Bronco Family Table

Celebrate our incredible planet by enjoying delicious, nourishing and beautiful food! Keep it simple or make it bright and bold depending on what you have available. Access the Earth Day PDF Kit here.

Convo Starters

Spark new conversation with family, friends or roommates with the questions of the night:

What about humanity inspires you? What about the earth inspires you?

Music

Check out National Geographic’s Earth Day WILD playlist on Spotify:

Education

There’s something relaxing and special about spending time in the outdoors. Don’t forget that it’s still important to get outside, move your body, and enjoy the sunshine. The stay at home order allows responsible outdoor recreation in your local area. It is your responsibility to stay up to date and respect the health of others’ when doing recreating outside.

If you are staying indoors, you can still enjoy nature virtually. It’s National Parks Week and the National Parks Service is inviting you to bask in the beauty of nature wherever you are! Check out this link for sights, sounds, and ways to join in on the celebration.

Recipes

• • • DIY SALAD

  Ingredients:
  Serves 4
  – 8 cups leafy salad greens, washed
  – 8-12 ounces leftover cooked chicken, ham, turkey or fish, or a combination (substitute beans/lentils/tofu as desired)
  – 4 ounces cheese
  – 1 medium apple
  – 1 bunch grapes
  – 1/2 small cucumber
  – 1 pint grape tomatoes or 1 large tomato
  – 2 medium carrots
  – 2 hard-boiled eggs (optional)
  – 1/2 cup almonds or walnuts (substitute pumpkin or sunflower seeds as desired)
  – Salad dressing of your choice

  Directions:
  Pile greens into a large bowl or platter. Cut meats into bite-sized pieces. Cube or shred cheeses. Arrange in small bowls or on a plate. Prepare the other vegetables and fruits as needed — dice apples, slice cucumbers, cut grapes and tomatoes in half as needed, slice carrots — and place in small bowls or arrange in piles on a platter. Cut hard boiled eggs in quarters and place in a small bowl.
  Place nuts or seeds in a small bowl. Set out your family’s favorite salad dressings and let everyone make their own salads!

  • • • • FIESTA WRAPS

  Ingredients:
  Serves 6
  – ¼ cup quinoa, dry
  – 2 ¼ cups canned low-sodium black beans, drained, rinsed
  – ¼ cup fresh red bell pepper, seeded, diced
  – ¼ cup Fresh red onions, peeled, diced
  – ½ cup Fresh carrots, peeled, shredded
  – ¼ cup cheddar cheese, shredded (1 oz)
  – 1 teaspoon Chili powder
  – 1 ¼ teaspoon Ground cumin
  – 1 ¼ teaspoon Fresh Lime juice
  – 6 Whole-wheat tortillas, 6”
  – 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil

  Directions:
  Preheat the oven to 325 °F.
  Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer until water runs clear, not cloudy. Combine quinoa and ¾ cup water in a small pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer until water is completely absorbed, about 10-15 minutes. When done, quinoa will be soft and a white ring will pop out of the kernel. The white ring will appear only when it is fully cooked. Fluff with a fork and set aside. A rice cooker may be used with the same quantity of quinoa and water.

  Place black beans in a large mixing bowl. Lightly mash beans by squeezing them using gloved hands (at least 50 percent of the beans should appear whole). Be careful not to over-mash beans.
  To make filling, add to the mashed beans the quinoa, red peppers, red onions, carrots, cheese, chili powder, cumin, and lime juice.

  For each wrap, place ½ cup of filling on the bottom half of the tortilla and roll in the form of a burrito. The wrap may also be folded in half like a taco.

  Brush filled wraps lightly with vegetable oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 325 °F. Wraps will be lightly brown. Serve hot.

  • • • QUINOA SALAD

  Serves 4
  Ingredients:
  – 1 cup of quinoa
  – 2 kernels from 2 ears of corn, or 1 can of corn
  – 1 (15 ounces) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  – 1 red or green pepper, chopped in ½ inch squares
  – 2 scallions, washed and chopped
  – ½ cup parsley or cilantro, washed and chopped
  – 1 mango, peach or nectarine, peeled and chopped into small cubes (could use canned or thawed frozen fruit)
  – Italian or homemade dressing
  – Salt and pepper, to taste
  – Juice from half a lemon or lime

  Directions:
  Start with one part quinoa and two parts water. Bring water to a boil, then add quinoa
  Cover the pan and turn the heat to very low for 15 minutes. Let the quinoa cool, then mix together with all the other ingredients. Add Italian or homemade salad dressing to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature

• THE EASIEST COOKIES IN THE WORLD
• Yields: 2 dozen cookies
  Ingredients:
  – 2 overripe bananas
  – 1 cup quick oats
  – ½ cup chocolate chips
• Directions:
  Preheat oven to 350 °F
  Using a fork mash the bananas in a bowl. The consistency should be gooey, try to get the lumps out. Pour in oats and chocolate chips and mix well. With moist hands form 2-inch balls of mixture, place on a greased cookie sheet about 1 inch apart.Bake at 350 degrees For 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool and enjoy!
  Try adding raisins, craisins or your favorite nut for variety.

This weeks recipes are from the thefamilydinnerproject.org

It’s possible to have theme nights on a budget! Tonight, let’s take things to Italy. Try one of these Italian inspired dishes that are budget and pantry friendly. Access the Italian PDF Meal Kit here.

Convo Starters

Spark new conversation with family, friends or roommates with the question of the night:

“What is one thing this week you can do to take care of yourself?”

Music:

Kick off the night right with music like you might hear in an Italian restaurant using this playlist on Spotify.

Recipes:

• • Pasta with Oil & Garlic

Serves 5-6

Ingredients:

– 1 pound of linguine
– ½ cup of olive oil
– 5 cloves of garlic, minced
– ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped (if you don’t have any on hand, throw in ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper)
– 1 teaspoon salt
– 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions.Gently heat oil in a large pan, sauté garlic and crushed pepper if using for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in parsley (if using), salt and pepper. Serve with grated cheese and salad.

• • Pasta with Tomatoes & Chickpeas
    Serves 8

Ingredients:

– 1 pound fresh ripe tomatoes finely chopped (or 1 can of diced tomatoes)
– 1 garlic clove, minced
– Salt and pepper (to taste)
– 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (optional)
– 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (or 1 tsp. dried basil)
– 2 tablespoons olive oil
– 1 (15-ounce) can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
– 1 pound whole wheat pasta (any shape) uncooked
– ¼ cup shredded cheese (try cheddar, monterey jack, parmesan, or feta)

Directions:

Combine tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, basil, and olive oil in a medium bowl. Let sit for 15 minutes.Stir in the chickpeas.Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add a generous amount of salt and the pasta. Cook al dente, until the pasta is firm to the bite. Drain.Toss with pasta with chickpea sauce, sprinkle on cheese, and serve.

• • Vegetable Soup
    Serves 2

Ingredients:

– 3-4 stalks of celery
– 1 onion
– 3 carrots
– 2 quarts water, broth, bullion, or nutritional yeast
– 4-6 ounces tomato, diced or sauce
Any veggies you like
Optional:
– beans
– pasta

Directions:

Chop and sauté celery, onion and carrots with oil until slightly cooked. Add water, broth, bullion, or nutritional yeast depending on what have/prefer. Add tomatoes or sauce. Then add any of the following veggies you prefer and have on hand: green beans, cauliflower, summer squash, potatoes, peas, cabbage, corn, kale.

Optional: Add a can of white, navy or cannellini beans and/or add pasta

Add parsley and basil/thyme salt to taste.

• • Garlic Bread
    6 servings

Ingredients:

– 4 tablespoons butter, melted
– One 12-ounce loaf French bread, cut into 1-inch slices (or use any bread you have!)
– 2 teaspoons dried parsley
– ½ teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Spread the butter on both sides of the bread and season with the parsley and garlic powder. Place on the grill pan and cook on one side until golden brown. Flip, and continue cooking until the other side is golden brown. Remove and serve.

This weeks recipes are inspired by thefamilydinnerproject.org and foodnetwork.com

Tacos! It’s not Tuesday, but everyone still loves tacos. Defy the odds and take your tacos in a new direction by using what’s in your pantry, freezer and fridge as a taco bar. Access the BFT Meal Kit Tacos Not Tuesday here.

Music:

What pairs better with tacos than authentic Mariachi music? Make the most out of your dinner experience with Spotify’s La Cantina playlist.

Convo Starters:

Spark new conversation with family, friends or roommates with the question of the night:
What helps you study or work at home?

Education:

Sleep. We all love it. Sometimes as a student, it can feel like you don’t have enough time for it. BUT catching Z’s consistently will keep your mind and body feeling much better, increase your productivity, and might just be more beneficial than cramming in a late night study session. So, make sleep a priority and shoot for 8 hours of sleep every night – you’ll be glad you did!

Tonight’s recipe calls for creativity, try one of the recipes below!

• Black Bean Tacos
• Fish Stick Tacos
• Spicy Meat Tacos
• Chipotle-Lime Cauliflower Tacos

OR make it your own with what you have on hand!

Filling: beans, lean ground beef, lean turkey, steak, tofu, chicken, fish, shrimp

Seasoning: pre-made taco seasoning, or a dash of whatever you have on hand: chili powder, cumin, dried oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, salt

Toppings: salsa, hot sauce, cheese, onions, olives, sour cream, tomato, lettuce, spinach

Base: soft tortillas, hard taco shells, brown rice, quinoa
This weeks recipes are from Eatingwell.com

Recipes:

• • Black Bean Tacos
    Serves 4

Ingredients:
– 2 (15 ounce) cans of black beans
– 1 teaspoon ground cumin
– ½ teaspoon garlic powder
– 8 hard taco shells
– ¾ cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Mash half of the beans in a large bowl. Add whole beans, cumin and garlic powder; stir to combine. Fill each taco shell with about 1/3 cup of the bean mixture. Top with cheese. Place the filled tacos on a baking sheet and bake until the beans are hot and the cheese is melted, 12 to 15 minutes.

• • Fish Stick Tacos
    Serves 4

Ingredients:
– 16 fish sticks (about 8 ounces)
– 3 cups coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage
– 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
– ⅛ teaspoon salt
– ½ ripe avocado
– ¼ cup mayonnaise
– 2 teaspoons lime juice
– ½ teaspoon hot sauce
– 8 corn tortillas, warmed
– Cilantro for garnish

Directions:
Prepare fish sticks according to package directions.
Meanwhile, toss coleslaw mix (or cabbage) with vinegar and salt.
Mash avocado in a small bowl, then mix in mayonnaise, lime juice and hot sauce.
Serve the fish sticks in tortillas topped with the slaw, avocado crema and cilantro, if desired.

• • Spicy Meat Tacos
    Serves 4 

Ingredients:
– 8 ounces lean ground beef
– 8 ounces lean ground turkey breast
– ½ cup chopped onion
– 1 10 ounce can of diced tomatoes with green chiles, or 1 ¼ cup diced tomato
– ½ teaspoon ground cumin
– ½ teaspoon dried chipotle powder, or 1 teaspoon chili powder
– ½ teaspoon dried oregano

Directions:
Place beef, turkey and onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a colander to drain off fat. Wipe out the pan. Return the meat to the pan and add tomatoes, cumin, ground chipotle (or chili powder) and oregano. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, 3 to 6 minutes.

• • Chipotle-Lime Cauliflower Tacos
    Serves 4

Ingredients:
– ¼ cup lime juice (about two limes)
– 1-2 tablespoons chopped chipotles in adobo sauce canned
– 1 tablespoon honey
– 2 cloves garlic
– ½ teaspoon salt
– 1 small head cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces
– 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
– 1 (15 ounce) can of refried black beans, warmed
– 8 corn tortillas, warmed
– ½ cup crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese
– Sliced red cabbage, fresh cilantro, guacamole, jalapeño slices and/or lime wedges for serving

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil.
Combine lime juice, chipotles to taste, honey, garlic and salt in a blender. Process until mostly smooth. Place cauliflower in a large bowl, add the sauce and stir to coat. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle onion on top. Roast, stirring once, until the cauliflower is tender and browned in spots, 18 to 20 minutes. Serve the vegetables and beans in tortillas, topped with cheese and garnished with cabbage, cilantro, guacamole, jalapeños and/or lime wedges.