Mindful Menus - Week of 3/22/2010
Welcome to the Mindful Menus - A Menu Planning Blog Roll to inspire health through real food!
It is my hope that this blog roll will inspire others to health through menu planning and to introduce you to the joys of menu planning. Yes, there are joys! If you are new to menu planning, I am more than happy to answer any questions you may have.
Don't forget to keep checking back as menu plans are added.
Spring has sprung and the earth is greening up just as it should be. Time to put away the heavy cooking - the casseroles, the hearty soups and stews of winter and replace them with lighter, even fresher dishes. Spring, to me, means egg dishes, lamb, asparagus, berries, salads, the first greens of the season... I can't wait!
BTW... the Creamy Barley with Tomatoes and Greens from last week was delicious - a hit for sure! Easy recipe to make your own too. I used fresh spinach, brie and a dry Riesling in my recipe. I think mushrooms would be a good addition. Rich tasting and creamy, but not too heavy to keep around for couple more months.
To celebrate the first week of spring...
Here's what's on the menu this week:
Monday - Vegetarian - Lentil and Mustard Greens Salad with Feta Cheese... citrus salad... maybe a cheese omelet for the little guy.
Tuesday - Chicken Piccata... steamed broccoli and cauliflower... whole wheat orzo.
Wednesday - Vegetarian - Pasta with Cilantro Pesto and Roasted Red Peppers - I'll use my cilantro pesto in the raw recipe and kick it up with the addition of with a little lime and jalapeno... Tangy, marinated carrots.
Thursday - Chicken Vindaloo... I have been really into Indian flavors of late. I appreciate the health benefits of turmeric... brown rice.
Friday - It's Friday... you know what that means - Yes, POW (Pizza of the Week) Night!!! A few "rules" for joining in Mindful Menus... *Please post only menu plans that are healthy and focused on REAL food. *You must link back to the blog roll so that everyone can explore all the menu plans available. This is such a great way to get new menu ideas, new recipes and meet other like-minded people. To link back, please grab a Mindful Menus button (in the sidebar on the right) for your post. *If you link up and are on Twitter, please let me know by comment with your twitter name or tweet to me @chivetalker. I would love to tweet a thanks to you for joining in and I want to add you to my Menu Planners List. Thanks again... I LOVE having you!!!
Until next time... Eat REAL, Eat WELL- Cheers!!!
Menu Planners: Please join me by linking your healthy menu plan via Mr. Linky on Sunday evenings. I usually have my menu plan up by 9pm... If you're not ready until Monday evening... No worries, just please do it!
Categories: Menu Planning,Menu Plan Blog Roll
Tags: chicken whole wheat orzo brown rice menu plan mindful menus mustard greens citrus salad blog roll lime turmeric real food local flexitarian spring jalapeno pesto raw vindaloo eggs carrots lentils cilantro salad Pizza of the Week pasta POW cauliflower seasonal vegetarian broccoli piccata roasted red peppers feta cheese
That cilantro pesto looked so good - I bet that the pasta with cilantro pesto is amazing! I don't think my toddlers would appreciate it much, but I do think I'll table the recipe to make when my husband is home next!
Hallee
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Hey!!! I have seen other cilanto pestos... some have raw brazil nuts or almonds... I prefer the raw cashews because it lends a yummy buttery flavor. Definitely give it a try sometime.
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Another yummy week! Thanks so much for hosting!
~Liz
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Thanks, Liz for joining in!!! Love having you
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I love pesto, so the cilantro pesto is intriguing. I can't WAIT to make fresh pesto this year!
I started my garden planning over the weekend - I'm SO excited!!
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That's awesome, Heather!!! Pesto freezes so well too so you can have your own in the winter too!!! Good to be ahead of the game.
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I never can seem to get with the seasons - I'm still totally in soup mode! Oh well.
When you make lentils for a salad, do you just cook them normally and then refrigerate to cool them off? I had a really delicious lentil salad one time, but the Hubs and I have only made them for stews, dahl, etc.
I'm excited to check out your cilantro pesto recipe! Every time we buy a bunch, there's always lots of leftover cilantro to use up. And we've never been successful at growing it.
What else was I going to tell you? Oh yeah, Indian food = awesome! There are so many great vegetarian curries too!
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Hey friend!!! I missed you!!!
I do keep certain soups into spring... I have an Asian Spring Soup recipe that my mom shared with me... I have a tomato bisque and split pea that we like to have, but the chilis, most soups and stews I put away this time of year.
The lentils for this recipe are only cooked for about 20 minutes, until tender but slightly crunchy. The great part about it is it is a room temperature salad.
The cilantro pesto is really good. The cashews lend a buttery taste that I really like. I wonder why you haven't had success growing it?
Love Indian food... the spinach chickpea curry I make is a family favorite. Do you have any vegetarian curries to share?
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Do you post recipes too? I can't seem to find any to go with your menu plane. It looks great, if I knew how to make it, that would be great too.
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Hi! I sometimes post recipes and links but not for every recipe and every week. At least, not yet! LOL. Check under Favorite Recipe tab at right to find some favorites. Cheers!!!
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Hey Jenna!! Menu looks fabulous as always!! I am slacking in the posting my plan department ~ I am soo behind from a weekend away but I will be back next week!
much lobe, J
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Thanks for stopping by Jen!!! You are missed
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One thing I have to say to you is that your blog, no matter how much you alter it, will always be in our minds because I doubt there is any other site like you that do what you do best. You have inspired us to health through the ultimate solution for health, which is menu planning. The joy and information that we get from your menu planning has always been boundless. To make it short, we love you guys!
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