I love the festive rush of the holidays, but when the New Year turns, it always feels like the right time to move on. 

And while I don't exactly welcome the return to work and school schedules, it does provide a familiar track to move to. There is something very satisfying in the annual ritual of starting my brand-new, old-school paper datebook. With that, here's what I've dutifully written we're eating this week.

Tuesday
Costco chicken, Won Bok Coleslaw, using honeycrisp apples instead of nashi and pan-fried potato "chips." I sliced Yukon gold spuds very thinly and then cooked in olive oil, Hawaiian salt and cracked black pepper. After two weeks of rice and mochi, it was good to see Mr. Potatohead again.

Wednesday
My Very Own Chili, with fresh whole wheat bread. I've been making my own bread using a breadmaker for about a month now. I still can't believe how easy it is to make bread this way.

Thursday
Steve's Grilled Lamb, which will be oven roasted instead of grilled since it's still too cold and dark outside. Rounding this out with Roasted Tomatoes, Baba Ghanouj and pita bread. Maximizing the oven today. 

Friday
Thai Chicken Curry. I'll cave to rice today, but it will be the fluffier jasmine rice.

Welcome to 2012. 

Eat Well. Be Well.

My husband made Crock Pot Kalua Pig and did some baking over the weekend (mango cake and zucchini bread), so we're starting out with leftover kalua pig, about a cup of crushed pineapple, and some errant zucchini. So this week's dinners take into account all the orphan food.

Monday--Plum Sauce Chicken, buying a roasted chicken from the Chinese market and using up the rest of crushed pineapple from the zucchini bread.

Tuesday--Panini, the vegetarian meal of the week. Maximizing the oven use by roasting eggplant, the leftover zukes, onions, tomatoes and corn (for Wednesday's corn salsa) in one fell swoop.

Wednesday--Kalua Pig Quesadillas with guacamole and fresh corn salsa.

Thursday--Huli Huli Chicken (a new addition of an old-time recipe, posting on Wednesday!).

Friday--Argentinian Lamb Chops with Fresh Mint Sauce (also new recipe, posting later this week).

What I'm using from the garden: mint, cilantro and parsley; rosemary from my neighbor.

What I'm buying pre-made: roasted chicken from the Chinese market (on the way to the 'regular' grocery store).

What I'm buying that's in season, but hoping to get from the garden later in the summer: tomatoes, cucumbers, jalapeno and fresh corn.

No orphan food gets left behind. Or forgotten. Eat Well. Be Well.

We went according to plan last week. However, I learned that one Costco chicken, no matter how far you may want to spread it out, will not feed a family with two teenagers over 5 meals. We ended up with vegetarian Spanish Rice nachos, and skipping Chicken Divan altogether.

We also had a potluck--chicken curry, ground pork and asparagus (to be posted the Greenhouse), homemade cookies, spinach dip, roasted carrots and sweet potatoes, and fluffy/sticky white Japanese rice. 

Here's what we'll be eating this week. Beer bread is our winner of the week.

Monday--Steve's Lamb Chops--this is a very easy and flavorful lamb that is crying out for a picture. We also had 5-minute Tomato Salad, leftover green beans, and tried out Beer Bread with green onions added in. Major ono.

Tuesday--Techie Gnocchi--with the leftover roasted carrots and sweet potatoes from our potluck.

Wednesday--Pad Thai with either shrimp, chicken, tofu, or some combo of them. New to even the Greenhouse. I hope it will taste "like takeout" to my kids.

Thursday--Turkey Divan--We had a pre-cooked Turkey breast on Sunday. Since we didn't have enough chicken from the Costco chicken, this got pushed out a week.

Friday--Orange-peel Tofu--Another one going into the Greenhouse. I'm stir-fry crazy now. Will be using an orange peel beef recipe and making modifications.

Back-up--Fish Amandine--classic preparation sounds almost as easy as Lemonade Pie.


Have a good week. Eat well. Be well. Remember those in Japan.