Weekly Menu Round-Up: April 11-15

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve last done a Weekly Menu here on the blog, so here we go! If you follow me on Instagram (follow me @_thepinkchickadee), then you probably see what I cook in the kitchen via my Weekly Menu’s on my Instagram Stories. I definitely feel like the last time I did a Weekly Menu, it created via my HelloFresh subscription. Well, y’all, I have CANCELLED – yes, cancelled – my HelloFresh subscription. Why?! It was a lot of money for a lot of meals that I wasn’t eating given my lifestyle and time-consuming. So, now, let’s get into this week’s menu!

Meal 1: Roasted Chili Line Cod. I found this recipe online (https://fashionablefoods.com/2014/06/27/2014618roasted-chili-lime-cod/) and am SO excited to try it. It not only looks Uber-healthy but also Uber-delicious. So, I will be serving this healthy and delicious-looking creation with roasted broccoli and cauliflower and couscous.

Meal 2: Kale Caesar Salad with Air Fryer Shrimp, Roasted Chickpeas, Cherry Tomatoes, and Croutons. This recipe is actually based off of one I tried when subscribing to HelloFresh and I loved it so so much that I wanted to create my own, more affordable version! I’ve always been a sucker for kale salads too and my local Food Lion grocery store sells a HUGE head of kale for about $1.00. So, I am going to be serving this recipe with soup of all things – haha – if I feel the need to add something on the side though.

Meal 3: Honey Garlic Shrimp with Brown Rice & Roasted Broccoli. I found this recipe (https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/quick-healthy-dinner-20-minute-honey-garlic-shrimp/) for Honey Garlic Shrimp when I saw that my local Food Lion grocery store was having a sale on the shrimp that I like. This recipe consists of soy sauce and honey, so it’s a bit of an Asian fusion dish (which I LOVE!!!!).

With Easter coming up, I am SO excited to be able to celebrate with my family. My Mom is putting together a beautiful Easter celebration meal and we plan to dye eggs just like during my childhood years. Here’s to a great week with LOTS of blessings!!

XOXO – Katie <3

thepinkchickadeeLeave a comment

Weekly Menu Round-Up: March 14-18

Another week, another weekly menu!! These past few weeks, I have been using HelloFresh. While I LOVE the meals via HelloFresh, it has taken a toll on my budget and has added up a lot. At the same time, I miss being able to cook the meals that I’ve cooked and wanted to cook on my own without my fridge being overtaken by HelloFresh. SO, I am trying a few weeks without HelloFresh to get a feel for it. Overtime though, I may use HelloFresh from time to time. This week will be a busy week, but it will also allow me to whip up some meals on my own!

Meal 1: Baked Rainbow Trout with Lemon, Black Pepper, and Garlic and Roasted Broccoli and Buttery Cauliflower Rice. The other day at my local Giant grocery store, I found some Rainbow Trout filets on sale, so I picked them up! I figured I would whip up a Rainbow Trout recipe and loved this one (linked here) that I found via a simple Google search. I’m excited to try it and serve it with some healthy side dishes aka my favorite roasted broccoli and cauliflower rice for a healthy, yet delish recipe!!

Meal 2: Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup & Garlic Naan Pepperoni Flatbread Pizza. This past January, I tried Progresso’s newer release of dry Chicken Noodle soup and LOVED it! So, I am going to whip it up again in the Crockpot and serve it with some Garlic Naan Pepperoni Flatbread pizza, as Monday (March 14) is Pi Day *Math majors like myself rejoice!!*.

Meal 3: Healthy Shrimp Salad topped with an Avocado and Buttered Parmesan Rainbow Pasta. I found this delicious-looking Healthy Shrimp Salad (linked here!) via Pinterest and KNEW that I had to try it. I am also oh so excited to be able to serve this salad with buttered parmesan Rainbow pasta noodles (a childhood favorite of mine!), as well.

While a shorter weekly menu, it has definitely become more realistic of what my weekly menus now look like. I am excited to try some healthy recipes that are both budget-friendly AND delicious!

XOXO – Katie <3

thepinkchickadeeLeave a comment

Weekly Menu Round-Up: March 7-11

This week’s menu has some healthy yet delicious additions to it! The majority of this upcoming week’s menu includes contents of my 9th HelloFresh box. If you follow me on Instagram (follow me @_thepinkchickadee!), then you know that I regularly share my HelloFresh meals on my Instagram stories. This past week, I switched my HelloFresh subscription to 3 meals a week as opposed to my initial 4 meals a week, given my current lifestyle. At the same time, this upcoming week is also the week of my Papa’s Birthday – this FRIDAY!!! – and I cannot wait to celebrate with him and enjoy some great meals along the way, too.

Some pretty delicious Avocado Toast topped with Feta, Tomatoes, & Smoked Salmon at Bluestone Lane Cafe in Foggy Bottom, Washington, DC this weekend!!

Meal 1: Greek Goddess Bulgur Bowls with Chickpeas, Harissa Hummus, & Cucumber Feta Salad. This Mediterranean dish looks so healthy, yet so delicious. I’m a BIG fan of Cava – aka the Mediterranean ultra-healthy version of Chipotle – that I DO NOT go to enough. So, this recipe most definitely feels like a vegetarian version of a Cava bowl (I usually get mine with Braised Lamb AND the Harissa Hummus which is included in this dish!!!). I have ALSO recently been really into snacking on hummus and pita here and there, given the fact that my local grocery store has deliciously-made garlic pita chips. That all being said, I can’t wait to try this dish!

Meal 2: Creamy Mac & Cheese. A simple, yet easy lunch dish and add-on to any HelloFresh meal via the HelloFresh market. I’m super excited to be able to try HelloFresh’s variation of Mac & cheese! Enough said.

Meal 3: Warm Buttered Shrimp Rolls with Creamy Lemon Slaw and Seasoned Potato Wedges. A few weeks ago, I had an amazing HelloFresh dish just like this one, but with tempura shrimp rather than warm buttered shrimp. This dish is getting compared to lobster rolls – a Maine staple dish that I LOVE having every time I go up there for family reunions. So, I am oh so excited to be able to eat this dish, too!

Meal 4: Shrimp and Roasted Chickpea Caesar salad with Grape Tomatoes & Garlicky Croutons. Funny story, I ALWAYS have loved adding shrimp to my Caesar salad, when given as a protein option for the salad! So, when I saw that a basic Caesar salad was a meal choice with shrimp, grape tomatoes, and roasted chick peas, I could NOT resist trying it!! I will be serving this dish with some garlic bread – HelloFresh has some pretty great garlic bread, too.

Meal 5: Cauliflower Crust Boboli Pizza. Although not apart of my HelloFresh box this coming week, I have ALWAYS been a big big big fan of the Boboli pizza crust brand. Since I just noticed that Boboli offers a Cauliflower pizza crust option while at the grocery store the other day, I knew that I NEEDED to try it! So, I am going to try it this week and serve some good olde cauliflower crusted pizza with some Caesar salad.

Here’s to a great week for us ALL!

XOXO – Katie <3

thepinkchickadeeLeave a comment

Weekly Menu Round-Up: February 14-20

Another week, another weekly menu – YAY! I’ve been LOVING how much y’all love my weekly menus, too. This past week, I received my fourth HelloFresh box (read my blog post on my 4 weeks with HelloFresh experience here) with my first-ever reward inside of it which was …. a mini cheesecake that was OH SO GOOD! If you follow me on Instagram (@_thepinkchickadee), then you know that I post the recipes that I cook AND the final results of each HelloFresh meal that I make on my stories. This little Instagram Story time of mine in the kitchen has been nothing but a blast for me AND has allowed me to share the results of each and every single one of my weekly menus – one of which is now listed below!

Meal 1: Creamy Dreamy Mushroom Cavatappi with Scallions and Parmesan. This dish low-key reminds me of the Pesto Cavatappi at Noodles & Company aka one of my favorite dishes sold there and my go to order! Initially, when selecting my menu for this coming week, I was hesitant to choose this dish, well, until I saw it again in a different light and maybe just maybe craving Noodles & Company while I was at it. I will be serving this creation probably with a Caesar salad aka my favorite salad – haha!

Meal 2: One-Pan Black Bean & Poblano Quesadillas with Lemon Crema. The moment that I saw that this recipe was in the Hall of Fame of HelloFresh recipes, I just knew that I had to try it! It appears to be a super easy yet super delicious comfort food AND probably something that I will eat ALLL of before I head to bed the day I make it. ALSO, I feel like this will be a great The Bachelor Monday recipe, too, which is PERFECT because I get my HelloFresh boxes EVERY Monday. I am pretty sure that I will top this recipe off with none other than some sliced avocados.

Meal 3: Shawarma Chickpea Lettuce Wraps with Israeli Salad, Pistachios, & Lemon Garlic Yogurt and Creamy Tomato Soup. A few weeks ago, Papa and I had a Middle Eastern chickpea rice bowl with salmon. Personally, I was shocked when I handed Papa this week’s recipes in a stack to look through and that was the one that he chose (he isn’t the most adventurous eater, but I am seriously the exact opposite of him – in fact, Middle Eastern and Indian and Chinese cuisines are probably my absolute favorites in the world along with pizza!) and we both LOVED it. So, when I saw this gorgeous food creation pop up in my options for this week’s menu, I could not pass it up. At the same time, I cannot wait to see how the Creamy Tomato Soup balances it all out.

Meal 4: Shrimp & Honey Miso Broccoli Donburi with Sweet Potato, Scallion Rice, & Eggs. My recipes that feel like the healthier version of Asian takeout dishes are seriously some of my HelloFresh favorites! So, I am so so so excited for this lovely creation and to make a fun rice dish yet again! Seriously y’all, HelloFresh legitimately has some of the best twists on rice and I seriously won’t cook rice from the grocery store anymore – haha!

Meal 5: Pesto Caprese Sandwiches with an Almond-Studded Green Salad. I got this lunch dish in my HelloFresh box a few weeks ago AND have been craving it ever since my last box. Not only am I craving the sandwich, BUT I am also craving that gorgeously delicious and healthy salad, too.

Meal 6: Vanilla Delight Cheesecakes & Chocolate Lava Cakes. Not really a meal BUT it is a great Valentine’s Day treat for me and my Papa – who, I am by the way spending Valentine’s Day with this year!

Here’s to another great week with some pretty great meals. Also, it’s the week of Valentine’s Day, SO here is your public service announcement to treat yourself to a delicious meal and something sweet too – you deserve it!

XOXO – Katie <3

thepinkchickadeeLeave a comment

Weekly Menu Round-Up: January 31-February 4

New week, new weekly menu! I’ve recently noticed that y’all have loved following along with my weekly menus and it makes me happy, too. They’re so much fun to post about and share what I make on my Instagram stories, too (follow me @_thepinkchickadee!). When getting into this week’s menu, I want to paraphrase something: things NEVER go as planned. This past week, I did not make my menu according to plan AND that is OKAY! My week did not go as expected – I had some mental struggles and that is all normal and okay. Just a reminder to y’all! Now, let’s get cooking, with HelloFresh of course 🙂

Meal 1: One-Pan Trattoria Tortellini Bake. Initially, I was going to bake this last week, BUT plans changed and that is okay. I am excited to try this recipe, as it feels like a delicious and simple yet comforting food staple. ALSO, it takes only 25 minutes to bake and my excitement is over the moon. Just like last week’s plan, I am going to serve this pasta deliciousness with Caesar salad.

Meal 2: Middle Eastern Salmon & Chickpea Bowls with Spiced Basmati Rice & Garlicky White Sauce. Very very very excited for this creation. I have always loved Middle Eastern cuisine and fell in love with it when I went to Bulgaria and Greece in June/July 2017 and frequented a Middle Eastern local joint right by Meredith College while in Raleigh during my college days. While I have yet to try salmon in a Middle Eastern cuisine dish, I am SO SO SO excited to be able to!

Meal 3: Sun-Dried Tomato Spaghetti with Fresh Herbs, Almonds, and Parmesan. This dish feels SO unique yet SO healthy and delicious at the same time. Very few times have I had a pasta dish with a nut of any kind in it and every time I do, it is AMAZING! I am oh so excited to try another pasta dish with nuts in it, especially right in my own kitchen. I will probably pair this dish with a salad of sorts, BUT knowing me: Caesar salad!

Meal 4: Sizzlin’ Hoisin Shrimp with Ginger Scallion Rice and Roasted Green Beans. Ever since I started using HelloFresh regularly, I have started to cook Asian cuisines at home. Let me tell y’all, the Asian dishes that I have whipped up in my own kitchen thanks to HelloFresh have been my favorites! My mouth is ALREADY watering from looking at photos and HelloFresh’s Instagram posts about this dish!

Meal 5: Charred Tomato & Ricotta Toasts with Walnuts, Chili Flakes, & Balsamic Glaze. While easy and simple, I am so so so excited to be able to try this dish. It comes with two servings, meaning I get two lunches out of it. And, y’all I am over the moon excited to try this dish out!

Meal 6: Shrimp & Mushroom Po’boys with Boardwalk Fries. While at college, I went to this pub regularly that was located right across the street from my apartment. Every time I went, I ALWAYS ordered the Shrimp Po’boy with French fries. AHHHH, y’all, I am CRAVING it right as I write this! Enough said.

This week’s menu excites me so so so much. Here’s to another great week for me and YOU!

XOXO – Katie <3

thepinkchickadeeLeave a comment

Weekly Menu Round-Up: January 24-30

On the daily – well, at least when I cook – I post on Instagram (follow my @_thepinkchickadee) the meals that I cook on my stories. About two weeks ago, I got my first-ever Hello Fresh box and have been LOVING it ever since I started. Just like last week’s menu, this week’s menu is ALL things Hello Fresh (read last week’s menu here!). Now, let’s get into the menu!!

Meal 1: Steakhouse Mushroom Salad. This is a vegetarian salad dish that is notoriously for its great pairing with steak. Although I am mostly on a pescatarian diet (I eat other meats on occasion), I am very excited about this veggie packed salad and will be pairing it with foil baked shrimp and Air Fryer baked potatoes along with sea salt and melted butter. I am most definitely making this recipe into my own meal that screams Katie, but without the steak (though, I will say that I eat steak on very rare occasions)!

Meal 2: One Pan Trattoria Tortellini Bake. I have always loved a good pasta bake; I mean, who doesn’t?! The best part about this pasta bake is that the tortellini is made from a wheat base and is portioned to only two servings, so I get that pasta greatness and deliciousness but within moderation. I plan to serve this delicious creation with a Giant grocery store-branded Caesar salad that I tried and LOVED last week.

Meal 3: Crunchy Curried Chickpea Bowls. This dish reminds me of a veggie bowl at Cava but make it home cooked! Personally, I have always loved Cava – it is healthy and low calorie compared to the rest of the takeout world’s dishes yet it’s still just as great as the rest of the takeout world. I usually get a side of naan when I go to Cava, so I plan to eat this Cave-Like veggie bowl with toasted garlic naan.

Meal 4: Trout in Dijon Sauce with Balsamic Greens, Walnuts and Grapes PLUS Garlic Bread. This dish feels fancy restaurant good but healthy and well-balanced. Initially, this dish had pork as its protein, but I was able to swap it out for trout which I am *VERY* excited about! I am always down to try a delicious-looking seafood dish like this one and I am super excited to do so.

Meal 5: Proscuitto Caprese Sandwiches with Pesto Mayo. I LOVED getting to try the Pesto Caprese Sandwiches with Almond-Studded Green Salad last week (I am STILL craving that salad!), so I am super excited to get to try this similar variation of last week’s dish. Just like last week’s sandwiches, they are also on a ciabatta roll, which I think is perfect for Caprese-like sandwiches. Through it all, I am able to get a simple taste of Italy (I studied abroad in Tuscany in June 2018) while at home and probably working while I eat it!

Meal 6: Garlic Bread & Sweet Kale Salad. My Mom always bought and served the sweet kale salad from Costco and I LOVE it. So, I am excited to try Hello Fresh’s Sweet Kale Salad, too. Needless to say, I am ALWAYS looking for a delicious Sweet Kale Salad to try! Sweet Kale Salads are healthy, sweet, and delicious in all different ways. I plan to serve it with crab cakes, since I love how it balances out the sweetness of the salad.

Here’s to another great week with even greater meals!!

XOXO – Katie <3

thepinkchickadeeLeave a comment

Weekly Menu Round-Up: October 18-22

Another week, another weekly menu! My week’s have gotten pretty busy since the most recent holiday weekend – Columbus Day weekend. However, I am still brewing some things in the kitchen to enjoy some home-cooked specialties. This week, I am not making as much in the kitchen, but I am still enjoying a few recipes here and there. Let’s get cooking!

Meal 1:

In recent times, Progresso has whipped up a new dry formula for Crockpot soups and I have been eager to try! So, I am going to be whipping up that soup recipe, myself. I am trying their chicken noodle soup formula, but not adding any chicken to it. To enjoy this soup, I will be baking some biscuits Pillsbury style and sautéing some kale.

Meal 2:

About a month ago, I stocked up on Fall products at Trader Joe’s. Now, I am oh so excited to whip up some wheat spaghetti with Trader Joe’s Autumn Harvest Pasta Sauce and add in some white wine and mussels. I will be topping off this meal with some Texas toast and kale Caesar salad!

Meal 3:

Last but not least, I will be enjoying some egg cups with broccoli and spinach within them. They’re most definitely a delicious and easy recipe to make. I’m excited to enjoy them all this week.

Here’s to an exciting week in the kitchen!

XOXO – Katie <3

thepinkchickadeeLeave a comment

Weekly Menu Round-Up: September 27-October 1

one time, no weekly menu! Recently, I have made a master bucket list for ALL of the Fall recipes that I have wanted to try. Now that I can officially say it’s Fall y’all, I can also officially make ALL of my favorite Fall recipes with no shame. Like I wasn’t before, but can enjoy them knowing it’s starting to get a bit cooler in the air.

Weekly Menu Round-Up: September 27-October 1

  • Meal-Prepped Lunch: The other day, I was looking up some recipes involving seafood that are also great for Fall. One of the first recipes that I came across was a Rustic Crab Quiche from Garlic & Zest – a recipe that I cannot wait to try this week and enjoy at every lunch! I will be serving my quiche with one of my favorite pre-made Food Lion salads – a Poppyseed salad.
  • Dinner 1: For quite a while, I have been intrigued by the idea of cooking up some Teriyaki Salmon! If you follow me on Instagram (@_thepinkchickadee) which you probably should – I would LOVE to connect! – then you know that I am a major fan of shopping at my local Food Lion grocery store. If you don’t know what Food Lion is, it is a grocery store chain that is near and dear to those in the central East Coast states – Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, the works. My local Food Lion carries a Teriyaki Salmon pre-made that I HAVE to try and finally bought. I will be serving my baked Teriyaki Salmon in a sheet pan style with roasted broccoli, carrots, and some skillet rice and potstickers, too.
  • Dinner 2: It may be my inner Washington, DC in me, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE Old Bay seasoning. My college Big Sis Stephanie made an oven butter baked shrimp with broccoli and mushrooms on a sheet pan a while back, and I have been dreaming about making it myself since! I *finally* am trying it and will be adding in some foil-wrapped baked Cod of course topped with some Old Bay to the sheet pan, too. I will top it all off over some cauliflower rice – a new favorite in my Mom’s and I’s kitchen if I’m in the mood!
  • Dinner 3: A few weeks ago, I went to Trader Joe’s and stocked up on ravioli of *ALLLL* kinds. One of the ravioli’s that I picked up was their corn ravioli – ravioli that I plan to try this week with some butter and parmesan and Texas toast – a childhood favorite of mine.
  • Dinner 4: One of my favorite Air Fryer recipes, which I actually raved about in a recent blog post is air fried salmon marinated in none other than Chick Fil-A sauce. It’s a delicious creation that’s oh so unique, and indeed it is! I will be serving this salmon speciality of mine with some roasted broccoli and Mac & cheese with the noodles in the shapes of my favorite Disney Frozen characters.

This week’s menu straight from my own kitchen has me excited and looking forward to many more meals to enjoy, especially as it’s Fall y’all!!!

XOXO – Katie <3 e

thepinkchickadeeLeave a comment

Weekly Menu Round-Up: August 9-13

Love me some delicious and healthy meals! This week’s menu is filled with some delicious and healthy meals that I have enjoyed in the past and am looking to continue to enjoy. Ever since I moved into my first-ever college apartment, I started planning weekly menus. My Aunt April gave me the idea when she shared her weekly menus with my cousins in the kitchen. So, I have loved sharing them with y’all and continue to moving forward, too!

Meal-Prepped Lunch

This week, I am trying a healthy, carb-less Italian dish! I am trying a Kale Sautee with Polenta. Although this recipe calls for sausage, I am going to stick with a vegetarian option and do this recipe sausage and meat-free! I am really looking forward to trying this recipe, as I have been looking to try something with polenta recently. I will also be serving it with an over easy egg over it!

Meal 1

To kick off the week, I will be enjoying air fryer Tilapia rubbed in spices such as Cayenne, Garlic Powder, and Paprika along with roasted broccoli and a sweet kale salad. I will also be enjoying this meal with my Papa!

Meal 2

Growing up, one of my favorite recipes ever was my Mom’s Pesto Bread Crumb Salmon! So, I am whipping it up in my own kitchen this week and serving it with roasted cherry tomatoes and buttered noodles.

Meal 3

If you follow along with my Instagram Stories recently, then you may know that I am an avid Food Lion grocery store fan! My local Food Lion has a variety of fresh and pre-marinated seafood. Last week, I picked up a bunch of tilapia on sale in that section and this week I am trying their Mahi Madi marinated in roasted garlic. I will be serving it with roasted sweet peppers and brown rice.

Meal 4

One of my best friends is coming over this week and I am having one of our favorite seafood dishes with it – Roasted Butter Scallops.I will also be serving it with sautéed peas in garlic along with some mashed cauliflower and *of course* French fries!

This week’s menu is one that I am most definitely really looking forward to! Here’s to more great meals this week and beyond!!

XOXO – Katie <3

thepinkchickadeeLeave a comment

Weekly Menu Round-Up: July 26-30

I haven’t done a weekly menu in what feels like AGES!!! However, since my summer vacation is now almost over, it’s time to get back into a weekly menu groove. This week’s menu is all about eating well while maintaining a healthy lifestyle and eating high calorie foods in moderation. Now, let’s get into it.

Meal-Prepped Lunch

This week, I am starting to meal prep lunches for the entire week. To kick off my first week at my new job, I will be having an Italian Couscous Salad (minus the salami) using this recipe from Chelsea’s Messy Apron. As someone who LOVES couscous and caprese salad, this meal prep recipe is such an excitement for me to try!

Meal 1

My first meal of the week will be air fryer beer battered cod with a roasted beet and goat cheese salad. The salad will be made with a Spring salad mix which I purchased at my local Food Lion, and I will be roasting the beets before putting them into the salad with some crumbled goat cheese, too.

Meal 2

One of my all-time favorite recipes and the first big girl recipe that I ever made is Tuscan Butter Salmon. Initially, I discovered this gem of a recipe from Delish on Facebook about 3 years ago. Nowadays, I have memorized the recipe for myself and have LOVED enjoying it myself! I will be serving Tuscan Butter salmon atop of some brown rice and with Caesar salad.

Meal 3

If you know me, then you know I LOVE some sautéed kale! I will be making some sautéed kale and keeping this recipe pretty simple by serving it with Alfredo gnocchi using Alfredo sauce from my local Food Lion.

Meal 4

My Dad is coming into town to visit me this weekend, so I will be whipping him up a special meal! Recently, I purchased an Instant Pot and have LOVED using it to make sautéed mushrooms via the sauté function. It is healthy, yet delicious. I will be serving my favorite sautéed mushrooms with some Air Fryer tilapia and some of my favorite spices atop of it all along with my step mom’s amazing signature baked Mac & cheese recipe.

Meal 5

Waffles!!!!

Here’s to a great first week!

XOXO – Katie <3

thepinkchickadeeLeave a comment