Meal Plan Monday

My posts have been so few lately--I've missed creating stuff and writing and thinking and posting. Life just gets in the way sometimes. I'm hopeful for a slow down soon.

I always look forward to fall. Somehow, even far removed from the days of school, September still feels more like the new year than January does. Funny how that works, huh? Maybe the Jewish calendar has something there.

Regardless... we're in the thick of tomato season. Not as bountiful as last year, but still lots of yummy tomatoes to enjoy. And, I'm busy getting ready for the fair as well. In the next 2 weeks, I need to finish a cross-stitch, make a burp cloth, and can some onion jam. Not too much, right?

Oh, and my washer just died! So, I am attempting to fix that, keep up with our laundry somehow, and did I mention we're moving next month? And we still don't know where? And my big boys don't think they need to nap every day?? Aaaackkkk!! It'll all work out, but in the meantime, wow. Just wow.

Sometimes those few minutes in the kitchen chopping and dicing are the best few minutes of the day. I turn on my best friend, Curious George, start chopping, and really, all is right with the world.

Until someone starts playing in the toilet water.


So, here's my menu for this week, in all its glory.

Friday--hot and sour soup, eggrolls

Saturday--out (lunch), Irish nachos with fresh pico de gallo (supper)

Sunday--BLTs (lunch), grilled chicken, corn, salad, mac and cheese (supper)

Monday--Thai stir fried beef, coconut rice, stir fried bok choy

Tuesday--quesadillas for the boys (Mama has cooking class; I'm eating lobster cioppino!)

Wednesday--birthday supper! There has been some indecision, but I think it's pizza and cupcakes

Thursday--chopped steak with mushrooms, rice, green beans


As always, I'm linking to orgjunkie's Meal Plan Monday...Lots of great ideas over there. Check it out!

Corn salad

Sometimes, it's the simple things. This salad was an easy side dish recently that combines two favorite flavors of summer--corn and basil.

Fresh corn, cut off the cob (I used 3 ears for our small family)
1/2 onion, diced small
1 jalapeno, diced small
basil leaves, torn into small pieces
Olive oil
Rice wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and allow to sit for 15 minutes for flavors to combine. Enjoy! (and try not to fight over the left-overs)

This post is linked to Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday. So many good ideas over there! Take your time, browse the links, and find a new favorite.

Meal Plan Monday

Another week, another meal plan! We're trying to eat up my pantry/deep freeze, so I might have some odd meals in the next few weeks. Hopefully, though, we'll save a little money and have a nice clean freezer in the meantime!

Friday: knockwurst and sauerkraut, french fries (plain hot dogs for the boys)

Saturday: out (lunch), nachos with carnitas, fresh pico de gallo (supper)

Sunday: migas, home fries (brunch), roasted chicken, macaroni and cheese, corn on the cob (supper)

Monday: eggplant and andouille over rice, zuchinni

Tuesday: I'm at a cooking class; my husband will make his "famous" quesadillas

Wednesday: fish a la Veracruz, rice, some sort of vegetable

Thursday: meatball minestrone with orzo (new recipe from the current issue of Family Fun)

As always, check out orgjunkie's Menu Plan Monday for lots of other great ideas!

Calabacitas

Last summer was a great summer for squash, both yellow and zucchini. We had it coming out of our ears. I think I still have a few cups of shredded zucchini in the freezer from then (it melts into spaghetti for my non-green vegetable eaters). This year--not so much. Our squash was just sad. My mother's was as well (and she's always my back up for when Mike's garden doesn't work so well). So, we've had squash, but infrequently, and really not enough to get tired of it.

That usually means I just cook it the "regular" way, in a pan with some onions. Good, easy, and we like it, but nothing exciting.

And, then, I ran across this recipe for "calabacitas" somewhere. I think that calabacitas is just the Spanish word for squash, and this is just a Mexican inspired take on squash.

You had me at hola.

It starts with a poblano and an onion. This is one of each, finely diced and sauteed in butter. It would be good with roasted poblanos, too, and in a pinch, a can of green chiles.

I used about 5 small squash for our family.

And 2 ears of corn, cut from the cob.

Added the squash to the pan with the pepper and onion, then fried until it was done.

I just added the corn kernels the last 2 or 3 minutes of cooking, to heat through. This was really good, sweet, fresh corn, so it didn't need much.

I served this with a take on one of my mom's classic week night meals--fried squash, pork chops, rice, and brown and serve rolls. For us, that means pork adovado (bought preseasoned at the latino butcher), calabacitas, and tortillas. But, otherwise, just like mom used to make. ~smiles~

This post is linked up to Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday. Lots of people share what they are cooking this week--I always walk away with a great idea. Check it out!

Meal Plan Monday

The past week was a little busy around here being, well, being a mama. My three have needed all my attention for every minute it seems. I've missed my blog, though! Hopefully, we've turned the corner, and they are planning to give me enough time for my computer.

And to shower.

You know, important stuff like that. And let's be honest....probably in that order, too.

Friday--queso fundido tacos

Saturday--out for lunch, out for supper (woohoo! what a day!)

Sunday--BLTs for lunch, tacos for supper

Monday--lady peas, macaroni and cheese, fried eggplant, fried okra

Tuesday--
Wednesday--
Thursday--

Date Night Saturday

We still have a little visitor with us on Saturday nights (he sleeps in his bouncy chair next to us until we all go upstairs to bed), but being our third baby, we can really appreciate that he doesn't talk or move around. ~big smiles~

So, this week, we put the big boys to bed early, and we enjoyed a celebration meal of sorts. We've had a large decision looming over us for quite a while. We have prayed together, prayed separately, fasted, talked about it to a few trusted folks, and thought and thought and thought. And, last week, we finally came to a decision. We still have our moments of doubt, but I think it's the right decision for our family.

And, so we did what we always do when we have a big moment in our lives.

We ate.

Last week, the boys and I picked blueberries and figs one morning. I used the end of the blueberries in this fabulous cocktail, Blueberries Gone Wild. Truth be told, I really loved the name! I used sugar syrup instead of agave, and I substituted seltzer for the gin. I also threw in a few micro basil leaves. It turned out great (and beautiful).

For celebrations, we generally turn to shellfish. These are beautiful Georgia shrimp.

Add a few of our favorite ingredients.

That's Plugra butter. I found it on clearance a few weeks ago, and I froze it for the next time I made this dish. It is really rich, and oh so good.

A salad with tomatoes and cucumbers from our garden.

And some wonderful barbecue shrimp. This is one of our favorite meals for date night--it's a lot of fun to dig into the same big dish together, breaking off pieces of bread, and dipping them into the sauce. Sort of like fondue, but easier.

Ironically, we ended the evening with a movie that emphasized seizing the moment and not letting life pass you by. Sort of a cheesy movie, but it spoke to the decision we had made earlier in the week. Timely, I suppose. All I know is that it felt like a little whisper from God. And I love hearing those whispers.

I can't talk enough about how much I look forward to dedicated time with my husband. Even if it's coffee one morning a week, everyone ought to carve out some time for their marriage. It's very much worth it!

This post is linked to Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday. Lots of great ideas over there. Check it out!

Meal Plan Monday

I really am getting back into the swing of things. We followed our menu (mostly) last week, and here I am, with 2 menu plans in 2 weeks. Woohoo! In this season of life with three littles, life is uncertain. And as anyone with little children can tell you, they lose their flipping minds around 4:30 every afternoon.

But, hey... at least I know what's for supper in the midst of the craziness.

As an aside. My boys love rice. They would eat it for every meal. So, sometimes, I cater to that frequently in a week when I want to make sure that there is something they'll eat at every meal. And, yes, we like Mexican food. A lot. No, we are not Hispanic. But, we live in a heavily Hispanic area of the country, so the ingredients are plentiful and tasty, and well, who doesn't love some Mexican food? (barring my friend Dawn's husband, of course)

Friday-- fried chicken tacos (similar to Taqueria del Sol) , spanish rice, salad

Saturday-- out (lunch), barbecue shrimp, salad, bread (supper)

Sunday-- hamburger steaks, mashed potatoes, lady peas

Monday-- knockwurst and sauerkraut, applesauce

Tuesday-- puerco adovado (marinated, grilled pork), salad

Wednesday-- enchiladas, salad, calabacitas (squash with corn and green chiles)

Thursday-- Spanish rice with ground beef, green beans



And, as always, orgjunkie hosts the largest menu plan gathering of all. Meal Plan Monday is the place to find lots of new ideas and inspiration.