mountaintopsmama

17 May, 2023

Blog

Weekly Meal Plan 020

Each year we buy half of a cow to last us for the year and that time is here. We find it’s more cost efficient and the beef is excellent quality! Needless to say we had several meals with beef this week, as usual, but we definitely treated ourselves to some steak cuts for Mother’s Day.

Here are the recipes from last week’s menu. Click each meal to take you to its recipe below!

Ground Beef and Broccoli with Steamed Rice

Cheeseburger Sliders

Chili and Cornbread

BBQ Sandwiches with Potato Salad and Baked Beans

Skillet Enchiladas

Honey Garlic Chicken Tenders with Green Beans and Couscous

Steaks with Roasted Asparagus and Baked Potatoes

Ground Beef and Broccoli with Steamed Rice

This was a fun twist on the regular beef and broccoli. The sauce was really good and it was easy and fast to make! I did mine a little differently but I’ll put the modifications below.

Easy Korean Ground Beef and Broccoli

Modification:

I browned the ground beef in a skillet then added the garlic. Instead of steaming the broccoli, I cooked it in a wok. Once it was tender I added in the cooked beef and sauce and let them all simmer until the sauce thickened and the broccoli was fully cooked.

Cheeseburger Sliders

This meal is one that makes a lot! Instead of cutting the recipe in half, I freeze half of it and we have it another time. This was one of those weeks! I’ve shared this meal before so I’ll link that blog here.

Chili and Cornbread

Who doesn’t love chili and cornbread? I feel like everyone has a favorite chili and it’s always a little different than everyone else’s. They also have very strong opinions about it being the best chili ever, hence all the chili cook offs. Am I right? Cornbread can be equally competitive. I have mixed feelings about this because I have several favorites of both! So if you’re willing to break away from your chili and cornbread of choice, here is the chili and cornbread combo I find to be “the crowd pleaser”, meaning everyone likes it and it’s the one I make most often.

Beef and Bean Chili

Corny Corn Bread

BBQ Sandwiches with Potato Salad and Baked Beans

I have shared this BBQ recipe in the past. Before we used it on baked potatoes. This week we used it on sandwiches! It’s very versatile and if we have leftovers, I like to broil the meat on a pan for carnitas. So good. I’ll link that blog here.

Skillet Enchiladas

My dad sent me this recipe a couple weeks ago and said it was good! I read through it and asked him if it was really that simple. And believe me, it is! Very good and so easy!

Skillet Enchiladas

Modification:

I used fire roasted diced tomatoes and Rotel would be a good tomato option.

Honey Garlic Chicken Tenders with Green Beans and Couscous

This oven baked chicken is one of our favorites because it’s just so delicious. It’s also easy and doesn’t take long to cook! Throw in some roasted green beans and our favorite couscous and it makes for a yummy easy dinner that even the kids enjoy.

Baked Honey Garlic Chicken Tenders

Steaks with Roasted Asparagus and Baked Potatoes

I only season my steak with salt and pepper because I like to taste the beef. My husband likes a good douse of Dale’s seasoning. It really depends on your tastes how you season! As far as asparagus, this is my favorite recipe!

Roasted Asparagus

I hope this gives you some dinner ideas for the week! Happy cooking!

mountaintopsmama

12 May, 2023

Blog

Weekly Meal Plan 019

This week’s meal plan fell on the week of cinco de mayo. Needless to say, I tried to add several different types of Mexican or southwestern dishes. I pretty much do this anyway because we love this kind of food, but usually it consists more of your “typical” Mexican food, like tacos, enchiladas, etc. So this week I wanted to change it up a bit. Enjoy!

Here are the recipes from last week’s menu. Click each meal to take you to its recipe below!

Philly Cheesesteak Pitas

Vegetable and Ricotta Baked Orzo

Honey Dijon Chicken with Rice Pilaf and Asparagus

Southwest Taco Salad

Chuletas de puerca en salsa (Pork Chops Braised in Fresh Tomato Sauce) with Potatoes

Mexican Pasta Salad

Pineapple BBQ Meatballs

Philly Cheesesteak Pitas

I found this recipe years ago and we still make it! I do make a few modifications, which I’ll list below, but this was my inspiration.

Ground Philly Cheesesteak Grilled Cheese

Modifications:

Instead of making grilled cheeses, I make this filling and add into pita pockets!
I add a can of mushrooms to the beef mixture and extra Worcestershire sauce.
When you open up your pita, spread a tiny bit of mayo (or Greek yogurt for a healthier substitute) to add moisture. Place half you provolone slice in pita, add meat mixture and the other half of cheese slice.
I cook these on a panini press!

Vegetable and Ricotta Baked Orzo

This was really good! It would be also be good with shredded or rotisserie chicken added to it. I left out the spinach because my husband isn’t a fan (such a sad thing!) but it would’ve been even better with that in it as well. This makes an entire casserole dish so I cooked it and then froze half for another day!

Vegetable and Ricotta Baked Orzo

Honey Dijon Chicken with Rice Pilaf and Asparagus

We really enjoyed this easy meal. I used chicken thighs for the meat and the marinade/sauce was delicious! The rice pilaf recipe is an adaptation from what my grandma would make and as for the asparagus? I roasted it them and I’ll share the recipe I used. They were so good!

Easy Baked Honey Dijon Chicken

Rice Pilaf

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter
1 cup rice I use a wild rice blend or jasmine rice.
1/2 medium onion
2 stalks celery
Handful parsley, chopped
4 oz can mushroom
2 cups chicken broth

Instructions

Melt butter in skillet on medium heat.
Add onion and celery and cook until onions are clear but still crisp.
Add in rice, stir until coated and cook 1 minute.
Add in chicken broth, mushroom and parsley. Mix.
Bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn burner down to simmer and cover rice.
Simmer until rice is cooked, about 20 minutes.
Once done, stir and enjoy!

Roasted Asparagus

Southwest Taco Salad

I came up with this take on taco salad a while back and this was the first time we’d had it it a while! It’s very simple and easy. This time I used a cilantro lime dressing but it’s also good with any southwestern style dressing.

Southwest Taco Salad

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Olive oil
Shredded or rotisserie chicken
Tortilla chips or Cool Ranch Doritos
Lettuce, chopped or shredded
Tomatoes, chopped
Red onion, chopped
Black beans, rinsed and drained
Corn, rinsed and drained
Monterey jack cheese, shredded

Instructions

Prepare your chopped ingredients. Add your cooked and shredded chicken to skillet with a little bit of olive oil. Heat and add taco seasoning and a little bit of water. Let the chicken heat up and simmer until the water has evaporated. Add in black beans and corn and cook until heated through. Remove skillet from burner.
Crush chips in a bowl. Add lettuce and all other ingredients and stir. Add dressing to coat and stir very well.

Notes

*You can mix this altogether in one large bowl or individual bowls. I prefer individual helpings so your leftovers can be separated in the fridge and not get soggy!

Chuletas de puerca en salsa (Pork Chops Braised in Fresh Tomato Sauce) with Potatoes

We LOVE this recipe. It was cinco de Mayo the day we made this but we have this in our rotation because it’s just so good. We make it with small fried potatoes sprinkled with Serendipity seasoning. So. Good.

Chuletas de Puerco en Salsa (Pork Chops Braised in a Fresh Tomato Salsa)

Mexican Pasta Salad

This recipe is a cold pasta salad. It was really good! I ate on it for lunches after we had this for several days. I recommend letting it sit a bit in the fridge once it’s all mixed up so all the flavors can meld together. It was even better the second day!

Mexican Pasta Salad

Pineapple BBQ Meatballs

We actually didn’t end up making this recipe but having some leftovers instead. So I can’t tell you my thoughts on it other than that it looks really good!

Pineapple BBQ Meatballs

As always, I hope this helps you with your meal planning! Happy cooking!

mountaintopsmama

2 May, 2023

Blog

Weekly Meal Plan 018

Last week’s meal plan consisted of a lot of repeat meals. Some weeks I’m just not excited about cooking; I want something easy and familiar or I pick meals my husband can easily cook so I can take a break. I usually prefer and like to cook but sometimes it’s just not in me to do so. I’m thankful for a husband who will cook as much as needed!

When I was working full time, we either rotated nights cooking or he would start dinner and then when I got home I would finish cooking. It all depended on who got home first and what else we had going on that night.

So, just remember, when meal planning it’s not all about *what* you are cooking. You also should plan *who* will do the cooking!

Here are the recipes from last week’s menu. Click each meal to take you to its recipe below!

Make Your Own Pizza (Sourdough Crust and Homemade Marinara)

Crispy Chicken Carnitas

Southwest Meatloaf with Roasted Sweet Potatoes

BBQ Baked Potatoes

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Linguine

Make Your Own Pizza (Sourdough Crust and Homemade Marinara)

Sourdough discard crust with a little extra flavor, homemade marinara topped with mozzarella and our favorite toppings? Yes, please. This week I tried a crust using my sourdough discard and I am so glad I did because it was SO good. Also, because I apparently can’t stick to a recipe to save my life, I made some seasoning mix and added a teaspoon of it to the dough. I also prefer to make homemade pizza sauce and you wouldn’t believe how easy it is and it tastes so much better than store bought! All recipes are below.

Sourdough Pizza Crust

Homemade Pizza Seasoning

Homemade Pizza Sauce (5-Minute Recipe)

Crispy Chicken Carnitas

I have shared this recipe before and it was as good this time around as it was the first. We obviously enjoyed it enough to put it back in rotation!

Crispy Chicken Carnitas Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Lime Sauce

Southwest Meatloaf with Roasted Sweet Potatoes

We love a good meatloaf around here and this is one of our favorite ways to have it. I do change a few things in the recipe so I’ll include the modifications below!

Southwest Meatloaf–Food Truck Knock-Off

Modifications:

Instead of using ground turkey, I double the ground beef. We buy half a cow at a time and always have ground beef!
Because the beef isn’t quite as moist as the turkey, I add in an extra egg and some water (or sometimes I won’t drain the rotel) until the meatloaf all comes together and it’s easy to form the loaf.

Roasted Sweet Potato Recipe

BBQ Baked Potatoes

For the BBQ itself, I use a family recipe that I’ll include below. Then I take baking potatoes and rub them with olive oil, salt and pepper, poke them with forks and bake on 425 until a fork can easily pierce the potato. Of course, I prefer to make my own BBQ sauce! So I’ll also include that recipe and the modifications below.

Oven Kalua Pork

You will need a 3-4 lb. pork butt, slashed.

Combine in a small bowl:

1 tsp Kosher salt

3 Tbsp soy sauce

3/4 tsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger (or 1 tsp ground ginger)

1-2 Tbsps liquid smoke (I use hickory flavored!)

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Rub sauce mixture over pork butt in a roasting pan. Cover with foil – seal well! Place in a 350 degree oven for approximately 4 hours until meat thermometer read 200 degrees. Before serving, shred pork.

https://www.simplejoy.com/bbq-sauce-recipe/?ssp_iabi=1682910784405

Modification:

You MUST use smoked paprika instead of regular paprika. Game changer!!!

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

This is literally exactly what it sounds like; a Caesar salad with chicken and pasta all mixed together. Chop up some romaine, grill some chicken (rubbed with herbs and salt and pepper), cook some penne pasta, throw it all in a bowl topped with Caesar dressing, parmesan cheese and croutons and call it good! In case you want an actual recipe here is one that is very similar:

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Linguine

I love pasta. A lot. I try not to make many meals like this because they can be very heavy. But they are just so good! For a family of four and to have some leftovers, I doubled this recipe. So good.

https://juliasalbum.com/linguine-with-spinach-and-sun-dried-tomato-cream-sauce/?ssp_iabi=1682911217528

I hope one of these makes it on your menu this week! Happy cooking!

mountaintopsmama

27 Apr, 2023

Blog

Weekly Meal Plan 017

Last week my husband worked an obscene amount of hours and I was basically solo parenting. Because of this, I went very simple and familiar with our meal plan so I didn’t get overwhelmed. Also, my kids like all these meals so it took even more stress out of dinner time! We ended the week with a weekend without kids and we didn’t cook almost the whole weekend. It was a nice break but I was glad to be back in the kitchen this week!

Here are the recipes from last week’s menu. Click each meal to take you to its recipe below!

Stir Fry with Noodles

Manicotti

Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Mac and Cheese and Green Beans

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

Stir Fry with Noodles

We love a good stir fry! Generally, I make it the same way any time we have it but I typically just use what veggies we have on hand, most times I’ll cook chicken to go in it (but didn’t want to thaw any out this time!) and then switch up between rice and some type of noodle. This is what it looked like this week:

Ingredients:

For stir fry:

2 T vegetable oil

2 cups broccoli florets

2 carrots, sliced

1 small red onion, cut into chunks

1 stick celery

1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks

2 packages Ramen noodles, seasoning packet discarded

For sauce:

1/4 c brown sugar

1/2 c soy sauce

2 tsp cornstarch

Mix brown sugar, soy sauce and cornstarch and set aside. Cook noodles according to package directions. Heat oil in wok then add in vegetables. Cook vegetables until they begin to soften, add sauce and let simmer until vegetables are fully cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Remove wok from burner and mix in noodles.

Manicotti

This recipe is a family favorite. Growing up my mom would always let us pick what we wanted her to cook for dinner on our birthdays. We almost always said this manicotti! It’s simple and so delicious.

Ingredients:

Two 15oz ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/2teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

24 oz jar of spaghetti sauce

Grease a 13×9 pan. Add a few spoonfuls of spaghetti sauce and spread it across the bottom. In a bowl, mix ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper. Set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add manicotti noodles. Cook noodles until softened but still slightly firm. Remove noodles carefully from water and place them back on the trays they were packaged in to prevent them from sticking together. Pipe cheese mixture into manicotti noodles and place in greased pan. Cover the stuffed noodles with the remaining spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle a little mozzarella and Parmesan on top. Bake uncovered at 375 for 35 minutes or until bubbly and cheese melted.

Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Mac and Cheese and Green Beans

I don’t do anything special with hamburgers and hot dogs. This week for the sides we went very simple and used box Mac and cheese and canned green beans. Sometimes we go way more “fancy” and make different sides but this week we needed fast and easy!

Chicken Pot Pie

My daughter requested chicken pot pie this week and I wasn’t upset about it! This is our favorite recipe.

Chicken Pot Pie Recipe (VIDEO)

Modification:

We use refrigerated pie crusts instead of making our own!

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

My husband and I have been eating this meal since we were dating! We ate this at a restaurant once and recreated it at home. It is so very simple. Here are a few recipes that are similar to how we make it.

https://www.justataste.com/chicken-caesar-pasta-salad-recipe/#wprm-recipe-container-35000

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

Happy cooking!

mountaintopsmama

18 Apr, 2023

Blog

Weekly Meal Plan 016

After looking over this week’s meal plan, I realized I tried out four new recipes! Out of all of the new ones, the Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry was my favorite.

This past week marked spring break where we live and even though my kids aren’t in school yet, we took a break from our normal daily routine. That always allows me some extra time to play around with dinner!

Here are the recipes from last week’s menu. Click each meal to take you to its recipe below!

Tostadas

Leftover Ribs, Sweet Potatoes and Edamame

Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry

Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable and Pearl Pasta Salad with Lemon Herb Chicken

Taco salad

Spicy Bean and Rice Burritos

Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Noodle Casserole

Tostadas

Tostadas are basically just an open faced hard shell taco, but even better! There’s just something about eating a taco like a pizza that makes it so much better. Here is a good basic tostada recipe but really, just make it like you would your favorite taco!

Tostadas

Leftover Ribs, Sweet Potatoes and Edamame

Below is the baked sweet potato recipe I used this time. I really like them this way and it cut the time to bake in half! I was skeptical because I thought either the potato wouldn’t cook in the time it said it would or, because of the way you bake it, it would be dry on the top. They were neither and I’ll probably be cooking my sweet potatoes like this from now on.

Quick Baked Sweet Potato

Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry

This was delicious! It had such good flavor and even the kids liked it. We ate this with jasmine rice and will definitely eat this again.

Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce

Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable and Pearl Pasta Salad with Lemon Herb Chicken

I really liked this recipe and even ate it for lunch the next day! To add in some protein, I marinated some chicken breasts in olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and a bunch of fresh herbs from the garden and then “grilled” it on the panini press. It was a good addition!

Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable and Pearl Pasta Salad

Modification:

I did not add in the spinach be side my husband doesn’t like it but it would be so good in it!

Taco salad

This is another old family recipe that is just still so good after all these years. Once prepped, you can either toss it all together and serve as is or you can do a “make your own” style meal. We usually do the latter so we can store the leftovers without them getting soggy all mixed together and the kids can pick their own toppings!

Taco Salad

Print Recipe

Equipment

1 lb Ground beef
1 packet Taco seasoning
3/4 c Water
1 15 oz can Kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Shredded lettuce, iceberg or romaine
Nacho Cheese Doritos, crushed
Green onion, chopped
Tomato, chopped
Shredded cheddar cheese
Wishbone Russian Dressing

Instructions

Brown ground beef in skillet. Once cooked, add in taco seasoning pack and water. Let simmer. Once water is absorbed, add in kidney beans until warmed through. Remove from burner. Add in the rest of the ingredients. Toss. Top with toppings of choice!

Spicy Bean and Rice Burritos

I would love to try these burritos with all the spiciness! We omit a lot of the hot spices when we cook because the kids won’t eat it if it’s too hot. My husband and I would normally say, the hotter, the better!

Spicy Bean and Rice Burritos

Modifications:

I didn’t add the chipotle chilies, adobo sauce or the cayenne.
I used chipotle chili powder in place of regular chili powder.

Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Noodle Casserole

First of all, I love Half Baked Harvest. Secondly, this was really good!

https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/broccoli-cheddar-chicken-and-noodle-casserole/

Modification:

I left out the chicken. I thought we had some pre-cooked and shredded chicken in the freezer and we didn’t! So I went the easy route and left it out instead of making some.

Happy cooking!

mountaintopsmama

11 Apr, 2023

Blog

Weekly Meal Plan 015

Last week’s meal plan was a good mix of old faithful dinners with a few new recipes. Usually I only try one new recipe a week but because it was spring break in town we had a lot less going on and I had more time in the evenings to experiment! I have to say, my favorite meal this week was the Crispy Chicken Carnitas. They could be made so many different ways, too!

Here are the recipes from last week’s menu. Click each meal to take you to its recipe below!

Crispy Chicken Carnitas

Mediterranean Tortellini Salad

Summer Rotisserie Chicken Salad

Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice Casserole

Hawaiian Chicken Sheet Pan with Coconut Lime Rice

Steak, Duck Bites, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans

Sausage and Veggie Skillet

Crispy Chicken Carnitas

These were SO good. I already want to make them again! I made a few modifications that cut cook time in half! I’ll list those below.

Crispy Chicken Carnitas Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Lime Sauce

Modifications:

For the chicken I used pre-cooked and shredded chicken. We get whole chickens and roast them and I just used some of that. I made the same marinade and sautéed the cooked chicken in it in a skillet until the chicken was warmed through and half the liquid was gone.

We didn’t have any ripe avocados when we made these so I didn’t make the sauce and they were still delicious! I imagine with the sauce they’d be even better.

Mediterranean Tortellini Salad

This is one of my favorite cold “summer” salads. Even though it’s not summer, we had some very warm days this week and I wanted to pretend!

Mediterranean Tortellini Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette

Summer Rotisserie Chicken Salad

This was a new salad I wanted to try. My husband was going to be gone and I like to try some new things he may not like when he’s not here. For the kids, they ate a lot of the ingredients separated. This was really good and flavorful but probably not for everyone!

The Summer Rotisserie Chicken Salad That We Can’t Stop Making!

Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice Casserole

I usually have at least one Mexican food dish every week because we love it so much. This was something new I tried. It was simple and good! For an added flavor bonus, top with queso or salsa!

Salsa Verde Chicken Rice Casserole

Modification:

I used pre-cooked and shredded chicken in this meal. I just tossed it in the skillet with the seasonings until warm and fully mixed.

Hawaiian Chicken Sheet Pan with Coconut Lime Rice

I love a good sheet pan dinner and this one doesn’t disappoint! I like to cook it alongside of our favorite coconut lime rice.

Hawaiian Chicken Sheet Pan Meal (Whole30 and Paleo)

Coconut Lime Rice

Modification:

For the rice, I also add lime juice, to taste, with the zest.

Steak, Duck Bites, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans

We don’t use a recipe for any of these foods! We actually ended up eating ribs with roasted potatoes and green beans because we realized we were actually out of steak. Luckily, my parents were visiting and decided to bring a few racks of ribs so we went with that.

Steaks: I only season my steak with salt and pepper because I like to taste my beef. My husband likes a good douse of Dale’s seasoning. It really depends on your tastes how you season!

Mashed potatoes: I boil potatoes and garlic cloves together, drain them and mash together. Then I’ll add some milk and salt and pepper to taste. There are other ways o like to make them but this is definitely the fastest and easiest.

Green beans: Toss green beans in olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment and roast on 450 for 15-25 minutes or until a fork goes through them easily.

Sausage and Veggie Skillet

This is just an easy and versatile meal. You can use whatever type of sausage you like and mix it with whatever veggies you have on hand. You can make rice to go with it if you want to get crazy! Below is a recipe I based this meal on with a few modifications.

https://juliasalbum.com/sausage-and-veggies-skillet/#recipe

Modification:

I used chicken apple sausage instead of the other sausages recommended and changed up the seasonings.

Happy cooking!

mountaintopsmama

2 Apr, 2023

Blog

Weekly Meal Plan 014

When the sun starts shining brighter and the air starts warming up, I immediately want to trade in my soups and casseroles for salads and grilling! However, the change of season in this area is extremely weird. You can experience winter, spring and summer all in a week or even just a day! It makes deciding what to wear and what to eat SO difficult so I chose the “warm weather recipes” in hopes the temps will stay.

Here are the recipes from last week’s menu. Click each meal to take you to its recipe below!

Pantry Pasta

Meatball Sliders

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Salad with Coconut Lime Rice

Black Bean Quinoa

Hamburgers/Hot dogs, Baked Beans and Potato Salad

Chopped Salad

Chicken Lime Chicken Burgers with Avocado Salsa

Pantry Pasta

Pantry pasta is exactly what it sounds like. I boiled some pasta and then just added whatever we had in the pantry and fridge to make a sauce or toppings! We all had some allergy flare ups last week and I wanted to do something that resembled a vegetable soup or chicken noodle soup to soothe our throats but without the soup. Sometimes it’s just a jar of sauce and maybe some veggies added but this week I put a little more effort into it. Here’s what that looked liked this week:

Cold Fighting Pasta

mountaintopsmama

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

¾ lb uncooked pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 ribs of celery, chopped
½ onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste
1-2 c vegetable broth
¼-½ c milk or heavy cream
½ lemon, squeezed
½ c parmesan cheese

Instructions

Cook noodles according to package. Heat olive oil in skillet on medium heat. Add chopped carrots, celery and onion and cook until vegetable start to soften. Add minced garlic and cook additional minute. Add turmeric, herbs, salt and pepper and stir. Add vegetable broth, enough to cover vegetables and cook until reduced in half. Add milk/cream until desired creaminess. Remove from heat and carefully blend with immersion blender. Add in lemon juice and additional salt and pepper to taste. Toss noodles and sauce until combined. Top with parmesan cheese and serve!

Meatball Sliders

We wanted to do something with meatballs that wasn’t the usual. So I came up with meatball sliders and sort of went by the recipe we use to make cheeseburger sliders. We made them not too long ago (click HERE for that recipe) so they were fresh on my mind! I found this recipe that works for this as well and I will list what I did differently below.

https://www.loulougirls.com/2018/04/meatball-sliders-2.html

Modifications:

I prefer making meatballs to frozen ones. I like to make this recipe, double it and freeze what I’m not using: Easy Baked Meatballs
I lined a baking sheet with parchment paper and placed the bottom half of the rolls on it.
Before placing a meatball on each roll, I laid sliced provolone to cover the rolls. Then after placing the meatballs, I put a dollop of marinara on top. The cheese slices on the bottom kept the rolls from getting soggy!
Then sprinkle with mozzarella and place the tops of the rolls on the mozzarella.
I only melted a little butter with no additional additives and brushed the top of the rolls with it.
I baked uncovered for 10-12 minutes, or just long enough for the cheese to melt and the tops to brown.

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Salad with Coconut Lime Rice

This was a new salad we tried and it was good! It is very acidic so if you are sensitive to acidic foods you might want to rethink this one. I planned to have this with our favorite rice but I completely forgot to make it! Mom brain. Here are the recipes for the salad and the rice:

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Salad

Quick and Easy Coconut Lime Rice Recipe

Modification:

I made my own teriyaki sauce instead of buying some and used this recipe: Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

Black Bean Quinoa

When my husband and I got married, a friend of mine made a cookbook for us. Our favorite recipe from that book is this quinoa salad! This recipe is slightly different than what I make but I’ll list the modifications below. It’s delicious served warm or cold and we like to eat it by itself, with chips or even in a tortilla.

Black Bean Quinoa Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

Modifications:

I have always used red onion and no cucumber. But cucumber would be good! I’ve also added corn so you can make it to your taste.
I’ve never added cheese although when can you ever really go wrong with a little cheese?!
I like to add all the chopped ingredients once the quinoa is done and warm them up before eating but I also eat it cold and it’s just as good.

Hamburgers/Hot dogs, Baked Beans and Potato Salad

I suggest you make your hamburgers and hot dogs however you prefer and choose your favorite toppings. I usually just buy potato salad and eat that on the side but the beans, I make. For the burgers, I do use this recipe for the rub:

https://www.iheartnaptime.net/hamburger-seasoning/#recipe

I usually make a whole batch and store it in a container and use it as I go! After rubbing this on the burger patties I pour a few drops of Worcestershire sauce on top.

For the baked beans I like to use this recipe below. Know that this is not a quick recipe and it makes A LOT. As a family of 4 (with the toddlers) I make this and divide into 4 square aluminum pans. I’ll cook one and freeze the other three and we’ll use the over the next few months.

Perfectly Baked Beans

Modification:

I leave out the jalapeños and only add a little adobo sauce from the chipotle peppers. My kids don’t like it as spicy as we do! But the spice is so good.

Chopped Salad

My dad has this ability to eat something somewhere and then come back home and recreate it by taste or make it even better, and this chopped salad happens to be one of those. It’s so good and refreshing!

Chopped Salad

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Smoked turkey
Smoked ham
Genoa salami
Artichoke hearts
Provolone cheese
Toasted pine nuts
Finely chopped onion
Grape tomatoes
Fresh basil
Chopped romaine lettuce
Balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Instructions

Chop all ingredients and toss with dressing.

Chicken Lime Chicken Burgers with Avocado Salsa

I love poblano peppers and these burgers are so delicious. We serve them on a bun, or not, and just top it with the avocado salsa. So. Good.

Chili Lime Chicken Burgers with Avocado Salsa

Modification:

Instead of rubbing the patties with the seasoning I prefer to split it in half and mix half directly into the burger patties and the other half in the avocado salad.

As always, I hope this helps your make meal planning a little easier! Happy cooking!

mountaintopsmama

27 Mar, 2023

Blog

Weekly Meal Plan 013

Once again, I tried to make quick meals this week. We have been busy and quick meals have been necessary! This will probably be the last week for soups for a while, as it is warming up here, but I couldn’t be more excited about it! We had a few things on our schedule that were moved around so we ended up skipping one of our meals and eating leftovers instead, but I’ve included the recipe we would’ve used. I love meal planning because it takes the stress out of dinner time, but I’ve learned over the years to be flexible with it. Make a plan, but expect to move it and change it around a bit as you go.

Here are the recipes from last week’s menu. Click each meal to take you to its recipe below:

Ground Beef Vegetable Soup

Air Fryer Pork Chops, Couscous and Edamame

Creamy Chicken Poblano Soup

Italian Pasta Salad (“Cold Pasta”)

Sheet Pan Nachos

Fish Tacos with Pineapple Salsa and Avocado

Pimiento Mac and Cheese

Ground Beef Vegetable Soup

I am always in need of good ground beef recipes. We get part of a cow every year and it lasts us the entire year! This is a pretty standard vegetable soup recipe, easy and good. Dip some delicious “crusty” bread in it and, yum!

https://casserolecrissy.com/ground-beef-vegetable-soup/

Modification:

Instead of using canned vegetables, I used a mix of fresh and frozen vegetables I had on hand that I needed to use.

Air Fryer Pork Chops, Couscous and Edamame

If you haven’t tried air fryer pork chops, you are missing out! It’s so fast and easy and it’s a great way to prevent overcooking your chops. Here’s a recipe we’ve tried and really like!

Air Fryer Pork Chops

When we eat couscous and we have time, we like to make this recipe as a base. It’s so so good. When we don’t have time we just use a box of Near East Couscous and it does the trick.

Lemon Infused Israeli Couscous Recipe

Modifications:

This recipe calls for zest from only half a lemon. I zest a whole lemon!
I also add lemon juice to taste and mix it in the end.

For the edamame we use our faithful frozen Pictsweet Farms Steamables Edamame and microwave. So good and so easy.

Creamy Chicken Poblano Soup

This was a new recipe I tried! I love poblanos so I was excited to try this one. It had great flavor but there were a few things I’ll do differently next time! See modifications below.

Creamy Chicken Poblano Soup

Modifications:

- I would use less broth next time. Probably only 5 or 6 cups instead of the 8 it calls for. It seemed to water down the flavor a bit.

I did not blend the soup (although I would love it that way too!) because my husband and kids prefer something they can chew on.
I added additional salt, pepper and cumin at the end so be sure to adjust the seasoning to your liking!
Definitely crush tortilla chips in it. It makes it perfect!

Italian Pasta Salad (“Cold Pasta”)

My kids love this pasta salad. When I first started making it my daughter referred to it as “cold pasta” and the name has stuck for us ever since. You could easily make your own variation of this meal with what you have in the fridge but this specific recipe is a good combo of veggies.

The Best Italian Pasta Salad Recipe

Modification:

This recipe includes a recipe for a homemade Italian dressing. I just use Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing because it’s super easy. I’d love to find a good homemade zesty Italian dressing so if you know of one, share in the comments!

Sheet Pan Nachos

These are so easy and you can make them however you like them! Ours look different every time because we use whatever we have in the pantry or fridge. But this week it looked like this:

Sheet Pan Nachos

mountaintopsmama

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb ground beef
1/2 packet taco seasoning
1/3 cup water
1 15 oz can refried beans, warmed
1.5 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Grab a sheet pan, use parchment paper or spray with cooking spray, and spread your chips to cover.
Chop onion, red bell pepper and green bell pepper. Heat some olive oil in a large skillet and add veggies once heated.
Once veggies start to soften, add minced garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute.
Add ground beef and cook until pink is gone.
Once cooked, add taco seasoning and some water and cook until water evaporates and remove from burner.
Spread refried beans (they spread easier if warmed up) over the chips. Add beef mixture on top of beans.
Top with cheddar cheese.
Bake until heated through and cheese is melted, usually about 5-7 minutes.

This is also a really good recipe to try!

https://damndelicious.net/2016/09/06/sheet-pan-nachos/

Fish Tacos with Pineapple Salsa and Avocado

This meal is so easy and the kids like it, too. We don’t eat much fish, mostly because we don’t have much experience cooking it, but also we prefer other meat over it. However, I do love a good fish taco and this is a quick fix if you need it. We use Trident Seafoods Ultimate Fish Sticks and cook them in the air fryer. I’m not a huge fan of fish sticks but I really like these!

We change up the toppings every time depending on what we have but this week I made a chipotle mayo, pineapple salsa and topped with avocado and lime. YUM.

For the chipotle mayo I just mix mayo with adobo sauce from canned chipotle chilies, some salt and lime juice.

This is the recipe I used for the pineapple salsa. SO GOOD.

Easy Pineapple Salsa

Pimiento Mac and Cheese

I found this recipe years ago in probably the first cookbook I ever bought (Rachael Ray’s Look+Cook).

It’s so easy and good! Serve it up alongside of some greens with a light vinaigrette and it’s perfect. This version below and the one I use from the book are a little different, but I’ll include the differences.

Pimiento Mac and Cheese

Differences from the book recipe:

3 tbsp of butter instead of 2
1 medium onion instead of a small onion
3 garlic cloves instead of 2
2 tbsp paprika instead of 1
2 tsp hot sauce instead of 2 tbsp

I hope this gives you some ideas on what to make this week!

Happy cooking!

mountaintopsmama

21 Mar, 2023

Blog

Weekly Meal Plan 012

This week was all about easy. We are entering a busier season with spring and warm weather coming because we have more activities for the kids and my husband is busier at work! This just means I more carefully plan what recipes I use on which nights. Before planning to use a recipe I always read the recipe first! I look and see how long it takes, how many servings it makes, can it be made ahead and, of course, what ingredients it takes. On nights the kids have activities I like to make dinner before so that way when we get home, we can eat right away and get the kids to bed and stay on their schedule. My go -to for meals like this are crockpot meals, casseroles, cold salads/pasta salads, pasta bakes or anything else that can easily be reheated. For casseroles, I like to have them ready and put them in the oven when we head out. Then I’ll use the “delay start” option on my oven where you set the start time, cook time and oven temp and then it turns itself on when it’s time. I not too long ago discovered this feature and it was a game changer for those busy nights!

This week’s menu includes:

Tortellini Carbonara

Lentil Soup

Baked Chicken Thighs, Rice Pilaf and Edamame

Texas Ranch Chicken Casserole

Cheeseburger Sliders and Green Beans

Sweet Potato Hash

Empanadas

Tortellini Carbonara

I’ve made this recipe now a few times and I still love it. It isn’t the healthiest option in the world but it’s easy, it’s quick and it’s good. And it’s a good way for my kids to eat veggies! They really aren’t picky though and love asparagus and peas, so this works great.

Creamy Tortellini with Peas Asparagus and Bacon

Modifications:

I doubled this recipe and used the family size tortellini. It was perfect for a family of four with some leftovers.
I like my bacon cooked best in the oven but it does take a little longer, so I make sure to put that in first. Then it’s ready right as I’m finishing up making the rest of the pasta!

Lentil Soup

This was a new recipe I tried and it was SO good! The flavor was amazing. I didn’t change a thing but I will say, it has quite a few ingredients, a lot of veggies and a lot of spices. I had every one of these ingredients and spices, which is one reason I made it, but some of the spices aren’t super common. It’s so worth it though! After I made it, I froze half of it and we had plenty.

https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/lentil-soup/

Baked Chicken Thighs, Rice Pilaf and Edamame

This was the first time I ever cooked chicken thighs and they came out so tender and juicy! We will definitely make these again and it was seriously, so easy.

https://sweetcsdesigns.com/baked-ranch-chicken-thighs/?_gl=1%2A1sok4jh%2A_ga%2ARnhKM3drSHpyMGdCRlU1UElXRDBGYUNJVVJHUHdCUkFQMEpuMENRVjZ0VDlKTS10eS1fT090dmlpNWhFWWRSYQ..

This rice pilaf recipe is based off of one my grandma used to make!

Rice Pilaf

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter
1 cup rice I use a wild rice blend or jasmine rice.
1/2 medium onion
2 stalks celery
Handful parsley, chopped
4 oz can mushroom
2 cups chicken broth

Instructions

Melt butter in skillet on medium heat.
Add onion and celery and cook until onions are clear but still crisp.
Add in rice, stir until coated and cook 1 minute.
Add in chicken broth, mushroom and parsley. Mix.
Bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn burner down to simmer and cover rice.
Simmer until rice is cooked, about 20 minutes.
Once done, stir and enjoy!

My kids LOVE edamame so we have this as a side a lot. We just use the frozen Pictsweet Farms Steam’ables. The kids have so much fun popping the beans out of the pods!</>

Texas Ranch Chicken Casserole

Chicken casseroles are an easy go to on a busy night. I make it either the night before or sometime earlier in the day. If we’re going to be going somewhere, I’ll just use the delay start feature on my oven and set it to be done when we get home! This was a new recipe I tried and we loved it.

Texas Ranch Chicken Casserole Recipe

Modifications:

Next time we make this, my husband wants to put it over a bed of Mexican rice and then add a little queso sauce on top!

Cheeseburger Sliders and Green Beans

This recipe is so easy and delicious! Know that it makes a LOT. After we bake this we freeze half to eat later. You could easily just cut the recipe in half but I love to have freezer meals handy! We usually eat this with green beans on the side.

https://natashaskitchen.com/cheeseburger-sliders/

Sweet Potato Hash

I made up this hash one day when I was cleaning out my produce. We loved it so much it’s become a regular item on our menu! We like to eat this as is, with chicken apple sausage sliced and mixed in or with a fried egg on top for a delicious breakfast hash!

Sweet Potato Hash

mountaintopsmama

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 tbsp coconut oil
2 medium sweet potatoes, chopped small
1 red onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 avocado, cubed
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
Handful cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
Salt, to taste.

Instructions

Heat coconut oil in pan on medium heat.
Add sweet potatoes, onions and bell pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Then add minced garlic, cumin and chili powder. Cook until sweet potatoes are fork tender.
Add in avocado, tomatoes, cilantro and lime juice and salt to taste. Heat until avocado and tomatoes are warm. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Remove from heat and serve.

Notes

Add chicken apple sausage to dish for extra flavor and protein.

Add a fried egg (or two!) on top to make a delicious breakfast hash.

Empanadas

We ended up not eating these on Sunday night because we had a surplus of leftovers. BUT when we make empanadas this is the recipe we use. They’re a hit with the kids as well! Something like this is a little more time consuming than my usual meals. I typically choose the recipe that takes the most time to make on Sundays because I have the most time.

Easy Beef Empanadas

Hope you enjoy these and let me know if you make anything!

Happy cooking!

mountaintopsmama

17 Mar, 2023

Blog

St. Patrick’s Day Activities and Crafts

For St. Patrick’s Day we don’t normally do a lot but we will do crafts or activities during the week that include the theme. Here are some things we’ve done over the years!

Pot of Gold Paper Plate Craft

Rainbow Scavenger Hunt (Free Printable)

Handprint Shamrock

Popsicle Stick Leprechaun Hat

Painting

Pot of Gold Paper Plate Craft

This one is super simple. All you need is:

• A paper plate

• Markers (or paint, crayons, pencils, etc.)

• Tape or stapler

• Yellow tissue paper (optional) cut into squares

• Glue (if you’re using tissue paper)

To start, take a paper plate and cut it in half.

Take one of your halves and cut the edge off leaving an arch and a small semi circle.

You should have three pieces now.

Color/paint the full half plate black.

Color/paint small semi circle yellow.

If you want to use tissue paper, spread your glue on your yellow semi circle.

Take a square, wad it up and stick it on the glue. Do this until your semi circle is covered. (You can also use glitter here or gold paper cut into a coin shape!)

Color/paint the arch as a rainbow.

Using your stapler or tape, attach the yellow semi circle to the pot and the rainbow around the semi circle.

A pot of gold!

Rainbow Scavenger Hunt

Whether you’re looking for a simple but fun activity to do for St. Patrick’s Day, helping your kids learn their colors, teaching about Noah’s Ark and what the rainbow meant or you just have littles who love rainbows, this activity is the perfect activity for you! (Click here for the free printable!)

This scavenger hunt can be used in many different ways depending on what resources you have and what ages of kids you have or level of difficulty you need. You can use it indoors or outdoors! Here are a few ideas on how to use it:

• For younger kids, have them choose a matching marker and check off each color once they’ve found an object to match.

• Kids who can draw or write can draw or write down the object they found with a matching color marker.

• For older kids, you can create clues for them to find a specific object.

Handprint Shamrock

For this craft you will need:

• Green or white paper

• Green paint

• Gold or brown paint

• Glitter or glitter paint (optional)

• Scissors

You are going to make four handprints. Paint hand with green paint, repainting hand in between each handprint. Place the heel of the hand in the center of the paper and rotate handprint each time to form a clover. Sprinkle with glitter or when green paint dries, paint with glitter paint on top. Take gold/brown paint and make a stem. Once dry, cut out your shamrock and display!

Popsicle Stick Leprechaun Hat

Supplies needed:

• Popsicle sticks (We used 8 but you can use as many or little as you like.)

• Green marker or green paint

• Black paper, small piece

• Yellow/gold paper, small piece

• Glue

• Tape

First, color all but one of your popsicle sticks with markers or paint. Once dry, turn them upside down and glue them together in the shape of a hat. Glue your last popsicle stick diagonally on the back to secure the other popsicle sticks. I also put a piece of packing tape to secure the back. Cut a strip of black paper and a buckle from the yellow/gold paper. Glue to the front of hat.

Painting

One of the easiest crafts we do is to just paint! Sometimes I let my kids pick out the colors of paint or if we’re doing a certain theme I’ll pick out the paint for them. I let them use brushes or their fingers and hands and they love it! When my kids were younger I would put dots of paint all over their paper to smear around and they thought it was so fun! These are a couple of paintings my kids did for St. Patrick’s Day last year.

I hope this gives you a few ideas of some simple crafts and activities for St. Patrick’s Day!