Weekly Menu {4/1–4/7}

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April is a full month for us with two kiddo birthdays! It also feels like the start to spring with buds appearing on trees and birds singing away the morning and evening hours. I love that the sun is staying out later in the evenings, and the sunshine feels so warm. We are on the cusp of warmer weather, I just know it. :)

Here’s to a new week and a new menu!

IMAGE VIA HONESTLYWTF

Monday—Ramen. I’ve made a version of this ramen twice now using the meat from leftover pork ribs, homemade broth, ramen noodles from Costco, frozen corn, and then some variation of cilantro and hard boiled eggs for serving. My kids really liked it, and it was a great way to refashion leftovers. I bet the full version from The Food Charlatan (linked) would be amazing!

Tuesday—Chorizo, Butternut Squash, and Refried Bean Tacos. I’ve been making these Homemade Sourdough Tortillas, and they are really tasty. I need to remember to make them a bit earlier in the day so I’m not multi-tasking to cook them while I make the actual taco fillings.

For the chorizo, I like to buy plain pork sausage and add my own chorizo seasoning. For 1 pound of sausage, I add 2–3 tablespoons of seasoning and half a can of tomato sauce. Save the extra seasoning in a jar for next time.

Warm the refried beans in a small saucepan on low. For the butternut squash, cut off the skin and cube it. Toss with olive oil and season with 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and if you want, 1 tsp garlic powder. Then, roast it at 425º for 20-25 minutes. I like to serve the refried beans and squash on the tacos with the meat. My husband prefers them on the side and the meat and some sour cream on his taco. Both ways are tasty. :)

Wednesday—Sun-dried Tomato Focaccia Turkey Sandwiches. I don’t have a Trader Joe’s nearby, so I made homemade Sourdough Focaccia, and before I baked it, I pressed sun-dried tomatoes into the dough. It turned out really well. I started my dough on Monday and baked it earlier in the afternoon on Wednesday. I always use Alexandra’s Kitchen’s Simple Sourdough Focaccia recipe. (She has an Overnight, Refrigerator Focaccia made with yeast as well, but double check your timing in case it needs more/less time than what I mentioned.)

Thursday—White Chicken Chili and Maple Cornbread

Friday—Greek Meatballs with Couscous, Tzatziki Sauce, and Salad. (There is a Tzatziki recipe included in the notes for the Greek Meatball recipe.) I served these bowl-style, but I wish I would have served them in pita. I think they would have been even better that way.

Saturday—Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad, and Sourdough Bread to celebrate our kid’s birthdays with Yiayia and Opa.

Sunday—Leftover Spaghetti for an easy Sunday night. :) Plus, the sauce is just as good the next day so it doesn’t ‘feel’ like leftovers.

Have a great week!

Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs

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Spaghetti is one of my favorite meals! This recipe is from Dylan’s grandmother, and it is amazing! It has come to be one of our family’s meals for special occasions—birthdays, Valentine’s Day, as well as Christmas Eve. I love to set a fancy Christmas Eve or Valentine’s Day table and dig into a plate of scrumptious spaghetti with homemade meatballs. There is nothing better!

This is from Valentine’s Day a few years ago, but I just love penelope’s face here. :)

Homemade Spaghetti & Meatballs

Sauce Ingredients

  • 1/2 onion, chopped

  • 2 cloves of garlic

  • 2 – 16 ounce cans of tomato sauce

  • 1 – 16 ounce can of tomato paste

  • 1 tablespoon sugar

  • 1 tablespoon oregano

  • 1 tablespoon basil

  • 1 tablespoon parsley

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

  • 1 – 2 bay leaves

  • Dash of Tabasco sauce

  • salt and pepper

  • 1 cup water

Meatball Ingredients

  • 3 slices of old bread soaked in 3/4 cup of water

  • 1/2 onion, chopped

  • 1 tablespoon parsley

  • 1.5 pounds of ground beef

  • 3 tablespoons of Parmesan Cheese, shredded

  • 1 egg

  • Salt and Pepper

For Serving

  • Thin Spaghetti Noodles

  • Parmesan Cheese

  • Salad and French Bread

Sauce & Meatball Directions

  • Before you start the sauce:

    • Put the bread slices into the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl) and cover with the 3/4 cup of water.

  • Make the sauce:

    • In a large pot, saute the onion and garlic in 1/4 cup of olive oil.

    • Add the rest of the sauce ingredients, stir to combine, cover the pot, and simmer for 30 minutes.

  • As the sauce is simmering, make the meatballs:

    • Give the bread a good stir, now that it is softened, to break it up.

    • Add all of the remaining meatball ingredients into your bowl with the bread. Gently mix until just combined.

    • Form into large meatballs. Set them on a cutting board or tray as you work.

  • After the sauce has simmered for 30 minutes:

    • Gently add the meatballs to the sauce. Just plop them in and put the lid back on.

    • Continue to simmer for 90 minutes to 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so to make sure it isn’t sticking to the bottom of your pan/burning. (If it doesn’t seem to be bubbling enough, turn it up just slightly. If it seems to be sticking on the bottom, turn the burner down slightly. Be very gentle as you stir the meatballs. You don’t want to break them.)

When you are ready to eat, boil the thin spaghetti noodles, drain, and divide into bowls. Serve with sauce and meatballs on top. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese to your heart’s content.

We love to make a fancy meal of this, so we usually have salad and warm french bread for a delicious meal!

I hope you love these Spaghetti and Meatballs as much as we do!

What's on the Menu—April

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So…for the last two months I have made a monthly meal plan. This is new for me because I usually plan one week at a time (and that’s how I grocery shop too). I wanted to try out planning for the whole month, though, to see if it would give me a better view of the whole month, keeping our overarching grocery budget in mind. It was hard to get started, but once I sat down and looked at our schedule, I was able to plug in different meal ideas, taking into account ingredients I could use for more than one meal. Obviously there ends up being some flex from week to week, depending on what we are wanting to eat or what we didn’t get to the week before, but it’s definitely simplified my Sunday night weekly planning/grocery list because I just see what was on my menu, see what else is left from the prior week, and then plug it into my grocery list. Here’s what I came up with for this month….

Image via Anne Sage

Week of April 6

M—Chicken Mushroom Pasta (a combo of this recipe and this recipe)

T—Tuna Cakes with Jalapeno and Cilantro

W—Homemade Pizza and Salad with some Talenti Gelato for Penelope’s Birthday

TH—Brats and Strawberry Cupcakes for Finn’s Birthday

F—Slow Cooker Chicken Tamale Chili

S—Leftovers or Eating Out

Su—Braised Pork and Mashed Potatoes for a special Easter dinner. And if you need a good dessert idea, we love Pineapple Upside Down Cake for a refreshing spring dessert!

Week of April 13

M—Pasta Carbonara with Peas and Spicy Sausage

T—Salmon Sandwiches

W—Sweet Asian Chili Chicken Stir Fry + Store-bought Eggrolls

TH—Leftovers or Eating Out

F—Korean Beef Bowls

S—Chicken Tikka Masala

Su—Leftovers

Week of April 20

M—Unstuffed Spicy Tomato Basil Shells

T—Shrimp & Pineapple Kabobs

W—Bruschetta Chicken

TH—Eating out or Leftovers

F—Mexican Stuffed Peppers (I add ground beef)

S—Leftovers

Su—Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas

Week of April 27

M—Curried Chicken Sandwiches

T—Calzones (I usually use Italian Sausage, Green Peppers, and Mushrooms as my filling.)

W—Beef and Broccoli Ramen

TH—Eating Out

P.S. This is a favorite of ours if you are looking for a different salmon recipe—Honey, Garlic, Butter Salmon served with Angel Hair Pasta and Roasted Broccoli. It’s sooo good!

Rosemary & Cinnamon Braised Pork with Mashed Potatoes

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This is one of our favorite recipes! It is pretty easy to put together, always turns out well, can be easily doubled to accommodate more people, and it elevates any meal into a special occasion.

It might seem complicated, but I assure you that it is well worth it. The pork comes out so tender and flavorful. I think the cinnamon is the secret ingredient. And the mashed potatoes are integral to make the meal, so don’t skip those!

Rosemary & Cinnamon Braised Pork with Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients for the Pork

  • 2.5–3 lbs pork loin

  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of a knife

  • 2 cups dry white wine

  • 2 sprigs rosemary

  • 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes with juices

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Ingredients for the Mashed Potatoes

  • 6 potatoes

  • 1/3 cup milk

  • 1/4 cup sour cream

  • 1 tablespoon butter

Directions for the Pork

  • Season the meat with the salt. Cover and refrigerate overnight in your baking pan. (If you forget to salt the pork overnight, don’t fret. Just salt it and set it aside in the fridge while you prepare the other ingredients. It will be fine.)

  • Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

  • In a pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes, or until it softens and starts to turn golden. Add the wine and rosemary and boil for about 8 minutes, or until the wine has almost fully evaporated.

  • Meanwhile, place the tomatoes and their juices in a bowl and crush with your hands or the back of a wooden spoon. Once the wine has reduced, stir in the tomatoes with their juices and the cinnamon. Bring the sauce to a boil, then remove from the heat.

  • Remove your baking pan with the pork from the refrigerator; make sure the meat is evenly distributed in the pan. Carefully pour the sauce over the meat. Cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil and transfer to the oven.

  • Braise the meat in the oven for 3.5 hours. (It will pull apart easily when done.)

  • Remove the pan from the oven and let the meat cool slightly in the braising liquid while you finish the mashed potatoes.

Directions for the Mashed Potatoes

  • When there is about 45 minutes left on the meat, get your potatoes prepped by washing and roughly peeling them. Chop the potatoes into quarters.

  • Fill a large pot with water, add the potatoes, and then heat over high heat until boiling.

  • Let boil for 20–30 minutes. Use a fork to test if the potatoes are done. They should be soft and the fork should easily pierce them.

  • Once the potatoes are soft, drain the water using a colander. Return the potatoes to the pot.

  • Add milk, sour cream, and butter. Mash thoroughly until the potatoes are creamy with minimal lumps. If they seem too dry, add a little extra milk and butter.

Serve the pork in a bowl over the mashed potatoes. Enjoy!

4 Dresses for Spring

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When spring rolls around, I can't help but want to bust out all of my dresses. I find dresses super comfortable, and they tend to be easy to dress up or down. On a chilly day, they can easily layer over leggings or under a cozy sweater. Here are 4 dresses I'm digging for spring.