Menu Monday

I'm trying to make an effort to cook more out of the cookbooks and magazines I have and not so much from recipes I find online.  This week was a success! Four recipes from cookbooks/magazines and two from online.  Another of week of meal planning, another week of delicious meals.  

Pot of Beans {from January 2011 Martha Stewart Living}

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 *Can anyone tell me how to stop Blogger from rotating this picture? It's sideways!*

I made these in the crockpot so it was ready for us when we got home from work. This was a yummy, inexpensive, hearty meal.  Bonus: totally vegetarian.  We had kale instead of escarole, since that's what I had in the house. 

Hot Nicoise Salad {Gwyneth Paltrow My Father's Daughter}

 

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If you like salad nicoise, you'll love this.  If you don't like it, then you won't like this. I love it, so I loved this.  M loved that it was basically a one-pan meal, which meant very few dishes for him.  Win-win.

Lemon Chicken Breasts {Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That?}

 

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This is a new go-to for us!  It was so flavorful and the chicken was unbelievably juicy.  I served it with couscous with toasted pine nuts and sauteed green beans, per Ina's suggestion. SO good.

Spinach Lasagna Rolls {The Girl Who Ate Everything and Gina's Skinny Taste}

 

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I thought these could have used a little bit more oomph.  Maybe a little more salt and more Italian seasoning.  They were good, but they were a tad bland.  Either way, they were super easy to make and very filling. 

Bourbon-Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin and Garlic Chive Mashed Potatoes {February 2011 Southern Living}

 

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Forgot to take my own picture.

Meh.  This was the one thing I made that I didn't love.  The pork was just not that flavorful.  The mashed potatoes were a delicious side, and the pork marinade reduced to a yummy sauce.  But the pork itself? I was take it or leave it.

Glazed Pear Muffins {Weight Watchers}

 

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Again, forgot to take my own picture.

These were easy to make and really yummy.  They didn't taste like a "diet" recipe at all.  Word to the wise: they aren't very sweet, so if you have a sweet tooth, you may want to double up on the glaze.  Granted, that would probs make them un-Weight Watchers.  But just saying.  I don't like super-sweet things, so these were perfect for me.

Bon appetit!