Mixed Roasted Veggies

These roasted veggies are a favorite of mine! They’re as customizable as you’d like them to be. I like to bring them for Sunday dinner at my parents’ house because anyone can eat them. My brothers don’t like a lot of veggies, but they can pick and choose what they like off of the pan and put it on their plates to eat.

Now that it’s August, it means that school is starting this month (not until the 28, but still)….and it has put me in “back-to-school/Autumn mode”. Summer is pretty much over for me it feels like, and these last few weeks are going to be busy ones! Next week, my little brother is leaving on a 2 year service mission in Arkansas, so we won’t see him for two whole years, hopefully it goes by fast because I’m going to miss him! A few days after that, my husband’s brother and his wife are having their wedding reception. They were married just about two months ago, but it had to be kind of rushed because my father-in-law was going to marry them and he was being released as a bishop that next week, so they decided to get married a little earlier than anticipated and have their wedding reception on the planned date. I’m so excited to attend their reception to celebrate their marriage and cute family. And also, because it means family members who have been living in Texas and Wyoming are coming back to Utah and I’m looking forward to seeing them! All my nieces and nephews get to be in one place haha. That’s one of my favorite parts about being married into this family, Michael’s the youngest in his family so everyone has kids already that we get to play with. On my side of the family, I’m the only one married so it’s fun having two such different family dynamics because of the age differences.

Week Two Dinner Plan

Week Two Meal Plan is loaded with recipes by The Pinstriped Pantry, I hope you enjoy them! My favorite hamburger seasoning, grilled tilapia, and pulled pork sandwiches will be coming soon, so keep an eye open for those recipes!

Monday- Hamburger BBQ
Tuesday- Grilled Tilapia cooked with Lemons and Garlic with Quinoa and corn
Wednesday- Yummy Ritz Cracker Chicken with rice and Cooked Carrots
Thursday- Loaded Spaghetti with turkey kielbasa and steamed squash
Friday- Grandma's Chicken Marinade with Sweet Potatoes and steamed broccoli
Saturday- Quinoa Chicken Nuggets with Seasoned Oven Fries and frozen peas
Sunday- Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Pasta Salad

Chicken Stir-Fry for Two

Making dinner is the summer is a struggle some days! When it's so warm outside, you just don't want to turn your oven on and cook food. But sadly, you just have to eat! I have tried for months to make a stir-fry that I have actually really enjoyed. Most of the time, I just choose to make the frozen bags because it cooks so much better! I try so many different recipes and they have not worked for me. They're too spicy, soggy, meaty, etc. and I just haven't found one that I'd like to use again. It's also so difficult to find one just to feed two people! So, I decided to try one for myself, and I personally really enjoyed it. Michael said it was his favorite one yet too, so that makes two...all we need in our house!

I had to fix the problems that I didn't like. Soggy stir-fry is not something I like AT ALL!! I don't like mixing foods very much because they all mush, so I decided to cook the stir-fry and sauce seperately. I made the teriyaki in a pot and it turned out just fine! My favorite teriyaki recipe is from Food.com. There is extra sauce, but I usually save it for a couple of days and put it on leftovers and rice. I also wanted a good amount of meat to veggies. I used one chicken breast and cut it into larger pieces. I also limited the veggies what we wanted and cooked them all together! 

Spinach and Basil Lasagna

This was my very first time making lasagna and I loved it! We usually opt for Stouffer's Lasagna, but thought that we would like a healthier option. We also knew exactly what was being put into this dish, and that's a lot more reasurring than eating frozen food. I found this recipe from Healthy Seasonal Recipes and I love how it can be catered toward your preferences of cheese, noodles, and beef. The spinach is also a plus, spinach is always a plus actually!
I halved this recipe, and it still could've fed 4-6 people. We had leftovers and then some. But, it's a great aount of lasagna for two people still, it would easily last three meals! We really loved this recipe and I am so excited for you all to try it!
I was surprised at the simplicity of this lasagna, I think I have always thought it was a very difficult meal to prepare, and while it did take more time than some meals, it wasn't the most difficult meal I have prepared, and didn't take up a lot of my time. This recipe is your meat, carbs, and vegetables all rolled into one. I still steamed some broccoli for more veggies, but I spend about the same amount of time in preparation of this meal as most meals, it just took a little longer to cook. It tasted fresh, healthy, and warmed us right up. I'll definately be keeping this meal on our meal plans!

German Pancakes for Two

German Pancakes were a staple to our breakfast routine growing up. They're so easy and can be made with ingredients that are sitting in your house regularly. This was a great recipe while growing up, because my mom was a teacher as well as my dad, so there was absolutely no time to make breakfast in the mornings when we all had to leave for school at different times, make lunches, get ready, and ususally finish our homework we forgot to do the night before. This was great, because all you have to do is mix it, and throw it in the oven. My mom did this, and we were still able to dish up our own breakfast and personalize it to our taste. It was a good change from our usual cereal and toast, without taking the time of waffles or french toast.
Now, when we make big pan, we eat them all and stuff ourselves silly. So, I decided I would try to half the recipe and see how it worked out. And it turned out perfectly! It works out so great for us because it's a fun breakfast without being too filling or anything. My sister-in-law has the full recipe on her blog, as well as an amazing syrup! I like to make this syrup every once-in-a-while for a special occasion, but it's a lot of sugar and extra work. But, for birthdays and special occasion, I absolutely love it!

Garlic Lime Sautéed Chicken

Summer is here and lime is one of my favorite flavors of this season! The lime perfects this chicken and compliments the garlic so well. Cayenne pepper and paprika give this chicken just a little kick to liven up your dinners! Sometimes, even when the A.C. is on full blast, turning the oven on in the summer is just a bad idea. It heats up the house and makes cooking a not-so-fun activity. This dish is sautéed on the stove, so there is still a little bit of heat, but definately less that won't warm up your entire home.

I have always loved summer, but after being in college, I have a whole new appreciation for this break! Besides work, there aren't as many responsibilities (homework, studying for tests, projects, and everything else that comes along with school) that take up my day-to-day. My husband works 10 hour days, and I work early in the morning, so we only get to spend our evenings together. We pretty much have time for exercising and eating, and maybe visiting our families before we fall asleep to wake up early again in the morning. It's busy, but on the weekends we get to fish, swim at the lake, hike, and spend time with our families, so I'd say all of the busyness is worth it!

Easy Apple Muffins

Yay for the weekend that is almost here! In the summer, sometimes it's hard to keep track of the days,  but I always know when Friday is here because it means that Michael is off of work for the weekend! He works 4-10's so he usually gets a 3-day weekend and it's so nice! I spend most of my days alone for the most part, so having somebody to talk to all day is amazing! I have always had a huge love for the weekends. We'd usually get a pizza during one of the weekend nights growing up and when you're a kid, pizza is the best food ever (and as an adult I guess...I still LOVE pizza haha). My dad was also a football coach, so we always got those Friday Night Lights gorwing up, another HUGE highlight to my weekends. Another one of my favorite things about the weekend was that Saturday was cleaning day...I loved cleaning so much! 😂 Mopping the floors and cleaning the windows were some of my favorite things to do, I still love it most days. I like seeing the ippediate results from cleaning. But, one of the absolute BEST things about the weekends were the apple muffins my mom would make every few Saturday mornings. We usually had oatmeal or cereal for breakfast, so the muffins were a huge switch-up, and they're even dipped in sugar, and who doesn't love sugar?!

Fruit Dip

I've been trying to be eating better snacks recently. I try not to snack, but learned in my nutrition class that it's actually pretty good for you if you make sure to eat smaller meals. It's better for your metabolism if you eat five small meals throughout the day instead of three large meals. It's a work in progress, and I think I weill always have three meals, but smaller meals with snacks in between will probably be my go-to. And as much as I love chips and salsa (because I could live the rest of my life off of that stuff) there are way better options like this for healthier snacks!
There is a wonderful woman who I gew up in my high school years with the opportunity of knowing. I looked up to her very much, and her daughter was a huge role model to me. Now, her daughter is actually my sister-in-law and I am able to spend time with her regularly. They both have this wonderful spirit to them and are some of the most enjoyable people to be around. The mother owns a website, Lioness at the Door . I recently started following it, and I would recommend it to anyone for some extra positivity. One of her most recent blog posts featured Real Food Snacks. I tried the fruit dip and absolutely LOVED it! I never eat enough fruit, and this dip adds just a little "extra" to apples and even grapes. My fruit always ends up going bad because I can't finish it in time, but this fruit dip reminds me to eat the fruit because I want to keep eating it- haha!
It uses cream cheese, molasses, honey, and a little bit of vanilla. If you don't like molasses, I guess you could use brown sugar or something, but I think it tastes just fine if you add the correct amount of molasses- it mixes very well. It's the perfect little snack, I saw my nephew eating it the other night and loving it, so it proves that even kids like it!

Cooked Carrots

I love these carrots! I usually make a large amount to snack on throughout the day and then also to have as a side for dinner. They're the most simple thing ever. Sometimes, I get sick of the same old snacks: raw veggies, fruit, crackers, and granola bars. Snacks are quick, easy, and usually not cooked because of these reasons. A lot of the time, because of convenience, snacks can be pretty unhealthy. I found the perfect solution to this problem with these carrots.
Originally, I just made these as a side for dinners. But, I have this problem-I pick at food so badly! If there is food sitting there, I will test it a few times just to make sure it tastes okay and whatnot. When cooking these for dinner, there was usually only about half the carrots left for dinner- oops! So now, I make them double just to be able to have carrots for snacks throughout the day!
This could be one of the most simple recipes ever. You wash the carrots, and then throw them in the slow cooker. Add some liquid- you can use water, but I prefer using chicken broth. I add about one cup, but there is usually quite a bit of liquid to drain at the end. I would rather this than them burning. Add salt and pepper, butter, or even brown sugar to the carrots for flavor (don't do brown sugar if you cooked with chicken broth, only water).

Thai Coconut-Curry Broiled Tilapia

This is, HANDS DOWN, my new favorite tilapia recipe. Oh my goodness, it's amazing. Not a curry fan? Originally, me neither. But this completely converted me. My mom made this a few times when I was in high school, so I thought I'd give it a try again since we're trying to eat more fish. We love it! I've made it a few times, but made sure to add the fresh ginger and garlic and it MAKES it!
It's a super easy recipe, surprisingly. And again, fish is full of Omega-3's, so it's incredibly good for you! The original recipe is from Food.com , which I feel is always a trustworthy site. For spices, I also use good old McCormick, they are always perfect for my needs!

Tilapia Tips 

Keep your tilapia frozen. When thawing out, don't defrost in microwave like other meats. It thaws out super fast! Tilapia is pre-packaged individually, keep them in the plastic when thawing out. Fill a medium-sized bowl with lukewarm water and place tilapia filets into the bowl until thaw, refreshing the water every 5 minutes (only have to replace once for a a few fish-for more, you'll have to replace more). You can also place packaged filets inside of a colander and run slightly warmed water over them until thawed. 

Take the fish out of the packaging and rinse off. This gets the not-so-good, slimy, fishy taste off of them a little more and leaves the good taste. Another way you can do this, is soak them in a brine mixture in the fridge for about 10 minutes (1 cup of water to 1 tsp. salt). This makes them taste way better!

Lemon Garlic Slow Cooker Chicken

I am ALWAYS searching for a new slow cooker meal. They’re my favorite because I can just throw them in and then they’re all ready for dinner. With the warmer months coming up, I think I am looking for them a lot more now. The oven heats up the house too much, so the slow cooker is usually my go-to. I feel like this is a great recipe because it’s pretty healthy, a lot of the recipes I find for chicken and the slow cooker have a lot of creamy soups and other fattening ingredients. I love those recipes, and that’s the problem, I eat too much of it and it’s unhealthy, so I have to save them for special occasions- not every day! I was so excited when I found this recipe and it tasted SO GOOD paired with rice and green beans. Have you ever had green beans with lemons or lemon pepper, it’s amazing. So, I had to try them with this and oh my, delicious! 

This recipe is perfect! The lemon-garlic mixture has a fresh taste to it and it compliments the chicken very well. It’s super easy too: mix the spices and pat onto chicken, throw onto fryer for about 2 min. each side, and throw into the crockpot with liquids and garlic. Simple as that! 

Seasoned Oven Fries

Friday night calls for fun food. That's my philosophy. You've made it through the week, so now it's time to kick back and relax. Most Friday's, I don't even want to cook dinner. But eating out has many downsided. So, on Friday, I try to find meals that are fun to eat and make. These are better than Wendy's fries (those are my favorite fast food fries for some reason haha) and I always pair them with Quinoa Chicken Nuggets. It's like a homemade kids meal. And since it's healthier, there's still a little room for a weekend treat!
I don't cook potatoes very often, because I feel that there are healthier choices for sides and also, they're hard for me to season. I always want to add a lot of butter, milk, sour cream, ANYTHING to add a little bit more taste to them. Salt them up and have some ketchup handy is usually my "healthy" option for any kind of potatoes. But, these changed my life. The seasoning mixture is oh, so good. A little kick, and definately salty. 
I always have a hard time cutting these things correctly, so I usually let Michael do it. We cute some thinner French fries and also some slightly thicker wedges to please the both of us. They've turned out perfectly every time we've tried them. One thing to know about cooking fries, is that they're better if you start them earlier that day if you're going to chill them. Keep them in the fridge all day if needed! Boiling is a faster option, but you need to be on the ball the whole time while making these.

Blackened Tilapia Tacos- Cajun Style

These are some of my favorite things to make these days, we constantly have them on repeat at our home. I usually try to do a 3-4 week meal turnover but these are a weekly event over here and we haven't gotten sick of them yet. Fiesta for your tastebuds right here, and not even kidding.

These are super easy, and oh so healthy for you. In the past, I have had the hardest time getting myself to eat fish. I love seafood when I am near the ocean, it's so fresh and one of my favorite things to eat. But, living in a rural area in the middle of the dessert, you don't get that fresh seafood very often. Fish has tons of Omega-3 and it is so needed for your health. It's something that you can't get as well from supplements, but I know that I can't go without the benefits from Omega-3's! So, I know that I have to eat fish to receive those benefits. Frozen seafood tastes very different than fresh, but I have finally found this recipe from The Chunky Chef and it has changed the tilapia world for me! Another great thing about this recipe is you can choose for yourself how spicy it will be!

Tilapia Tips 

Keep your tilapia frozen. When thawing out, don't defrost in microwave like other meats. It thaws out super fast! Tilapia is pre-packaged individually, keep them in the plastic when thawing out. Fill a medium-sized bowl with lukewarm water and place tilapia filets into the bowl until thaw, refreshing the water every 5 minutes (only have to replace once for a a few fish-for more, you'll have to replace more). You can also place packaged filets inside of a colander and run slightly warmed water over them until thawed. 

Take the fish out of the packaging and rinse off. This gets the not-so-good, slimy, fishy taste off of them a little more and leaves the good taste. Another way you can do this, is soak them in a brine mixture in the fridge for about 10 minutes (1 cup of water to 1 tsp. salt). This makes them taste way better!

Quinoa Chicken Nuggets

You know those days when you're just wanting to eat out but you know that it won't be good for you? I have those days, and found the perfect recipe to feed that craving! It's a mix of healthy and fun, and it's super easy too. 

I usually love Wendy's Chicken Nuggets, is that terrible of me?! But I know how unhealthy they are and I know that home cooked meals make me feel so much better.

This is your typical breaded chicken recipe, but even better since it's covered in quinoa (sidenote: did you know that quinoa has all of the essential amino acids? That's why everyone is telling you how good it is and recommending you to eat it-so, so good for you). Recipe was retreived from Creme De La Crumb. 

It's so easy to make this!
Start with cooking your quinoa, I like to do this a little ahead of time because it's super hot afterwards and I like to let it cool down before covering the chicken with it.