Five dinners to try this week

The kids are outside playing on their bikes (and still in their pjs!) and I just finished meal planning for the week. I founds some yummy things to try and although I didn't choose all of these things for this week I wanted to share them with you in case you wanted to try them.

1 || The Ultimate Veggie Burger from The Awesome Green
2 || Easy Tuscan Bean Soup from The Wanderlust Kitchen
3 || Roasted Beet, Baby Kale and Brie Quiche from Half Baked Harvest
4 || Chipotle Sweet Potato Breakfast Skillet from Bloom and Nourish
5 || Very Green Vegan Flatbread Pizza from The Awesome Green

Let me know if you try one of these out! I have the first three on my list this week!

Have a yummy day!

a menu from pinterest

Over the weekend, I found an ebook I've been slightly obsessed with since called One Bite at a Time by Simple Mom Author & Blogger Tsh Oxenreider. She goes through 52 projects (some bigger than others) that will help you simplify your life. I'll be honest, I don't feel that overwhelmed about things in general (I know, I know, wait 'til I have two kids!), but I just love reading about organizing (I could definitely use some organizing ideas) and life tips in general.

One of the bites (no pun intended!) she offers is around meal planning. I've tried this before, but haven't really stuck with it. My main goal for doing this is to get our food spending under control. I feel like I spend a lot on food.

Tsh mentioned that she goes through her Pinterest food board for menu planning ideas, so I thought I'd have a little fun with that this week.

Here's what I did: Every week, I get a fruit & veggie box delivered to my door, so I waited for the email to tell me what I was getting in my box; then went to my food board on Pinterest to see what I could find to make as part of my meal plan. The goal here is to only get what I need for these particular recipes at the grocery store. I tend to keep a good bulk of pantry items so I also considered those items in my search.

After I found a dish, I added it to my google calendar to keep track of what I'm making. I also added reminders about other things I need to do the day before like soak beans for the quinoa wraps and the sweet potato burgers.

Here's the menu I came up with for the week:

Monday:
Whole roast chicken, potatoes and 'The Best Broccoli of your life'

Source: amateurgourmet.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Tuesday:
Southwestern Quinoa Wrap with a salad. We have some leftover chicken from last night so I'll add some of that to the wraps tonight.

Source: epicureanmom.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Wednesday:
Lemon Quinoa Cilantro Chickpea Salad with pork loin chops

Source: thediva-dish.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Thursday:
Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers with Avocado & mixed green salad

Source: kblog.lunchboxbunch.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Friday:
Gnocchi With Roasted Cauliflower

Source: realsimple.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

I realize this all may seem a bit nerdy, but honestly I felt more organized the minute I started working on it. Now I know I have everything in the house to make these menu items so I don't have to stress about what to make as the dinnertime draws closer. Plus, who doesn't love an excuse to go to Pinterest? ;)

How about you - have you found any good tips when it comes to meal planning?

dinner al fresco

I've been enjoying the weather here in Toronto immensely and have pretty much spent every waking minute outside, including at dinner. The other night Mark and I ate dinner out back and didn't come in until close to 10 (ok that may still be early for some of you but for me it's bedtime :)). I even started pulling weeds at 9:30 (I had a bit of a motivation spell).

Do you eat dinner outside a lot in the summer? Wouldn't you just love to eat dinner here (ok maybe those stumps wouldn't really be comfortable but the chairs would be!)?

Source: a-mad-tea-party-with-alis.blogspot.com via Oxana on Pinterest

Spring napkins

Spring is just around the corner so I think it's time to infuse some colour into this place. I'm thinking of making some new napkins for the dinning room and outdoor eating area and I'm loving these zinnia napkins from Anthropologie. I saw them in Lonny this month and I'm loving the colour. They're kind of similar to the napkins I made a few years ago (man time flies!) but the colour is a bit more bold which is what I'm looking for.

superbowl taco goodness

My sister and her new boyfriend made us authentic tacos last night for our Superbowl dinner. They were so good. Deep fried soft tortillas stuffed with potatoes and cheese... how could you go wrong?

pizza alla fazio

Ahh the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting cooler. Not too many more nights we'll be able to enjoy Pizza alla Fazio al fresco...