Strawberry Lemon Yogurt Cake – That is what I called “seriously delicious”.

I’ve got some seriously delicious weekly dinner recipes for you this week!

It’s a yummy Sunday evening! We’ve just finished eating our dinner and it feels so good watching my healthy eaters enjoying their meals.  So, what’s your Sunday dinner? I bet it’s packed with delicious recipes!

Okay, I can’t wait to share with you my list tonight and I’m so thrilled at this moment because all of the recipes are certified yum- o!   You can personalize the recipes if you want and adjust seasonings for taste. Feel free to improvise by substituting any ingredient you don’t like and replace it with something you like better.

To round out the day, and to get the day started right,  add a delightful breakfast meal recipe .

Bon Appetit!

Monday:

Barley Risotto

Herbed Ricotta and Tomato Crostini

Classic Creme Brulee

Tuesday:

Asparagus with Balsamic Tomatoes

Roast Chicken with Caramelized Shallots

Strawberry Lemon Yogurt Cake

Wednesday:

Roasted Shrimp with Feta

Cumin Seed Roasted Cauliflower with Salted Yogurt, Mint, and Pomegranate Seeds

Thursday:

Cheesy Beef Noodles

Gingered Lemon Berry Tart

Friday:

Vegan Enchiladas

Smokey Chipotle Hummus Dip

Family eating together, Angel Table—OakleyOriginals (Flickr.com)

Eating together as a family, starting with breakfast, has benefits for everyone. It helps support the social development of children when they eat together, especially on those days when everyone wakes up cross-eyed… For children, parents are primary role models, so whatever attitude parents demonstrate during breakfast can influence the behavior of the kids for that day and beyond.

Our meal of the day today is blueberry pancakes. Blueberry pancakes are everyone’s favorite,  no doubt. Your breakfast dilemma is solved with just a couple of pancakes slathered in buttermilk syrup. But we are going to make a little twist by baking our pancakes into a yummy meal that I know everyone in the family would love to eat. You can even spend some time talking with your kids about their social and/or personal life while enjoying their food. In fact, family meals reduce the risk of unwanted influences from the peers. If eating together becomes a family habit, the interpersonal relationships within the family circle will greatly improve.

So, without further adieu, here’s the video for making a tasty blueberry pancakes.

Ingredients:

1-2 cups of all-purpose flour

2 medium size eggs

3 tablespoons of melted butter

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

Fresh Blueberries, thawed or frozen

Get the the of full information of Blueberry pancakes.

Breakfast tortilla, Mmm breakfast quesadilla with eggs and chorizo—jeffreyw (Flickr.com)

We’re starting a new breakfast post feature on the Family Meal Planning site!  Today we are going to feature a real quick video on how to make a breakfast tortilla.  This simple and easy recipe could really save you a lot with  budgeting groceries as it can be made with just a few ingredients.    Feel free to make substitutions with whatever you have in the fridge.  This recipe uses sausages, onions, potatoes, mushrooms, eggs, bacon and spices on the table and you’re set!    When you serve this hot from oven,  kids will surely be drooling over this mouth-watering recipe.

Are you ready? Here’s the  video from Sorted.

Click here for full information of Breakfast Tortilla

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

This week’s delectable menu features a variety of sandwiches, salads, risotto and vegetables.  There’s sure to be something for everyone in the family.

By the way, we’ve got a new dessert gaining popularity in our house.  You know how they say necessity is the mother of invention?  Well, when I wouldn’t bake cookies for my kids, they decided to see what happens when you microwave cookie dough.  It turns out if you put a small teaspoon of cookie dough in the microwave for 25 seconds, you get a perfectly crunchy little cookie after it cools!

Enjoy your week!

Monday:

Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Spinach-Berry Salad

Tuesday:

Sweet Potato, Black-Eyed Pea and Broccoli Bowl 

Chicken and Mushroom Risotto

Pineapple Sorbet

Wednesday:

Grilled Chicken Sandwich

Sweet and Smoky Roasted Cauliflower

Thursday:

Bacon, Roasted Tomato, and Provolone Panini

Roasted fennel and Kabocha Vegetable Salad

Friday:

Honey-Apple Chicken Salad

Nutter Butter Brownies

Blueberry Cheesecake for Mother's day —upto6only.com (Flickr.com)

Mother’s day is coming! I’m so excited to spend my special day with my husband and kids. This week is so busy but I’ve managed to organize 5 meals for the whole family. And you can use the list too! Having a list of meals prepared for the following week is a great way to save time and money.  My scheduled assignment every Sunday is menu planning and I love how relaxed it makes me feel all week knowing I have dinner covered!  This week I am doing it a few days in advance so I can enjoy my special day!

Okay, so here’s what we’ve got. You can grab your pen and take down some notes.

Monday:

Potato Salad Recipe

Homemade Instant Pancake Mix and Blueberry Syrup

Overnight Blueberry French Toast

Tuesday:

Irish Flag Stew & Whole Wheat Soda Bread

Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers

Strawberry Panzanella

Wednesday:

Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil

Better Tacos Al Pastor

Lime Meringue Tart

Thursday:

Fusilli Pasta with Walnut and Mint Pesto

Broiled and Blackened Chicken with Crush Peanuts

Grilled Brie, Pear and Prosciutto Sandwich

Friday:

Chicken and Peas with Egg Noodles

Cheesy Beef Corn Spillet

BBQ Chicken and Coleslaw

Family Dinner

It’s Sunday and  Bust-a-Meal e-mailed my suggested meal plan for the week.  I love that!  It already knows my family’s food preferences and restrictions.  I can relax knowing that the meal plan sent over to me today will satisfy all of our eaters.  The dishes are tasty and easy to prepare.  If there is something I don’t like, I can easily go online and alter my plan.  But I usually don’t have to.

I especially appreciate the grocery shopping list.  It makes it so easy for me to be organized and quickly get through the market.   Online, I can even add my own other items to the list and it will print those, too.  I’m so happy with this meal planning service.  It makes my Monday marketing task so much more enjoyable.

Thank you Bust-a-Meal , for making  Sundays so pleasant.  Now, which dish should I make for Sunday dinner?

Ah dinner time, a time of relaxation, reflection, and all together calm… HA! Yea right! Dinner time is usually anything but calm. The kids are either hyper or fighting and after a long day you’re probably plum tuckered out. How is it possible that anyone can survive such madness? The answer: games. No not video games or board games but games that will channel your children’s energy and help you bring your family closer.

I remember the first time that my mom called us to dinner and said let’s play a game. We all just stared at her slacked jawed while I was thinking “Mom are you high?” After much explaining we agreed to try it out. I only have one thing to say about the game: Miracle worker! I felt so much closer to my family that day. Since then we have played a game at dinner every night and have grown so close because of it. Because of the awesome might of this game I will share it with you.

Family Game—KitAy (Flickr.com)

2-Up&1-Down
The rules are simple: Everyone must go around the table and say to good things about their day (ups) and one bad thing (down). This is a great way to have an insight on your children’s  lives and a good way for them to have one on yours.

Variation:
A variation on the above game is instead of ups and downers you give two compliments to another person at the table and one thing about yourself or one that you did that you’re proud of. This game is great for kids who need a boost in their self-esteem.

Well there it is, one of the best secrets to a good family dinner and I have shared it with you. Enjoy and may your dinners be happy, calm, and peaceful.

TTFN
The Son, Elliot Kane

Skillet taco, Tamale Pie—scubadive67 (Flickr.com)

Gone in a flash!  I think we all had 3 servings each of the Taco Skillet Pie.  I can’t believe it was so good.  Maybe I am the only person on earth that had never had this type of dish, but I am now a convert!  I made it in a lasagne pan and doubled the cornbread.   But I think next time I will just leave it in my cast iron skillet.  One less pan to wash and all…   OOH!  I’m hungry for it even now as I type.

Just imagine your dinner sitting in this pan!

Thank you, Bust-a-meal !

I’ve found my next meal for the slow-cooker, Slow-cooked Tangy Barbecue Beef.  And guess what?  There’s a serving of fruit included!  Oh yea, I love when I can get some fruits and veggies in there without too much fuss.

We’re going to a potluck party this weekend.  I’m thinking this will be the perfect dish for a crowd.  Put it out with a basket of rolls, dish up a plate, grab a beer from the cooler and sit by the pool.

I’ll let you know how the dish turns out.

Oh yea, if you want to check out my favorite, versatile slow-cooker, CLICK HERE .  I absolutely love Fagor and their products.

Thank you, Bust-a-Meal!

star-shaped paper (Flickr.com)

One of my favorite dinner time activities is Success Stars.  We go around the table listing 3 successes from our day.  They can be minor or major.  For example, “I got ready for school in time for carpool.”  Or, “I completed a project today.”  Or if someone is shy, maybe they were able to raise their hand in class.  After dinner, we write those success on our personal stars, cut out from construction paper.  We’ve only used large stars to date (8 – 10 inches) that hold about a week’s worth of successes.  But when school starts in September, I think I will change to small ones for daily use.

This activity has been very useful in developing my children’s self-esteem.   It also helps them look for success throughout their day, because they are thinking to themselves “What am I going to write on my star tonight?”  I highly recommend this activity.