Thanksgiving Inspiration

It is incredibly hard to be away from my family on Thanksgiving day.  There are so many memories tied to the food, places we stayed, the extended family we had gathered with us, while being all bundled up and sipping cider...the best memories.  This will be the third year in a row we haven't made it back to Oregon this time of year, but we have started a great tradition with my cousin who luckily lives nearby.

Instead of a weekly menu, I wanted to share some recipes that I have either tried personally, or have been on my list of things I want to try soon.  I'm embarrassed to admit I have never cooked (and might not ever cook) a turkey myself, so I have no recommendations in that department.  And if you are looking for a killer pumpkin pie recipe this isn't for you either (makes me gag), but if you are looking for some good sides, yummy rolls, or a delicious dessert for your Thanksgiving meal - you are in the right place!

Sides:

Sautéed Carrots - simple, but so tasty

Sweet Potato Casserole - I make this every year. Not too heavy, and a hint of citrus.

Green Bean Casserole - A variation that includes delicious mushrooms, if you are into that kind of thing ;)

Apple Cranberry Pecan Spinach Salad with Maple Cider Vinaigrette - whoa. The perfect Thanksgiving salad.

Crispy Fan Potatoes - Ryan's grandma introduced these to us a few years ago, and we can't go back!

Breads:

Rosemary Dinner Rolls - Simple, but flavorful.

Parmesan Garlic Rosemary Knots - I know for a fact these are to die for.

Sea Salt Herb Skillet Rolls - I want to give these a try this year

Parker House Rolls - Just can't go wrong with the classics!

Desserts:

Perfect Pumpkin Roll - A classic. Don't be scared, just because it looks pretty doesn't mean it is hard to make!

Pumpkin Crunch Dump Cake - I have never made this, but it sounds so simple, and so good!

Pecan Pie Bars - There's something about a piece of pecan pie after a hearty Thanksgiving meal...always hits the spot. And this is a fun variation.

Apple Crisp Mini Cheesecakes - Although I am not a cheesecake fan, I have heard these are incredible!

Cinnamon Sugared Pecans - I threw these in there because they would make such a great "thank you for being a friend" treat. I would love to make these this week!

Weekly Menu - November 13th

How is it nearing the end of November? Usually by this time I have ideas of what to get friends and family for Christmas, and have a pretty lengthy list myself ;) But I have been distracted by so many good things, including finding yummy food for the weekly menu.  I have some exciting additions coming to the menu starting next week, but for this week I am sure you will enjoy at least on of these! Easy, healthy, and incredibly delicious.

Thai Baked Sweet Potatoes - I already have an obsession with sweet potatoes, but this meal has a fun twist! It is incredibly easy too so that is a big bonus.

Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup - Fall to me means soup - and this website is incredible. Some savvy friends showed me "Budget Bites" and how to cheaply prepare delicious meals. Highly recommend.

Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef Tacos (Chipotle Copycat) - Need I say more? 

Garlic Lovers Salmon - A classic, delicious, easy salmon recipe that is great on a grill or in the oven.

Zucchini Herbed Ricotta Flatbread - This has an easy pizza dough recipe that you can make ahead of time - life saver!

If you try one, tag your picture using #laurensweeklymenu - we'd love to see your final product! 

Weekly Menu - November 6th

This fall is flying by too quickly! I can't wait for Christmas to come, but I also want to savor all the feelings that fall brings. Cold(er) weather, pumpkin everything, the anticipation of Thanksgiving and Christmas...

This week's menu might be the favorite so far. All are easy, all are healthy, and all sound SO good to me:

Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos - You can eat this as a chip dip, a lettuce wrap, or wrapped in a warm tortilla. We change it up every time!

Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken - SO easy. Eat as is, with rice, in a taco, it is really versatile. And did I mention easy??

Veggie Pad Thai with Peanuts and Basil - This is a great at-home thai food recipe. Who doesn't love a good pad thai? And it's really easy to add a meat of your choice if you would rather not have it be just veggies.

Pea Pesto Pasta with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Arugula - I almost always have the pesto from costco on hand, so this makes for a quick meal!

Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili - Because it is November, everyone should have this at least once this fall :)

This has made my life so much easier! I know meal planning can be a pain, but once you get into the habit it makes grocery runs so much easier - not to mention it usually helps lower the grocery bill.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies with Orange Glaze

Who knew orange and pumpkin would be such a winning pair! If you want to know what fall truly tastes like, you should make these cookies ;) 

Ingredients:

1⁄2 Cup Granulated Sugar

1⁄2 Cup Brown Sugar

1⁄2 Cup Shortening (or butter)

1 Cup Canned Pumpkin

2 Tablespoons Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate, undiluted

2 Cups White Flour

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1⁄4 Teaspoon Salt

1⁄4 Teaspoon Nutmeg

1⁄4 Teaspoon Ginger

1 Cup Chocolate Chips

Frosting:

3 Cups Powdered Sugar

1/3 Cup Butter

1 1⁄2 Teaspoon Vanilla

2 Tablespoons Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate, undiluted

1 Tablespoon Grated Orange Peel (optional)

3 Tablespoons Milk

1 Dash Salt

Cream together sugars and butter/shortening. Add in the pumpkin and orange juice concentrate. Mix well. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and ginger. Mix well. Add chocolate chips.

Drop by heaping tablespoons onto cookies sheet, do not grease. Bake for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Frost with orange butter frosting when slightly warm for glaze or cool and frost. 

(Double recipe to use a whole can of 15 oz. pumpkin and a whole bag of 12oz. chocolate chips. Frosting will almost frost a double recipe of cookies.)

*Notes*

I added a little extra flour to make the cookies less flat. About 1/2-1 cup more. 

Also, I am not sure if it was my oven, but when I baked at 350 degrees for 10 minutes they were still very gooey. So I turned up the oven to 375 and baked them for 12-3 minutes. Give the first batch a try and see if you need to tweak anything!

Thank you Nistler family for the best cookie recipe in the world!!

Weekly Menu - October 30th

On my fridge, I have a list of about 15 meals that are my all time favorites. And for months, we would rotate through the same ol' thang. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE every one of those meals, but I didn't really have a reason to start searching for new recipes. This weekly menu blog has been the push I needed to get out of my comfort zone and try new things! I hope in some small way, it has been helpful to you as well.

There are a couple recipes this week that I can't wait to try, and some that are staples around here (creamy salsa chicken...it is to die for). I challenge you to choose one this week, plan ahead, and try something new!

Balsamic Chicken and Veggies - a one pan meal. Easy as pie.

Roasted Buddha Bowl - I am dying to try this one. Roasted veggies, grains and a yummy dressing? Perfection!

Coconut Curry Tacos - Another that I am excited for. Curry soups are my jam, but curry tacos caught my attention...

Slow Cooker Creamy Salsa Chicken - My friend Seri gave me this recipe about a year ago. I have made it a zillion times since, and it is delicious every time. We tried it with pork today and let me tell you, it was heaven. With some rice and a warm tortilla??? mmmm)

Flatbread Pizza with Spinach, Onions, and Feta - Another favorite. Except fun fact, I hate feta cheese. So I always substitute with gouda or mozzarella.

Pumpkin Bars & Cookies

I have made two different pumpkin goodies this past week, and both are DELICIOUS.  Several people have asked for both recipes, so I thought I would put them in a post together!  I will have more pumpkin items coming, but for now make sure to check out the pumpkin bars recipe here and the pumpkin cookies recipe here.

Enjoy!

Cashew n' Oat Granola

This really is the easiest granola recipe - I know it by heart.  I timed it today to make sure I wasn't exaggerating, and it literally takes five minutes to put together.  If you love coconut, and if you love cashews, then you will LOVE this.

Ingredients:

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup cashews
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil
3/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In large bowl, mix together oats, cashews, almonds, coconut and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine the syrup, oil and salt. Top the dry ingredients with the syrup mixture and stir until evenly coated.

Pour onto 1 large, or 2 medium sheet pans, and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes (stirring halfway through).

When finished, immediately pull out pans and take a spatula to stir around the granola so it won't stick to the pan as it cools - let cool for 5-10 minutes.  Break up into chunks and keep in an air-tight container or zip-locked back.

Adapted from this recipe.

Weekly Menu - October 23rd

I entered the weekend just finishing a clean eating group, and I think I made up for it in one day.  All four sisters and my mom are spending the weekend together in Houston and are living it up!  But last night, after way too much sushi, we drove over to The Cheesecake Factory for the sole purpose of purchasing six different desserts to take home and try.  It has been so fun don't get me wrong, but I'll be ready to rein it in when we get back to normal life this week.

For this week's menu, I have a variety of some favorite dinners. A new slow cooker, a quick pasta, easy salad...I love them all! Pick one, try a couple!  It's so easy to scroll through and jot down the ingredients for the next grocery run.  I try to choose recipes that aren't very time consuming, or that include a million different ingredients.  

Orzo Veggie and Basil Salad

Sesame Chicken Noodle Stir-Fry

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Gyros

Garlic Herb Chicken Salad

Cashew Chicken Quinoa Bake

If you try one you like, don't forget to share using #laurensweeklymenu!  We love seeing what people are loving.

Salmon Tacos with Cilantro-Lime Slaw

These Salmon Tacos are from the menu this week, and are DELICIOUS.  There are classic winning combos out in the world (chocolate/PB, tacos/soda), and cilantro-lime is one of them.

I wanted to share one of my favorite finds that has to do with this meal.  Costco carries Salmon burgers, and they are a cinch to bake when you need to make dinner in a hurry.  I threw a couple on a pan, and baked them for 9 minutes each side, then shredded up for the tacos.  That being said, they weren't as flavorful as you would get using the recipe, but definitely a time saver.

Also, we missed out on the Aioli sauce.  We sadly didn't have any sriracha sauce, so we had to forego that yummy addition.  Next time!! And lately, we have been using warm naan bread as our taco shells, and we are going to have a hard time going back to the original "regular" taco shells.

Even with those changes, this meal has definitely risen to the top of our favorites list.  You can find the recipe here.

WEEKLY MENU - October 17th

After 48 hours of laying in bed, drinking soda and nibbling on crackers, I am finally able to think about food.  I am loving the menu this week. The Carrot Ginger Soup is out of this world, I already declared my love for the Salmon tacos, and the rest are just as yummy.  Quick and easy is the theme this week!

Carrot Ginger Soup

Salmon Tacos with Cilantro-Lime Slaw

Honey Garlic Chicken

Peanut Chicken Salad

Orange Beef and Veggie Stir-fry

I would love your feedback, in the comments below or on Instagram!  If you do post, don't forget to take a picture and use #laurensweeklymenu to let us know what you tried and loved :)

Korean Beef

I am not the biggest red meat eater.  But boy, do I love this meal.

On days I actually think ahead and let some meat thaw, this is by far one of the quickest, tastiest meals in the bunch.  We serve in lettuce wraps with a little rice (brown or rice, or a quinoa mix!), and top with cucumbers.  The recipe doesn't call for that, but we think it adds something a little extra.

Sometimes when I am lazy I leave out the sesame oil, and it still tastes divine.  Definitely add this one to the rotation!

You can find it here

Week 5 - October 10th

I am so excited about this blog idea! This will hopefully make everyone's life a lot easier. Whenever I post the recipes on Facebook, I never know if it will be seen by the people who actually care to use it, so it's nice to have it in one spot. Nice and organized.

All of my recipes have either been previously tried by me, or are ones that I will try in the future. I choose healthy meals, but meals that don't take forever because...aint nobody got time for that. So the recipes I find are doable, fairly quick, and don't involve a million weird ingredients that you never have on hand. Again, I want this to be simple for everyone!

 1. Copycat PF Changs Chicken Lettuce Wraps - Bakerette

 2. Baked Honey BBQ Chicken Fingers - Sallys Baking Addiction

 3. Thai Chicken Crunch Wraps - Mels Kitchen Cafe

 4. Stuffed Bell Peppers - Foodie Crush

5. Easy Baked Lemon Garlic Tilapia - Allrecipes

Happy cooking! And make sure to tag your pictures on instagram using #laurensweeklymenu so we can see what people are loving!

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Ohhhhhh my goodness. I had a feeling this soup would be good. But I underestimated just HOW good. If you want a meal with very little mess, cleanup or effort - add this to your menu (from Week 4).

 It was the perfect blend of creamy and spicy. The butternut squash flavor didn't overpower anything, and the kick was perfect. This is my new favorite soup. With some dipped naan, there's not much better.

 My sweet neighbors brought over the yummy side we paired it with above. It is called "Dahi Puri", a classic indian dish. She is from Gujarat, India, and has lived in the United States since she finished school and married her husband. It has been such a joy to be her neighbor, and I have been lucky enough to learn how to make several of her classic Indian dishes and desserts. Someday when my kids are older, I want to have an "international night" every week, and feature a new kind of meal from around the world. There will be no picky eaters in my home! {wishful thinking}

Costco Favorites

I have had people ask what my staples are at Costco - so I decided to pull out everything in my pantry that I always have on hand. This doesn't include the fresh or frozen items I love to buy, but these items are crucial for easy healthy meals and snacks!
•
Coconut oil
Extra virgin Olive oil
Organic maple syrup
Small bags of assorted nuts
Quinoa
Rice/quinoa blend
Lentil trio
Canned chicken/tuna
Pistachios
Chicken stock base
Protein pancakes
Chia Seeds

Meditterranean Chicken Tacos

Had the Mediterranean Chicken Tacos from this weeks #laurensweeklymenu and they were INCREDIBLE. Made it in less than 30 minutes from beginning to end 🙌🏼

Week 4 - October 3rd

After general conference weekend, my heart was filled with so many wonderful messages. I also filled my body with tons of treats 😆.
•
I am so ready to kickoff a new week with a new healthy menu, full of new dinner ideas. There is a fall classic, and some personal favorites.
•
- Mediterranean Chicken Tacos - The Almond Eater
http://thealmondeater.com/2016/08/mediterranean-chicken-tacos/
- Curried Butternut Squash Soup - Minimalist Baker
http://minimalistbaker.com/curried-butternut-squash-soup/
- Orange Chicken Casserole - Fit Foodie Finds
http://fitfoodiefinds.com/2016/09/skinny-orange-chicken-casserole/
- Slow Cooker Tomatillo Pork - Mels Kitchen Cafe
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/slow-cooker-tomatillo-pork/
- Thai Chicken Salad - The Roasted Root
http://www.theroastedroot.net/thai-chicken-chopped-kale-salad/
•
Don't forget to tag #laurensweeklymenu on instagram with any of the dinners you try! I can't believe it's October, this fall is already flying by 🍂

Week 3 - September 26th

I am really loving this #laurensweeklymenu thing. I have stumbled upon the most amazing recipes and blogs, and am so excited week after week to post yummy things!
•
1. Coconut Curry Soup - Mels Kitchen Cafe
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/coconut-curry-soup/

2. Slow Cooker Flank Steak Fajitas - 100 Days of Real Food
http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/12/19/recipe-slow-cooker-flank-steak-fajitas/

3. Zippy Orzo Salad - Pinch of Yum
http://pinchofyum.com/zippy-orzo-summer-salad

4. Fire Roasted Tomato and Feta Pasta - A Couple Cooks
http://www.acouplecooks.com/fire-roasted-tomato-and-feta-pasta/

5. Spinach Ranch Pizza - Naturally Ellahttp://naturallyella.com/spinach-ranch-pizza/
•
What do you think you'll try this week? Trust me, you can't go wrong 😉.
•
(Don't forget to take a picture and share on instagram using #laurensweeklymenu !)

Curried Lentil Soup

One of the meals from this weeks#laurensweeklymenu - and it's a keeper! Surprisingly filling, and extremely tasty. Top it off with a little dipped naan bread and 👌🏼 (Monday's Recipe).

Week 2 - Sept 19th

And just like that, Sunday is almost over. Are you ready for another week?
•
Last week was rough, with kids trading off being sick and late nights for Ryan. I'm excited to reconnect with friends and get out of the house!!
•
As promised, here is another DELICIOUS weekly menu for #laurensweeklymenu. Pick a couple, jot down the ingredients, and add them to your weekly grocery list 🙌🏼 these ones are gooooood.
•
1. Spiced Lentil Soup - Oh She Glowshttp://ohsheglows.com/2016/04/03/glowing-spiced-lentil-soup/
2. Korean Beef - Mels Kitchen Cafe http://www.melskitchencafe.com/korean-beef/
3. Chicken Salad - Our Best Biteshttp://ourbestbites.com/2014/01/skinny-chicken-salad/
4. Crispy Chicken Carnitas - Gimme Some Ovenhttp://www.gimmesomeoven.com/slow-cooker-crispy-chicken-carnitas/
5. Tortellini with Pesto and Roasted Veggies - Cooking Classy http://www.cookingclassy.com/2016/04/tortellini-with-pesto-roasted-veggies/
•
Happy eating! Don't forget to take a picture of the one (or two...or three...) you try, and tag so we can see how you liked it!

Yumm Cups

YUMM Cups - they live up to the name. One of the delicious dinners from #laurensweeklymenu ! Did you try any? Don't forget to post and tag! (Quick tip - if you don't have time for the YUMM sauce, top with some salsa or cilantro lime dressing 😋)

Week 1 - September 12th

I'm excited about this.

Who HATES to meal plan? It's getting harder and harder to find the extra time to search out yummy, healthy meals.

So I've decided to make a post every Sunday evening that includes 5 healthy dinners for the week, to hopefully help inspire you or help in some small way.

Sometimes it will reflect a specific meal regimen or program I'm following, other times it will just be a delicious recipe suggestion.

I hope you are as excited about this as I am! I'll be using the hashtag #laurensweeklymenu so we can all reference these, add to, make suggestions etc. If you make one of them, please post so we can all see how you liked it!

It's going to be so fun!!! Here is weekly menu numero uno:

Mon: YUMM CUPS
http://www.copymethat.com/r/50HjDfW/the-original-yumm-bowl-recipe-from-cafe-/

Tues: ANGEL HAIR WITH ZUCCHINI AND TOMATOES
http://www.skinnytaste.com/angel-hair-with-zucchini-and-tomatoes-5/

****staple***Wed: CASHEW CHICKEN WRAPS
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/cashew-chicken-lettuce-wraps/

THURS: MAPLE DIJON SALMON
http://www.parsleyandpepper.com/maple-dijon-salmon/

FRI: HONEY LEMON CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI BOWLS
http://damndelicious.net/2016/06/14/honey-lemon-chicken-broccoli-bowls/