Spicy Thai Shrimp Salad

 

I fell in love with Thai and Vietnamese food a few years ago while visiting San Francisco. Whenever I stumble across a recipe that reminds me of the culinary adventure I experienced on vacation, I am eager to add the recipes to our weekly menu. 

Once I opened up the recipe, I was slightly intimidated...there are a lot of ingredients but if you break it into the dressing, shrimp, and salad categories, it becomes much less daunting. 

Chicken Fajita Pasta

With a softball tournament tomorrow, Kenxie requested pasta to give her some extra energy. I found this Chicken Fajita Pasta and thought it sounded pretty tasty. I was right...it had great flavor!

I did alter the recipe a bit based on what I had on hand at home. I love recipes with wiggle room where you can adjust them to meet your needs. 

PB Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

I've been craving peanut butter lately and these cookies sounded like they would really hit the spot. We all really liked the flavor. They weren't too sweet so they made for a tasty breakfast. 

For me, they would be a good breakfast or even a snack. It's easy to grab a couple and head on your way. My children, however, needed a large handful of cookies to satisfy them in the morning so if you typically eat a bigger breakfast, these may not be filling enough for you. 

Ancho Chile Beef Tacos

I still haven't found a taco I didn't like! This Ancho Chili Beef Taco did not disappoint. The kids thought it was a little on the spicy side but still really good flavor. 

To make these tacos a little more hearty, I added some diced zucchini and a can of diced tomatoes to the beef mixture (actually venison for me). We topped the filling with a little shredded lettuce and some plain greek yogurt to help with the spice. The kids also added some shredded cheese on top. 

Black Bean & Corn Salad

 

I do love a good salad! This Black Bean & Corn Salad was easy to throw together and I really liked the flavor of the homemade dressing. 

While I liked it, it wasn't my favorite salad. I could see myself making it again in the future when I meal prep lunches for myself for the week. The kids thought it was good but didn't like it enough to request to have it again. 

Italian Zucchini Topped Baked Potato

 

In our house, we all love a good baked potato! As a way to mix it up a bit, we tried this Italian Zucchini Topped Baked Potato. It was quite tasty!

This will be a recipe I continue to return to throughout the summer. It's easy to make, very filling, and a great way to use some of the zucchini in our garden. 

Cabbage Roll Chicken Enchiladas

 

I've made zucchini enchiladas in the past so when I found this cabbage enchilada recipe, I was intrigued. I do like cabbage so was eager to give this recipe a try. My kids are not big fans of cabbage and do not tend to eat it plain or cooked but with this recipe, they didn't seem to mind it at all. 

The enchiladas were very filling. If I were to make this recipe again, I would consider halving it as we did have quite a few leftovers.

Crispy Fish Taco Bowl

 

We haven't had fish in a while so when I saw this recipe, I was immediately drawn to it. I usually season fish but avoid adding any additional fats or oils but for this recipe, I did use a small amount of mayo to help the panko breadcrumbs adhere to the fillets. It turned out great and was a crunchy treat to add to our taco bowls. 

When I first made the sauce, I was a little nervous that it would be too spicy for the kids (I halved the adobo sauce called for in the recipe). If eaten alone, I think it may be however, when mixed with all of the ingredients in the bowl, it provided the perfect amount of added heat and flavor. 

Chicken Shawarma

 

This might be one of my favorite meals! The seasoning on this chicken is soooo delicious. We all practically inhale the chicken as soon as it comes off the grill. The addition of the greek yogurt sauce and veggies in a pita, make this a perfect, balanced meal. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

This recipe calls for 2lbs of chicken thighs. You could halve it if you'd like but I promise you will have no trouble eating any leftover chicken. It really is that good!

BBQ Chicken Tacos with Cabbage Slaw

 

I was excited to try this recipe as it has two things I love...tacos and BBQ. Turns out, it was the perfect match and these tacos were delicious. An seriously, they were made in about 10 minutes!

We don't need it to be Tuesday to have tacos in our house! There are times where we will have different types of tacos multiple days in one week. I am an equal opportunity taco eater. These BBQ tacos have definitely secured a place on our keep list of taco recipes. 

Turkey Skillet with Veggies

 

It's not very often I cook with ground turkey. I've made plenty of recipes that call for ground turkey, but I typically sub it out for ground venison instead. For this recipe, I actually used ground turkey...and it was delicious!

I LOVE all of the veggies in this skillet. This recipe called for smaller portions of the veggies but I decided to add a bit more. Rather than using part of the can of black beans, I used the entire can. You can never go wrong with adding a few extra veggies 😁

Korean Beef Bibimbap

This recipe was shared with me by one of my third grade students...thanks Ryan! He LOVES this recipe and knows how much I love to cook so he sent this recipe my way to give it a try.

I've made Korean Beef Bowls in the past that we really liked but this Bibimbap recipe was different because it added in a TON more veggies than the other recipes. I LOVE veggies so this recipe was perfect for me. 

Sweet Potato Stuffed Portobello Mushroom

 I am a big fan of mushrooms and have yet to find a stuffed portobello mushroom I don't like. I wasn't sure how this one would go over with the kids since Lexie is not a fan of sweet potatoes BUT...she ate it without any complaints, had seconds, and told me that she liked it so much that she thought it was squash. Win for Mom!

I have to agree, this was a tasty combination! The sweet potato paired with the apple, pepper, and walnuts was a winning combination. The addition of the poultry seasoning is a must too! I loved it on top of the portobello mushroom but could also eat the stuffing plain 😋

Tomato and Black Bean Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

I LOVE mushrooms! We’ve tried a number of different stuffed portobello mushroom recipes, all of which I’ve loved! When I saw this recipe, I thought it may be a good one to add to our selection. 

The flavor was wonderful! I was a little nervous when I finished making the stuffing because I thought I was a bit too seasoned BUT when it was paired with the portobello mushroom, it was the perfect balance. So yummy! The added asparagus was a nice touch as well :)

Chickpea and Cucumber Salad

This Chickpea and Cucumber Salad was a tasty treat. It was full of flavor and crunch. The added sunflower seeds were a nice addition. 

I’m usually not one to add dressing to an entire bowl of salad. I tend to keep the dressing on the side and add a little as needed. For this salad, I took the plunge and added the dressing. Good decision 🙂 It was delicious! If you find it has too much dressing for your taste, just add in a little more cabbage. 

Beef Pad Thai

I’m not an expert on Thai food but I really liked this Beef Pad Thai! The flavor was amazing and it was a nice light pasta dish.

My kids all inhaled this dish as well. It wasn’t a dish that they reached for when they had their choice of leftovers but they had no complaints eating it the night I made it. I was ok with that since the leftovers all came my way!

Mushroom and Spinach Pasta

I wasn’t so sure how the kids would like this Mushroom and Spinach Pasta but I was pleasantly surprised when they devoured the entire skillet. They typically are not huge fans of balsamic vinegar but apparently they didn’t mind it in this recipe.

Homemade Ranch Dressing

I had some leftover rolls to use and decided to toast them with some leftover chicken and cheese. To add a little twist, I added some ranch dressing to the sandwiches. Since I didn’t have any ranch on hand, I made this Homemade Ranch Dressing.

I add all of the ingredients into a large measuring cup. Once everything is added, I whisk them together with a mini whisk. Once it’s ready, it’s easy to pour out of the measuring cup. Any leftovers go right into a mason jar to keep in the fridge.

BBQ Chicken Tacos

BBQ and tacos are two words that I wouldn’t necessarily think went together but after making these BBQ Chicken Tacos, I know that they BELONG together! These tacos were amazing!

I couldn’t get enough of these…they were that good! Instead of having a third taco 😬, I added some lettuce to a bowl and topped it with the chicken, veggie, and cream. It was a delicious BBQ chicken salad. A little bit healthier without the added tortilla but still all the same flavors.

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

I had some extra quinoa from earlier in the week so I decided to make this Mediterranean Chickpea Salad to use it up. Great decision…it was a delicious salad that the whole family enjoyed.

The sauce was easy to throw together using my Cuisinart Mini Prep Plus. Gather all the ingredients and throw them in together. A few minutes later, tadah! Beautifully blended sauce with very little clean up. So handy and perfect for smaller jobs when a full sized food processor isn’t needed.