What's For Dinner? Week 2

Veggie bag from November 1st:

Contents: leeks, bok choy, Brussels sprouts (barely visible - the stalk in back middle), kale, green beans, lettuce, broccoli, potatoes, tomatoes and green pepper.

{Menu for Week of November 5-11}

The first thing I made from this bag was Bok Choy Fajitas as a weekend lunch.

Sunday we had dinner at my parents house for my dad's birthday.

On Monday evening, it was Craig's turn to take Will to karate and Sophie and I stayed back and set the table for a spaghetti and meatball feast with salads and bread and butter. She helped a lot in the kitchen this night.

On Tuesday, I had prepped BBQ Sausage with Potatoes & Greens for dinner.

Here's a better picture of fresh Brussels sprouts on their stalk. Have you ever seen this before? The first time I saw them fresh was at the farmer's market a year or so ago, but I've never prepared them in all my life. The last time I'd eaten them was as a child and they didn't leave a good impression. But I've come to realize I do really like cabbage and I've wanted to give these another try for awhile now.

And, sure enough, I LOVED them!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pecans:

Recipe:

1# fresh Brussels sprouts
1/8-1/4 cup chopped pecans (I might have used even more than this - I love nuts in everything)
2-3 tsp olive oil + a little bit more to brush the roasting pan

1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

2 tsp butter (optional - but yummy)

Preheat oven to 350. Brush roasting pan with a small amount of oil. Trim end of Brussels sprouts, wash and cut into quarters. Don't worry if some leaves fall off, because the loose ones will get a bit more crispy when they roast and add a lot of flavor.

Put quartered Brussels sprouts and chopped pecans into a bowl and toss with olive oil, s&p. Arrange on roasting pan in as much of a single layer as possible. Roast for 30-35 minutes, or until the sprouts are tender and starting to brown on the edges. May stir several times to brown different edges.

Remove from oven and drizzle with butter. Serve. Mmmm!

Hoping for one last stalk of them in our very last bag coming up so that I can try this recipe.

Also on the same evening, I baked an acorn squash and served it with a little butter and brown sugar in the center. Heavenly!!!

Craig grilled some marinated chicken breasts and this was dinner. I gave Craig and the kids some fruit and green beans as an option on the table too, 'cause I knew they wouldn't be thrilled about these veggies. But Soph ate the squash with me and I thoroughly enjoyed this meal!

The rest of the week was leftovers.

One funny food moment this week...

I was taking a phone call in the dining room and realized that the kids were no where in sight and unusually quiet. I found them in the pantry/"breakfast nook" with a whole apple each in hand and going to town. I let them eat as much as they could, which wasn't the whole thing, and then they had little room left for dinner. Ah, well. It was cute.

Happy eating, friends!