What's on the Menu?

It must be getting married and feeling the season's change that is making me feel settled.  After the wedding and honeymoon, reality has sunk back in and it's back to budgeting and grocery shopping.  But I am feeling excited and ready for this planning thing so why not share the wealth?

October makes me think of pumpkin season and fall apples.  I'm not quite ready for pumpkin flavors, but I am in the mood for soups.

I made this soup the other night: Moroccan Chicken and Butternut Squash Soup and it was so good.  Here are some other October soups that might go on the menu this week.

Creamy Wild Rice Soup with Smoked Turkey
All American Chili
All of these sound amazing!! ---  25 Best Soups

But one simply can't eat soup all week so here are some other ideas I had for this week's menu:

Pork Chops with Roasted Apples
Chicken and Root Vegetable Pot Pie
Beef Stroganoff with Sauteed Carrots

It feels so good to be getting back to some comfort foods but always lurking is the danger of overeating.   We are creeping up on the time of year for starches, carbs, and sweets so it's important to compensate.

Since we're on the subject, I should mention the queen of eating for pleasure Mireille Guiliano.  She is the reason for my 15 pound weight loss since I moved to Portland and I just picked up her cookbook to get me in the right mindset.  As my dinner fare is getting heavier, I will compensate by having lighter breakfasts and lunches.  That way when I get to dinner time, I can enjoy my meal without the guilt.  She has some great breakfast and lunch recipes on her site as well.

Quinoa Cont...

At my mom's request, I am posting a link to the best quinoa/black beans recipe ever.  I have made variations of it.  I have skipped the cilantro and lime when I didn't have them in the fridge, but it is best with them.  I have added cubes of cooked chicken and/or thickened it up with white rice.  I also think this recipe is delicious wrapped up in tortilla.  I hope you like it!  You can get the recipe here.

And don't forget the always amazing turkey quinoa meatloaf (click on the link in the post for that recipe).  If I want to have quinoa just as a side dish, I put a pinch of vegetable or chicken boullion in with the water as it boils.  Then sometimes I add a dollop of sour cream and pepper to the prepared quinoa.

Tip:  Make sure the quinoa simmers for a full 20 minutes because the grain needs to "pop" and you will see a kind of a "curly q", like in the picture below.

Turkey Quinoa Meatloaf

CONFESSION: Tonight was at least the tenth time that I made this meal for Daniel and me.  It is so so good and I love it extra because it makes good leftovers.  I have tried other meatloafs but they don't compare to this one.

Originally I got the recipe from allrecipes.com.  You can get it here.