Meal Plan Monday (October 31)

Obviously I never posted my meal plan for this week on Monday so I will now.

Monday: Halloween - Block Party (No cooking!)

Tuesday: Rosemary Flank Steak, Sauteed Fresh Spinach and Au Gratin Potatoes (From No More To Go)
Review: The rosemary grilled flank steak is one of my favorites. It is super easy and delicious. We had made it before and loved it so I thought it would be perfect to cook while my mom was visiting. Kevin gives at 4.5 star (remember thats out of 5...still searching for that meal that will win a 5 star) and my mom LOVED it. The Au Gratin potatoes were also AMAZING - I was never a fan of them but I guess I am now! Yum Yum Yum!


Au Gratin Cheesy Potatoes (R2) SERVES 4
Ingredients: 2 lbs potatoes

2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 cups gruyere (or any cheese of your liking), grated 1/2 cups half-and-half kosher salt freshly cracked black pepper 1 teaspoons thyme

Directions: 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 2. Peel and dice the potatoes. 3. Parboil the potatoes 5 minutes in salty water. 4. Either spray a large baking dish with oil or rub it lightly with butter. 5. Drain and then toss the potatoes in the baking dish with the butter,

thyme, more salt and pepper. 6. Mix almost all the cheese (save some for the top) throughout the potatoes

and pour the half & half evenly over all. (should not completely cover the

potatoes) 7. Top the dish with the reserved cheese. 8. Bake for one hour or until the cheese is nicely melted, bubbling and turning a carmel color.

Wednesday: Tortilla Soup (From one of my favorite recipe sites: Our Best Bites) This is an oldie but a goody. The weather was getting a little cooler and this was the perfect meal for us!

Thursday: Chicken and Dumplings (Found on Pinterest)
Review: LOVED...this was delicious and I am definitely going to make sure I have all the ingredients on hand for a "snow" day this winter. It smells up your entire house with yumminess - you have to try! The recipe is easy peasy the only thing I did differently was add another can of chicken broth - it was too thick for my taste. 

Friday: Date night with the hubs. We have been so busy lately and haven't had much "us" time so we decided to hit the town and try a restaurant we haven't been before. The winner is Samar - all of our friends have said the atmosphere is awesome and the food is amazing! Can't wait to try!

Also, I am finally (it's hard to get everyone's schedule coordinated) hosting a luncheon with some of my old coworkers (the last one I did was the day Ryan was born!) I am excited to make some fun fall food for the girls! We will be having a butternut squash soup (still deciding between recipes and I might go a little crazy and combine two), autumn chop salad (found on pinterest) and chicken salad sandwiches. I am still debating on desert but it will be something easy!