Menu Monday

Last week my new Cooking Light magazine arrived in the mail and, let me tell you, there are soooo many good lookin' recipes this month! CL has long been one of my favorite go-to places for recipes and I always look up the recipes online to see the ratings and comments other cooks have left about them...a good tip to save you from many mishaps! Shortly after the magazine hits newsstands each month, cookinglight.com puts up a webpage with links to a LOT of the recipes from the magazine {so even if you don't buy a copy, you can still make the recipes!}...here is the list for September.

I've already made five of the recipes from this month and they all turned out fantastic {and kid-friendly too}!

Meal #1: lemon-splashed shrimp salad {next time I'd add chunks of cheddar cheese too}
veggies & dip
cherries, oranges & grapes

Meal #2: spicy honey-brushed chicken thighs {we all loved this meal...very quick, too!}
green salad
Quinoa Salad with Peaches
Bring 1.5 cups water or chicken broth to a boil in medium saucepan; add 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa {I used my favorite blend from Trader Joe's: Israeli couscous, red quinoa and orzo pasta}. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes {or follow package directions if using a different grain}. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Stir in 1/2 cup minced red bell pepper, 1/4 cup chopped green onion, and 1 sliced ripe peach or nectarine. Make dressing: 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, 1.5 Tbsp. olive oil, 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, 1.5 tsp. honey, 1/4 tsp. black pepper. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat. Serve at room temperature.

Meal #3: crispy ravioli with cherry tomato sauce {mmm...I'd make this again in a heartbeat}
roasted pepper & asparagus salad {I saute the pepper, onion and tomatoes until tender...I like it better that way instead of raw}

Meal #4: {Slow Cooker} Cuban braised beef with peppers
cilantro rice
{and for Darlene & me} roasted cauliflower & roasted fennel-spiced carrots

Meal #5: Seoul-ful chicken thighs {I cut down on the spices since I'm a wimp}
marinated cucumber salad
morning glory muffins {think my husband will notice I'm trying to sneak in zucchini?}

Meal #6: chicken schwarma wraps
Greek salad
hummus with pita bread

Ooohhh....and last week I needed dinner on the table PRONTO, so I made this black bean-corn tortilla pie that I saw on annies-eats.com, which is my FAVORITE food blog. I've made at least a dozen of her recipes so far and all of them have been scrumptious!

On Saturday morning I made these oatmeal pancakes {added blueberries} for Maddie and she LOVED them...as in, she'd already eaten a bowl of cereal + stood at the stove with me and ate FOUR big pancakes as I cooked them. I call that a hit! :-)

On Sunday my brother-in-law Travis is going to be visiting from London, so I'm bringing this corn, tomato & potato salad to the dinner party. Looks delish!

Now I want to hear from you...what's on YOUR dinner menu this week? :-)