MPM--Beware the Ides of April

Here we are, back to reality. Baseball is back, weather is completely unpredictable, the sun is out for hours and hours...we are loving spring here!

Before the weather gets too hot to cook again (it was in the 90s last week!), I have a few more things I want to try, so this week will be a bit of a mix. Last week went well--check out my review of the "Phillies" meal below.

Monday: Pioneer Woman's bbq meatballs (c/o the Tipsy Baker); mashed potatoes; broccoli

Tuesday: Tuna noodle casserole, probably, because I suspect I will be taking the boys to see a cousin play lacrosse to get out of the house for the tax-finishing, kale chips (see below!)

Wednesday: Phillies game--woohoo!

Thursday: Dinner A'Fare meal--hopefully pork kebabs on the grill if the weather cooperates, or leftovers; rice; some green veggie that catches our fancy somewhere

Friday: oven-baked "fried" chicken, Dinner A'Fare stuffed potato skins, salad

So, last week, after much hanging around eating pre-prepared meals, I started the week celebrating the Phils' 11-1 opening day win with a recipe set from the Phillies' nutritionist, Cod with Roasted Tomatoes and Southwest Quinoa Salad. Both were huge hits, at least with the grownups. My husband had seconds on the cod--first time ever for him with a fish dish--I was really happy. And I used the frozen cod from Trader Joe's so it wasn't too pricey. The tomatoes were excellent too, and it was a simple meal to pull together. Then just for kicks I made Bossy's kale chips since I already had the oven going. These were a win all around. My older son loved that they were "chips" and had a nice sized serving and asked for more. My husband was thrilled and thought they must have been very hard to make. My youngest son, though, is right out of The Emperor's New Clothes. He tasted one, looked at me, and said, "These taste like burnt leaves!" Which is in essence what they are. But--even he, my picky eater extraordinaire, had a few more. Which is a modern-day miracle. Write it down: On April 5, 2010, my son tried a New Food. Miracle. Add that to the rediscovery of quinoa pesto and it was a nutritionally great day all around in our house.

The other new recipe of the week was the hummus with green goo (who can resist green goo?) from 101 Cookbooks. The hummus was the fluffiest I've ever made, whether due to the three minutes of processing or the baking soda in the water (YES, I cooked the beans from scratch, though I'm not sure I will again), it was really nice. I liked the touch of the garlic being in the goo rather than the hummus itself, and I'll bet it would be an awesome base for a kalamata olive hummus--my next frontier. And yes, except for the dried beans, I had all the ingredients at home already. It did a nice job on the continuing cleanout.

What's happening at your house? Check out more great ideas at I'm an Organizing Junkie!