Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

So day 4 of my "Meals of Blogland" Meal Plan and this one comes courtesy of Domestically Obsessed and all I have to say is 5 words... I COULD EAT THIS EVERYDAY. Honestly I couldn't stop eating! I tested a bit of the stuffing while I was stuffing the squash to ensure I seasoned it well and I found myself eating it by the tablespoon full! And let's be honest, ANY meal that comprises of veggies stuffed into a veggie that my "veggie-phobic" son will gobble down is in top spot on my list.

I did do a couple changes - I browned the sausage prior to adding the veggies to cook. I only had plain breadcrumbs, so I used them and added my own Italian spice, along with pepper, and a little paprika (because unbeknown to my husband I am having an affair with smoked paprika and add it anywhere I can) I also grated the carrots and when my son asked what it was I told him a wee lie and said it was grated cheddar cheese. ;) And finally for sausage I used Johnsonville Mild Italian Sausage and removed the casings prior to cooking.

FYI - This stuffing would also be AWESOME used as a stuffing in a bird. So versatile!

Yup, next week's meal plan may be an easy one - 7 days of Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash! ;)

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Operation "Bring Back the Snack" Update

Some of you may recall that I posted a couple weeks ago about the fact that I was hoping to reclaim some sort of healthiness to our beloved snack time.

I have rethought my plans since then and because, let's be honest, almost 3 years olds can be fickle on a good day, I don't want us to be strapped to a rigid plan. So I have decided that I will just list all my snack ideas and once a week I will try to m(b)ake one new snack recipe can can be enjoyed periodically throughout that week, or frozen for later use. I will include this snack in my weekly meal plan.

In my quest I have come across an AWESOME database of wonderfully healthy and delicious baked goods - Pattycake and a baking website to blow your mind... Joy of Baking.com both of which have NUMEROUS baking ideas, so please go check them out!

So without further ado...

Baked Goods (all served with Milk):

• Golden Harvest Muffins (and many other Muffin recipes to come)
• Banana Booty Bars
• Nutella Whole Wheat Banana Bread
• Carrot Spice Cookies
• Chickpea Cookies (still on the prowl for a good recipe)
• Honey Peanut Butter Cookies
• Bite-sized Fruit Balls (recipe to come)
• Sneaky Snack Bars

Roll ups, Sandwiches and Flour Tortillas:

• Cheese Quesadilla served with Juice
• Inside out Sandwich Roll served with Water
• Carrot Raisin Roll up served with Water
• Peanut Butter and Banana Wrap served with Milk
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich cut into shapes and served with Milk

Dippers:

• 1/2 Apple Sliced and served with Peanut Butter to dip and Milk
• Veggie Strips (Carrot, Red Pepper, Celery,) served with Tzaziki sauce to dip and Water
• Mini Pitas served with Hummus to dip served with Water

Everything Else:

• Cheese String, Grapes and Crackers served with Water
• Trail Mix (Cheerios, Shreddies, Yogurt Covered Raisins, Craisins) served with Milk
• Banana Slices topped with Peanut Butter and Raisins served with Milk
• Yogurt mixed with Berries and served with Teddy Grahams and Water
• Smoothie
• Roasted Chickpeas served with Fruit Twist and Milk
• Toasted Coconut Granola served with Milk

I hope some of these have inspired you in your own quest for healthy snacking! If you try any of these recipes, let me know your thoughts.

Spaghetti Squash with Simple Tomato Sauce

Magazine Meal Plan Week day 2 - Oh man it is SO nice to have a meal without meat every once and a while (despite my husband's grumblings). This meal was Perfect from start to finish - easy to make, flavourful, full of veggies and... my son LOVED it!  I also like the little piece of useful information about tomato seeds. We had Garlic Toast on the side and that rounded it out perfectly. This is a meal you will see again for sure! (even though I am sure my husband will request a side of steak next time ;-))

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Maple Mustard Pork Tenderloin with Caramlized Apples

Served with Steamed Carrots and Quinoa (Yes; we LOVE Quinoa) If you are unsure what it is, here is a website dedicated to this awesome grain: http://quinoa365.com/

The whole family cleaned their plates. This was SO delicious and fairly simple. A+++

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Classic Steak BBQ

Classic Backyard Steak BBQ Menu:

Fruit Punch 

Brushetta 

BBQ Steak 

Broccoli Salad

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

Magic Bars 

Fruit Punch was a hit with the kiddies. Not too sweet, the lemon juice is a nice tangy touch. Adults were enjoying the wine and beer too much to sample the punch. :-)

Brushetta and Bread: I used a deli pre-made brushetta and bakery bread ~ I need to make short cuts somewhere. :) 

*Here's a wonderful tip for cooking bacon that will let you steer clear of the mess, hassle and pain of frying. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and lay bacon in a single layer on pan. Bake in preheated 400* oven until it looks about right. Check it to make sure the bacon is cooking evenly. It should take about 10-20 minutes depending on how crispy you want it. Take it out of oven and lay on paper towel to soak up the grease. The bacon can then be rolled in paper towel and put in a zip lock bag and frozen. Then all it takes is 15 seconds in the microwave and voila! you have fresh cooked bacon whenever you need it.  

Bacon ranch Pasta Salad: Delicious! Very Colourful and Flavourful. A definite new summer bbq/picnic staple in this house.

Broccoli Salad: easy peasy and turns out perfect every time and is always a hit. You can add a handful of raisins or craisins to the mix as well for a little sweetness. I did and it was a nice touch.

Steak: Montreal Steak Spice...'nuff said.

Magic Bars: I opted for the half chocolate - half butterscotch variation and added chopped pecans. These are perfect for a big gathering as they can be made ahead of time, even frozen, and they don't require too much work or time in the oven. And they are ALWAYS a hit. Make sure to have them cool in the fridge before cutting otherwise you end up with a mess. Of course the whole plate was almost gone by the end of the evening. 

Overall the BBQ Menu went over great; there were almost no leftovers. The boys were having too much fun to truly sit down and eat, but that is what summertime fun with friends in the backyard is all about. 

Go to Broccoli Salad Recipe!
Go to Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad Recipe!
Go to Fruit Punch Recipe!
Go to Magic Bars Recipe!