Mandy and Jace

Weekly meal plan 1.30.12

Jace — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:00:38 +0000

What I'll Try To Blame The State Of My House On When Mandy Gets Back From Africa

So while Mandy’s off in Africa, I decided I’d try to keep busy. I have almost a week’s worth of new recipe ideas of things I like to eat and things I want to cook, attempting also trying not to get scurvy while she’s gone. I might have gone a little overboard with that whole “keep busy” idea, because the menu is somewhat tricky and I have a list of things to do and a more important list of things not to do (I’m not allowed to set fire to anything except the burners of the stove, for example) around the house while she’s gone.

Tonight: Balsamic Chicken, Rice Provençal, Mimosa Salad. Yes, salad. I’m trying to branch out, and it may end up being something Mandy will get to try on Valentine’s Day.
Tuesday: Filet Mignon, Roasted Baby Potatoes with Chive butter, Pan Roasted Haricot Vert. I may get in trouble for doing this because Mandy loves this dish.
Wednesday: Shrimp Fajitas. I never get to eat sea food because Mandy can’t stand the smell or texture of any of it, so I aim to rectify this deficiency somewhat with this dish.
Thursday: Tea Brined and Roasted Cornish Hen, Mashed Potatoes, Corn. I love everything about roast chicken. Make all of that in a serving for one? Yes, please.
Friday: No idea. Probably Long Johns or something sea-foody.

Africa Here I Come!!!!

Mandy — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:00:55 +0000

By the time you are reading this I will be making my way to Kenya. Scary huh? I think I have everything I could ever need packed. I keep reminding myself that there is no Wal-Mart that I can run to and pick up the things I need.
I’m not going to get all preachy or mushy here, but I would like to ask for your thoughts as prayers as we are traveling and ministering. Pray for our mental health and physical health as well as for the ministry we will be doing. I probably won’t be able to keep in contact very much but I will post as I can. Thank you all in advance for your thoughts and prayers.

Weekly meal plan 1.23.12

Mandy — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:12:27 +0000

Friday is the big day!!!

I head out at 5:00 Friday morning for Africa. As you can imagine it is complete chaos around our house right now. Packing, organizing and shopping! I have a sketchy meal plan but we probably won’t stick with it. Here’s what little I have.

Tonight: Jace is going to throw together a chicken and sausage pasta with a lot of stuff that we have in the pantry and fridge. These are always tasty!
Tuesday: pork chops and rice

That’s all I have. We will more than likely be eating something on the run for the next few nights.

Happy eating!

My Week in Photos

Mandy — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:00:37 +0000

Turkey and Pesto Croissant Sandwiches

Mandy — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:02:21 +0000

These sandwiches were a great hit with us because Jace loves pesto and I enjoy almost any kind of sandwich. One of Jace’s favorite places to eat is Which Wich because he can get his favorite sandwich, a grilled turkey and pesto sandwich. I decided that I couldn’t let his favorite sandwich be from a fast food chain, and I needed to make a better one. I used our roasted turkey recipe (that is amazing by the way), but I just roasted a turkey breast. That was much easier than handling a whole turkey. Believe me, it’s worth your time to roast your own turkey but if you can’t any deli sliced turkey will do. I served this with some awesome buttermilk potato soup and it was a great meal.

Turkey and Pesto Croissant Sandwiches
Several slices of roasted turkey breast
2 cups basil
3 cloves garlic
handful of grated Parmesan cheese
handful of pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
4 large croissants

In a food processor or blender (I prefer the food processor) throw the basil, garlic, handful of Parmesan cheese, handful of pine nuts, salt and pepper into the bowl. Start the food processor or blender and drizzle the olive oil in until it is to the consistency you want. Taste and adjust as you would like. I added a little more basil after I was done, but everyone’s different when it comes to pesto.
Cut your croissant in half and smooth out a layer of pesto over the bread. Add the turkey and throw the sandwiches in the oven for 3-5 minutes just to warm them through.
Put them back together and enjoy!