Week of March 8, 2015

Well hello! This week we did in fact get sleet/snow again and Mr. Rutledge was not coerced into grilling the chicken. That salad will just have to wait. We are headed to Ruidoso, New Mexico for spring break, so it’ll be nice to have everything we need for a quick supper when we get back from skiing (sleeping, hiking, reading). Baby Rutledge and I will obviously not be skiing, but my little sister is going to make sure Mr. Rutledge does not check out how beneficial his medical insurance is.

I’m thinking we will want some warm, cozy cabin foods this week. I know it’ll be 60 degrees or so, but that mountain air always makes things seem cooler. I don’t know if we will really follow this menu since I’ll be outnumbered with votes between husband and sister!

My lunch buddies (Ahem, Kathy!) think it is fun to discuss my growing waistline while I’m trying to eat. So, I’ll push for some lighter meals when we aren’t on the road.

 

Slow cooker butternut squash and roasted chickpeas – Mr. Rutledge loves a butternut squash soup we have shared before, but I’m not in love with it. So we are trying a new one this week! Doesn’t it sound delicious? Plus, this recipe goes in the crock-pot and we all know I have a special place in my heart for it! It’s vegetarian, SHHHH! Don’t tell Mr. Rutledge!

Polenta with green chili and corn – I have to be honest, I’ve never cooked with polenta before. However, when I think of New Mexico, I always think green chilies. And like a stilly country song, when I think of green chilies I think about corn. So here’s this recipe. I’m praying I can talk my family into trying this with me! This is a side so I’d consider grilling some pork chops or chicken while this bakes.

Spicy shrimp sandwich with chipotle avocado mayo – Carbs are still my favorite food group. Sorry. Just can’t help it. This baby already wants to eat like his/her daddy! This sandwich will not be light (thanks to the carbs and mayo), but shrimp is super low calorie so that makes up for it. Plus, I don’t have to eat lunch this week with the ladies who have decided my waistline is their favorite topic.

Spicy cornmeal chicken with peach barbecue – Again, my attempt to stay away from Chick-fil-a. This sounds so delicious to me. It might be a great food to have in my memory bank come this summer. The recipe also says it doesn’t have to be spicy, so Brooks family you can STILL try it!

Breakfast quinoa with blueberry and almonds- Mr. Rutledge and I had a long talk about whether this would be a good breakfast option. I think it’ll be delicious. My mom used to make rice with milk, sugar and butter for breakfast and I loved it. I think this will be a healthier more filling option. Mr. Rutledge says quinoa is made to be savory. He is wrong a lot. Promise. Give this a try!

 

Week of March 1, 2015

Well, Mr. Rutledge and I ended up snowed in for a few days around our house. Luckily, the Mister had already been to the grocery store and stocked our fridge. Let’s be clear about what it means to be “snowed in” in my neck of the woods. There was a half inch of ice and the world dang near came to an end. Through our brilliance and resilience, we survived like champs. We cleaned out old files which led me to take a walk down memory lane and discard Mr. Rutledge’s W-2. That form isn’t necessary for anything is it?

On another note, grilling out those flank steaks worked wonderfully. My darling husband was thrilled to be grilling in the freezing rain. I was not quick enough to snap a picture. Though perhaps photographing the event would have been detrimental to my dinner. I don’t think we will be grilling again until he is certain the temperatures will remain above 65 degrees!

*Please note “grilled” salmon recipe below. Oops! We can always bake the salmon if it does in fact remain too cold for Mr. Rutledge to be coaxed into grilling.

We had a small victory at our house this week: we skipped mac’n’cheese! Also, every vegetable I purchased was consumed (I helped with 0% of zucchini consumption as it is still banned from my mouth). However, I may or may not have had to ask the local Brookshire’s stocker where in heck they keep the corn dogs. One step forward and one step backward, I guess. Should I be proud of the fact I didn’t know the location of the corn dogs beforehand, or should I be depressed that my desire to eat a stinkin’ corn dog outweighed the embarrassment of asking? My best friend says I need to see a dietitian. She was kindly reminded that I frown on unsolicited recommendations.  Just kidding. Except she did tell me I should see a dietitian. Those of you who are dietitians and health nuts and are judging me, take note that I chose 100% beef with no by-products. No, that doesn’t make it a healthy choice.

   Seth's gumbo 

   Brussels sprouts/bacon pasta

Buffalo chicken baked taquitos/lettuce wraps – Buffalo/wing sauce is one of my favorite flavors ever. I really would like to go to chick-fil-a and get one of those platters of chicken nugget goodness and a tub of buffalo sauce. Instead, I’ll try this. Mr. Rutledge generally doesn’t like much in the crockpot, so I can’t make any promises this will go well. Also, I don’t like bleu cheese, so this house will be having some ranch. Try mixing that ranch packet in plain low fat Greek yogurt instead of mayo/buttermilk. Shred some carrots and celery and put them in a lettuce wrap!

Grilled salmon with avocado salsa (Pinterest)- Mr. Rutledge’s Aunt Daria made a grilled salmon at Christmas and it was fantastic. I think we will try our hand at a grilled salmon this week. This recipe looks easy and super-fast. Plus, Mr. Rutledge loves guacamole! Round out this meal with some steamed vegetables.

Cranberry avocado salad with chicken and orange poppy seed dressing – I love a good salad and fresh vegetables are my best chance right now at actually consuming a vegetable. I’ve never tried this recipe, but it sounds delicious. Also, I’m trying to be better about not going through a drive-through window when I’m out seeing patients. These leftovers will double as a great on-the-go lunch for me!

Salt Lick Peach Cobbler – several weeks ago my mom brought us some frozen peaches she’d put away. I offered to make some peach cobbler for Mr. Rutledge then promptly realized I didn’t know my Nanny Harvey’s peach cobbler recipes. Memaw didn’t answer her phone. For a woman who talks to more people than anyone I know, she sure is hard to get to answer the phone when you want her to! (Mr. Rutledge says that this is true of all Trouts, but he’s wrong a lot.) Anyway… I tried this recipe. It’s super easy and delicious. It doesn’t hold up that well in the fridge, so I suggest even if there are just two of you to eat the whole thing in one sitting while it’s still warm.