What's for Dinner {February 2018}

 Can I confess something? 

I've been avoiding my computer. 

It's true. 

I've been wanting to write about something and the words just wouldn't come.  So, I put it on hold and now I am working on catching up on my regular posts.  I take it back.  The words came. . . in the shower.  When I sat down the next day, they were gone.  I know I am not the only one.  Right?  So until they come back to me, let's resume regular scheduled posts.  Ones that are guaranteed to make you drool and might even make your kids drool! 

It's that time of the month, where I show you what went down in my kitchen last month.  There was a lot of yummy food consumed and there was a lot of just the basics.  It ended up being a pretty busy month with Weston's birthday, a day at the World Ag Show, Valentines Day, soccer, art club, and more!  You can find more of our go-to dinners here and how I menu plan here.  So let's commence the drool fest! 

Oh and just a reminder, most of these recipes are amazing finds that we tried this month via Pinterest.  There are so many recipes out there and this is where I highlight some of my finds from the previous month.  The pictures and links are not my own. 

Jalapeño Turkey Burgers

I had pinned this recipe months ago and had completely forgotten about the package of ground turkey I had bought the month prior (oops!).   When I pulled the ground turkey out, I knew we were going to have these and they were so good!  These would be super good with a bun, too.  We ate them without because it was one of our whole 30/eat Paleo nights and we really didn't notice the lack of bun.  These weren't too spicey and just were so flavorful.  In fact, most of the recipes we've tried that are whole 30 are so incredibly flavorful that the lack of sugar and grains is really not noticed.  

Enchilada Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

I've mentioned before that we try to incorporate as many paleo or whole 30 recipes into our diet.  We have been so impressed with the flavor that radiates from these recipes.  I've been very impressed with Danielle Walker's (Against All Grain) recipes.  One thing that I really miss since my dairy allergy came back with a vengeance after Weston was born was enchiladas.  Also, I really, REALLY like sweet potatoes and the idea of stuffing them with deliciousness is just one of my new favorite things to do.  Jon was getting tired of Buffalo Chicken stuffed tots (well, he didn't say it, but I am sure he was), so I found this recipe and we loved it.  The homemade sauce was so good, I might have just eaten it with a spoon!  I was so happy that some was left for me to eat for lunch the next day!

 Pesto Stuffed Prosciutto Chicken

Ethan loves Prosciutto.  He's become such a foodie and it just makes this food loving mom so thrilled that he is developing a love for good food.  Lately, he has been a lot more brave in trying new things and now he just eats whatever.  So, moms out there who are frustrated with a kid who only wants to eat dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets or hot dogs, I hear you!  I still have one and every now and then he surprises me.  It does get better.  I promise! 

This chicken was so easy.  Oh and I cheated.  Because I am not actually doing a traditional whole 30, and we are just incorporating the recipes into our normal menu plan, I really don't mind taking shortcuts on nights where I just don't have the time to make a good clean pesto from scratch.  I found this one at our neighborhood grocery store and it was delicious and it was pretty clean for being store bought. 

I also should note: if you are buying a pesto from the store, there is basically a 99 percent chance that
there is dairy because of the Parmesan or other hard cheeses.  You know your body and you know what you can handle once the dairy is baked.  Trader Joes has a vegan pesto (I haven't tried it yet), if you need to make a shortcut for dairy free pesto. 

This recipe was super easy and ended up being a pretty easy/low maintenance dinner which gave me time to work on other things while the food was cooking.  Low maintenance and delicious. . .  I call that a win.

Also, I used the Against All Grain recipe from this book.  It's not online, so I am linking you to something that is super similar. 

Cobb Salad
This recipe is one straight from my head.  I've never really written it down, but I was inspired by the chicken avocado Cobb salad that used to be on Panera's menu (sad face).   So, basically it is lettuce, avocado chunks, hard boiled egg, tomatoes, bacon (of course!), and chicken.  My favorite way to make this one super quick was True Story roasted chicken slices.  I also love it with the Olive Garden Italian dressing.  This is so good.  You should make it. 

Side dishes
We made these this month and they were fantastic!  Well, I guess I wouldn't share the links with you if I didn't think so. ha ha!  These were our favorites! 

Lemon basil pasta - this one is actually on my blog and dairy free!  You can easily substitute regular ricotta if dairy doesn't cause you problems. 

Lemon Garlic Asparagus - it is definitely spring around here and asparagus is so cheap right now.  I feel like we've been eating it one way or another for the past few weeks! Also, my lemon tree is on steroids and so I am trying to find all the ways to use them up! There are tons of pins on Pinterest and I have no idea which one I made. And really, they are almost all the same, so be brave and pick one. \

I hope that this helps with your meal planning.  Enjoy and let me know what you are cooking up! 

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