Chicken & Veggie Marinara Casserole with Whole Wheat Orzo

So, it's Friday & I haven't posted a single recipe from this week's menu. Monday we ended up spending the day at my in-laws cottage on what was supposed to be the hottest day yet this summer. It only ended up being in the high 70's, but the pool still felt great & of course the boys had fun. We stayed there through dinner & I noshed on grilled chicken, peas & carrots & grilled peaches with blueberries. Not exactly what I had planned to cook at home, but the time spent with grandparents was worth it!

My husband was out of town from Monday until midnight Tuesday & frankly I didn't have the energy left in me to make dinner after a long weekend, a long Monday & swim lessons after dinner Tuesday. We ended up picking up a yummy salad for me & a chicken quesadilla for the boys from a local restaurant. You do watchya gotta do sometimes!

I did actually make the turkey burgers last night, but they weren't as good as I hoped & I don't believe I should share a so-so recipe here. I'll keep searching for a tastier recipe.

Now last night's dinner was delicious! I can't wait until we have an over-abundance of zucchini & yellow squash in our garden, because I'll definitely make this again. It's super simple, full of vegetables & I bet it could be prepped in the morning, other than pour on the the sauce & sprinkling on the cheese.

Recipe

Serves 6

• 2 1/2 cups Chicken, cooked & diced
• 1 Zucchini, diced
• 1 Yellow Squash, diced
• 1 - 12 oz. can Tomato Sauce
• 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
• 1 tsp Dried Oregano
• 1 tsp Dried Basil

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350*.
• Layer the chicken in the bottom of a casserole dish. Next, pour in zucchini & yellow squash.
• Pour the tomato sauce & top with cheese.
• Sprinkle on the oregano & basil.
• Bake 25-30 minutes until the cheese is golden.
• Meanwhile, cook orzo according to package.
• Serve casserole on top of orzo & enjoy!

21DF: 1 Red, 1-1/2 Green, 1/2 Blue, 1 Yellow

Menu Monday - 7.6.15

Another week after another long weekend. How was your Independence Day celebration? We spent the weekend on the beach, grilling out each night & watching fireworks over the water. It was quite relaxing, really.

It's week #3 of my 21 Day Fix round, but I plan to continue on with the meals & workouts. I'm thinking to step up my workouts to the extreme. I had placed an order a few weeks ago for a 3 Day Refresh & I swear I ordered PiYo, but it didn't come & I didn't get charge for it. Maybe I was dreaming... Either way I'm feeling the need to step up & change up my workouts. We shall see!

This week we have swim, camp & a birthday party over the weekend. I'll be preparing accordingly, as we will be at the pool for 2 hours & I might need a little snack. I usually down 24 ounces of water in 45 minutes there because it's so humid inside. On to our dinners!

Our Menu for the Week of 7.6.15

Monday - Broccoli & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast with Whole Wheat Pasta

Tuesday - Venison & Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

Wednesday - Clean & Lean Turkey Burgers with Sautéed Sugar Snap Peas 

Thursday - Chicken & Veggie Marinara Casserole with Grilled Garlic Bread

Friday - Grilled Buffalo Chicken Pizza with Steamed Broccoli

Saturday - I'll be bringing a Shrimp Jambalaya Grill Packet to the party

Sunday - Roasted Chicken Sausage, Peppers & Sweet Potatoes

I'll try my hardest to post a few more of the recipes that we're eating this week. Here's to a great week ahead with higher temps! :)

Charred Romaine & Grilled Flank Steak Salad with Orange Shallot Vinaigrette

Every now & then (more often than not) we like to really freak my Father-in-law out with some of the food we decide to make for birthdays, holidays & at the cottage. Take for instance, this past weekend when I made Cauliflower "Breadsticks". Other than the fact that I burned them, they really weren't that bad. He would have to disagree & made sure I knew it! ;)

For last fall's birthdays, my sister-in-law made a grilled caesar salad that was so delicious I went back for seconds. However, I had completely forgotten about it until I was reading through this summer's Clean Eating special issue "Cook in Season." They feature this recipe & while it's not the quickest, it totally fits in with the fix, so here we go!

Recipe

Serves 4

Potatoes & Tomatoes

• 8 Fingerling Potatoes, scrubbed & halved lengthwise
• Olive Oil Spray
• 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• 2 cups Grape Tomatoes, halved lengthwise

Dressing

• 1 large Orange, zest & juice
• 1 Shallot, minced
• 2 Tbsp White Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 tsp Raw Honey
• 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 Tbsp Fresh Basil, chopped

Steak & Romaine

• 1 lb Flank Steak, trimmed of fat
• 2 Hearts of Romaine
• 1/4 cup Walnut Pieces
• 1/2 cup Crumbled Goat Cheese

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425*. Mist potatoes with cooking spray & season with oregano, salt & pepper. Arrange potatoes cut-side down on 1 side of a large baking sheet & roast for 10 minutes.
• Add tomatoes to second side of sheet, mist with cooking spray& season with salt & pepper. Return sheet to oven & roast 25 minutes more, until potatoes are fork-tender & golden & tomatoes are lightly charred & shriveled. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, prepare vinaigrette: Whisk together orange zest & juice, shallot, vinegar, oil, honey, mustard & basil. Season with salt & pepper.
• Heat grill to medium-high  lightly oil grate. Mist steak with cooking spray & season with salt & pepper. Grill steak to desired doneness; 4-6 minutes per side for medium-rare or 6-8 minutes per side for medium. Transfer to a cutting board or plate & cover loosely with foil to rest. Keep grill on medium-high.
• Trim a small piece from root end of romaine, keeping leaves attached to root, then cut romaine in half lengthwise. Brush or toss romaine with about half of vinaigrette. Add romaine grill, cut-sides down, turning occasionally, until charred on all sides; about 4 minutes.
• Thinly slice steak across the grain. Arrange 1 romaine heart half on each serving plate, cut-sides up & top with steak, potatoes & tomatoes. Drizzle with remaining dressing & garnish with walnuts & goat cheese.
• Enjoy!

21DF: 1 Red, 1.5 Green, 1 Yellow, 1 Orange, 1 Blue