Fresh Jalapeno Salmon Burgers #EatingA2ZChallenge

Fresh Jalapeno Salmon Burgers recipe | #EatingA2ZChallenge | MealPlanningMagic.com
Fresh jalapenos and salmon burgers are a combination of flavors we discovered last summer. Actually, it was during Hatch chili season that our local grocery store seemed to be all about putting hot peppers into everything! We tried the salmon burgers when they were on sale and we have been hooked ever since. My daughter especially loves to take them in in her lunch to school.

But even when they’re on sale for $3.00 per patty, they can get a little pricey to have too regularly. So this month when the Eating the Alphabet series this month featured the letters I & J, I knew I wanted to use jalapenos. Here in southeast Texas, jalapenos are pretty much a year-round staple!

And even though salmon can seem pricey on it’s own, making my own Jalapeno Salmon Burgers was still cheaper than buying the premade version from the fish counter. I could make four burgers for about $10 total and that’s with salmon at $7.99/pound! Finding salmon on sale would make it an even better deal! I used tomatoes from our garden too!

Jalapenos Are Full of Nutritional Benefits!

You may know that jalapenos contain capsaicin, the compound that gives them a strong spicy pungent character. But that capsaicin has been found to have anti-bacterial, anti-carcinogenic and analgesic properties. They are also a rich source of Vitamin C and other antioxidants like Vitamin A, beta-carotene and Vitamin K. Who knew these little peppers were a powerhouse of health? Combined with fresh  salmon (full of healthy Omega-3s) and tomatoes and onions, it’s easy to make a healthy meal.

These fresh salmon burgers come together quickly and cook up fast. We normally just eat them as is with a side salad but you can also serve them on a whole wheat bun if you want more of a sandwich burger.  I hope you’ll give them a try!

Jalapeno Salmon Burgers

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. fresh salmon (wild-caught will have a more intense flavor)
  • 2 medium jalapenos, diced
  • 1 cup chopped tomato, diced
  • 1 cup finely diced onion
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • ½ cup panko breadcrumb
  • 1 teaspoon all-purpose season salt blend

Instructions

  1. Remove skin from salmon and finely chop. Set aside. Dice tomatoes and drain off liquid. In a large bowl, combine salmon, jalapenos, tomato, onion, cheese, breadcrumbs and season-salt.
  2. Form mixture into four patties.
  3. In non-stick skillet, cook patties one or two at a time over medium high heat approximately 5-6 minutes on each side until cooked through and outside is crispy.
  4. Serve warm on bun or with a side salad, if preferred.
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Just a few simple ingredients is all it takes (I forgot to include panko and season salt in picture)

Just a few simple ingredients is all it takes (I forgot to include panko and season salt in picture)

After removing the skin, chop up the salmon finely.

After removing the skin, chop up the salmon finely.

 

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.

 

Form the mixture into four patties.

Form the mixture into four patties.

 

Pan fry just 5-6 minutes on each side until crispy and cooked through. Easy!

Pan fry just 5-6 minutes on each side until crispy and cooked through. Easy!

Eating the Alphabet Recipe Challenge Details

For all the details about the Eating the Alphabet Recipe Challenge check out my post from earlier this year (or if you are a blogger and want to join in, there is a sign-up form to complete).

Don’t forget to check out the Eating the Alphabet Pinterest board. There you can keep track of all the recipes that are added month-to-month but also find new recipes from last year too. What’s your favorite fruit, vegetable, grain or legume that starts with the letter I or J?

Be sure to check out all the other blogs shown below to discover new recipes and ideas!



Vacation Meal Planning – 10+ Tips For Families On the Go!

Last month I asked on my Facebook page how many people meal plan on vacation and most people said not so much! This post originally appeared in July 2011 but I’m sharing it again for all my new readers. Or maybe it’s a refresher for those of you that have been around awhile. And since vacation travel season is upon us, I hope you find these tips helpful. Happy travels–and eats!

Vacation Meal Planning-10 Tips to Get Started for Families & Groups | MealPlanningMagic.com

My idea of a vacation means a vacation where someone else is doing the cooking! But since money doesn’t grow on trees (at least for us it doesn’t!) and going out to eat is not always an option, having a meal plan ready when we vacation is in order. Whether you’re vacationing with friends or family or just on your own with your immediate family, vacation meal planning doesn’t need to be complicated. Just a few tips will help everything go a bit more smoothly and hopefully help you save some money to spend on the fun things that help make memories. Here, I’m sharing some of the tips I’ve learned along the way with traveling and meal planning.

Single Family Vacation Meal Planning Ideas

If you are traveling by car, consider packing a cooler with snacks and drinks from home. It will not only help you eat healthier but help you save money too! Don’t forget to bring plenty of water. If you’re traveling by plane, pack small snacks that will help you get through the long security lines and to the gate. Sure, there are lots of food vendors selling things but they can be overpriced and may not always have the healthiest choices. We always bring an EMPTY water bottle with us too in our travel backpacks to fill up once we’ve passed security. It’s amazing how thirsty we can get just waiting to board the airplane or once we’re on it and in between beverage service (if your airline still offers that!)

Is your lodging a vacation home, condo or other place that will have an oven or microwave? Think about bringing frozen meals to heat up and serve after a long day of sightseeing or other activity.

Try to find out ahead of time what kitchen equipment is provided and what you might want to bring. If you can’t live without your morning coffee with toast, you’ll want to make sure there’s a coffee maker and toaster—or bring your own! If you’re not staying in a rental home or condo, remember, many hotels now have in-room coffee makers with complimentary coffee and tea and many offer free breakfast too!

Search for local restaurants in the city of your destination and plan for healthy choices. Do you like a particular restaurant in your own hometown? Hop online to see if they have a location in your vacation town. Or do a little online research ahead of time, either by searching the Chamber of Commerce websites or visiting a travel bulletin board to ask for advice. Or best of all, ask friends or family that have visited your destination town and ask for advice. When you do a little planning up front you can find restaurants that are better for you than fast food and that offer local flavor—it will just add to your vacation experience!

Group Vacation Meal Planning Ideas

Have a group meeting up front to determine general food preferences (even if your “meeting” is done via email). There’s no need to go crazy trying to accommodate everyone, but if the majority of the group doesn’t like something (say beans), then there’s no need basing a whole meal around that.

Assign one meal per family or assign a whole day of cooking. When we get together with my husband’s family for several days over the holidays, we find it’s easier for one family to take one whole day of cooking…that means breakfast, lunch and dinner plus clean up. It worked out well because we knew we were “on duty” that day and there were no mixed signals about who was responsible for what.

Decide together if you’ll have a “out-to-eat” day where everyone gets a break. We usually like to plan these for the days that we’re gone all day and no one will feel like cooking or cleaning at the end of a full day of fun!

Make a plan for clean up. Be clear from the start that whoever cooks does the cleaning. Or give that job to someone else. But just make sure everyone is on the same page so that there are no bad feelings when dishes aren’t done.

Decide up front if you will share all food expenses or if each family will purchase or bring their own food. It usually makes sense to share some food like condiments, but if you’re really craving your favorite ice cream, consider purchasing that on your own. Or make one family in charge of snacks, the other in charge of fruit, etc. for community sharing.

Give each family a different shelf in the refrigerator or freezer (if that’s easy to do). Label them if you want with a sticky note. Of course, you may want to keep in mind the relationship you have with the other families and decide if this is a good idea or not.

If you vacation at the same place every year, like my family does, get a copy of the store layout for the grocery store you shop at when you arrive. Make a master list of “first shopping trip necessities” and keep it in a place where you can find it each year (maybe type it up on the computer and print it out before you leave each year). This can save you a lot of time, and you’ll be on your way to fun a whole lot faster!

I hope these ideas help you get your vacation started off in the right direction. If you have any other tips or ideas to share, please leave them in the comments. I’d love to hear them!

What’s Happening With Meal Planning Magic: Looking Ahead

to do listI love a good power nap, don’t you? I just woke up from one actually.

My to-do list seems to be a mile long and I have a feeling power naps are going to be my means for survival these next 24 hours as I prepare to attend BlogHerFood in Austin this weekend, my kids’ last day of school and TWO different evening swim team activities yesterday and today. Nevermind the general crazy busy-ness that comes with the end of school activities. Somewhere in there, the laundry has gotten half done but I am going to need some clean clothes to take with me, so I better get that finished up. Add into the mix the fact that I’m going to be President of our PTO next school year and that transition has been keeping me hopping. And can someone tell me how the house gets so messy when we’re hardly even here?  Adding clean house to the list next.

I want to let you all know that I’ve not forgotten about you all, my dear readers. I’ve got half-written blog posts ready for you including one this week about quick & easy dinner ideas for weeks like mine. Only thing, I have been so darn busy I haven’t even had a chance to sit and actually finish WRITING it.  Things like Vacation Meal Planning, or a basic How-To Meal Plan post or tips on How to Go Out To Eat and Still Eat Healthy & Save Money too. I’ve even got a few new recipes to share.  Oh! And I’ll also be sharing with you about the Produce For Kids Get Healthy, Give Hope campaign and the Family Dinner Challenge. Lots of things on my editorial calendar for sure. I promise I’ll get that quick & easy dinner idea post done soon!

Rest assured, I’ll hopefully come home from the conference reenergized and with tons of new ideas for my blog. I’m also hoping I’ll learn a few time management skills in there too.  In the meantime, I’ve still been popping in on Pinterest  (recently reorganized my boards by the way), Facebook & Twitter and probably even Instagram here and there. A girl needs a break after all, right? Although I’m pretty sure those activities certainly don’t help me with my time management. Ah, one step at a time, I say.

I hope you’ll hang in there just a bit longer and hopefully I’ll get back to blogging a little more regularly soon. Thanks so much for all your support….it really is appreciated and I probably don’t say thank you enough!

Until later, happy cooking!

Weekly Meal Plan + 25% Off Cookbooks Find

I’m going to blame the Memorial Day holiday on Monday and just a crazy busy time of year for not getting my weekly meal plan done before today. Thursday. Well, it is what it is and I still wanted to share!

Save 25% every day off cookbooks at Kroger!First, I wanted to let you know that I recently discovered that my local Kroger store has cookbooks for sale at 25% off! It seems to be an all-the-time deal so be sure to check  out your local store to see if there are any “must-have” titles. You know we can always use some new recipes, right?

My kids are on swim team so that means our afternoons are filled with practices every day and I don’t get home until after 7 p.m. That means I need to be organized and keep things quick and simple. Thankfully summer is just around the corner so bedtimes won’t be quite so early and dinner can be a little later.  This is what’s on our menu this week!

Monday: Turkey with dressing, mashed potatoes and roasted broccoli. I had a turkey in the freezer from  Thanksgiving that I wanted OUT so I took advantage of the long weekend and cooked it up! Lots of leftover turkey and carcass to make stock with on a future day!

Tuesday: Greek tacos. Includes falafel (I use a mix but have a homemade recipe I recently discovered that I want to try out soon too),  feta cheese, cucumber, tomatoes, purple onion, plain yogurt wrapped in flatbread. This is one of our favorite meals and so quick and easy!

Wednesday: Special activity night! Leftovers on the go.

Thursday: Gourmet hamburgers (that means hamburgers seasoned with salt & pepper with sliced avocado, tomatoes, and cheese)

Friday: Special activity–no cooking for me!

Saturday & Sunday: TBA…we’ve got a busy weekend of coming and going so who knows what I’ll be cooking up. It will be simple & easy no doubt.

New Recipe Challenge--Try New Recipes and Share with Others! | Hosted by Meal Planning MagicI’ve also been keeping up with my New Recipe Challenge and tried out two new recipes last week that I had pinned to my Pinterest boards.  They were Crockpot Lasagna Soup and Slowcooker Chicken Fajitas and were both winners and I will be making them again!

Food Revolution Day–Cook It. Share It. Live It.

foodrevbanner

Last week was Food Revolution Day!  I realize I missed posting on the actual day but if you follow me on Facebook, you know I had some non-blogging emergencies that needed my attention. Things are slowly getting back to normal. But I figured, the food revolution shouldn’t be only on one day, it should be the kickstart to an every day attitude. It’s a global day of action for people all over the world to come together and make a stand for good food and essential cooking skills. It’s a chance for people to come together within their homes, schools, workplaces and communities to cook and share their kitchen skills, food knowledge and resources. Food Revolution Day aims to raise awareness about the importance of good food and better food education for everyone.

This year I asked a few of my Real Food Advocate team members to let me know what they were up to lately to help  spread the word that cooking real food is not only delicious but it can be easy too. I’ve rounded up a few of their stories which I’m sharing here but first I wanted to let you know what I’ve done to observe this day.

 Foodie Field Trip To Find New Foods

Foodie Field Trip for Food Revolution Day | Meal Planning MagicEarlier this week, a group of friends and I left our suburban bubble to head into the big city of Houston for a Foodie Field trip. I personally go into Houston far more often than they do so was a happy tour guide for some neat specialty food shops in town. Our first stop was at Trader Joe’s. The first of three stores in the city and surrounding area opened just under a year ago and I’ve made many a trip there  myself. What I love about Trader Joe’s is that you can find natural foods at great prices (compared to places like Whole Foods for sure). If you have a store in your city and have never been, make plans to go soon. Some of my favorite purchases are the trail mixes and dried fruits.

 

Spices and herbs everywhere at Penzey's! And there are little jars for each so you can smell the goodness.

Spices and herbs everywhere at Penzey’s! And there are little jars for each so you can smell the goodness.

Our next stop was at Penzey’s  Spices. I LOVE this place! It’s a great way to get high quality spices at a good price (you can buy them in traditional jars or in bulk, which is what I do). Once you start cooking and baking with Penzey’s spices, you’ll likely never go back to anything else. They have a few retail stores throughout the country, but since they started out as a catalog-sales only company, you can also order online. I love their magazine style catalogs too…filled with fun facts about the spices and also recipes. Yum!

Canino's Market is HUGE! There is a main market and then beyond that is a more traditional farmers market with individual vendors selling produce, dry beans and other things. Neat!

Canino’s Market is HUGE! There is a main market and then beyond that is a more traditional farmers market with individual vendors selling produce, dry beans and other things. Neat!

We made a quick stop at Canino’s Produce Market which is huge and has a large selection of produce to choose from. In the back, not part of the actual Canino’s are all these little farmer’s booths and they have some really neat things to choose from. I love all the colors of the produce and spices they sell!

Revival Food Market had locally source groceries including meats & cheese too (didn't take a picture of that though!)

Revival Food Market had locally source groceries including meats & cheese too (didn’t take a picture of that though!)

Our last stop was at Revival Market, a local meat and cheese market that sources their food from local farmers. It was neat but pricey so we only bought a couple of things. We stopped for lunch at a neat little restaurant called Paulie’s. It was DE-licious and best of all, it’s a locally owned little restaurant that serves fresh-made real food. A perfect ending to our little outing.

Four of us filled up the back of my van--loaded down with  real food goodness. Yum!

Four of us filled up the back of my van–loaded down with real food goodness. Yum!

We had so much fun discovering new foods that we’re already planning future trips to other parts of town including a specialty foods market that sells a lot of Middle Eastern foods and another stop at a giant Asian food market.

What Are the Real Food Advocates Up To?

  • Jennifer at Crunch A Color is coordinating a second round of the Healthy Lunch Challenge. I’m contributing my BLT Chicken Salad recipe for this round. She’ll have a wrap up of everyone’s lunch ideas by the end of the month but you can check out round  one’s challenge by going to the Jamie Oliver website here.

 

  • Amanda with The Organic Trail has been busy learning more about GMOs and how they impact our food system and becoming active in local government to help educate and encourage about GMO labeling. She is also planning a few grocery store and farm tours in her area. Can’t wait to see how that all goes for her!

 

  • Thippi with Grow Your Brain is a busy lady! She’s always on the go spreading knowledge about how to start school gardens or hosting fun activities like the Smoothie Challenge as part of a restaurant unit at her daughter’s school. She also leads educational programs at her local farmers market and this weekend will be sharing the winning smoothie recipe and all the poster entries from the challenge. I love it!

 

 

  • Gwen with Simply Healthy Family is a blogger whose day job is in the health care industry. She’s been been trying for three years to talk to my co-workers about the importance of healthy eating but has surprisingly found it frustrating that there are few there that share her interest. When she does though, she finds that some of them are a bit misguided because they feel that microwave meals and packaged snacks are the way to go. Add to that the notion that cooking real food is “too much work” or that the ingredients are too “weird” or that their “kids would never eat that” she’s planning to bring in healthy, simple and homemade snacks to work to show her coworkers just how yummy healthy eating can be. Who knows, maybe they’ll start a regular healthy eating potluck day and others can start sharing too!

How can you share the goodness of Real Food? This year’s motto for the Food Revolution folks is “Cook It. Share It. Live It.” It’s not just one day, it’s for a lifetime. Why don’t you start today?

Roasted Cinnamon Honey Garbanzo Beans

Roasted Cinnamon Honey Garbanzo Beans | #eatingAtoZrecipechallenge | Meal Planning MagicRoasted Garbanzo Beans to Snack?

A few months ago, my sister-in-law told me how much her toddlers love roasted garlic garbanzo beans. I thought I would give those a try this month, but decided instead to put a sweet spin on them so made cinnamon honey roasted garbanzo beans for this month’s Eating the Alphabet Challenge.

These were SO simple to make and for those that are nut-free, a great alternative to the crunchiness that snacking on nuts can provide. They’re just an all-around healthy snack! I personally loved these. My family, however, was a bit slower to warm up to them. They’re still not big bean fans but I keep trying!

A Nutrition Packed Snack

We love using garbanzo beans to make homemade hummus but this is a tasty new way to try them. Garbanzo beans are packed with nutrition making these a even better snack to me! They are a great source of dietary protein and are rich in dietary fiber. One cup of garbanzo beans supplies almost half of the recommended daily allowance of dietary fiber! They’re full of vitamins and minerals too like manganese, folate and iron.

I hope you’ll give these little snacks a try!

Roasted Cinnamon Honey Garbanzo Beans

Ingredients

  • 1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon honey

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Drain and rinse garbanzo beans. Place beans on a towel to dry. You may pat them to dry. Let them air-dry about 15 minutes for extra crunchiness.
  3. In a small bowl, add cinnamon and sugar. Whisk together to combine then add oil and mix until blended. It will clump a bit but that’s ok. Add garbanzo beans and stir until beans are evenly coated. Spread out garbanzo beans on a large baking sheet. Bake for about 35-40 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until chickpeas are crunchy and no longer soft in the middle.
  4. Return hot, roasted chickpeas in a small bowl and coat evenly with honey. Spread garbanzo beans back out on baking sheet and allow to dry. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
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Just a few simple ingredients; dry the beans and then blend the cinnamon and sugar. Easy!

Just a few simple ingredients; dry the beans and then blend the cinnamon and sugar. Easy!

Mix the garbanzo beans in the cinnamon sugar mixture, then roast and add honey then leave to dry and cool. Then snack!

Mix the garbanzo beans in the cinnamon sugar mixture, then roast and add honey then leave to dry and cool. Then snack!

Join the Eating the Alphabet Recipe Challenge

The monthly Eating the Alphabet Healthy Recipe Challenge features fruits, vegetables, grains or legumes and helps us discover delicious new ways to enjoy these healthy foods. And hopefully make some of them a lot less intimidating! Each month we’ll choose from a couple of different letters (this month it is G or H) so we can explore a variety of options. For all the details check out my sign-up post (if you are a blogger and want to join in, there is a sign-up form to complete). Don’t forget to check out the Eating the Alphabet Pinterest board. There you can keep track of all the recipes that are added month-to-month but also find new recipes from last year too. What’s your favorite fruit, vegetable, grain or legume that starts with the letter G or H?

Eating Alphabet JPG

Be sure to check out all the other blogs shown below to discover new recipes and ideas!



Healthy Lunch Ideas Challenge-BLT Chicken Salad Sandwich

BLT Chicken Salad Sandwich | Healthy Lunch Challenge | Meal Planning Magic and Crunch A Color

I don’t know about you, but as the end of the school year draws near, healthy lunch ideas seem to be a little more difficult to come by. We’re in a rut and just ready for a break! So when Jennifer of Crunch A Color asked me to participate in another round of the Healthy Lunch Challenge, I happily obliged. I know I can use all the help I can get coming up with lunch ideas for the kids these last few weeks until school is out.

Easy Healthy Lunch Ideas

A couple of months ago, I shared some simple ideas for delicious lunches with my secret tip to use some fresh-made foods from your grocery store deli. You can check out the first round of the Healthy Lunch Challenge where some of my fellow bloggers share their ideas too! This month features another round just in time for Food Revolution Day on Friday (check the Crunch A Color blog on Friday for a roundup of all the ideas this time!)

A Classic Sandwich Combination: BLT and Chicken Salad

A couple of weeks ago I stopped at Starbucks for a splurge to use a gift card I had received. I noticed one of their new menu items for a BLT Chicken Salad Sandwich. That sounded good but I wanted to try and make it at home with my own ingredients. I did a quick search online for a recipe and could not find just what I was looking for, so I created my own. It was really quite simple to prepare and it was a HUGE hit with my family. This recipe is definitely a keeper! I love that it also has a variety of healthy ingredients and scores 55 points in the Crunch A Color game in just one meal. On it’s own, my sandwich and a glass of milk is 45 points. Add a fruit for a side or dessert and I can add an extra five points to my lunch. Easy and nutritious–a great combo!
BLT Chicken Salad Sandwich | Healthy Lunch Challenge | Meal Planning Magic and Crunch A Color

Here’s the recipe!

BLT Chicken Salad Sandwich

Ingredients

  • 2 cups shredded or cubed cooked chicken (I used leftover rotisserie chicken)
  • 6-8 strips of cooked bacon, diced
  • 1 large tomato, diced
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • 8 Romaine lettuce leaves
  • 8 slices whole wheat sandwich bread

Instructions

  1. Combine chicken, bacon, tomato, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Mix well and chill in refrigerator for about 30 minutes or longer to let flavors blend.
  2. Toast bread if desired.
  3. For each sandwich, layer lettuce and about 1/2 cup of chicken salad mixture. Top with another lettuce leaf and slice of bread.
  4. Enjoy!
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You can purchase Crunch A Color games through Amazon or the Crunch A Color website.  It’s a fun way to help your family remember to eat a variety of foods each day!
Disclaimer: I have not received any compensation for this post however I am an Amazon Associate so if you order a game through the link above, I receive a small portion of the sale. Thank you!

Weekly Menu Plan with Pantry Challenge

Menu Plan Monday ideasWhen I sat down to make out this week’s weekly menu plan, I changed it probably three times when I realized our schedule was going to be a little busier than I first realized. I need things to be super quick and easy! I also realized that we had a lot of leftovers from last week so I won’t need to cook as many days as I originally thought. Bonus for a night off from cooking AND reducing food waste! So I took a little closer look at what is already in the pantry or freezer and will be using up a lot of it instead of buying new. Extra bonus for our budget too!

This Week’s Menu

Monday: YOYO (You’re On Your Own) Night. We’re cleaning out the fridge so will have a buffet of leftovers to choose from!
Tuesday: Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Apple Ginger Sauce
Wednesday: Crawfish & Shrimp Poboy sandwiches (using up some crawfish I have in the freezer).
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Not sure yet!
Sunday: Pepperoni Pasta Salad

New Recipe Challenge--Try New Recipes and Share with Others! | Hosted by Meal Planning Magic

New Recipe Challenge Review

Last week as part of the New Recipe Challenge I tried a few new recipes. They were all hits! The Kickin Taco Chili was a particular favorite both when I served it as chili but again when I served it over salad with crushed tortilla chips for an ultra quick and easy dinner. Everyone was surprised how good a “soup ON a salad”. It’s a keeper! And the BLT Chicken salad was a HUGE hit. And wow, was it easy! I made it earlier in the day so that the flavors could blend and it was easy to put dinner together after the kids’ swim team practice. Look for the recipe this week here on my blog.  This week I’ll be sharing another new recipe as part of the Eating the Alphabet Healthy Recipe Challenge. Look for it mid-week!

So how are you doing on your New Recipe Challenge? Any new recipes to share? Keep the conversation going either in the comments below or on my Facebook or Twitter page. And for more weekly menu plan ideas, check out the weekly linkup at OrgJunkie!

Fun Meal Planning Tools for Only a Dollar (or so!)

Who would have thought you could find meal planning tools at Target? Well, I did earlier this week I was there to pick up a few things. Which is funny because who has ever been able to go into Target and just get what’s on their list, right? I always seem to find something awesome that I didn’t know I needed but sure enough, Target has it. And since I feel like I need to check out their Dollar Spot just in case each time I go, I of course had to pop by again this time.

These are a bunch of the meal planning tools and pads I found when shopping at Target--so excited!

These are a bunch of the meal planning tools and pads I found when shopping at Target–so excited!

 

Well, let me tell you I was so excited at what I found: a meal planners dream! There were tons of cute and helpful meal planning notepads, coupon holders, gadgets and more. Most all of these were only ONE DOLLAR! A few were in the three-dollar section but still a bargain. I was so excited and couldn’t wait to share all these great finds with you all!

Here’s what I found:

Cute Grocery Listpads

Fun Meal Planning Tools for $1 (or so) from Target  | Meal Planning Magic

 

 

A Variety of Meal Planning Notepads

Fun Meal Planning Tools for $1 (or so) from Target  | Meal Planning Magic mealplanningtools-4 mealplanningtools-5

Fun Coupon Organizing Files

Wouldn't these coupon organizers make saving money on groceries a little more fun?

Wouldn’t these coupon organizers make saving money on groceries a little more fun?

Recipe Cards

Fun Meal Planning Tools for $1 (or so) from Target  | Meal Planning Magic

Gift Giving From the Kitchen Tags

Fun Meal Planning Tools for $1 (or so) from Target  | Meal Planning Magic

Party Planning Notepad

 Fun Meal Planning Tools for $1 (or so) from Target  | Meal Planning Magic

Kitchen Gadgets

Fun Meal Planning Tools for $1 (or so) from Target  | Meal Planning Magic

Fun Meal Planning Tools for $1 (or so) from Target  | Meal Planning Magic mealplanningtools-12

Like a silicone brush or the sandwich shape cutters or kitchen timers in the shape of fruit

Reusable Sandwich Bags

Fun Meal Planning Tools for $1 (or so) from Target  | Meal Planning Magic

My pictures are the best, but I was trying to be covert around the store employees and security cameras so set up my own little photo styling session there in my shopping cart.  Since I made it out of the store without incident I’m guessing it’s ok.

And even though I could have gone a little crazy myself, I restrained and only ended up purchasing a couple of things. I thought these Recipe Notes sticky notepads were neat. What a great way to make a note about a recipe you’ve tried in a magazine or cookbook so that you know if it’s a keeper or one that wasn’t so great? So I bought two. They were only $1 each after all!

Fun Meal Planning Tools for $1 (or so) from Target  | Meal Planning Magic

There was quite a large supply of all of these meal planning goodies at my local store, so I’m thinking these are new arrivals. So hurry on down to your local Target to stock up if you’re interested! And you’ll be on the right track to better meal planning and kitchen fun too!

Weekly Menu Plan + New Recipe Challenge Ideas

Menu Plan Monday ideasI know it’s Tuesday but I was on the go non-stop yesterday and didn’t have a chance to share my weekly menu plan with you all. I’m trying some more new recipes in keeping with the New Recipe Challenge and also trying to use up some ingredients that I already have on hand. Spring swim team practices have begun for the kids so our evening routine is going to be changed up a bit! I’m going to be using my slowcooker a bit more often and looking for recipes that can be prepared ahead so it’s ready to eat when we get back from practice so it’s not too much of a late night! We went to one of the new Sprouts Farmers Market stores over the weekend and stocked up on a lot of fresh produce at fantastic prices so will be incorporating that a bit into this week’s plan also.

This Week’s Menu

Monday: Slowcooker Ribs (new recipe from a Better Homes and Gardens softcover cookbook); garden salad
Tuesday: BLT Chicken Salad sandwich on whole wheat bread. I’m making this one up a bit on the fly as I was inspired by the new menu item at Starbucks (but I didn’t want to pay for a sandwich there!) If it turns out well, I’ll share the recipe here later.
Wednesday: Slowcooker  Kickin’ Chicken Chili; garden salad
Thursday: Kickin’ Taco Salad (using up leftovers from the chili)
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Leftovers
Sunday: Greek-style Quesadillas (using up Feta cheese already in the freezer plus remaining ingredients purchased at Sprouts

New Recipe Challenge--Try New Recipes and Share with Others! | Hosted by Meal Planning MagicNew Recipe Challenge Review

Last week I tried two new recipes (click the links for recipe links there), the Chicken Fajita Chili and Goof-Proof Chicken.  We liked them both! The chili was the real winner and is a definite keeper. The chicken was VERY easy but my advice is to use a non-stick pan instead of trying to do it in a cast-iron pan. Lost a lot of the coating that way–not so good when it’s served on the side! But the flavor was good at least so I’ll try it again.

We all loved this chili--one that I tried for the New Recipe Challenge!

We all loved this chili–one that I tried for the New Recipe Challenge!

What’s on your menu this week? Has anyone been trying any new recipes yet? Share with us in the comments section!

For more recipe ideas, check out OrgJunkie!