Subway Southwest Sauce - Knock Off

So after yesterday's post I started googling some of my family's favorite dishes that they order when we eat out. I am on a mission to try to recreate some of those favorite dishes at home in order to stick to my 2010 goal of eating out less.

One of the recipes I googled was Subway's Southwest Sauce. My husband loves to eat lunch every Saturday at Subway and he gets a sub with this sauce on it. I started thinking that I could probably make that same sub at home. I found a recipe for the sauce online and I am going to try it this weekend. Let's see if he agrees.

Subway Southwest Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 ounce Dijon mustard
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
1 ounce chipotle chile in adobo, pureed
1/4 ounce fresh garlic, minced
salt, to taste

Directions

1. Combine mayonnaise, mustard, lime juice, chipotle and garlic.
2. Add salt to taste.
3. Cover and chill before sandwich preparation, or before using as a salad dressing.

I am going to buy one of those squirter bottles from Target so if the sauce turns out good I can make a batch and keep it in a bottle for my husband to use every week.

Let's see if this does the trick.

Eating Out

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to work hard at eating out less. In fact if I had my way we would rarely eat out. I don't have anything against restaurants. It's just that while they are convenient they host a whole other set of problems that I have to deal with.

One of the main problems with eating out is that it is difficult to get the same quality of family style dinner that I enjoy at home. The noise level is usually loud and we don't engage in the same family atmosphere as home. The kids behavior seems to be worse in restaurants and they lose all sense of responsibility such as setting the table, clearing the table, doing the dishes. At a restaurant the hired help does all that for them and they don't have to life a finger.

The second thing I find irritating about restaurants is that it seems that so much food goes uneaten and the quality of food isn't the same as I can make at home. The restaurants try to offer a variety but I find it's usually the same ole same ole when it comes to kids.

The third thing is the expense. Regardless of the reports I constantly hear about soaring food prices, I remain steadfast in my opinion that it is cheaper to eat at home. If you don't believe me go to this blog and you will see proof for yourself.

So that is my goal for this year...to eat out less and stay in more.

Menu Monday - Dec 7

Good Morning Monday. Time for the menu of the week. How is your menu planning going? It's not too late to start. Share yours here with me.

Monday - BBQ chicken wings, french fries, corn on the cob

Tuesday - hamburgers and hot dogs, baked beans, green beans

Wednesday - Moroccan Chicken and Couscous Soup

Thursday - Leftover soup and sammies

Friday - Chicken tacos and yello rice

Saturday - BBQ chicken wings, french fries, http://tmorganizing.blogspot.com/2009/06/very-delicious-non-mayo-cole-slaw.html (yes I know this is a repeat but my older boys love wings and I got wings on sale at the grocery this week).

Sunday - Honey Baked Ham, mac n cheese, veggies


Add your own Menu Monday link by clicking below....

Menu Monday - Nov 23

It's Thanksgiving Week and I am so excited. I love Thanksgiving and I love leftovers even more! Here is to a happy and healthy Thanksgiving week.

Monday - spaghetti with marinara sauce, garlic toast

Tuesday - Pizza, salad

Wednesday - sausage and peppers, broccoli

Happy Thanksgiving Thursday - turkey, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, cranberry sauce, rolls, apple pie, pumpkin pie, chocolate pudding pie.

Friday - LEFTOVERS!

Saturday - Tacos

Menu Monday - Sept 7

Please forgive me for my tardiness. I had a menu planned but just had trouble getting access to my blog yesterday. It wasn't the internet but just my kids who were hogging my computer all day yesterday. Either way here is my menu for the week. Happy Cooking!

Monday - leftover baked ziti

Tuesday - Moroccan sausage and couscous soup, green salad

Wednesday - Shrimp tacos, black beans and rice

Thursday - Chicken and lentils

Friday - Grilled tilapia,mashed potatoes, corn

Saturday - date night. Finally.

Sunday - Arroz con pollo

Menu Monday August 31

It's the last day of August and I got a new recipe book dedicated to the art of cooking chicken. I looked through it and I can't wait to try some new recipes. I am a big chicken lover and often get it very cheap so it makes for good family meals.

Here is my menu plan for this week:

Monday - grilled pork chops, smashed potatoes (add grated onion and garlic for extra zing), corn

Tuesday - Hamburgers, hotdogs, macaroni and cheese, and green beans.

Wednesday - Chicken and couscous soup (featured recipe of the week..stay tuned)

Thursday - Chicken with lentils

Friday - Steak fajitas

Saturday - Couscous salad with turkey

Sunday - Baked Ziti

Have a great week everyone!

Menu Monday - August 17

Hello to my fellow moms and bloggers. This week is going to prove to be a big challenge with two kids off to first day of school and one going next week. It's always challenging getting back into a routine even for those of us who are organized. It's still a tough transition. Thank goodness for Menu Monday to at least keep my dinner planning on track. So here it is. My menu for the week.

Monday - grilled bbq chicken, mac n cheese, corn

Tuesday - Hamburgers and hot dogs, mashed potatoes, peas

Wednesday - Shrimp tacos, black beans and rice, green salad

Thursday - Beef soup over noodles, broccoli

Friday - Baked tilapia, squash, green salad

Saturday - BBQ in honor of my birthday!

Sunday - Baked Ziti

Have a great week. What's on your menu?

Menu Monday - July 27

Happy Monday morning to everyone! My last week was pretty hectic. I was on jury duty the whole week so that threw all of my previous organized plans in the air. Even though I am still on jury duty I think I have worked a menu plan for the week that works for this crazy schedule. How did you do this week?

Monday - BBQ chicken, Rice, and Corn

Tuesday - Chicken A La King (using left over chicken from Monday)

Wednesday - Shrimp Salad

Thursday - Pizza and small side salad

Friday - Turkey burgers and veggie cole slaw

Saturday - Beef/Broccoli Stir Fry

Sunday - Hamburgers/Hot Dogs, leftover veggie cole slaw

This week I am counting on some leftovers as you can tell. I believe this is a very good idea when you are cooking for a large family and are leading busy lives. If you cook more than you need in one sitting you can have a wonderful leftover meal the next day.

Have a great week!

Menu Monday - July 13

I thought Summer was supposed to be a slow season. For me it's anything but slow. Even though the kids are not in school, there are so many activities in camps and sports and swimming that I don't know when I can get a chance to breath. At the same time I am doing some organizing jobs on the side simply because it is something I love to do.

Thank goodness for Menu Mondays. It is the one constant that I have in my life. So here is this week's menu for Monday. Enjoy your own Menu Monday.

Monday - Baked Ziti and garlic bread

Tuesday - Grilled BBQ chicken, baked potato, broccoli

Wednesday - Hamburgers, hot dogs, tator tots, corn

Thursday - Pizza night

Friday - Steak and Broccoli stir fry

Saturday - Spaghetti and meat sauce, salad

Sunday - BBQ hamburgers, hot dogs, broccoli slaw, corn on the cob.

What do you have on your menu for this week?

Menu Monday - June 29

Hello everyone out there in my blogosphere. It's been a few weeks since my last Menu Monday. That's because I was with my family on our summer vacation trip to our family's lake house in South Carolina. I plan to post photos soon along with my organizing tips for vacations and trips. In the meantime I hope your week is starting off good with a nice plan for your dinner meals. Here is mine:

Monday - Spaghetti with marinara sauce, garlic bread, salad

Tuesday - Grilled BBQ chicken, fried egg noodles, corn

Wednesday - Hamburgers and hot dogs, cole slaw, french fries

Thursday - Pork chops, mashed potatoes, peas

Friday - Baked Ziti, garlic bread, salad

Saturday - Fourth of July bbq! Have fun!

Sunday - Sirloin steak, baked potato, corn

Bon Appetit!

Menu Monday - June 1

Happy Monday Morning! It's Menu Monday and I am curious as to how you all did last week with your menu planning. I did ok..not great..no terrible. I hit about 50% of my meals planned because of a few glitches like me having to work later than expected. It's the start of hurricane season today and being a South Floridian it's not typically one of my favorite milestones of the year. Having said that, I do know that this means hurricane preparations lie in the not too distant future as I have to stock up on supplies. In the meantime I have prepared my weekly menu and as always my goal is to hit 100% of the meals here.

Monday - Chicken nuggets, mac n cheese, and veggies.

Tuesday - Pork chops, applesauce, green salad

Wednesday - Shrimp pasta with oranges on arugula

Thursday - Pizza, green salad

Friday - Tilapia with marinara sauce, broccoli

Saturday - Day off eating out with family.

Have a great week!

Menu Monday - May 25, 2009

Hello to everyone of my followers and I really appreciate you giving me a follow. How did the menus go for last week? I was on target for all but one of those days due to an unexpected long day of work.

Getting back to this week, I feel so bad because I almost missed my own Monday deadline. It's not that Menu Monday was far from my mind but this Memorial Day I was out traveling visiting relatives and did not have access to my computer. I hope you all had a great Memorial Day weekend. I know I did. So here is to a successful Menu week. Good Luck!

Monday - Day Off for Memorial Day traveling

Tuesday - Turkey burgers, baked macaroni and cheese, corn

Wednesday - Apricot Chicken and Rice, green beans

Thursday - Pizza, salad

Friday - Chicken Tortilla Soup, Tacos

Saturday - Grilled Chicken, BBQ baby back ribs, sweet potato, salad

Sunday - Lasagna, green salad

Bon Appetit!

Save Time With Double Meals

I often rack my brain trying to figure out how to get a nice, warm, home cooked meal on the table every night. With my hectic schedule it is a tremendous challenge.

Several years ago I discovered Rachel Ray and the 30 minute meal. At the time it was a life saver. I really learned how to take the slow cooked meal and make it fast. But now that 30 minutes doesn't seem to be fast enough. I am now on a mission to take the 30 minute meal down to 10-15 minutes.

So that is my challenge. I realized that in order to do that I would really have to plan my meals for the week no later than the weekend prior to my week. I did that this weekend. To give an example, I planned to have one day (Tuesday) as a meal of pork chops, applesauce and broccoli. I also planned to have another day (Saturday) as a meal of Pork Stir Fry with Vegetables. So instead of cooking my pork on two different days, I simply doubled up the number of chops I made on Tuesday and put the extra batch in a ziploc baggie in the freezer for use on Saturday. This will mean that I will have saved a tremendous amount of prep time on Saturday and will still have a fresh and tasty meal.

I did the same thing with my BBQ chicken meal that I planned for tonight. Last Saturday I cooked Italian coated chicken in the oven. I doubled up on the breasts where half of the breasts were cooked with a BBQ sauce coating and the other half were cooked with an Italian breadcrumb coating.

I just think that the doubling idea is a good one and really helpful. Twice the meals in the same amount of time. It really does work. Now I just have to get creative and start thinking of more ways I can double up meals. Any suggestions? Email me or leave a comment. I would love to hear it.

Menu Monday

Hello all of my readers out in cyberspace. I hope your week went well. I have been so busy lately putting up this new blog and researching content that I missed Menu Monday last week. But I am back for my weekly installment and ready for a great meal week planned. Hope yours is as fun as I hope mine will be.

Monday - Spaghetti and meatballs (leftover from Sunday), salad, garlic bread

Tuesday - Pork chops, applesauce, and roasted broccoli

Wednesday - BBQ chicken, fried egg noodles (method is below), green beans

Thursday - Shrimp and Orange Arugula salad

Friday - Turkey burgers, squash, rice

Saturday - Asian style pork and vegetable noodles

Sunday - Day off. We are going to a Memorial Day party.

Fried Egg Noodles

Cook up a batch of egg noodles.
When they are done cooking, drain them off.
Heat up a deep skillet with a few turns of olive oil and a few tablespoons of butter
Add the egg noodles to the skillet and let them saute in the oil/butter.
As you turn the egg noodles you will notice that they will crisp up along the edges.
Serve immediately.

Menu Monday - May 4

Happy Monday to those watching me on the information superhighway. Remember when people used to call it that? How did you do last week with your weekly menu? I managed to stick pretty close to my own menu with the exception of Friday. It was too nice of an evening to stay at home so I decided to eat out with the family. I had a beautiful strawberry field greens salad that I have to find the recipe for to post it.

Without further delay here are my goals for this week.

Monday - Roasted Chicken with Balsamic Vinagrette, Mac n Cheese, and Corn

Tuesday - Fusilli with Shrimp, Orange and Arugula Salad

Wednesday - Turkey burgers and slaw salad



Thursday - Linguine with lemon, garlic, and thyme mushrooms

Friday - Grilled Tilapia with side salad

Saturday - Hot Dogs and Turkey Burgers

Sunday - Happy Mother's Day - no cooking by moms allowed.

Have a great week!

Menu Monday - April 27

Hi everyone out there in my blogosphere. Last week was a really big challenge for me personally and I am sure it was for you too! Let's see, one evening was spent working out at my gym with my great and fantastic personal trainer Amy. Another evening was spent with my son at his high school award ceremony. And my mother in law was visiting. All of this proves to be very interesting when it comes to sticking to a schedule. I was able to do about half of my plan. But this week it's all different. My mother-in-law has left and gone back home and the activities this week seem to be mild. So I am going to attempt another successful menu week. What do you have on the menu? Feel free to add to the list.

Monday - Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce, Garlic Bread, and Salad

Tuesday - Chicken in the Crock pot, Cooked Carrots, Buttered Noodles

Wednesday - Minestrone Soup, Salad

Thursday - Pasta with shrimp, orange and arugula

Friday - Sliced Steak on a Mixed Green Salad

Saturday - BBQ Wings, Macaroni n Cheese, Green Beans

Sunday - Lasagne, Garlic Bread, Broccoli

Have a great time creating your own menu! And leave me a note to let me know your successes so I can share them with others.

Menu Monday

This week promises to be a really busy week which makes Menu Monday all the more important. There is going to be some crockpot cooking and some frozen stuff in there but it's unavoidable due to the hectic schedule. I still manage to squeeze in some homemade dishes.



Monday: Crockpot pork roast with mashed potatoes and broccoli

Tuesday: Hamburgers with tator tots and corn on the cob

Wednesday: Teriyaki Chicken served with warm ginger carrot slaw and veggies

Thursday: Celebration Dinner out with the family

Friday: Minestrone soup in the crockpot and Pizza

Saturday: Steak with baked potato and cauliflower

Sunday: BBQ hamburgers, hotdogs, french fries and birthday cake in honor of my daughter's birthday.

Menu Monday

I like the idea of starting a Menu Monday....this is my first week doing this and hopefully I will get much better with photos and descriptions.

Monday - Leftover Turkey from Easter, Stuffing, Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes.

Tuesday - Ribeye Steak, buttered noodles, green beans, brownies

Wednesday - Pizza, mixed green salad

Thursday - Shrimp with orange pasta

Friday - Asian pork in the crockpot

Saturday - hamburgers/hot dogs, slaw salad, brownies

Sunday - Lasagna, garlic toast, mixed green salad

Enjoy your menu this week!