hjelseth family menu | week 2

k here it is again!

week two :)
(though I meant to post this much sooner - - LIFE hasn't allowed for that to happen) :)

before beginning all this, I always look through our fridge, freezer, and dry foods to get an idea of what groceries we already have. i like to make a list of main food items we have and that need used up and try to work off of that when choosing dinner items. 

this week my list included: broccoli, potatoes, shredded cheddar cheese, frozen spaghetti, chicken breast

:: MONDAY ::

spaghetti + broccoli + garlic bread

:: my favorite spaghetti recipe is HERE. and it makes a TON!!
when I make this, we can actually get F O U R meals out of it! butttt we don't prefer to eat the same spaghetti four nights in a row... so I throw half of it in a freezer ziploc to pull out another week :) which is exactly what happened this week. spaghetti leftovers from two weeks prior X2!
#winning
:: broccoli I steam in the microwave with a little butter + salt
:: garlic bread - i buy the parmesan garlic break from costco,  slice it, put a little butter, garlic powder, parsley, and parmesan cheese on top & broil in the oven for 2 minutes. SO YUM!

:: TUESDAY ::

leftovers!

:: WEDNESDAY ::

out for dinner!

(brandon's dad's birthday)

:: THURSDAY ::

crockpot corn chowder

another favorite I found on pinterest long, long ago!
:: recipe HERE!
so good. especially on these cold winter nights.

:: FRIDAY ::

leftovers!

always counting on leftovers in our house ;)

:: SATURDAY ::

mac + cheese w/ crunchy salad

:: here's my homemade mac + cheese recipe (which is also under the OUR TABLE tab on the blog)

Homemade Mac+Cheese:
ingredients:
 1/2 box of elbow macaroni noodles
1 egg
couple tbsp butter
couple splashes of milk
couple handfuls shredded cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs
couple tbsp olive oil

directions:
:: cook noodles as directed on package + drain + return to pot on stovetop
:: stir in one whisked egg, the butter, and milk
:: add in shredded cheese. add in what you need to get the amount of cheesy-ness you desire! :)
:: combine + stir until all your cheese is melted (I sometimes will turn the burner on low as I'm doing this)
:: we like ours topped with breadcrumbs, so I combine those with olive oil, and then sprinkle on top after pouring the mac + cheese mixture into a baking dish. crumbled bacon on top would also be sooo good!
:: to brown the top up a little, I put the pan in the oven under broil for just a couple minutes

:: and then the crunchy salad we're repeating again from last week cause it was soooo yummy!

aunt carol's crunchy salad:

SALAD:

2 tbps butter

1 pkg ramen noodles

1/2 cup chopped almonds

handful sunflower seeds

4-6 cups romaine lettuce

2 cups chopped broccoli

some chopped green onions

:: melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. add the uncooked ramen noodles (break them all up), almonds, and sunflower seeds, and saute until toasted light brown (3-4 minutes). let cool.

pour dressing (recipe below) into the bottom of your salad bowl.

add the lettuce, broccoli, green onions, and toasted crunch mix. toss when ready to serve.

VINAIGRETTE:

4 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp salt

6 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2-3 drops tabasco sauce

1/2 cup olive oil

:: mix all the vinaigrette ingredients with a wire wisk (or just shake all together in a mason jar).

:: SUNDAY ::

leftovers!

enjoy friends!!
hjelseth family menu | week 1

Xoxo
-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth

hjelseth family menu | week 1

my first time doing a post like this- but lots of you friends answered 'yes please' to the poll on my insta stories :) so here we go!

lately it has been sunday where I sit down and plan our "week" out, but often times it may fall on any other weekday too. either way, I just plan out a whole 7-8 days worth so we're set.

and there's no doubt things may come up in the week where we fall off of this 'schedule'. I just continue to use our menu as a guide and follow the planned out meals one after the other.

I pull ideas from pinterest, favorite family recipes of ours (a handful of these I have posted previously under the OUR TABLE tab on the blog), and any others I have collected in my cookbook.

**disclaimer: we don't eat cinnamon rolls for dinner, but I was in need of adding some sort of picture :)

:: MONDAY ::

enchilada pasta + crunchy salad

:: the enchilada pasta is a favorite I found years back via pinterest. the link to that recipe is HERE.

:: i'll be making the crunchy salad for the first time ever. I came across it in jen hatmaker's book, of mess and moxie. 

seems simple, yet so yummy!

aunt carol's crunchy salad:

SALAD:

2 tbps butter

1 pkg ramen noodles

1/2 cup chopped almonds

handful sunflower seeds

4-6 cups romaine lettuce

2 cups chopped broccoli

some chopped green onions

:: melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. add the uncooked ramen noodles (break them all up), almonds, and sunflower seeds, and saute until toasted light brown (3-4 minutes). let cool.

pour dressing (recipe below) into the bottom of your salad bowl.

add the lettuce, broccoli, green onions, and toasted crunch mix. toss when ready to serve.

VINAIGRETTE:

4 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp salt

6 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2-3 drops tabasco sauce

1/2 cup olive oil

:: mix all the vinaigrette ingredients with a wire wisk (or just shake all together in a mason jar).

:: TUESDAY ::

leftovers!!

:: WEDNESDAY ::

lemon parmesan garlic chicken  + veggies w/ garlic bread

:: recipe HERE. and it is soooo good!

a favorite of ours that is always in the dinner rotation!

:: THRUSDAY ::

date night out!

(I'll serve the kids just whatever I can pull together) :)

:: FRIDAY ::

meatloaf + steamed broccoli

:: the recipe to my meatloaf is HERE.

:: and the broccoli I just steam with a little butter & salt.

:: SATURDAY ::

leftovers!

:: SUNDAY ::

parmesan chicken + green beans + garlic bread

:: I'm using this recipe HERE for the chicken.

:: and will just steam the green beans with a little butter, salt, & seasoning.

if this seems to be of interest to many, I can continue to share. so let me know what you think!!

leave a comment here.

or message me on insta!

Xoxo

-Brittney
follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth

our table || toddler meal ideas || re-play giveaway

first, I gotta say so far i've been pretty lucky with good eating children.
I know it's not that way for all you mamas. keep trying with those picky eaters and don't give up!
 boy can harper eat! and thankfully it hasn't ever been a real struggle to get her to do so. so far, (and I know this can change-though I don't foresee it happening!) tanner has been a pretty good eater too. I'm already seeing a glimpse into our future of feeding a growing boy and it sounds expensive!

both kids pretty much accept what we give them to eat at meal times. and quite honestly, if they don't like what they're given... well, I'm not one to run and fix something else :) 

ya kinda get what mom makes in this house.

tanner eats some of what we eat and then some simple, whole foods too. like fruit, bread, yogurt, ect. paired with what might be suitable from what the rest of us are eating.

harper 100% eats what brandon and I eat. it's busy enough making meals 3+ times a day, that I'm not about to fix her something separate. that's how it's always been, and that's what has worked for us :)

breakfast and dinner are pretty simple. but lunch can be one meal that I can run short on ideas. it's the meal of the day where we generally aren't all eating together and the only meal I'm making at the moment is for harper. (I've developed a bad habit for myself of just snacking though lunch. with the busyness of the kids and the day, I find it challenging to stop and get myself to stop and eat an actual meal. working on it!!)

***dietitian tip: in general (for all meals), I try to include fruit/veggie, protein, whole grains***

---breakfast items: eggs (scrambled, fried, boiled), whole wheat toast, fruit, oatmeal, yogurt, nut butter toast with strawberries

---dinner: too much variety to list here, but whatever is for dinner, that's what harper has.

so here are some toddler lunch ideas (that you could also carry into some breakfasts and dinners too) that I commonly feed harper!

--and how about these re-play plates! I loooveee them!--

1 //  grilled turkey + cheese sandwich made on whole wheat bread + watermelon

2 //  hard boiled egg + whole wheat crackers + strawberry & banana slices

3 //  ham + cheese sandwich made on whole wheat bread with lettuce, tomato, and mayo + apple slices

4 //  pb+j made with natural peanut butter on whole wheat bread with apple slices

5 //  veggie bites (I buy these at costco and harper loves them!! as does tanner) :) with whole wheat crackers + cucumber slices

chicken nuggets (made with breast meat) and annie's mac+cheese also make their way into the rotation :)

curious on any other things we might eat/feed our children-- just as me! I am more than willing to share!


I've been so happy with these re-play products! great quality, the dishes are deep enough to keep food on the plate rather than sliding over the edge ;), and there are so many fun colors!
Re-Play is graciously giving away a feeding set in any color to one lucky winner! just head over to my instagram (@brittneyhjelseth) to enter! giveaway runs thrusday, april 20th through thursday, april 27th. the winner will be announced by the following friday morning!

and BONUS in the meantime for all my readers/followers, use code: JustUsHjelseth2017 for 15% off of $20!!
www.re-play.com
I will most certainly be using my own coupon code for myself! :)
code expires 4.27.17

Xoxo

-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth

OUR TABLE || Freezer Meals

FREEZER. MEALS.

those two words can put a busy mama's mind at so much ease. and in my case, a mama caring for a two year old + a newborn! 

a delicious (still homemade) meal that's ready to go without the need to prep the meal. 

I had mentioned back in my one month favorites how I had prepped freezer meals towards the end of my pregnancy. hands down the best thing I've done to prep for adding a new baby to our family. I still haven't had to actually make dinner yet! and we're 7 weeks in with our little Tanner. that's a combination of freezer meals, friends/family bringing us meals, and any other reason we haven't been home at dinner. but I still have a good handful of them in the freezer and it gives me a peace of mind that I don't have to worry about what's for dinner. 

that question that is so often so dreaded.

"what's for dinner?"

must admit I went a little bit overboard with how many I made, but when you have an extra freezer in the garage that's just waiting to be filled... it was plum full!

here are ones that I found on pinterst and made:

spaghetti casserole // this one was a win! I'll be saving this recipe to make it even not as a freezer meal

slow cooker sweet and tangy meatballs // simple, easy, and good! win, win, win!

slow cooker honey sesame chicken // we haven't had this one yet, but looks delicious.

spaghetti sauce // this has been my favorite spaghetti sauce recipe. I decided to make it, split it in two, and freeze it.

baked ziti // now this one we have tried, and honestly I wouldn't recommend it. it's fine, but there just isn't much flavor to it.

slow cooker 8-can taco soup // haven't had this one, but looking forward to it as Fall is rolling in!

ravioli lasagna // good, but a little bland.

crock pot sweet and sour bbq meatballs // still have this one to try, but how can you go wrong with meatballs, bbq, and sweet + sour?!

slow cooker black bean and corn salsa chicken // another one that is waiting for us :)

cheesy chicken and black bean enchiladas // these are a fave for sure!! I made them first while I was pregnant with Harper and they have carried through over the last two years!

 no question it is time consuming to make all these. it took me a good two afternoons. but I tell ya, it was so, so worth it.

a few tips from my experience:

-pull all your recipes, make that big, long grocery list, and knock all your shopping out in one big trip.

-use frozen, diced onions. save yourself from all the chopping.

-make sure you have all the saran wrap, tin foil, disposable pans, and freezer ziplocs you'll need.

-take it one recipe at a time and try to do those that have the same meats back to back.

-recruit your mom or a friend to help.

-being SO pregnant, you might find yourself being SO over it when you're about half way through (I did!)... and remind yourself that you'll be happy you did all this once baby arrives!

freezer meals are our dinner life line right now!

Xoxo

-Brittney

OUR TABLE || turkey meatloaf cups

It's been a little while since I've shared a meal on here. We still have been eating some good meals (here and there). However, it took a heck of a lot more effort on my part during the first trimester! BUT this baby brother and I are now into the second trimester and feeling more alive with energy to get back into the swing of things! and we'll start with sharing this favorite meal :)

During these winter days there really isn't anything like a home cooked meal. Am I right!??

The best is staying inside, enjoying a warm dinner right from the oven, and of course one that little effort and time.

and what's a better comfort food than meatloaf??!

Well the answer to that is these turkey meatloaf cups. I can absolutely promise you won't feel disappointed :)

In the past I made my meatloaf in my bread loaf pan, but discovered that these 'cups' cook more evenly and are easier to serve. This one is a favorite around here and gets thrown into the meal rotation quite frequently. Husband and toddler approved! A win win :)

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey breast

1 lb ground italian sausage

1 medium onion chopped

2 eggs

1 cup milk

3 tbsp dried parsley

1 tbsp dried oregano

salt + pepper to taste

1/4 cup dried italian bread crumbs

4-6 slices of bread*

Glaze Ingredients:

3 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp yellow mustard

1/3 cup ketchup (I like to use the HEINZ no salt added)

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Add all ingredients (except slices of bread and 'glaze ingredients') to a large mixing bowl.

-Tear slices of bread into small (dime sized) pieces and add them to the mixing bowl. 

*I save the heels of my loafs of bread, keep them in a bag in the fridge, and then use those in my meatloaf. It allows the bread to dry out a little by the time I am ready to use them for my meatloaf :)

-Now mix all ingredients in the mixing bowl together with your hands until well combined.

-Lightly grease muffin pan.

-Evenly fill all 12 'muffin spots' in your pan with your meat mixture.

-Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.

-While meatloaf is cooking, mix the glaze ingredients together in a bowl.

-Once meatloaf is done, spoon glaze over each meatloaf cup.

Now add this to your weekly dinner menu and enjoy!!

Xoxo

-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth