Menu Plan: Week of April 27

This last week the weather completely changed – instead of having the heater on standby, it’s now the air conditioner.  Temperatures are only in the high 70s, but I’m already dying!  The farmers market starts next week, though, so I should be able to convert our meals to spring mode – not only vegetable-wise, but less oven use, as well.  For now, though, it’s the same stuff:

 

Pot roast, braised carrots and potatoes, salad

Soup – pasta fagioli or white chili

Chard and onion frittatas, sweet potato fries

Tacos, refried pinto beans, rice

Pizza, salad

Sausage, potato and apple skillet dinner

Hamburgers, oven fries

 

I’m hoping to get some eggplant, beans, cucumbers, and more tomatoes and peppers planted.  Maybe even some melons.  We love cantaloupe and honeydew in summer!  So here’s hoping…

Menu Plan: Week of April 20, 2009

This is our last week of being really busy for awhile. I have a babysitting commitment every single day, Husband is finishing his classes (with his Masters in hand), then we have six fairly easy weeks leading up to the summer break.  Needless to say, this week is full of easy meals:

 

Chicken tortilla soup

Baked beans, cornbread, greens

Lentil soup, leftover cornbread

My spaghetti, salad

Sesame ginger chicken, rice (held over from last week)

White chili

Hamburgers, oven fries

 

I’m also looking for a good dairy-free sourdough bread recipe, since I just got a starter from a friend.  I tried Sue Gregg’s sourdough spelt bread, but it was hard to follow and didn’t turn out well.  Any help is welcomed!

 

More menu plans at Organizing Junkie.

Menu Plan: Week of April 13, 2009

In that particular is contained the universal. – James Joyce, on writing about Dublin.

 

I’m beginning to wonder why I post my menu plans every week – they’re an important part of my home management, but I’m not so sure they make great reading.  Most of what we eat isn’t terribly exciting, unless (like me) you find beauty in things simple and quotidian.  Too much of the same is boring, though, and it keeps me accountable to tell the internet this bit of business.  So for now, the menu plans continue.  This week is full of chicken…

 

Roast chicken, baked sweet potatoes, green beans

Sesame Ginger Chicken, rice

Turkey pumpkin chili (yes, I still have pumpkin!!)

Beef or bean tacos, refried pinto beans, Mexi-millet (or quinoa)

Sausage and bean soup, cornbread

Mediterranean chicken, salad or wilted greens

Hamburgers with sweet potato fries

 

Really, I’m not trying to compare myself to Joyce – my menu plans are not the Rosetta stone to unlocking all of humanity’s secrets.  What we are eating does, however, make a statement about who we are and what we value.  Which means I’m probably going to turn into a hamburger or sweet potato fry anytime now…

 

 

 

 

Menu Plan

For the past few weeks I’ve been really bad about sticking to the menu plan, so the same stuff keeps showing up.  If you see something on here that I mentioned sometime in the last few weeks, it’s probably because I didn’t get around to making it.  My trip to the Dekalb Farmers Market yesterday with a friend probably won’t help that any, though, since we bought lots of fun new stuff!  So here’s this week’s menu, with some repeats:

 

Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, braised fennel

Lubia Polo (with substitutions)

Sesame ginger chicken and rice

Black-eyed pea soup

Carnitas, refried pinto beans, Mexi-millet

Hamburgers with sweet potato fries

Adzuki bean soup

 

I have the feeling that this week is going to get changed up a bit as it goes, but that’s okay.  Whatever happens, I’ll try to post some recipes anyway.

 

For more menu plans, go here.

Menu Plan: Week of March 23, 2009

I’m off to celebrate my friend CF’s birthday (one week late), so I put some baked beans in the oven for the family and I’m attempting to tie up any other loose ends.   Before I forget, though, this is what we’ll probably be eating this week:

 

Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, roasted cauliflower

Chili verde, refried pinto beans, Mexican rice or millet

Black-eyed pea soup

Hamburgers (wrapped in lettuce for me) and sweet potato fries

Buckwheat pancakes, sausage patties, fruit

Turkey pumpkin chili (must use up the last of the pumpkin so spring can officially start!)

 

Menu-planning has been more difficult lately, because in addition to the usual dairy-free limitations for my daughter, I’ve also been trying to be very strict about my own wheat allergy.  I’ve been pretty successful avoiding wheat, but I haven’t eliminated all gluten-containing foods (like oats), so I will move in that direction once I feel like I have the hang of being simply wheat-free.  

 

And maybe this week I can actually get around to posting the pancake recipe!

 

Find more menu plans here.

Menu Plan: Week of March 15, 2009

This is a big week for Husband: his Masters portfolio is due, and he has to defend it on Wednesday.  So we’re having a lot of his comfort foods on the days he’ll be home.  I’m also backlogged on recipes I need to post, so I’ll get some of those up this week.  One of these days I’ll get completely caught up!

 

Here’s what we’ll be having for dinner:

 

Meatloaf, baked beans, seasonal vegetable (haven’t gone shopping yet)

Veggie omelettes or frittatas (cheese optional), fruit

Mediterranean Chicken

Chili verde, pinto beans, Mexi-millet or rice

Hamburgers and sweet potato fries

Pasta fagioli

 

We’re having pasta fagioli again at my daughter’s request.  Because there wasn’t enough leftover from the last batch for her to have it for lunch, she’s begging me to make it again.  This works for me since I’ll be able to use up our orzo – the last of our wheat-based pasta!

 

See more menu plans here.

Menu Plan Monday: March 9, 2009

I inventoried my pantry and freezer this weekend, and sure enough, I can get by with very little grocery shopping this week.  I’ve been making a weekly trek (almost 30 minutes) to Whole Foods, which is not the best use of my time or money, so I’m trying to only go twice during the month of March.  If I can do it, then I will try going only once per month from then on (unless I’m in the area for something else, of course).  Farmers’ market season is almost here, so that should be doable at least through September.

 

So here’s what we’ll be eating this week:

 

Chicken fajitas, refried pinto beans, Mexi-millet

DIY pizza (with homemade dough)

White chili

Pasta fagioli (using up the last of my wheat pasta)

Sausage, potato, and apple skillet meal

Buckwheat pancakes, bacon, some kind of fruit side

Hamburgers with sweet potato fries

 

Have you noticed that hamburgers have been on the menu every single week for months now?  It probably seems like overkill, but it has kept us from going out to eat because we’re “craving a burger.”  And we’re not the least bit sick of it!  It can also be done gluten-free by substituting lettuce for the bun (like a wrap), which is great for me in my gluten-free journey.  Our favorite hamburger place in California called this protein-style.

 

And while we’re discussing gluten-free, does anyone have a good gluten-free pizza dough recipe?

 

For more menu plans, visit Organizing Junkie.

Menu Plan Monday: March 2, 2009

We’re having lots o’ Husband’s favorites this week, since he’ll be home every night for once!

 

Red beans and rice (didn’t get to it last week)

Roast chicken, mashed potatoes, sautéed green beans

Tacos, refried pinto beans, Mexican rice or millet

Turkey pumpkin chili

Hamburgers with sweet potato fries

Ham and navy bean soup

 

I’ll try to post more than one recipe this week.  I’ve had a sick daughter, so we’ll see how it goes.

 

Have a great week!

 

Visit  Organizing Junkie for more menu planning ideas.

Weekly Menu Plan + What Should I Do With The Turkey?

Is it obvious that I haven’t finished this week’s meal planning?  If you have an idea for the turkey, let me know.  It has to be dairy- and soy-free, of course.  And preferably gluten-free, but I don’t want to be too demanding.

-         Hamburgers with sweet potato fries

-         Red beans and rice

-         DIY pizzas

-         Braised short ribs, millet pilaf, seasonal vegetable

-         Split pea soup

-         Soaked buckwheat pancakes, bacon, blueberries (the last of the ones I picked last summer! Single tear…)

-         Something involving the last of the turkey that’s been in my freezer since Thanksgiving

I’m hoping to go into more detail later on the red beans and rice, short ribs, and pancakes, but it might not happen right away.  And I’m serious about the turkey recipe – I’ve got way too much of it to just throw it into a soup.  I also really don’t like turkey very much, so it needs to be veiled in some way.  If I have any more demands, I’ll let you know…

Menu Plan Monday: February 16, 2009

Husband has the week off (from work, but not school), so hopefully I can fit in some small projects I’ve been thinking about for awhile.  Here’s what we’ll be eating:

 

Coconut shrimp, vegetables, rice or toasted millet (didn’t make last week)

Curried sweet potato soup (using sprouted lentils)

My spaghetti with seasonal salad

Turkey pumpkin chili, cornbread

Hamburgers with sweet potato fries

Tacos, black beans, Mexican rice or quinoa

 

I’ll post the coconut shrimp recipe after I make it.  I’ll probably squeeze a few other things in after I go shopping, but that’s all I can come up with for now!