Monday Menu

I dropped Little Five off at preschool this morning and went straight to the grocery, feeling so prepared with my list and my reusable bags. But alas, not my wallet. I’m just thankful I realized how light my purse was while I was still sitting in the parking lot, and not at check out with a cart full of groceries! So I came home to write my morning blog post and empty the dishwasher, and I’ll do the shopping on the way to preschool pick up.

A comment on someone else’s blog reminded me of this great Skillet Lasagna recipe from Cooks’ Illustrated. I made it once or twice more than five years ago, and then forgot all about it. I think the kids will like it. They’re also beginning to come around to salad, which is such a relief (well, not Little Five–he’s deep into a veggie-hating phase). Mr. Ten used to say, “Salad just isn’t my thing,” but he’s progressed from eating just the tomatoes to adding a few leaves on his plate. Miss Seven doesn’t like the tomatoes, but at the Band Spaghetti Dinner last week, she asked for a bowl of salad. And then she ate it. It must be time to teach them how to make salad dressing!

Other vegetables still aren’t very successful, but I keep making them. I doubt they’ll eat any roasted cauliflower or more than a couple of bites of zucchini (I just don’t understand why they don’t like squash, but they’ll eat broccoli), but at least they always eat raw carrots and ranch dressing. Maybe in another ten years they’ll like zucchini, too.

Monday: Skillet Lasagna, salad

Tuesday: Garlicky pork chops, roasted cauliflower salad

Wednesday: Turkey Tetrazzini (from the freezer), Zucchini with Lemony Crumbs

Thursday: Olympic Seoul Chicken, rice, green beans

Friday: Fish tacos, refried beans, cabbage slaw

For lunches: Chicken noodle soup (the broth, chicken and noodles are all left from Sunday’s chicken dinner); barley with roasted peppers and feta

Monday Menu

It’s President’s Day today, so the kids are home from school. At 7 a.m. I thought, foolishly, that I could slip out of bed and enjoy a quiet cup of coffee and maybe a quarter of an hour to write. Instead, two out of three hungry children were already downstairs watching tv and waiting for some breakfast. I have been banished to the living room with my laptop while Curious George and Honey Nut Cheerios have taken over the kitchen. Fortunately, Mr. Ten, the late riser, is willing and able to gather his own breakfast.

The Hub spent the better part of the weekend in the kitchen, turning out two full dinners, a cake and a pie. He also made pesto from the herbs withering the crisper drawer. So in addition to eating well all weekend, we’re covered for a couple more nights while I run off to extra chorus rehearsals this week. I thought I might finish painting the bathroom today, but I’ve scaled back my ambitions to catching up on the laundry, some general tidying up, and nagging (I mean encouraging) people to do their homework and practice their instruments. Tomorrow when they’re back in school, I’ll paint in peace.

Monday: Pasta Pesto, salad

Tuesday: Mushroom Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Celery Root Mashed Potatoes (left over from the weekend)

Wednesday: Middle Eastern meatballs (loosely seasoned like these, but with ground beef), pita, tzatziki, hummus

Thursday: Split pea soup

Friday: Spanish tortilla, salad

 

Share what you’re cooking and eating this week!

 

Monday Menu

This week marks the beginning of Lent, and in our house, that means being more deliberate about planning meatless meals. Is giving up meat really a sacrifice in this day and age? Not usually–and replacing it with fish often feels like more of a splurge for a seafood lover like me. But I view the tradition as an opportunity to be mindful about how we consume our food resources, as well as a weekly reminder of the season. The kids made Lenten promises in religious ed on Sunday, and I was pleased to hear that they didn’t give up candy or dessert. The eldest gave up Nintendo (a real sacrifice, I assure you), and the youngest promised to “help Dad take out the trash.” Miss Seven hasn’t divulged her promise yet–she’s still thinking about it. I’m still thinking about it, too.

In the meantime, I’ve planned two meatless meals this week, both quick and easy for busy weeknights.

Monday: Hamburgers and oven fries

Tuesday: Crockpot Chicken Cordon Bleu, rice pilaf with thyme, green beans

Wednesday: Pasta with tuna sauce, salad

Thursday: Brioche with Prosciutto, Gruyere and Egg (and some variation for the kids)

Friday: Black bean crispy tacos, guacamole, salad

 

Do you regularly plan meatless meals in your house?

 

Monday Menu

Super Bowl Sunday is apparently the best time to go to Costco. It wasn’t empty, but there were an awful lot of empty spaces in the parking lot and the check out lines were short. We made a family outing of it, and the kids ate samples while we crossed items off our list. We rewarded the kids with a big box of Pirate’s Booty for school day snacks, and congratulated ourselves for only buying what was on the list–exciting things like pasta, rice and canned tomatoes. It felt good to go home, unpack the car, fill the pantry and know that once again, we’ve got the building blocks for some good meals without having to dash out to the store.

Monday: Pasta pesto (this one with a mix of herbs, basil and arugula)

Tuesday: Pot roast with pickles, noodles, steamed carrots

Wednesday: Soup & Salad Bar: Baked potato soup, salad, focaccia, hummus and veggies

Thursday: Sesame noodles, potstickers, edamame

Friday: Hamburgers

Monday Menu

It’s 11 degrees outside right now (-7 windchill), and I have no desire to set foot outside the door today until I absolutely have to. The kids are home from school today on this Martin Luther King Jr./Inauguration Day. My big plans for the day include a little laundry and swabbing down the kitchen while I watch the inauguration festivities on tv. So my meal plan for the week is based completely on what food we already have in the house. We have enough milk to get us through the week, and if I get crazy and make a big batch of banana bread, maybe the kids won’t notice that we’re nearly out of cereal.

Monday: Potato soup (best soup on a cold day EVER)

Tuesday: Lasagna (that one I put in the freezer a few weeks ago); Brussels sprout slaw (the one I didn’t make last week)

Wednesday: Herb-rubbed top sirloin steak (maybe broiled instead of grilled) with roasted tomato and garlic relish; oven fries; asparagus

Thursday: Egg salad on Seven-grain bread

Friday: Beef ragu (made from a portion of pot roast in the freezer) with spätzle; green salad

Saturday: Roast turkey dinner

 

What meals can you make this week without a run to the store for ingredients?

Monday Menu

I’m shivering in front of my computer, despite my quilted slippers and fleece scarf. Still no snow, but winter temperatures have finally arrived, so I’m especially grateful that we got all our grocery shopping done over the weekend and I don’t need to venture out again this morning. We huddled inside on Sunday, planning the menu, supervising homework, wiping runny noses, doing a few chores and working through several games and puzzles that were unearthed during the game cupboard reorganization. The Hub and Miss Seven baked a carrot cake, dark with cinnamon and dusted with powdered sugar, and we all sat down to tea. We’re looking forward to more cake next weekend, as Mr. Nine becomes Mr. Ten (!!!).

We shopped first, buying what was on sale or looked appealing, and then planned our menu. I usually work the other way around, but it can be a fun challenge to search for recipes based on ingredients you have on hand. Today I got even more organizationally inspired, and wrote on my week’s to-do lists when to defrost the chicken and when to soak the beans. The best laid plans can all come to naught if you forget to soak the beans.

Monday: Spaghetti with cherry tomatoes and feta, fennel salad

Tuesday: Cauliflower frittata, Brussels sprout slaw

Wednesday: Thai-style ground beef, coconut rice, stir-fried broccoli

Thursday: BBQ chicken pizza, green salad

Friday: Red beans and rice, pan-roasted asparagus

Saturday: Dinner with friends

Sunday: Indian Butter Chicken Curry, rice, naan, birthday cake

 

What are you cooking to keep you warm?

 

 

Monday Menu

After all that holiday gluttony, it’s time to get back to the routine. The kids are all back in school today, my to-do list is yards long and I finally have a hope of accomplishing some of it, so I was thrilled to read the Dinner: A Love Story post full of dinner ideas for me to steal. A couple of them even match the stuff that’s already in our fridge and pantry, so I can put off shopping until tomorrow. It couldn’t have come at a better time, because as we all know, the hardest part of getting dinner on the table is coming up with an idea. I got up early this morning, showered, did the dishes, started the laundry, made the lunches, and have almost finished with my grocery list. I’m counting on this desperate burst of productivity to carry me through the rest of the day.

If you need some fresh ideas for dinner, go check out DALS right now. You won’t be sorry.

Monday: Crispy Black Bean Tacos/Quesadillas and guacamole

Tuesday: Lamb meatballs, pita, hummus

Wednesday: Moosewood Tomato Soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, salad

Thursday: David Lebowitz’s Olympic Seoul Chicken, rice, edamame

Friday: Taco pizza

Saturday: Pasta with caramelized cabbage, anchovies and breadcrumbs

 

Are you trying a new recipe this week, or sticking with old favorites?

Monday Menu

After a weekend packed with holiday fun (concerts, elementary school dance, dinner with friends, the annual trek to Home Depot to pick out a Christmas tree), and more to come this week, we are keeping it simple in the kitchen. We’ve got to pace ourselves–and save some time and energy for cookie baking.

Everything on the menu is a pantry or freezer meal (several are pulled straight from the freezer and just need reheating), and the only grocery shopping required was for a few supplies for this final week of packed lunches and some cookie ingredients.

Monday: Roast chicken, Thanksgiving sides pulled from the freezer

Tuesday: Potato soup

Wednesday: Lemon-parsley pasta with chicken, fruit salad

Thursday: Hoisin burgers, sesame noodles, edamame

Friday: White bean and ham soup, sandwiches, broccoli salad

 

Do you have enough in your freezer or pantry to put together a few meals this week?

Monday Menu

After a weekend of birthday excess for Little Now-I’m-Five, this week is all about cleaning up, getting back into a routine, and looking forward to Christmas. Once again, the Hub did the meal planning and shopping, and I’ll be in charge of execution. It’s a very good division of labor. (We still need to train some more dish washers, though.)

Monday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, Carrots with tahini dressing

Tuesday: Creamy roasted broccoli soup

Wednesday:  No-Pain Lo Mein, edamame

Thursday: Veal stew, rice, salad

Friday: Pasta (sauce TBD)

 

What are you cooking this week?

 

Monday Menu

Miss Seven and I are curled up in the family room right now, working away. She’s at home for some R & R after an unfortunate injury during a Sunday afternoon game of catch. She’s blasting through her school work and rejecting all the ice packs I’ve offered, so I think her recovery will be quick. But our evening trip to the ER derailed our lazy Sunday, and I never got around to making a menu, maybe sneaking in an extra trip to the grocery, or helping Little Four decorate his construction paper gingerbread man for preschool. The kids and I did hang our two strings of snowflake lights on the porch, though. That’s an accomplishment.

But what to eat for dinner this week? I don’t want to drag my patient through the grocery store when she should be resting on the couch watching Arthur. We have enough running around today just getting everyone to dance class and Christmas Eve mass reader practice and choir practice. I’m still not sure when we’re going to eat dinner tonight. Succumbing to the McDonald’s drive-thru seems like giving up. Luckily, I read enough food blogs that there are plenty of good ideas out there to steal. The grocery shopping can wait until tomorrow.

Monday: Homemade Hot Pockets (with the no-knead dough in the fridge, leftover beef roast, and cheese–maybe some broccoli and cheese ones, too)

Tuesday: Spaghetti with roasted eggplant pesto

Wednesday: Harvest Roast Chicken with grapes, olives and rosemary (from the new Smitten Kitchen cookbook)

Thursday: Tomato soup and panini (some of them with caramelized onions…)

Friday: Little Almost-Five’s Birthday! He gets to choose the menu!