A Modified Challenge

A blog I follow, Give Them Roots, is doing a challenge. It sounded interesting so i thought i would give it a try. i changed the rules a bit to better fit my situation.

one of the changes is a VERY, VERY bad habit. we do not usually eat together at the table. i feel extra guilty about this change because i really do know how important 'family at the table' meals are. my reasoning to not do this is totally selfish. i like to eat. a lot. having an 8 year old ask "if i eat this many bites can i be done?" every five minutes and having a 2 year old who wants whatever anyone else has and then chews it up and spits it out over and over is not my idea of a good meal. i hate it. after this kind of meal i am not only i in a terrible mood but my stomach hurts. so, i am being selfish and i eat after the kids are in bed.

the other change is we do eat repeats. pretty much all recipes and ingredients are written and sold for 4 people. this means we have leftovers. i am cheap. we will eat those leftovers until they are gone and then i will make a new meal.

overall it has been really fun. i have several "go to" websites that i look for recipes on and have found that i really like cooking. also, i am kind of good at it. i NEVER would have said that a month ago. not that i am a bad cook but nothing really special. i can usually cook without burning but felt that most of my food tasted the same.

here is a list of the new recipes we have tried.

week 1
Spinach Lasagna Rolls
Zucchini Casserole
White Pizza
Strawberry, Feta and Spinach Salad(adapted)
Quinoa and Black Bean Salad
Grilled Stone Fruits with a Balsamic Glaze
Flank Steak with tomatoes and Onions
Cauliflower Fritters
Asian Chicken Orzo
Cucumber Salad
Parmesan Tilapia (one of the ones we didn't like)
Baked Zucchini Fries
Bacon, Almond Green beans (not sure where i got this recipe)

week 2

Sun Dried Tomato and Bacon Chicken
Broccoli and Toasted Garlic
Baked Coconut Shrimp
Fiesta Rice
Chicken Gyros
Tabbouleh
Vegetarian Steamed Dumplings
Pasta Primavera
Grilled Eggplant Wraps
Roasted Butternut Squash
i have a feeling a might have cheated on some of the side dishes this week and just grilled up what ever was fresh that week

week 3 we are only part of the way through this one but i will list everything

Tofu stir fry with rice
Vegetarian Ribollita ( josh did not care for this. i liked it though)
Baked onion rings
roasted acorn squash
slow cooked black eyed peas and ham
creamy cauliflower puree
potato leek soup
quinoa fried "rice"
zucchini pancakes
lime, chili corn on the cob
mixed baby green with blackberries and toasted almonds
tilapia with Thai coconut curry (this is a new one for me. i don't really like curry)
Bangin Good shrimp
baked chicken nuggets
Asian glazed drumsticks
collard greens and bacon
Zucchini, squash saute (just like it sounds)

It's pretty fun and worth trying. the only down side is trying to widen our flavor range caused me to have to spend a little extra to buy seasoning and spices we didn't have but i think it was totally worth it. I even bought an apron!