Munchkin Meals: Dinner Bell!

Thanks again to Brittany at A Healthy Slice of Life, I am back with another Munchkin Meals Thursday post. This week is all about dinner.

Dinner is my favorite meal of the day for Molly because there are so many options. I feel restricted at breakfast and lunch but dinner is open and she can usually eat a variation of what we are eating.

But...that would mean we have to eat at the same time. Unfortunately between my schedule, Molly's schedule and when her Dad gets home the stars don't align very often and we eat after Molly goes to bed.

When I first thought about solids I pictured myself making all of these delicious purees on Sundays and then freezing them for easy reheating for meals. Then we moved away from purees and to baby led weaning and that plan was shot! Now I need more preparation for her dinner, something I have not mastered yet.

A lot of times Molly will have leftovers from our meal the night before. This is actually the perfect set up because I can just reheat whatever we had and boom, done!

This week I am featuring left over pot-roast (minus the beef). It was a big hit!

Her full dinner featured slow cooked potatoes, carrots and celery with turkey veggie ravioli as her meat item. For dessert she has fresh nectarines. 

And now for the video proof!

Molly eating dinner from ChasingHallie on Vimeo.

What's for Dinner?

I have not posted about what's for dinner in quite some time, mostly because we are dieting and our meals are pretty boring.  But a few days ago we cooked our first meal with veggies from our backyard garden!  It was very exciting to harvest peppers and tomatoes from our backyard and use them in our dinner.

So what was this meal?  Chicken and shrimp kabobs with cherry tomatoes, yellow bell pepper, green bell pepper and pineapple.  The cherry tomatoes, tomato slices and green bell peppers came from our garden.  It was a simple and delicious meal with lots of fun summer colors.



We put all of the meat and veggies on the skewers and then added salt, pepper and some dash seasoning. Cook on the grill at low heat for about 20 minutes. Perfection.



Looking forward to making some homemade salsa with our veggies next.

what's for dinner?

Alright, so this blog topic has been pretty much ignored since the first couple I wrote for the series. Well to be honest...our cooking has been really boring. We are both trying to eat well (diet) so it has been a lot of grilled chicken with a veggie. However, I LOVE the recipes I get in Real Simple magazine so last night we tried out a new recipe from the May issue.



Spinach and Ricotta-Stuffed Shells was on the menu last night. While its not the healthiest (I did opt for light Ricotta, Parmesan, and Mozzarella) it was not super terrible. But it was delicious.

Prepping:


Baked:


Plated:



More what's for dinner series to come. I promise.

What's for Dinner?

In our second installation of What's for Dinner? we thought we would share the inaugural grill meal.

My dad was kind enough to buy us a fancy new grill for our housewarming present. We picked it up from Sears on Wednesday, put it together Saturday morning and cooked dinner on it that night.



The meal? Well steaks of course. What else would you cook on a grill for the first time?

The meal consisted of a 1.05lb New York Strip Steak, baked potatoes, green beans and onions + mushrooms sauteed in olive oil and red wine.

The most important ingredient is, of course, the meat. We swung by Central Market, spoke with the butcher and picked out this beauty.



A little salt and pepper on the steak. Two baked potatoes rubbed with olive oil and salt. Fresh cut mushrooms and onions sauteed in a pan with olive oil and red wine. Can of cut green beans. Voila!

His:


Hers:


Simply delicious.

What's for Dinner?

One of the things Chase and I were looking forward to when we moved in together was cooking.  Chase likes to cook and so do I (even though I don't really know how) so its a new adventure for us as a couple.  We are also trying to eat healthy and slim up for some springtime engagement pics.  So, a new blog subject is born...What's for Dinner?  I will try my best to remember to take pics when we cook and eat so I can document them for all to see.

First up, a recipe from Real Simple's Month of 400 Calorie Meals.  We are snatching meal #1 from January 1st: Turkey Meat Loaf With Mashed Potatoes.

 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bunch spinach, thick stems removed and leaves chopped (about 4 cups)
• 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 large egg white
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 pounds red potatoes, quartered
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup jarred marinara sauce, warmed (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. In a bowl, combine the turkey, onion, spinach, parsley, bread crumbs, mustard, egg white, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
2. Transfer the mixture to a baking sheet and form it into a 10-inch loaf. Spread with the ketchup. Bake until cooked through, 45 to 50 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a large pot of enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Mash with the buttermilk, oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
4. Serve the meat loaf with the potatoes and the marinara sauce, if using.
   

Nutritional Information

• Per Serving
• Calories 376
• Calories From Fat 25%
• Fat  11g
• Sat Fat  3g
• Cholesterol  67mg
• Sodium  700mg
• Protein  30g
• Carbohydrate  43g
• Fiber  5g
• Sugar  7g

And drumroll please.....

Our very own Turkey Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes

It was delicious.