Make-Ahead Meals: Week 4 Recap

It's been a week since I last posted, and now I have another Make-Ahead Meals recap for you all.  I like to mix it up and not write about the same topic twice in a row, but sometimes life happens :)

With this long weekend, I've been savoring each moment of relaxation with friends and Scott, enjoying the sunshine and a bit of fall-like weather.  And in anticipation of the new school quarter starting this week, I've also tried not to be too hard on myself.  I don't need to be productive every second, not right now when I have some extra time.  Over the weekend, I slept in, read for fun, watched some football (ugh ND...) and a movie, went out to a nice dinner with Scott, spent time with friends, took a long walk, and saw Carrie Underwood live at an outdoor concert.

So in honor of giving myself a break, here's this past week's recap of meals.  Enjoy--because we sure did!

Pork Fried Rice
Building blocks: pulled pork, rice pilaf

Swiss Chard with Bacon and Eggs (minus the swiss chard...couldn't track it down at the grocery store... ha)
Building block: roasted peppers

Roast Pork-and-Veggie Burritos
Building blocks: pulled pork, roasted peppers, rice pilaf

All three of this week's meals were very good.  The pork fried rice tasted just like fried rice is supposed to taste--yummy.  The bacon and eggs were fabulous served over roasted peppers and onions--and garlic bread!  (Maybe it's crazy, but I've only ever made eggs scrambled--or baked in a batter--so cooking them any other way was new for me.)  And the burritos were the perfect combination of cheesy inside and flaky outside... plus the heartiness factor was high (black beans, rice, pork, AND veggies).

Aside from our make-ahead meals, I also mixed up a football favorite--Cheeseball--and a great dip, just right for a lowkey day on the couch--Buffalo Chicken Dip.

It's an easy recipe: Spread an 8-oz. package of cream cheese in the bottom of an 8x8 pan.  Toss two 5-oz. cans of chicken (drained) with buffalo sauce (I love Frank's red hot sauce) and layer onto the cream cheese.  Sprinkle blue cheese crumbles on top and warm in a 350-degree oven until bubbly and melted, about 15-20 minutes.  Another option instead of blue cheese: use shredded cheese and a bit of ranch dressing.  I stirred everything together after I warmed it in the oven and spooned the dip into a bowl for serving...  It's addictively delicious!