Menu Planning

I thought, with the new year, and slow-down of the schedule, as well as our recommitment to menu-planning healthy, vegetable laden meals, I would start by sharing our weekly or monthly menu plans with you.  This week, I'll be using up the bags of onions and green beans I bought at Costco, as well as the butternut squash.  I like to menu plan 4/5 meals for the week, because usually something comes up.  If we don't have a plan for the fifth meal, I'll make either veggie burgers with sweet potato fries, or pasta (this time with veggie crumbles meat sauce).  I'm also using recipes that I found in the January issue of Self magazine.  Usually I don't make most of these, but we're really trying to eat better and the recipes in this issue seemed to be better than usual, and a bit more veg-friendly.

So this week, we'll be eating (from www.self.com):
Quinoa and Pepper Sauté
Sauté 1 cup chopped red bell peppers, 1/2 cup chopped red onion and 1/4 tsp smoked paprika in 1 tsp olive oil until vegetables are soft, 5 minutes. Add 2 cups spinach; sauté until spinach wilts. Serve vegetable mixture over 1 cup cooked quinoa. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp grated Parmesan, 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley.


Indian Shrimp and Squash
Place 2 cups cubed butternut squash on a baking tray; drizzle with 2 tsp olive oil. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp turmeric, black pepper, a pinch of cayenne pepper (optional); bake at 425° for 15 minutes. Add 4 oz frozen, raw shrimp to baking tray; drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil; sprinkle with 1/4 tsp ground cumin; bake until shrimp are cooked through and squash is tender, 10 minutes. Serve with 1 cup green beans sautéed in 1 tsp olive oil. Drizzle meal with lemon juice.


We will also be eating:  
Black bean and goat cheese burritos
Some kind of Butternut Squash Curry Soup or Butternut Squash Apple Soup

Shrimp and Pineapple Skewers With Garlic and Cilantro Drizzle

I found this recipe in my Fitness Magazine and got so excited I almost fell off the elliptical.
Ingredients:

• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
• 1/2 pineapple, peeled, halved, cored and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 24 pieces)
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and ribs removed, cut into 1-inch squares (about 24 pcs)
• 6 tbs extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 1 1/2 tbs fresh lime juice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 tbs minced fresh cilantro
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Equipment:

• Grill (medium-hot fire)
  
• 8 skewers - if wood, soak in water for 15 minutes, then drain
• small bowl
• Baking sheet
  

Procedure:

1. Thread shrimp, pepper, and pineapple onto skewers. Lay on baking sheet.
   
2. Brush with olive oil (I'm going to try using spray).
   
3. Combine olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, salt, sugar, and pepper, set aside.
   
4. Grill kebabs (the recipe suggests creating a foil strip and putting the skewers with the exposed end over the foil strip, to prevent them from lighting on fire), approx. 3 min on each side