Still Cookin', Shelf Cookin' That Is

I'm still using my book, "A Season of Family Meal Plans," volume 1. I'm planning on a whole year of this because I also have volumes 2, 3, and 4. It's fun to try out new meals and some new tastes.

Tuesday we had Sweet & Spicy Sticky Chicken (original recipe is pork, but we used chicken) and Broccoli Stir-Fry for dinner. While I was working on the broccoli, two of my boys came in and said, "It smells like Brussels Sprouts in here." Nope. Broccoli. But honestly, I think the stir fry sauce would be really good with Brussels Sprouts.

We saved the Brussels Sprouts until Wednesday, January 31, Eat Brussels Sprouts Day. I saved a recipe from last week to use this week since it had Brussels Sprouts in it- Sheet Pan Sausage & Veggies. The meal had parmesan rice as a side dish so I used the recipe we always use instead of trying out a new one. If you've got a tried and true recipe, no use trying something else if you don't want to.

I wanted to keep Jet occupied while I was making dinner so I asked him to help me with the Brussels Sprouts. I was getting brown spots off, sometimes taking off whole leaves. I gave him a Brussels Sprout with instructions. After he got a leaf or two off, I told him he did a good job and he could switch for a new sprout. He really didn't want to switch and just kept taking leaves off. Well, it kept him occupied while I finished the rest of the sprouts and cut up veggies and sausages. 

He really did a number on that Brussels Sprout. So cute.

Tonight for dinner we had Instant Pot Mexican Pork with Enchilada Rice. I had only used part of a pork roast for the Mississippi Pot Roast week 1 so I cooked up this Mexican Pork another day that same week and just threw it in the freezer until we needed it. These meal plan books also have freezing suggestions for quite a lot of the recipes.

The Enchilada Rice called for enchilada sauce and I found a homemade enchilada sauce that went along with a later recipe in the book. I used that. I love that I can find so many things right in one book.

Jet liked the dinner. He kept shoveling the rice in his mouth, every once in while having to blow out through his mouth because it was spicy. So cute.