Week of March 26

This week I am going to take advantage of "over baking" I did a while back and eat some delicious meals I have in the freezer. Many pasta dishes make a full 9x13 pan, and my family I just can’t eat it all in one night, and we aren’t big leftover people either. So, I cook once and eat twice by dividing the recipe among 2 smaller baking dishes. Bake and eat one that night, freeze the other!

Monday – California Chipotle Chopped Salad and Stuffed Portabellas
Tuesday – game night….Love my Crock Pot….Santa Fe Chicken
Wednesday – Vegetable Lasagna….fresh from my freezer
Thursday – DIY….busy night!
Friday – Pastitso….fresh from my freezer

CALIFORNIA CHIPOTLE CHOPPED SALAD


Vinaigrette: Puree 3 T EVOO, 2 T apple cider vinegar, 2 T agave nectar, and ¼ cup fresh lime juice. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat 1 T EVOO over medium heat. Sauté 1 15oz can black beans (rinsed and drained), 1 minced garlic clove, ¼ t chipotle Chile powder, ½ t salt for 5 minutes. Let cool.

In a large bowl, combine 1 head of romaine lettuce (cut into pieces), 1 large tomato (chopped), ½ cup small red onion (chopped), 1 avocado (pitted, chopped), ½ cup cooked quinoa, black bean mixture and 2 T chopped cilantro.

Toss gently with vinaigrette to coat.

from Fitness Magazine

STUFFED PORTABELLOS

Clean 2-3 large portabella mushrooms, scrape out inside gills. Marinate in EVOO, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, mix ½ cup bread crumbs, fresh basil, a little garlic, and grated parmesan cheese.
Remove mushrooms from marinade. Roast at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven. Place one thick slice of fresh mozzarella cheese on each mushroom, top with ¼ cup of bread crumb mixture. Roast in oven until cheese is melted and bubbly.