Tag Archives: onion

Mother’s day gift + Meal Plan {12.05.2013}

When living in Germany, my too favorite dishes were broth fondue and raclette, both were introduced to me by my husbands Grandmother.

Now in the US, I found a replacement for the Fondue….a restaurant called “The Melting Pot”. This is my favorite restaurant, which is my choice whenever I get to pick the spot for those special occasions.

Look what I got for Mother’s day…it is a Raclette set!!! For those who don’t know what a Raclette set is, it involves an electric table-top grill with small pans, known as coupelles, to heat slices of cheese with miscellaneous vegetables.

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Ingredients

  • Boiled Potatoes
  • Tomatoes
  • Bell peppers
  • Onion
  • Cheese
  • Ham or Chicken

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Optional: Grill the onions and the bell pepperIMG_7282

In the coupelles layer the potato, ham (or chicken), and cheese. Place the tray under the grill tray so the elements add as a grill. Leave for ~ 5 mins.IMG_7283

Top with grilled onion, bell peppers and fresh cracked pepper. Use the scraper and scrap the ingredients onto a plate and serve.

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This was dinner last night and boy it was great!! I love both fondue and raclette for the same reasons…both a very social activities as you have to cook your own food and secondly, you eat slower.

Onto our meal plan this week….

DAY BREAKFAST DINNER EXERCISE
Saturday Egg+Ham Sandwich Raclette 20 mins HIT
Sunday Strawberry + Banana Crepes Grill + Spinach Salad 20 mins HIT
Monday Bircher Muesli BBQ Chicken + Stuffed mushrooms + Broccoli
Tuesday English Muffin + Banana + Almond Butter Omlette  Walk
Wednesday Bircher Muesli Z-Pizza 20 mins. HIT
Thursday English Muffin + Marmite Spaghetti + Asparagus + Mushrooms
Friday Berry + Banana + Spirulina Smoothie Toasted Sandwiches 20 mins. HIT

We are usually spending ~$70 a week for our meals. Here is this weeks shopping list:

GROCERY LIST (NEW STOCK) IN THE CUPBOARD/FRIDGE
  • Asparagus (TJ)
  • Rhubarb (LF)
  • Granny Smith Apples (LF)
  • Bananas (LF)
  • Potato (TJ)
  • Tomatoes (TJ)
  • English Muffins (LF)
  • Soy Milk (TJ)
  • Juice (TJ, TT)
  • Spinach (from the garden)
  • Broccoli (from the garden)
  • Potatoes (TJ)
  • Bell Pepers (TJ)
  • Mushrooms (TJ)
  • Tomatoes (TJ)
  • Onions (TJ)
  • Grated Cheese (TT)
  • Eggs (TJ)
  • Gluten Free Pasta (TT)
  • Oats (BJ)
  • Chicken (BJ))
  • Sultanas (TT)

NOTE: We shop majority at Trader Joe’s (TJ), Target (TT) with an occasional visit to Whole foods (WF), BJ’s , Harris Teeters (HT), Lowes Food (LF) and Fresh Market (FM).
NOTE: We do not typically use coupons mainly due to time.
NOTE: Items indicated by * are specials for the week we took advantage of.

Dinner tonight: Vegetable Frittata

Our weekly plan is our guide to our meals – we mix up the dinners sometime and eat what we are in the mood for. Easy is what was on my menu for tonight – so I opted to have the vegetable frittata early.

Our Vegetable Frittata ingredients varies based on what I have in the fridge and what needs to be used. Below is tonights ingredients but you could add spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers – really anything goes.

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Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced (you could use leeks or spring onions)
1 garlic clove
1 small head of broccoli, chopped into small-ish pieces
1 medium-large zucchini, grated
1 tomato (I used a Roma tomato)
salt and pepper for seasoning
5 eggs, lightly beaten (You could use three eggs and 1/2 cup of egg whites)
2 tbsp italian cheese, grated (optional)

  1. Heat pan on medium heat. Place olive oil in the pan, then the onion and garlic. Cook onion until clear.
  2. Add Broccoli, Grated Zucchini and tomato to the pan – heat ingredients through. I add the broccoli first and then the other ingredients. Cool.
  3. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the vegetable mix to the eggs and lightly stir.
  4. Place the egg mixture back in the pan you were using to cook the vegetables.  Add cheese to the top (optional, My husband wanted cheese I did not so I only added it to one 1/2). Cook mixture for 10-15 minutes on low heat.
  5. Once almost set, place pan into oven and broil for 3-5 minutes (keep an eye on it) remove once top has become firm.
    NOTE: I put aluminum foil on the handle of my pan before putting in the oven as I do not think it is oven proof.
  6. Serve 1/4 of the frittata on a plate, it goes well with a spinach or garden salad.

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Ratatouille Casserole

In my weekly plan, one of my dinners was a ratatouille casserole. Here’s the recipe which I slightly adapted from a Weight Watchers recipe. This recipe is so easy, my wonderful husband made it 🙂

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Ingredients
1 small eggplant (aubergine)
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 red bell pepper
3 garlic cloves (crushed)
1 onion
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp fresh parsley
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
pinch of salt and pepper
1 tomato sliced

Cut all the ingredients into ~1-2 inch chunks. Throw all ingredients into a covered casserole dish and place in the oven at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Bake for 50 minutes covered, then uncover and back another 10 minutes.

I served our ratatouille casserole with brown rice pasta (first time trying it and it tasted great).
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