Weekly Menu #3

Painless Monday: Shrimp Fried Rice

Monday’s meal takes less than 30 minutes to whip up, which is a huge plus for the first workday of the week. Fried rice is one of my favorite ways to use up leftover rice — especially when there are large amounts left over!

Hot tips

• Feel free to switch up the protein and use chicken instead. Or, mix chicken and shrimp for an extra protein-rich meal.
• If you’re looking for more veggies to add to your meal, serve a side of stir fry veggies or add the cooked veggies directly to the fried rice.
• Serve with our favorite yum yum sauce — it’s a MUST when it comes to fried rice.

Tex-Mex Tuesday: Burrito Bowl (with Variations)

If you know me, you know I love Tex-Mex food — and it all stems from my first job at a Tex-Mex restaurant. Aside from tacos, I really love burrito bowls and their versatility and ability to please literally every palate.

Hot tips

• When I serve burrito bowls, I serve all the toppings in separate bowls. My husband and kids fix up their bowls exactly how they want.
• Serve with any of your favorite toppings. I can never pass on a chance to enjoy pico de gallo, salsa, or guacamole with my burrito bowls.
• If you prefer, swap out the ground beef with steak fajitas or chicken fajitas.

Slurpy Wednesday: Chicken Wild Rice Soup

This chicken and wild rice soup is a copycat of Panera’s famous soup. I understand the ease of going out for dinner, but this creamy Wednesday night homemade dinner will be 100% worth it!

Hot tips

• This soup traditionally uses wild rice or a sprouted rice & quinoa blend. If needed, substitute it with white rice, quinoa, or even russet or Yukon Gold potatoes. Use what you like and what’s in your pantry!
• Serve with a slice of homemade French bread and a cool, crisp Caesar Salad.
• Keep a jar of chicken broth on hand to add to the soup in case it thickens up too much in the fridge. Rice has a tendency to absorb lots of liquid, so adding a bit of broth before serving easily makes up for it.

Oven-Baked Thursday: Reverse Sear Steak

This reverse sear steak method makes for the most tender steak you will ever taste. It is cooked in the oven, but then uses a quick sear on the stovetop to create a crispy crust. After trying this method, I now make my steaks this way almost every single time.

Hot tips

• Most often, I serve steak with a potato side dish (mashed potatoes) or sauteed vegetables, but if you still have leftover rice, that’ll work too.
• If you decide to swap meals around this week, make this steak the day before making burrito bowls. Then, use leftover steak in your burrito bowls!
• Bring out your leave-in oven thermometer to cook the steak to your desired doneness.

“Fire” Friday: Grilled Halibut

I look forward to Friday every week — and not just because it’s the end of the work week, but because it means grilling! Whenever we can, we reserve Friday as grill day, and this week it’s one of our favorite grilled fish recipes.

Hot tips

• Keep the skin on the fish — it’ll help the meat stay together and not fall apart on the grill.
• Serve with other grilled sides like corn on the cob, grilled zucchini and mushrooms, or grilled asparagus.
• If you don’t like or have halibut, give our grilled cod or grilled tilapia a try. Or if you don’t want to use the grill, pan-sear the halibut instead.

Weekend Wonder: Baked Rice Pudding

While we’re on the theme of rice, I can’t help but mention this dessert. My grandmother used to make this dish all the time as a sweet treat — and if I’m honest, I often eat it for breakfast with a cup of coffee, too!

Soup of the Week: Mom’s Meatball Soup

If you’re looking for an alternative or a second soup for this week, I suggest this light soup. It’s made with light turkey meatballs served in a clear, savory broth. It’s my mom’s version of chicken noodle — but with turkey and rice.

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