View Full Version : July cook at home challenge
Starting this off for July.
Kids were out of school yesterday, so I made a nice celebration steak lunch. I think I've got the steak thing down pat now -- I marinate the steaks in a mixture of soy sauce, lemon juice and a dash of fish sauce, then season with the steak seasoning mixture I got from costco. Let them marinate for a couple of hours, flipping once or twice in the middle. Cook under the broiler for about 7 minutes the first side, then five minutes the second side. Turns out medium rare and very juicy. If I'm stir frying green veggies as a side dish, I toss the marinade in as extra flavor. Really turns out great!
Kids are bugging me to go out today, but will plan to cook at home on Sunday. One meal out a week is not bad for us, and when it is just the three of us it is pretty affordable.
lhamo
cleaning out the freezer - zucchini muffins
Bastelmutti
7-2-11, 8:30am
lhamo - Must try your steak method. Sounds yummy!
We will have an interesting time in July because for our family that brings a road trip. We already have plans to do supermarket meals part of the time, as well doing stuff like bringing water bottles to fill and our popcorn popper for hotel snacks. We will eat out some of the time since we are visiting a part of the country we have never visited before and that involves interesting regional food as well.
Any tips or advice on interesting road meals welcome! And happy cooking!
We ate out a lot the first few days of the month, but now we are back on our best behavior!
Sunday we had lunch at my dad's and yesterday we had random leftovers for lunch (me mac n cheese, DH chili cheesedog casserole). We grilled out last night. DH and I both had BBQ leftovers for lunch. We'll probably eat leftover pot roast for dinner tonight. We have quite a bit of that sitting around!
We just returned from a few days at our friends' cabin. I had packed plenty of food along so we ate in the entire time. I also brought along my favorite knives and pans to make cooking easier... the existing equipment is more rustic than I like.
I want to turn off our big freezer for the rest of the summer, so that will be our focus for the next couple of weeks - reducing frozen goods in both freezers so I can fit everything in the fridge-top freezer. Good timing to do this before the peak of local produce.
flowerseverywhere
7-5-11, 5:41pm
I want to turn off our big freezer for the rest of the summer, so that will be our focus for the next couple of weeks - reducing frozen goods in both freezers so I can fit everything in the fridge-top freezer. Good timing to do this before the peak of local produce.
that is exactly what we did in May. Now that produce is starting to come in I'll be making large quantities of vegetarian dishes and freezing portions to feed 2-4. I love this time of year, big vats of chili, stuffed peppers, roasted veggies to toss with cheese and pasta, yum.
I am emptying that freezer like there is no tomorrow (hey, maybe there is no tomorrow). Lots of frozen fruit and berries from last summer. My family comes here in a couple of weeks and I am going to cook the big turkey in there.
Today we made a big cold barley salad. Very nice and very filling.
4th of July brought the family over.... beer brats, pulled chicken, pasta salad, and corn. Simple and delicious.
brats: dutch oven over medium heat. melt some butter, add some onions and brown. Add brats and beer (like a bottle for 12 brats). Reduce to simmer, cover, and cook for 30minutes (can go as long as you need). Finish on grill for 2 minutes per side.
chicken: get cheap chicken, put in slow cooker with half a bottle of bbq sauce, cook overnight. Drain off some of the liquid and add some of the bbq. Shred with two forks
super easy pasta salad: prepare noodles (shell or elbow). Add some peas, carrots (matchstick cut) and bacon. Toss with a ranch dressing (did miracle whip + half a pack of seasoning for 2 lbs of pasta). Serve cold
corn: big pot, cobs, bit of water, steam until done
Now, we're eating leftovers for the next couple days :)
Bastelmutti
7-10-11, 8:32am
Trip has been great. We brought water bottles, a container to make iced tea, cooler for sandwiches, yogurt and veggies/fruit, and our popcorn popper for hotel snacks. We made tostadas at one rest stop! We're also taking advantage of the free hotel breakfasts. It's really keeping us within our food budget and allowing us to try something interesting when the opportunity arises. Have done a couple of fast food stops for lunch, did one splurge dinner at a good BBQ place and today we will take an elderly relative out for seafood. Have a good week, everyone!
We've only been doing so-so this month. I haven't been feeling well, so we ordered pizzas and sandwiches in the last week. Ugh. I did manage to make some cheese enchiladas, though, so we've been eating those along with BBQ leftovers, leftover pizza, and cake leftover from my baby shower. The cake I really need to stop eating. LOL I have higher hopes for this week! Possibilities include chili and cornbread, roast chicken, or maybe corned beef and cabbage...
We've been doing much better this week. Leftovers for all lunches. I mades shepherd's pie on Monday night. Tonight I am making macaroni and cheese and some green beans from my MIL's garden. We've also been eating sandwiches with some leftover deli turkey my MIL sent over, along with lettuce and tomatoes from her garden. I really hope to have my own garden next year (when I am not so enormous due to pregnancy ;-) )
I have been doing pretty well this month overall. Tomorrow we are going to meet Zach, who is working out of town, for dinner to celebrate Bella's birthday.
Zach is out of town during the week for a month and I have foolishly embarked on some major home projects, so I need a plan for dinners. Keeping things simple is not my strong suit. It really isn't.
I am thinking of making one night a week sandwich night. That is as far as I have gotten on my plan.
Keeping things simple is not my strong suit. It really isn't.
Spaghetti. Leftovers heat well also. For garlic bread, I buy a loaf of whole grain ciabatta and drizzle some olive oil (butter or margarine work too!), sprinkle with some italian seasoning and garlic salt and put under the broiler for 3 minutes. Easy and the bread gives a nice flair to the meal.
Tuna melts. I use a little bit of miracle whip and a good dash of garlic powder and balsamic vinegar.... keeps the calories and fat down and gives it a great flavor. Grill 'em with a bit of cheese and serve some steamed veggie on the side (buy them frozen if you don't have time to clean/cut fresh)
Pasta dish 1. Cubed ham sauteed. Pasta. Goat cheese. Matchstick carrots and zucchini. Toss the carrots and zucchini into the boiling water during the last minute of cooking the pasta. Drain, add the goat cheese to melt, add the ham, maybe a little olive oil. Toss and serve. Spinach or broccoli would work great as well. and, frankly, it doesn't need the ham although the smokiness gives it a good flavor.
Those take me about 12 minutes to make including prep time and cooking the pasta.
My mom has a great recipe for slowcooker vegetarian lasagna as well. That works out great when you need something ready and waiting after a day out.
My way of keeping food simple is to use pockets of time to prepare things in advance. In the morning, I check my plan for dinner and change if needed. When I buy fish or chicken, I freeze it in the quantity in which I will cook it. It will thaw in about an hour in cold water, or during the day in the fridge.
[aside: our diet and food probably would not look simple to most people, because we eat a lot of produce and it does require time. so this is all relative.]
I keep the fridge stocked with fresh produce, and in an hour I can cut up a wide variety of things. So our fridge always contains fresh produce ready to eat, in containers; some form of protein such as hard-boiled eggs, tofu, nuts, or sliced, home-cooked chicken; and some items that are handy to have ready to go such as legumes, soups, or prepared salads such as broccoli salad or black bean salad.
Many dinners are combinations of these things with different seasoning - for instance, stir-fry, summer rolls and tacos have basically the same ingredients aside from spices. The difference between lettuce and veggies, washed and ready to eat, and lettuce and veggies, in their whole form, means that a meal can be on the table in a minute vs 30. Making a stir-fry is really a snap when the veggies are ready to go.
It means I can pack lunches for everyone in the morning, in about 10 minutes, and that we don't have hectic after-activity meal prep times.
Breakfast is pretty similar, different foods. Yogurt, granola, fresh fruit, or dinner leftovers. I also make some really simple buckwheat-almond pancakes for DD and freeze them in batches. Sometimes I batch-cook mini-omelettes and freeze them - these work at any meal.
I used to think that I liked baking, but the fact was, I liked to eat baked goods, and didn't really enjoy the hassle of putting them together. The flavors and colors of fresh foods are much more appealing than a muffin now that we've been off wheat for 3 months.
Some of our meals over the past week:
teriyaki salmon, stir-fried snow peas from the garden
pork chops, pinto beans, and homemade bbq sauce cooked in the slow cooker. that was really a hit with DH & DD.
chicken salad with white bean-based "mayo" and lots of veggies, steamed kale
tofu/baby bok choy stir fry
poached cod and soy-ginger steamed broccoli
Thanks for the great ideas guys!
Zach is out of town during the week for a month and I have foolishly embarked on some major home projects, so I need a plan for dinners. Keeping things simple is not my strong suit. It really isn't.
I am thinking of making one night a week sandwich night. That is as far as I have gotten on my plan.
Well, you've got one night covered with sandwiches. How about one night is breakfast for dinner: omelets, pancakes, waffles, French toast, oatmeal, or just cold cereal (which is my go-to favorite for any meal where I don't feel like doing much more than pouring cereal in a bowl followed by milk, and the easy clean-up is a bonus!).
One night could be a salad bar with make-your-own salads. Lettuce, carrots, peas, onions, peppers, hard-boiled eggs, shredded cheese, sunflower seeds or other nuts, homemade croutons (if you're feeling ambitious!), and salad dressing.
Okay, that's about the extent of my ability to meal plan...
Tonight's dinner - poached salmon on a bed of herbed lentils with mango-cucumber salsa. Steamed broccoli on the side.
cynergyou
7-15-11, 10:04am
We've been doing pretty good cooking at home this month. This AM, the middle kid baked muffins for breakfast and I made a kale salad with a light dressing (oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper, and a little gorgonzola and parmesan cheese). We also are marinating some chicken breasts to grill later this afternoon for dinner.
Bastelmutti
7-16-11, 5:43pm
Back from vacation and basically lost all food in the fridge and freezer due to a power outage. We erred on the side of throwing everything out, since it was at least 2 days & no one can say with certainty how long the power was out. LUCKILY, I had not stocked up on meat at the farmer's market the week before & we had been using up freezer stuff for a while, so we didn't lose a lot. Fridge the same - it had been basically cleaned out for the trip. When I grocery shopped today, I didn't replace everything, just the essentials, to keep the fridge clean-looking and organized.
On the plan this week - pitas w/ chicken or falafel & cucumber/tomato salad tonight, BBQ chicken/tofu tomorrow, chickpea curry one night and pasta another night. Then leaving for a weekend at a friend's place, where we eat out once and mostly cook in for everyone.
Stella - Our quick go-to is tostadas. I keep tostada shells, black beans (or refried beans) and toppings (cheese and/or sour cream, lettuce, salsa) on hand at all times! Takes 5-10 minutes to heat the beans and set up the toppings, depending on whether you're grating cheese and making salsa yourself or using store-bought. Admission: My name is Bastelmutti, and I buy pre-grated cheese...
My kids will be gone for a week and I am pledging to eat only from the pantry for the next 9 days. (except dinner on the 9th day) I did an inventory of the pantry and fridge and freezer today and will work on meal plans after dinner tonight.
I will come here to tell you how I am doing, or you can go to my blog to see photos and recipes.
Bon Appetite!
Benn doing pretty well. Brought cold sandwiches, chips, and fruit to my dad's for Sunday lunch. It was too hot for him to cook, but we didn't want to spend money eating out. I made some corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots last night. Plenty for leftovers as well as cream of reuben soup and homemade hash. I have plenty of other things to cook and am planning to use up some strawberries and bananas as well as prep some orange zest, cheese, and corn for the freezer. DH's work place is doing a 5-9 a day fruit and veggie challenge that earns him points toward an insurance discount, so that is pretty good motivation to eat at home (since eating out doesn't usually lead to many servings of fruits and veggies!).
earthshepherd
7-18-11, 4:10pm
I am doing kind of a cooking marathon this week -- homemade pizza, beef and broccoli for DH, lentil stew for me, spaghetti (both vegan and meat), and bean soup. What we don't eat right away will go in the freezer to be served with rice or noodles later in the week. I hope I can cover every day with what I already have on hand.
Breakfast: coffee w/ creamer, yogurt, watermelon cubes
Lunch: Sliced beets w/ vinaigrette and sliced eggs, apple, celery sticks w/ peanut butter, homemade lemonade
Unexpected afternoon snack: party cake at patient's house
Dinner: Homemade potato soup
Breakfast has mostly been homemade granola, walnuts, and fresh raspberries from our garden. Yum.
Lunches have been dinner leftovers, salads, hard-boiled eggs, raw veggies.
Recent dinners: black bean - spinach burritos, chicken summer rolls, crock pot chicken with roasted potatoes and broccoli.
Breakfast: iced coffee w/ creamer, cantaloupe cubes, yogurt.
Lunch: celery and peanut butter, apple, beets/eggs and vinaigrette
Dinner: Tilapia sautéed in garlic and lemon, steamed mixed vegetables, glass Shiraz
Bastelmutti
7-20-11, 8:32am
We have been doing well since returning from a trip. As I mentioned, we had to throw out the food in our fridge, but I only replaced essentials and haven't made a trip to the Asian store yet for my specialty items like kimchi. Breakfasts have been mostly smoothies or eggs, and lunches have been salads with tuna or leftovers, mac & cheese once. Peanut butter sandwich, grilled cheese or quesadilla for anyone who doesn't want those. Dinners were Sun - grilled chicken & chickpea curry with rice, Mon - spaghetti & jar sauce (I have class), Tue - leftover spaghetti or black bean tostadas, Wed - haven't decided yet, but probably stir-fry and tofu over either noodles or brown rice (I have class).
Earthshepherd - good to see you around!
Last week was bad due to a bunch of birthdays and things of that nature, but I am back on track now. Last night I made chicken parmesan. Tonight will probably be quesadillas. It's too hot to want to heat up the kitchen much.
Last night I made Hamburger Pie, spinach salad, and brownies. Tonight leftovers.
I've been sticking to my menu plan and use up all odds and ends. I am proud of how little food we have wasted (I hate, hate, HATE throwing away food). I did make a huge batch of homemade hash with the corned beef, so we've been eating that. Today will be the cream of rueben soup. That should finish off the corned beef. I think I am going to make the soup this morning before it gets too hot. Then I only have to make grilled cheese to go with it.
We had one piece of turkey lunch meat left. Normally, something like that would go to waste, but I decided to roll it up with a slice of cheese and stick it in DH's lunch for a snack.
I think after making the soup, we will have homemade mac n cheese and the green beans from my MIL's garden.
Breakfast: coffee w/ creamer, yogurt, cantaloupe cubes (and cheat: Cheese-Its)
Lunch: Southwest Bean salad, apple, homemade lemonade
Dinner: Thai Noodle dish, fresh tomato w/ vinaigrette.
Fish tacos with homemade corn tortillas and cole slaw. DD said, "This is what I want for my birthday."
Bastelmutti
7-21-11, 12:52pm
Last night was broccoli-tofu noodles. Tonight I am planning tilapia, brown rice and edamame for me and DH; brown rice, edamame and falafel/chicken nuggets for the kids (one is veg, one is not). Sounds complicated, but we have a built-in grill & just pop the frozen stuff in there while I'm making the rest of the dinner. The frozen stuff is a compromise so DH and I can eat some things the kids don't eat.
This weekend we're responsible for one communal dinner and breakfast with friends. Breakfast will be fun crepes with whipped cream, chocolate sauce & sprinkles. Dinner will be ribs, avocado-tomato-corn salad, lime slaw & macaroni-mozzarella salad (for the veggies).
Day 4 of my Pantry Challenge:
Breakfast: coffee w/ creamer, cantaloupe, yogurt
Lunch: tomato soup, homemade biscuits w/ peanut butter and currant jam, apple, OJ
Dinner: tilapia w/ lemon juice, garlic and chili powder, steamed veggies, glass of Shiraz
Sloppy joes. I think I've finally nailed the homemade sauce.
For one pound ground beef.
1/2 green pepper, finely chopped.
1/4 onion, diced.
Nice slug of olive oil
1 can tomato paste, plain
1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce. Use the good stuff.
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
Saute veggies in oil till limp (the veggies, not you). Brown meat. In a separate container, mix tomato paste, Woostersheer Sauce, sugar and salt. Pour on browned beef. Simmer over low (tomato scorches).
earthshepherd
7-22-11, 6:59am
We are doing great this week with the garden's help. We've had stuffed zucchini, zucchini fritters, mountains of fresh steamed green beans, homemade pizza, and spaghetti. When we leave for vacation Sunday, I'm taking a picnic supper for the first night when we are staying at a B&B in the mountains, then after that we'll be at my sister's house, so hopefully we won't have to buy supper out on vacation either! :)
I made sloppy joes, too, Anne Lee! I'll have to try your recipe sometime :-)
I also made a big batch of cream of reuben soup along with a pot of green beans from my MIL's garden. I've been trying to cook earlier in the day and just reheat for dinner and it seems to be working. The extreme heat + the pregnancy makes my feet and legs swollen and painful by the end of the day. I don't feel like cooking then, so this is a better plan for the time being.
@early morning--stuffed zucchini sounds wonderful! What do you stuff it with?
Pantry challenge Day 5:
Breakfast--coffee, cantaloupe, homemade biscuit w/ current jelly
Lunch--homemade Southwest Bean salad, apple, carrot sticks
Dinner--spaghetti w/ marina sauce
Friends came over for lunch. Made a kale frittata and cole slaw.
Dinner was a chickpea curry with lots of good stuff in it, and spinach salad.
Kat, are you willing to share the basics of making cream of reuben soup? Sounds delicious and we can always use a new soup entree for our winter Soup In Your Socks party! Thanks!
Breakfast: coffee, homemade biscuit, currant jam
Lunch: leftover potluck salad, fried chicken and deviled egg (sure was good to eat someone else's cooking :~))
Dinner: What I made for lunch--Black Bean salad, carrot sticks, apple.
I had the evening shift at a local festival for a committee on which I serve, staffing a booth and answering questions. Packed my dinner along, leftovers from last night, which happened to be very good cold.
@ Merski--I used this recipe, and it was pretty good. http://www.food.com/recipe/Delicious-Cream-of-Reuben-Soup-185381
I did makes some changes--I used leftover corned beef instead of the canned stuff and half and half instead of cream. I also used homemade chicken stock. Probably could have done with a bit less cheese and maybe some salt and pepper, too, but that is just personal taste. It was a thick and lovely soup; would be delicious in fall, winter, or early spring. Maybe a bit much for the dead of summer LOL
We've been doing good eating leftovers. Last night DH and I kind of wanted to eat out because we were tired, but I managed to heat up the rest of the soup, slice up some fresh veggies, and make us some sandwiches. I think tonight I will make hoemade mac n cheese and serve it with the rest of the green beans from my MIL's garden so they don't go to waste.
I got Claudia Roden's excellent "The New Book of Middle Eastern Cooking" and made a wonderful spinach and brown lentil soup last night. It was so good, we ended up being meatless for the whole day (quite an accomplishment for my DH). We are moving to Israel at the end of the year and I want to brush up on making Middle Eastern food here, so it's not so much of a shock for him when we get there. Also, it will be much cheaper to use the same ingredients that are so common and available there, instead of relying on ingredients that are more common here (e.g. gluten-free Bisquick).
Bastelmutti
7-26-11, 9:22am
We were out for the weekend and really only ate out on the way home. DH made awesome smoked ribs for 12 & I made the salad accompaniments for that meal. I also made a giant batch of crepes for breakfast one day for everyone staying at the vacation house. "Walking tacos" and their leftovers made by my friend plus some quinoa salad by other friend pretty much rounded out the other meals.
Back home, it was pasta & jar sauce with veggies/salad again last night - I think that will be my school night staple! Tonight is Vietnamese salad with chicken/tofu. I cut up lettuce, carrots, cabbage, etc. & we put on our choice of protein & my version of Vietnamese dressing (fish sauce, lime, chili sauce).
Bastelmutti
7-26-11, 9:34am
We were out for the weekend and really only ate out on the way home. DH made awesome smoked ribs for 12 & I made the salad accompaniments for that meal. I also made a giant batch of crepes for breakfast one day for everyone staying at the vacation house. "Walking tacos" and their leftovers made by my friend plus some quinoa salad by other friend pretty much rounded out the other meals.
Back home, it was pasta & jar sauce with veggies/salad again last night - I think that will be my school night staple! Tonight is Vietnamese salad with chicken/tofu. I cut up lettuce, carrots, cabbage, etc. & we put on our choice of protein & my version of Vietnamese dressing (fish sauce, lime, chili sauce).
Last night: Pad Thai with lots of cabbage and a few noodles, some tilapia, and our first peanuts in over 3 months (introduced yesterday on our allergy elim diet).
Tonight: chicken sausages, spinach, and steamed green beans
Bastelmutti
7-26-11, 11:13am
Cannot delete that double post!
Fell off the wagon for a couple of days due to sickness. But we're back and at 'em now! I did make the mac n cheese yesterday (had to hold off since my dad made mac n cheese for lunch Sunday) and we did finish off the rest of the fresh green beans. My dad gave me some fruit salad to take home, and my neighbors gave me a couple of cucumbers, so we have those things we have been snacking on.
Tonight I am making "sticky chicken," which is basically just rotisserie style chicken. I am making two so we have lots of leftovers, and I am serving mashed potatoes and stuffing with it, too. Maybe some corn from the freezer would be good, too.
Bastelmutti
7-28-11, 1:41pm
Last night was frozen ravioli and salad - yup, school night! Today we ate out lunch, which was supposed to be the cheap pizza joint, but DH let DD change her choice at the last minute, so it was a bit more than I wanted to spend. Tonight we may go out with DH's sister. Otherwise I have black bean-and-rice bowls on the menu next.
Garden is pumping out produce, trying to plan meals around it as much as possible and use what we have. I did a bunch of once a month cooking for meats, did a lot of marinated chicken that I can just throw on the grill and toss together some veggies with. Last night it was soy lime marinated chicken breasts, green salad and green beans with DS favorite cresent rolls. Lunch was dinner leftovers and dinner I don't have any idea yet.
Tonight is breaded pork cutlets with an herb and cream sauce over spaetzle with sauteed zucchini and summer squash. Tomorrow is my Grandma's creamed new potatoes, peas, carrots and onions with french bread.
Thought of this thread today as I was out and starving at lunchtime BUT with the inspiration of all of you, I managed to get myself home and make a meal. Thanks for that...five bucks saved. At least! Plus I ate better: rice and salmon and broccoli. Had I had lunch out it would have been a lot less nutritious.
I am thinking about how to simplify meals over the next month and I have decided that this weekend I am going to go to the butcher shop and get three cut up chickens, two pork roasts and a beef roast. I have another beef roast in my freezer already. Each day for the next week I will cook one of these in the crockpot for freezing. I'll save the broth for freezing too. That will make for a lot of no cook meals. I got the idea from the Rachel Ray magazine that came in the mail today. I probably won't use most of the recipes, but I liked the idea of having a variety of meats and broths on hand. Tacos, burritos, fried rice, fritattas, sandwiches, soups, salads, egg rolls, spring rolls, nachos...there are a lot of possibilities.
Checked out a book on Ethiopian cooking yesterday and made a FABULOUS and frugal snack. Popped some popcorn, and melted two Tbsp. butter. I stirred 1/2 tsp. each of garlic powder and paprika, and 1/4 tsp. each of ground cumin, salt, and ground hot pepper into the butter, then drizzled all over the popcorn. Oh man, is that good! Apparently the Ethiopians have a custom of having a spicy, savory snack with intense Turkish-like (actually Ethiopian) coffee in the afternoons. What a treat!
Bastelmutti
7-29-11, 9:46am
Selah,
That sounds great! I'd also love to hear more about your Mediterranean cooking experiments!
I love it, everybody! I've been feeling stuffy over not getting involved with this thread, because I cook at home all the time, but I find that by the time I post in all of my other favourite forums, forums like these tend to take a backseat, but I'm really loving reading everyone's entries and menus!!! :) Yummy!
I found out today that Dad won't be home for dinner so I am saving my Grandma's creamed new potatoes for tomorrow. It's Dad's favourite. Since I don't know if Zach will be home for dinner either I might just make pancakes. I am toying with the idea of using the turkey baster and trying to make letter shaped pancakes with the kids' initials. We'll see how I'm feeling.
Bastelmutti
7-29-11, 10:49pm
Made chickpea curry tonight. I am in a rut/fixed menu of about 5-6 things - black beans and rice, chickpea curry, pasta w/ red sauce, chicken... Need to sort through my recipes to find some new stuff.
I did make the roasted chicken dinner as planned on Thursday and cut up some watermelon, too. We invited a couple of friends over last minute, and they brought dessert. It was totally unplanned but comepletely lovely!
DH and I both had leftover mac n cheese for lunch yesterday.
Last night I wasn't feeling well and neither was DH. We really, really wanted to order a pizza, but I heated up chicken leftovers instead. Silly to order out when we have all those leftovers sitting around able to be heated up in less than ten minutes!
Lunch today will probably be odds and ends leftovers, and then I have to prep the rest of the chicken for the freezer.
Yesterday was a bust. We ended up getting pizza. Travis is teething and I was exhausted by dinner.
This week I am doing some make-ahead prep work to avoid that. Here's this week's menu.
Italian sausage, peppers and rice
Pulled pork sliders with slaw
Mediterranean chicken pitas
Chicken spring rolls with peanut sauce
Shredded beef burritos with Mexican style slaw
Pasta with pesto and chicken
Zucchini and parmesan fritatta and muffins or pancakes
Lunches will be fish tacos, homemade pizza, fried rice and crostini with roasted tomato relish. Breakfasts will be green smoothies, homemade granola and yogurt.
I let the girls each pick one meal recipe and one agreed-upon dessert recipe from a kid cookbook to make this week. They requested more cooking lessons as a home school project. Bella chose a berry and yogurt parfait and Cheyenne chose silly face pizza. We have almost everything to make both of those anyway. The dessert is an M&M shake. I usually keep ice cream on hand in the summer, so that's not too big a deal either.
Bastelmutti
7-30-11, 9:11pm
Now that you mention shakes, Stella, I remember that pie shake you once posted about. Still haven't tried it, but it sounds soooo good! Figures I'm thinking of going on Eat to Live again...
Mmmm. I hadn't thought of the pie shake in a while either. Maybe it's time for a date night. :)
little late but to wrap up July....
DW went blueberry picking on Friday and sis came down Friday night for the weekend. I made some blueberry jam of sorts (apple cider vinegar, honey, blueberries, simmer until jellied), blueberry drizzle for ice cream (dash of water, honey, blueberries, lemon zest, lemon juice, cinnamon and vanilla, simmer until thick) and froze the rest (well, whatever sis and I didn't eat). Dinner was pizza on a homemade crust with spinach and broccoli ;)
Blanched and froze two cauliflower and about 5 broccoli heads. Turned the stalks into veggie stock with the addition of some garlic chives, parsley, a carrot, shallots and a bay leaf.
Saturday I made blueberry pancakes for breakfast. We were out over lunch so we stopped in at Olive Garden and used a gift card from four Christmases ago. Dinner was potatoes from the garden steamed and then pan-fried topped with scrambled eggs, ham and broccoli (slightly charred under the broiler, so tasty) then topped with cheese and baked.
Sunday breakfast was leftovers from dinner followed with pasta with zucchini and carrot matchsticks, broccoli, ham and goat cheese for lunch. Dinner was homemade mac & cheese with ham.
And thus ended my July. All told, we ate out three times in the month of July. For August, I think I might try for zero meals out.
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