracts me.  I pressure myself into what I think I should really be doing instead of staring at the computer screen.  Sometimes I persuade myself not to post because I haven't done it consistently and if I'm not going to do it 100% I shouldn't do it at all.  Seriously?  Why do we put pressure on ourselves?  That pressure doesn't come from anywhere but within.  So, today I kind of wanted to post.  Then I read my friend Lena's new post at her brand new website and I was a bit inspired.  Following that I read this post and was even further inspired.  So I'm posting because I want to today with no promise of regularity of perfection, but just the opposite... transparency and beautiful imperfection!  There are many things in my day and life that have to be consistent and regular and dependable.  This is not one of those things and I will not pressure myself into thinking it is.  This is for me and for you and for fun.

Ava Grace turned TWO Saturday!  We had a mostly-family, laid back, doughnut brunch for her birthday!  Those of you who know her well know that she loves "dough-utts!"  It was so fun to visit and watch our "big girl" be wound up and wild for her birthday!  She proclaimed herself a princess and thoroughly enjoyed all of the attention of being the center of the world for a whole morning!

We are so proud of our little princess.  Just about the only time she's not talking is when she is singing.  She is mighty and wild and has a spirit that can't be contained!  She jumps and tumbles and flips and flits and rarely cries - she is one tough cookie.  She is working on sharing and taking turns - those are HARD lessons when you are only 2.  Some days she is better at them than others.  She loves to "write" and to read books and play baby and doctor.  She practically tried to potty train herself, but still has a stubborn streak and won't go when she's busy - so the pull ups are still on!  She really enjoys building things with her leggos.  She is pretty amazing to tell you the truth.  She's also hilarious, has a great sense of humor, and loves to make us laugh.

She LOVES her grandmothers!  And I mean loves them!  She loves just about everything and everyone, come to think of it.  She is always so happy and full of joy.  It brightens every moment of my day.

I am so proud to be Mommy to this jewel!  I am sometimes surprised at how blessed I am and so thankful that God entrusted this gift to Chris and I.

Happy Birthday Beautiful!
(I still can't believe you are 2!!!!)

And... just because I like having menu plans to look back at for ideas, I'll post our menu for this week!

Sunday:

Grilled pork chops and roasted root vegetables

Monday:

Crock Pot Steak and Gravy

Rice and Green Beans

Tuesday:

Chili  or Veggie Soup

Wednesday:

Fajita chicken and veggies

with corn

Thursday:

leftovers

Friday:

Garlic Chicken and 

(nearly) fat free mashed potatoes

with green beans

Saturday:

Leftovers

Menu Monday

Monday:

Grilled Steak

Baked Potatoes

Green Beans

Tuesday:

Quesadillas

Beans and Rice

Wednesday:

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Thursday:

Burgers

Friday:

Date night!

Saturday:

Soup

Sunday:

Leftovers or Pizza

Menu Monday

Monday:

Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas

Tuesday:

BLTs

Wednesday:

Cheesy Chicken Noodle Casserole

Thursday:

Grilled Pork Chops

Steamed Broccoli and Cauliflower

Smash Hot Potatoes

Friday:

Hamburgers

Saturday and Sunday:

Plans with family!

Menu Monday... a day early for a change!

Monday:

Grilled Pork Chops

Roasted Vegetables

Grilled Asparagus

Tuesday:

Meatloaf

Mashed Potatoes

Green Beans

Wednesday:

White Chicken Enchiladas

Thursday:

Breakfast Casserole

Home Fries

Muffins

Friday:

Home Made Pizza

Saturday:

Leftovers

Sunday:

Grilled Burgers or Hot Dogs

Chips

Menu Monday

Monday:

Terriaki Chicken and Rice

Tuesday:

Taco Salad

Wednesday:

Grilled Chicken

Potato Salad

Baked Beans

Thursday:

Pizza

Friday:

Out

Saturday:

Leftovers

Menu Monday

Monday:

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

(This is my favorite crock pot trick!  I put a couple large chicken breasts straight from the freezer into the crock pot.  I cover them with water and season the water with a little salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.  I set the crock pot on low and let it go for 6-8 hours while I'm at work.  When I get home I remove the chicken, shred with two forks, and then toss the shredded meat with buffalo sauce and a little ranch!  Put it on buns and you have dinner!  It doesn't get any easier than that!  For the kids, I pull out a little of the meat and toss with regular barbecue sauce.  All four of us love these!)

Tuesday:

Roasted Pork Loin and vegetables

(vegetables - red potatoes, carrots, and onion)

Wednesday:

Grilled Honey Chicken

Steamed Cauliflower

Green Beans

Thursday:

Grilled Chicken Salad

(with the leftover honey chicken)

Friday:

Pasta Night

Pioneer Woman's Pasta a la Betsy

Saturday:

Leftovers

Sunday:

Taco Salad

Menu Monday...

Last week's menu plan was shot because our plans changed a couple times throughout the week!  We did manage to get some meals out and we fixed grilled chicken and burgers, but other than that, we failed on following the menu!  For this reason, we have a couple repeats this week that I hope to actually get to!

Monday:

Tacos/Taco Salad

Tuesday:

Grilled Steak

Broccoli Salad

Baked Sweet Potatoes

Wednesday:

Terriyaki Chicken

Rice

Peppers, Onion, Zucchini

Thursday:

Grilled Chicken

Pasta Salad

Roasted Asparagus

Friday:

Leftovers

Saturday:

Dinner with family

Sunday:

Panini Sandwiches

Garlic and Black Pepper baked Tots

This weekend my Mom and Dad came up!  We had a great time visiting and going to the Strawberry Festival!  I can't wait to post pictures of that!  Saturday morning I tried to a new recipe and it was a big time success!!!!  Peach Pie Muffins!!!  They were easy, quick, and oh-so-good!  

 I found the recipe on Pinterest (shocking, right?).  Here is the recipe.  (You can click the picture to go to the original post and photos - she gets credit... this is  not my photo or recipe... but it sure is good!!)

Peach Pie Cinnamon Muffins with Brown Butter Glaze

makes 12-14 large muffins

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder (yes, 1 FULL tablespoon)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 2 heaping tsp ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling on top
• 4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 and 1/4 cups sour cream (I used light sour cream – regular or nonfat would work too)
• 2 cups peeled & chopped fresh peaches (thawed, frozen peaches would work too)

 Brown Butter Glaze

• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 Tbsp milk or cream
• 
  

Preheat the oven to 425F.  Line 12-cup muffin tin with liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl until combined.  In a separate bowl, whisk the egg until the yolk & white are combined and light-colored.  Add the sugars and stir until the mixture is thick.  Add the melted butter in 2 or 3 additions, whisking slowly to combine after each addition.  Add the sour cream and whisk until JUST combined.  Do not overmix.

Add the peaches to the dry ingredients.  Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in 2 or 3 additions, carefully folding after each addition.  Stir until the batter comes together, but try not to over mix.  The batter will be very, very thick.

Spoon the batter into prepared muffin tins.  Fill the tins all the way to the top.  Not 2/3 or halfway filled, ALL the way to the brim.  Bake at 425F for 5 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 350F and continue to bake for 20-22 more minutes.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

While the muffins are cooling, prepare the glaze by browning the butter in a medium saucepan on medium heat.  Stir constantly until butter is brown with a light nutty aroma, about 7 minutes.  Watch closely and do not burn.  Once browned, remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl.  Stir in sifted powdered sugar and milk/cream.  Stir until completely smooth.

Once muffins are cooled, dip into brown butter glaze and sprinkle with cinnamon.

*Muffins taste best served the same day.

*Why the initial high baking time of 425F?  See the reason here.

adapted from Chocolate Covered Strawberry Muffins

RECIPE SOURCE: SALLYSBAKINGADDICTION.COM

© Sally’s Baking Addiction. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe.

Read more from the source: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/08/09/peach-pie-muffins-with-brown-butter-glaze/#ixzz2TCLvAvTD 

Under Creative Commons License: Attribution 

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Back from Palm Springs...

 Yep, you heard correctly... I have been in Palm Springs!  An all expense paid trip that came from... WORK!  :-)  Talk about a blessing!  

 It turns out there is a really cool conference there that focuses on out of school time... like summer camps and after school programs.  It was called BOOST and it was really good. I came back with tons of ideas for my program next year!

 I also came back with a little bit of a tan and an appreciation for the color green!  The only things green in Palm Springs are palm trees and money! lol

 During the day we stayed at our resort that was connected to the convention center.  In the evenings, though, we got a little time to shop and explore Palm Springs.  By the way, it was MUCH smaller than I had envisioned.  MUCH.  We went to a street festival while we were there and enjoyed our time thoroughly! 

 Palm Springs is surrounded by mountains.  REALLY big mountains that look like giant piles of dirt! lol  When we were flying from Dallas to Palm Springs I couldn't get over all the brown and nothingness!  I was glad when we returned to a fresh green Tennessee, albeit cold and wet!

It was a really great trip and I most enjoyed getting to know some of the people that do what I do and sharing thoughts and ideas about work and life alike!

Now... for Menu Monday:

 (stuffed peppers we have been making on the grill lately)

...I have to do some meal planning.... be back to fill in our menu later! lol

Monday:

Everyone on their own tonight... we are everywhere! lol

Tuesday:

Grilled BBQ Chicken
Oven Roasted Cauliflower
Broccoli Salad

Wednesday:

Tacos (served in Endive
instead of a shell = low carb!)

Thursday:

Crock-pot Terriyaki Chicken,
Peppers and Onions
Broccoli

Friday:

Leftovers

Saturday:
Grilled Burgers

Sunday:

Out to eat

Menu Monday... late once more

Menu Monday... on Wednesday!

Monday:

BBQ Grilled Chicken

Grilled Squash

Leftover slaw and green beans

Tuesday:

Grilled Pork Chops

Steamed Broccoli

Stuffed Sweet Peppers

Wednesday:

No-Bean Chili

Thursday:

Dinner on the Go... 

Chicken Salad??

Friday:

Fajita Chicken

Peppers and Onions

Saturday:

Ranch Bacon Cheese Burgers

Pork Rinds/Veggie Straws

Sunday:

Leftovers

Menu Monday

Monday:

Grilled Pork Chop

Steamed Broccoli and Cauliflower

Roasted Asparagus

Tuesday:

Grilled Fajita Chicken with

grilled peppers, onions, and asparagus

Wednesday:

Grilled Steak with 

grilled veggies and 

roasted brussel sprouts

(I have NEVER had brussel sprouts and just wanted to try them.

Thursday:

Chicken Salad on the go!

Friday:

Leftovers

Saturday:

Baked Ham

Deviled eggs

Green Beans

Sunday:

???

Pizza Night!

Last week, I posted on my menu plan that we were going to use only what we had on hand all week.  I had to get a little creative and decided one night would be make-your-own-pizza night!

I picked Lily up from school and we headed home hungry and ready for dinner!  It's a good thing that biscuit dough pizza's don't take long!

When we got home, I quickly separated canned biscuits and rolled them out into small thin rounds and called everyone to the kitchen counter.  I spread out a buffet of pizza ingredients including cheeses, red sauce, pesto, olives, green peppers, crumbled bacon, pepperoni, and even some chocolate chips for a dessert pizza!

We had the best time building different pizza combinations!  We had a three cheese pizza, supreme, a smiley face pizza and even a desert pizza with butter, sugar, chocolate chips and a teddy graham in the center.

All of the pizzas were as yummy as they were fun to make!  Ava Grace even ate almost an entire pizza!  The best part?  Everyone had exactly what they wanted on their pizza and we had so much fun making them!

We will definitely be making our own biscuit dough pizzas again in the future!

Now... Menu Monday, a little late:

Monday:

Grilled Chicken Sandwiches

Potato Salad and Slaw

(compliments of my hubby)

Tuesday:

Pizza Hut Deal

$7.99

Wednesday:

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches with

leftover potato salad and slaw

Thursday:

Ham Rolls

and Veggie Straws

Friday:

Eat Out

Saturday:

Vegetable Soup

Sunday:

Leftovers

Menu Monday

This week I have our menu plan and a couple of recipes for you!  My menu challenge this week is to use only what we have on hand and not go to the store!

Monday:

Poppy-seed Chicken with

green beans and boiled potatoes

Tuesday:

We'll have to eat on the go!

Wednesday:

Individual Biscuit Dough Pizzas - 

make your own... Lily will like this.

Thursday:

BBQ Chicken and

Potato Salad

Friday:

BBQ Chicken Paninis using the leftover chicken with

Fruit Salad and Veggie Straws

Saturday:

Eating with Family

Sunday:

Eating with Family

Here is a recipe we tried last week and really enjoyed!  All four of us gave these two thumbs up!

Pioneer Woman's Patty Melt

The picture is from The Food Network website and the picture and title are both linked to the original post containing the recipe!  SUPER easy and fast dinner made with pantry staples!  Winner for sure!

Next, another quick dinner made with pantry staples.

Hot Ham and Cheese Sliders

Again, the picture is not mine and is linked, along with the title, to the original post and recipe.  Chris said last night, "This is my favorite thing that you make... well.... one of them."  The only thing I do differently is the rolls.  I use Sister Schubert rolls... the ones that come in the round foil pan in the freezer section.  I separate them, cut them in half, stuff 'em, and then put them back together and back in the foil pan.  I cover the whole thing tightly with aluminum foil before baking them.  We love these things!  Last night we had them by themselves, but I often serve them with a pot of soup.

Menu Monday

This week's menu:

Monday:

Chicken Casserole

Tuesday:

Breakfast Casserole

Wednesday:

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

Thursday:
Pork Chops and
Scalloped Potatoes

Friday:
TBD
(Lily's having a sleepover and hasn't yet decided what she wants for dinner.)

Saturday:
Grilled steak and veggies

Sunday:
Eating out

Photos, Fun, and Food

Last Friday I had a really fun day!  Ava Grace and I took Chris to work, then we rand some errands.  When lunch time rolled around we took lunch to Chris and a couple of our friends that he works with and we all enjoyed lunch together.  From there, Ava Grace and I went to visit Mimi and Pap (Chris' parents).  She stayed with them and I went back to Murfreesboro for a loaded night!  I met Lauren and Megan at Starbucks for some much needed girl time.  Then, I headed to Hooter's for our end-of-season (yes, we are a little late) Fantasy Football Party!  Afterwards, we went to my brother-in-laws for a friendly game of poker! It was a fun filled day for sure!

(Grandmommy and Ava Grace reading)

While at Starbucks, Megan mentioned that she had tried one of the recipes I recently posted.  We got to talking about how hard it can be to get a good dinner on the table with our hectic schedules.  Megan reminded me that it is so much easier when you plan ahead and know what you are making each night.

 

(Dressed up for church and full of joy!)

I thought about our conversation later and upon reflection realized I am falling back into the dinner-by-the-seat-of-our-pants routine again!  I plan before I go to the store and have ingredients to make lots of things, but I haven't been planning out each night.  Very specific planning really takes the guess work out and helps dinner time go so much more smoothly!

(behold the cuteness)

So, with all of that said... I am back to my old ways of menu planning.  I have kind of missed it.  Oh!  And I love being able to click on the menu plan link on my blog when I am running out of ideas!  It's always nice to be able to go back and get menu plan ideas from the past weeks and months!

(Lily and good friend Allee on the back deck)

Menu Plan for this week:

Monday:

Roast

(Nothing like meat, carrots, and potatoes!  AG LOVED it!)

Tuesday:

BBQ Baked Chicken

Green Beans and Oven Roasted Potatoes

Wednesday:

Chicken Corn Chowder

Thursday:

Ravioli and Garlic Breadsticks

Friday:

Leftovers

Saturday:

Poppyseed Chicken, Green Beans, 

and buttered boiled potatoes 

Sunday:

Out to eat after church!

I have birthday gift cards burning a hole in my  pocket!

Speaking of church... Bentlee (my niece) decided to do Upward Basketball this year!  She is a serious select team softball player and in the past has done Upward cheerleading.  This year she really wanted to get in the game... and boy did she ever!

We made it down for her last game of the season.  She scored a smooth 26 points!  It was pretty awesome and I was one really proud aunt!

I will close with a picture of me winning at poker the other night! lol.  Yes... that is really my chip stack!  ;-)  We do tournament style Texas Hold 'Em  I won... there's something extra sweet about beating the guys.  Love it when that happens.  Chris stayed to play some more and won the rest.  It was a Hooper family sweep! lol  ;-)

Recipes

I have tried some great recipes lately that I haven't had a chance to share!  Sooo... here are some great dinners for you to try.  I have linked the pictures to where they came from so that you can go to the original posts and get the full recipes!

The first one I want to share is

Easy and Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas!

(Click the picture to be linked to the original author's blog where the recipe can be found.)

This recipe was as easy as the title claims and as good as it looks!  In fact, I put the enchiladas together (I added onion and pepper) and in the pan and then mixed up the white sauce and covered it and put both in the fridge separately.  When Chris got home from work, he pulled out the pan, poured on the sauce, topped with cheese and put in the cold oven and turned it on.  It heated through and warmed up to bubbly by the time I got home and we sat down to a warm, delicious dinner that took me only a few minutes to assemble and him only a few minutes to finish and bake!  It was a hit!!  I served it was Spanish rice and dinner was done!  :-)  

Another recent new recipe trial was a recipe for White Bean Chicken Chili

(Click picture for recipe and original post) 

This was another hit and perfect for a cold day!!  It was quick and easy to mix up and the only thing I changed in the recipe was the addition of some frozen corn... just because I like it and I wanted to beef up the soup a little!  :-)  I really enjoyed this and served it with tortilla chips and salsa!  Even better... there was enough left over to freeze and we have already pulled that back out and enjoyed it all over again with some cornbread!

The third and final recipe I will share today doesn't have a picture and I can't remember where I got the idea, but it's easy as one, two, three.  One: put 2 or 3 frozen chicken breasts in a crock pot and cover with chicken broth, salt, and pepper.  Two: cover and cook on low while you are at work for 8 hours or so, or on high while you are around the house for 4 or 5 hours.  Three: shred the chicken and toss with a little ranch and a little wing sauce, stick it on a bun, and eat!  :-)  Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches.  E-A-S-Y!  Served with tater tots (even easier!).  :-)

Enjoy!

Menu Monday...

Monday:

Ham Biscuits and Hash Browns

Tuesday:

We both have work plans that involve eating!

Wednesday:

Pizza Casserole

Thursday:

Leftovers

Friday:

Crock pot Cube steak and Mashed Potatoes

Saturday:

Chicken Tenders and Tater Tots

Sunday:

Sandwiches and Leftovers

Breakfasts include:

Cereal, Fresh Fruit, Cinnamon Toast, and Apple Sauce

Lunches will be various combinations of:

Chris - ham/chicken salad/etc sandwiches, chips/seasoned oyster crackers, fresh fruit, carrot sticks

Lily - ham/turkey rolls, tomato, deviled egg, pears, seasoned oyster crackers, PB&Choc bars

Me - Leftovers and sandwiches :-)

Menu Monday

Chris and I just took two weeks "off" from coaching and opening the gym to enjoy some summer time!  We spent the week that Lily wasn't with us at home relaxing in stay-cation mode!  We did as little as possible, lol.  We have a "Can We Get It All Done Before The End Of Summer" list like Lily's and so we worked on it a little.  My friend Courtney kept Ava Grace so we could go on a date - just the two of us.  We also did a double date night with my brother-in-law and sister(ish)-in-law (only the ish because they aren't married quite yet) with Ava Grace along for the ride.  We went to Cherokee Steak House on the lake and marked it off our list - it was a great evening with great food!  The rest of the week we watched movies, took naps, and just enjoyed being home.  The second week, with Lily, we spent on "vacation" with family!  We spend time in Murfreesboro with Chris' family and then headed to Chattanooga for the second part of the week with my family and the annual 4th of July bash!  It was SO. MUCH. FUN.  All of it... the stay-cation, the vacation, time with both side of the family!  We enjoyed every moment!

Anyway, that explains the long break from blogging.  Now it's Monday and although I haven't been doing Menu Monday over the summer because we are much more laid back and unpredictable during the summer, we have been cooking great recipes at home!  I thought I would share some of our favorites from the past few weeks!  All of these are worth trying out!  Yum!

(Picture and Recipe from Kayotic Kitchen - Click HERE to see original post)



We made stuffed Zucchini the other day!  It was literally a meal in itself - we didn't even need the grilled chicken I served with it!  I was kind of surprised at how much Chris liked it!  It is Zucchini stuffed with onion, bacon, cheese, and spices!  So good!  Click HERE for the full recipe.  They were very quick and easy and the only adjustment I would make is to leave out the curry, but that is just because I don't care for the taste of curry.  :-)

We have grilled chicken a lot lately.  It's one of our favorite foods and we probably have some variety of grilled chicken at least once, usually twice, a week!  There are so many variations of marinades, cuts of meat, and ways to serve!  We do grilled chicken in all kinds of marinades, we like breasts, thighs, legs... we do kabobs, sandwiches, you name it!  Here are two GREAT marinades we have used recently:

Our all time favorite...

(seriously, BEST MARINADE EVER)

(picture and recipe from What's Cooking Chicago? click HERE for original post)

Honey Chicken Kabobs

(We use it for kabobs and just grilled thighs or breasts)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cloves minced garlic

A no-name marinade recipe -

I can't even remember where it came from, but it's so very good:

1-2 Tbs vinegar

2-3 tsp herbs of your choice (I used Crushed Peppercorn and Garlic rub from The Pampered Chef - SOOOOOOOOOOO good!!)

1-2 Tbs Mustard (I use Dijon)

1-2 tsp garlic/onion powder (I use one of each)

1/4 cup oil

salt

pepper

Last night we had stuffed peppers that were really good.  I liked them most because they were NOT a "southwest" stuffed pepper like most recipes and not stuffed full of rice.  Chris liked them a lot too, so I know it's a keeper!  I can't remember where I got the recipe from, but it was very quick and easy to prep. 

Preheat to 350 degrees,

Brown 2 pounds of ground beef

Combine beef with 1 cup bread crumbs, 1 cup cooked rice, 1 Tbs parsley, 1/4 cup milk, 2 Tbs sauce mix (below) and 1 Tbs Cajun seasoning.  Season with salt and pepper as well to taste.

Sauce: Mix 1 can tomato soup, 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/3 cup water, 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper.

Cut 4 bell peppers lengthwise and take out the stems, ribs, and seeds.  Stuff.  Place in a 9x13 dish.  Cover with sauce,cover with foil, and bake for 1 hour.

This recipe made enough for Chris and I to have dinner and then I froze two sets of peppers for meals in the future.  I also made a big batch of twice baked potatoes to freeze for future use.



I have lots more recipes to share, but I'll save them for another Monday!  Hopefully you'll get a chance to try some of these out - I know you'll love them!

Menu Monday... and a recipe

This week's Menu (on time... impressive)

Monday:

Grilled Chicken with

Stuffed Zucchini

and roasted potatoes

Tuesday:

Grilled Chicken Sandwiches

(with leftover chicken)

and Fresh Cut Oven Fries

Wednesday:

Grilled Kabobs (chicken/onion/sweet pepper)

with Grilled Corn on the Cob (Lily's request), and Rice

Thursday:

Lasagna

Friday:

Quiche/Breakfast

Saturday:

Pork Chops,

Green Beans, and

Baked Sweet Potatoes

Sunday:

Leftovers and/or

Sandwiches

Last week you might have noticed Zucchini fries on the menu and I promised the recipe!  They are SO good!  Chris even liked them - a lot - so you know it's a winner!  It's a great way to get your kids to eat some veggies!

Crispy Zucchini Fries

(From Pampered Chef Season's Best recipe collection - Spring/Summer 2012)

Ingredients:

1 medium zucchini

1 1/2 cups (375 mL) large fat-free seasoned restaurant-style croutons (see Cook's Tip)

1 oz (30 g) Parmesan cheese, divided

1 egg white


Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Line Cookie Sheet with Parchment Paper. Trim and discard ends of zucchini; cut in half crosswise using Chef's Knife. Cut each zucchini half using French Fry Cutter (discard any thinner pieces). Place croutons in Manual Food Processor; cover and pump handle until finely chopped. Grate Parmesan cheese with Microplane® Adjustable Fine Grater. Place chopped croutons and half of the Parmesan cheese in Coating Tray; mix well.

2.Whisk egg white in Classic Batter Bowl until frothy. Add zucchini; mix gently until well coated. Dredge zucchini in crouton mixture, pressing firmly to coat. Arrange zucchini in a single layer on Cookie Sheet. Bake 14–16 minutes or until crisp.



Menu Plan... late again

Monday:

Chicken Casserole

Tuesday:

Grilled Chicken Sandwiches

and Zucchini Fries

(I'll be sharing this recipe later in the week - so good!)

Wednesday:

Grilled Chicken Salad

Thursday:

Grilled Pork Chops

with sweet potatoes and

green beans

Friday:

Beef Enchiladas

Saturday:

Leftovers

Sunday:

Chicken Panini for lunch

and

Get Yo Man Chicken and Rice for dinner

Menu Monday... way late!

Monday:

Butter and Parmesean Pasta

Tuesday:

Chicken Casserole

Wedensday:

Burgers & Chips

(first grill out of the season!)

Thursday:

leftovers

Friday:

Dinner out to celebrate my Mother-In-Law's Birthday!!

Saturday:

Chicken Fingers & Fries

Sunday:

Steak and Potatoes Gratin