Quarantine begins & What we ate in March

March was a bit crazy.  It started out pretty normal - My annual event of Read Across America at work went well and I was getting ready for book fair #2.  I took a day off to go to the doctors and get my hair done and run some errands.  Then the next week, all hell broke loose.  

Monday the 9th we had a regular PD day.  But before our PD we had another PD about "just in case, here's what would happen if we need to close due to coronavirus".  We didn't think much of it.  Tuesday was pretty normal, they were testing in the library (again) so I had to travel around but otherwise like pretty much every Tuesday.  Wednesday the first grade was going on a field trip.  I asked if I could go, seeing as I teach 3 first grades on Wednesdays so most of my schedule would be out the window.  Instead I got assigned to stay with the kids that got left behind.  We heard that afternoon that the parent teacher conferences for the next week were cancelled.  This was surprising.  I popped my head into the principal's office in the morning to find a bunch of bigwigs in there, along with a very stressed looking principal.  I told her I was going to call to attempt to cancel the book fair, which was supposed to arrive the next day.  That afternoon we specials teachers were babysitting - the kids watched movies in the gym or cafeteria or played outside while the classroom teachers frantically made up packets for the kids for 2 weeks of potential no school.  That was our last day in the building of the 19-20 school year.  The next day we had a "snow" day and the week after the governor closed schools everywhere in the state and the stay at home orders began.  That Friday we had off I did a fearful early morning grocery run. It was pouring rain but shoprite was full and I had to go to the less popular & more expensive store, but I didn't care.  I bought 2 weeks worth of groceries and we stayed home. Thankfully we had plenty of food in the pantry.  

Week 1 

-Cilantro Lime chicken sausage burrito bowls
-Turkey & white bean soup with salad

I also cooked some chicken thighs in the instant pot Thursday and they have been eaten in various ways - chopped up in a green salad, on pita pizzas, and topped with some BBQ sauce and had with potatoes and veg. There’s still quite a few left so I’m going to make a casserole. I’m finding it can be pretty successful to make a protein and a pot of beans, have a side dish or two and then just have salad and steamed veg if I want to meal prep but have some variety during the week.

Week 2

-Chicken and broccoli quinoa casserole
-Chili
-Pork cubes with island salsa (from TJs) over rice plus veg or salad
-Fish tacos and a mexican veggie side dish

Week 3 (St. Patrick's week)

-Pizza
-Shepherd’s Pie
-Irish lamb & barley stew
-Fish tacos (bumped from last week)

Week 4

-Use up leftovers from last week
-New England style baked beans, hot dogs (I feel like I should sneak a veggie in there somewhere…)
-Bubble & Squeak (aka sauteed cabbage, potato, onion & ham)
-Takeout from new BBQ place in town

What we ate in February

 Week 1

-Wings and other assorted junk foods for Super Bowl
-Grilled pork chops w/ sweet potato & some green veggie to be determined later
-Meatloaf w/ corn and carrots
-Mac & Cheese w/ broccoli (MM)

Week 2 

-Homemade naan pizza for national pizza day w/ salad
-Meatloaf with cauli-tater mash and carrots
-Chicken apple sausage with wild rice blend & veg (probably broccoli? Whatever I find in the freezer)
-Baked beans, cornbread & salad (vegetarian)

Week 3

-Sloppy Joes Plus (aka sloppy joes made with a combo of beef and lentils) and salad
-Gumbo (I’m using a premade mix with a little extra veggies and a tweak here and there) over rice
-Greek marinated chicken drumsticks and Trader Joe’s Harvest blend with veggies added

Week 4

-BBQ chicken drumsticks with cheesy cauliflower & potato bake and green beans
-Shrimp & veggie alfredo pasta
-Christmas limas with onion and bacon over barley (or farro, or wild rice blend, haven’t decided)

What we ate in January

 Week 1

-Smoked turkey, kale and bean soup - made like the picture, omitting the tomatoes and adding potatoes, possibly cream.
-Korean BBQ beef tacos, salad. (No recipe, just using a jarred sauce over shredded beef made in the instant pot.)
-Finishing leftover curry and black eyed pea stew from last week.

Week 2

-Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup and green salad
-Ground lamb, kale and Trader Joe’s Harvest Grain Blend cooked in the instant pot (Got the idea from this recipe for salad but this will be tweaked a bit to add the lamb and served warm.) I may have some extra veggie on the side.
-Rotisserie chicken, green beans and potatoes (cause I’m too tired to cook tonight!)

Week 3

-Beef and barley soup
-Black bean sweet potato enchiladas and calabacitas (Mexican squash & corn casserole)
-Baked ziti with salad

Week 4 (week before Super Bowl)

-Clam chowder and salad with sourdough bread (for the 49ers)
-Pulled pork sandwiches with coleslaw (for Kansas City)
-Finish leftover enchiladas
-I might need something else, so possibilities are meat & lentil loaf with mashed potatoes and carrots, mac and cheese or chili mac soup. I’ll see what we are in the mood for.

Meal Plan Dec 29-Jan 4

Trying to get back to healthy eating after all this holiday food! Meal plan this week:

Breakfast: Ham, cheese and peppers egg bake, ww toast.

Lunches/Dinners:
-Cauliflower tikka masala over rice or with naan.
-Beef, tomato and acini de pepe soup - I’ll probably add some extra veggies.
-New Years day-Hearty One-Pot Black-Eyed Pea Stew With Kale and Andouille and cornbread

Meal Plan Lists - Soups

Beef/Lamb	Chicken/Turkey
Chili* Beef Stew Irish (Lamb) Stew Beef & barley Mexican beef & rice* Chili mac* Stuffed pepper Cabbage roll Pasta e fagioli*	Chicken noodle Chicken & wild rice Chicken tortilla* Chicken pot pie Greek lemon chicken Asian chicken noodle Golden chicken curry
Pork/Ham/Sausage	Vegetarian/Seafood
Ham and bean* Sausage, kale & white bean* Sausage, kale & orzo Zuppa Toscana (creamy sausage, kale & potato) Creamy tortellini and sausage Creamy ham and potato Bean and Bacon* Cabbage roll	Vegetable barley Minestrone* Black bean* Corn Chowder Clam Chowder Tomato Tortellini Creamy potato leek Lentil (can be made with sausage or without)* Loaded baked potato Fasolatha (Greek bean & tomato soup)*

*includes beans

Meal Plan Lists - Main Dishes

Main Dish/Meals

Beef/Lamb	Chicken/Turkey
Meatloaf Pasta w/ meat sauce* Tacos Mexican rice (can also be made w/ chorizo) Burgers Fajitas Korean BBQ tacos* Shepherd’s Pie Lamb & lentils* Sicilian rice ball casserole Philly cheesesteak pasta  Cheesy Taco Shells*	Roast chicken  Cacciatore Tikka Masala Marsala Pot pie or Pot Pie noodles Maple mustard thighs Chicken & white bean enchiladas BBQ chicken/pulled chicken* Salsa chicken* Chicken Florentine pasta* Chicken taco bake Greek chicken & veg (sheet pan meal)
Pork/Ham/Sausage	Vegetarian/Seafood
Cajun red beans and rice* Stuffed cabbage rolls (or "unstuffed" CR casserole*)  Roast pork Bubble & Squeak (ham, potatoes, cabbage) Pork loin w/ Island salsa* Pork loin w/ apple salsa* Pork and pinto enchiladas Ham, scalloped potatoes, peas casserole Pulled pork* Sausage, wild rice and squash casserole Asian pork w/ broccoli & ramen style noodles Mango habanero pork tacos*	Fish tacos Shrimp & roasted green beans Vegetable lasagna (or lasagna rolls) Chana masala* (chickpea curry) Baked fish Salmon patties Pasta primavera* Veggie/black bean burgers Sweet potato & black bean enchiladas Ravioli or tortellini Shrimp Creole Garlic Parmesan shrimp w/ veg & angel hair

Sides Rice Potatoes  Bread/Biscuits Calabacitas Roasted veggies Vegetable fritters Potato salad Pasta salad Coleslaw Salad

“Too tired to cook/too broke for takeout” Meals Frozen fish/chicken, tots/fries and steam in the bag veg Chicken drumsticks, sides Frozen ravioli w/ sauce Frozen pierogies w/ sauteed onion & coleslaw mix Hot dogs & salad Pizza  Mac and cheese*

*Can be made in Multi/Pressure cooker (Instant Pot, Crock Pot Express, Ninja Foodi, etc) 

Meal Plan Lists - Bento/Cold lunch ideas

Sandwich

Green Salad

w/ tuna

Southwest chicken (chicken, black beans, corn, cheese)

w/ egg salad

Hummus w/ pita or pretzels

Tuna or egg salad or cheese & crackers

Cheese and meat rolls

Pasta salad

Green bean & tomato 

Greek (halved grape tomatoes, baby spinach, red onion, feta, olives) 

Rainbow (halved grape tomatoes, shredded carrot, yellow pepper, zucchini, red onion) 

Cold asian noodles w/ veggies (and chicken?) 

Rice cakes w/ PB

Yogurt parfait

Hard boiled eggs

Apple w/ PB

Bagel w/ cream cheese

Fruit or berries

Veggies w/ dip

Egg Bake Recipe

Basic Egg Bake recipe: 

6 eggs 

1 cup milk

½ cup shredded cheese

⅓ cup flour

¼ tsp salt & sprinkle of pepper

Beat eggs, milk, flour, s&p together. Add cheese and stir well.  Pour into greased 8x8 glass pan.
Bake at 425 for 20 mins. 4 servings.

Variations:

-Greek Style: Use 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well, 1/2 cup of finely diced onion,
and feta or parmesan for the cheese 

-Hearty Potluck Brunch: Double the recipe and pour over a bag of Potatoes O’Brien. 
You can also add ham, sausage or bacon. 

-Denver style: Add 1 cup each ham & diced pepper, ½ cup onion. 

-Italian style: Add 1 small shredded zucchini, drained well, and 1 cup finely chopped red pepper,
use parmesan for the cheese. 

-To jazz it up you can add herbs like herbs de provence or Penzey’s Sunny Paris seasoning

Meal Plan Lists - Breakfast Ideas

Breakfasts

Cereal

Oatmeal/Steel cut oats

Muesli

Muffins 

Apple Oat (https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/applesauce-cinnamon-oat-muffins/)

Banana Granola (https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/229831/banana-yogurt-muffins/)

Blueberry Cream (https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/23294/blueberry-cream-muffins/)

Zucchini Nut

Morning Glory (https://bakerbynature.com/my-favorite-morning-glory-muffins/)

Egg bake* & toast

Apple Nut cake

Banana w/ PB 

Toast w/ PB & Banana

Breakfast sandwiches

Hard boiled eggs

Egg salad on toast

Yogurt w/ granola and berries

Chicken (Or Turkey!) Pot Pie Noodles

Looking for a tasty, easy, veggie filled, kid-friendly meal that will use up a bunch of leftover turkey?

1 bag egg noodles 12 oz
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups frozen peas
1 qt low sodium chicken broth, divided into 2 cup portions
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
1/3 cup flour
1 cup milk
Poultry seasoning, pepper, Onion salt from Trader Joes
3 cups chopped cooked chicken (I usually use leftovers from rotisserie chicken or Thanksgiving turkey!)

Cook egg noodles according to package directions.
Put carrots, celery and peas in a saucepan.  Add 2 cups broth and add water if necessary to cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil and cook until desired tenderness. Drain.
While noodles and veggies cook, melt butter in a large skillet.  Saute chopped onion in the butter until it begins to turn translucent. Add garlic and cook 1-2 mins more, until fragrant.  Add flour and stir to make a roux.  Slowly add 2 cups broth and then 1 cup milk. Whisk together carefully until the sauce comes together. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, as sauce thickens (about 5-10 minutes).  Season as it simmers, adding poultry seasoning, pepper, onion salt or any other desired seasonings until the taste is as desired.  Add chicken and stir well, let cook 10 minutes more until chicken is heated through. 
In a large bowl or pot, combine egg noodles, sauce and drained vegetables. Mix well and serve.

Makes 6-8 servings.