Weekly Menu Plan – Oct. 2 to Oct. 8

Here is your menu plan for next week!

Monday: Chicken Birria Tacos

Tuesday: Creamy Mushroom Pasta

Wednesday: Thai Peanut Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Thursday: Easy Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie

Friday: Pizza Night! Use our Pizzeria Pizza Dough – NOTE: make the dough in the morning or the night before

Saturday: Leftover Night

Sunday: Lemon Herb Spatchcock Chicken

READ: Weekly Menu Plan – Oct. 2 to Oct. 8

The satisfying crunch of Nutter Butter cookies in creamy homemade ice cream makes this Nutter Butter Ice Cream positively irresistible.

Nutter Butter Ice Cream

When I first started playing with this recipe, I made it with a peanut butter ice cream base. It was good, but I didn’t love it. I wanted the cookies to stand out, and they were kind of just in there.

So, I switched it up to a vanilla base and oh, my gosh, was I sold! Slightly crunchy and chewy cookie pieces are mixed into that creamy frozen ice cream to really capture the essence of this cookie.

Cookie Ice Cream

I scream. You scream. We all scream for ice cream. Listen, my love of this tasty treat goes back more years than my brain really wants to admit. (My brother is quick to remind me that I turned 40 twice, and years before him.)

But, there’s something about the classic combination of cookies and ice cream that simply can’t be topped. I should know. I’ve made more than a few different varieties, even if I limit the results to peanut butter cookie ice cream flavors.

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As tasty as it is nutritious, this Mango Banana Spinach Smoothie highlights the tropical sweetness of mango and the creaminess of bananas.

Mango Spinach Smoothie

I was skeptical the first time I tried spinach in a smoothie. All it takes is a wheatgrass shot at Jamba Juice, and you’d be suspicious of blended greens, too. But, spinach is one of the most frequently used ingredients in our smoothies, now.

It might seem like an unlikely partner in this dance of flavors, but when blended it becomes a wonderful, earthy undertone. It adds complexity and depth to the fruit flavors in a mango spinach smoothie.

Mango Banana Spinach Smoothie

I have always struggled to get my kids to eat their leafy greens. And, if I’m honest, I came pretty late to the salad game as an adult. Smoothies became a surefire way to get them to eat an entire serving of greens in one sitting when they were little.

This spinach mango smoothie is a dream for getting ahead in the vegetable game. If you’re struggling to meet your fiber goals or to get enough spinach or kale into your diet, I strongly recommend it.

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This Broccoli Slaw is filled with crunchy ribbons of broccoli and carrots, paper-thin onions, sweet chewy cranberries, and pecans before being tossed in a light, tangy dressing. You’re going to love all of the different textures in this salad!

Broccoli Slaw

Broccoli slaw served as a side dish makes a nice change from some of the underwhelming mayo and cabbage-heavy coleslaws out there.

I’ve found a great many slaw recipes I like (like this Sweet and Spicy Apple Coleslaw that’s loved by even the coleslaw-averse members of my family) but there’s something extra wonderful about a good broccoli slaw. The crisp broccoli and carrots keep their crunch for days, even after being mixed with the dressing. 

Broccoli Slaw Salad

I like my salad recipes abundant with fresh, flavorful ingredients and lots of different textures. Broccoli Slaw is no different! In this version, I added pecans and dried cranberries for a satisfying layer of crunchy fruity nutty goodness.

The finely sliced red onions bring zest, spice, and a gorgeous color to the salad. Be sure to slice the red onion as thinly as possible to get the right texture and balance of flavors in your broccoli slaw.

I can make this recipe again and again and not get tired of it. That’s how I know it’s a real winner.

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Key Lime Bars-Torta De Limão

These key lime bars hail from the beautiful country of Brazil! They are light, tangy and I adore that graham cracker crust.

Known as torta de limão in Portuguese (pronounced tor-ta gee lee-mow, “mow” like “cow”, not “mow” like “mow” the lawn, English is so dumb), these key lime bars are truly delicious. They are like a lime cheesecake or a key lime pie in bar form. I was re-shooting our photos for our blackberry lime bars and thought I should update these photos too. After all, they are the inspo for the blackberry version!

Torta de limão is a favorite that my husband had when living in Brazil from a sweet lady named, Vania. (Thank you for taking such great care of Cade!! You all meant so much to him!) So, here’s Cade and his thoughts on the dessert. Love you B. *I know his name is Cade, and B doesn’t make sense. Don’t worry about it! *

“I lived in Brazil for awhile and toward the end of my stay I was introduced to this amazing, sweet and tart dessert. At first I thought it was just a lemon meringue pie. As I took my first bite I was taken back by the flavor and texture of it all. It was creamy like banana pudding, but had the crisp peaks of the meringue and graham cracker-like crust. The lime flavor combined with the sweetened condensed milk was an immediate party with my taste buds. This is still one of my all time favorite desserts and brings back many great memories.  I think that’s what food does for us a lot. I cannot remember the names of all the people I enjoyed this dessert with but I made sure I came home with the recipe in hand and the name of this awesome treat!”

Recommended Equipment

• Zester (or Microplane)
• Juicer

Before You Begin…

You are going to need about 18-20 key limes (10 regular limes) for this recipe to get enough key lime juice so start by first zesting 5-6 of them and juicing all 18-20 limes. It’s a lot easier to remove the zest before a lime is juiced.

Ingredients for Torta de Limão

Now is this going to sound crazy, but you’re only going to need 9 ingredients for these key lime pie bars – 4 ingredients for the crust and 5 ingredients for the filling. It is that simple and so incredibly delicious! Here is your shopping list…

For the Crust

• Graham Crackers: You will need about 21 full graham crackers to get the amount of crumbs you’ll need.
• Melted Butter: Binds the ingredients together and creates a rich flavor in the crust.
• Sugar: Adds sweetness to the crust.
• Salt: Enhances the flavors in the crust.

For the Bars

• La Lechera Leche Condensada: You’ll find this on the baking aisle by the sweetened condensed milk. It’s a little different than just sweetened condensed milk, so be sure to grab the right thing. It will look similar (and probably be right next to) to the La Lechera Dulce de Leche.