Bad Food Blog

Well, April got away from me and between Easter and everything else, I didn’t get to make a couple of the recipes on my last menu plan. But that’s just life, isn’t it? So I moved the recipes that we did not get to eat right onto my May menu. A couple of other recipes are repeats just because we like them.

There are some special days this month, too! I think I will make a special dessert for Memorial Day, perhaps this flag pie or another berry dessert. And I’ve never tried chocolate covered bananas, and what better day to try than Cinco de Cuatro?

Slow Cooker

• Maple Jalapeño Pulled Pork Tacos – I don’t usually make pork other than bacon but these look good and super easy.
• Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs – Last month I used the Maple Mustard marinade from this list to make slow cooker chicken thighs and it was amazing – I think that was the most chicken I have ever seen my 4-year-old eat in one sitting! Now I’m wanting to try every marinade from this list.
• Creamy Tomato Soup from The Complete Slow Cooker – This is a family favorite that always turns out excellent.
• Huli Huli Chicken from The Complete Slow Cooker – Another family favorite! The juice from a can of pineapple slices is about the amount you need to make the sauce, and the pineapple slices make a beautiful accompaniment to the chicken.

Eggs

I never got around to making the quick quiche from Ellie Krieger’s You Have It Made last month, so that is still on my list for one night in May.

Sandwiches

• Quesadillas – I will be filling things with bits of whatever food is left in my fridge, probably some of the pork from the Maple Jalapeño Pulled Pork Tacos, or plain cheese for my kids. If you need some serious quesadilla inspiration, check out Budget Bytes (Beth is the queen of quesadillas as far as I am concerned) or these caramelized onion, spinach, and avocado quesadillas.
• Grilled cheese
• Mayonnaise-Free Chicken Salad Sandwiches – I saw this recipe in an email newsletter a few years back and I still reach for it when I want to make chicken salad. I usually bake a bunch of chicken breasts for all of my dinner salads and anything else that calls for cooked chicken at once.
• Cantaloupe Soup with Prosciutto and Mozzarella Sandwiches from Real Simple: Meals Made Easy – I’ve made these sandwiches with the prosciutto cold and also cooked in a frying pan, both ways are great. The cantaloupe soup might seem unusual – or at least I have never seen it before – but it is worth a try.

Salads/Bowl Meals

• Southwest salad – I make different variations of this recipe, but the general formula is black beans, pinto beans, corn, avocado, tomatoes, and salad greens. I have some pepitas in the pantry, so I will probably toss some of those on top. This recipe for a cilantro-lime vinaigrette looks promising.
• Cobb salad – I guess what I make is not a true cobb salad, because I don’t use blue cheese. My recipe is chicken, hard boiled eggs, bacon, tomatoes, avocado, salad greens, and either cheddar or jack cheese. I think I have everything on hand to make the salad dressing from this recipe.
• Almond, Berry, and Chicken Spinach Salad – I’m pretty sure that this is my kids’ favorite salad; they love all the berries and the mandarin oranges!
• Asian chicken salad – This was one of our favorites from last summer. The toppings make the salad!

Pizza – For our weekly pizza I use this crust recipe with this sauce.

Stovetop

• Veggie Stir-Fry – So many vegetables, so many textures. The baby corn is my favorite – it’s just so cute. I’m pretty sure my kids ate this one even with the sauce last time.
• Vegetable soup made from homemade vegetable broth – I have a big bag of veggie scraps in my freezer that I am going to try to turn into broth for soup. I have made chicken broth many times, but I have yet to try making vegetable broth! I read somewhere that the rind from a piece of parmesan is a great addition to vegetable broth, and I’m pretty sure I have one of those floating around my freezer too. A friend suggested I check out the vegetable broth recipe from Thug Kitchen, and it looks like that book is at my library!
• Orange chicken – This is one that I didn’t get to make last month! I still plan to make the sauce and cut up the chicken ahead of time, and will probably try to make it in my wok.
• Fast and Easy Pasta with Blistered Cherry Tomato Sauce – My favorite, super fast sauce. Make sure you dry the tomatoes on a towel after you rinse them, or you will be dealing with some serious fireworks in your frying pan.