Knitting Zeal

Menu plan Monday for the week of May 28, 2012

Unofficially, it's summer!  This means that menu planning will incorporate our CSA produce for the summer.  Our first pick up was last Friday and we now have an abundance of lettuce, salad turnips, bok choy and strawberries.  I know how I'll use up the berries and the lettuce, but those turnips are questionable.  I did slice one up and throw it in a salad on Friday night, but I have at least six more to use up!  I will be researching a way to use them this week.

As for the bok choy, I found a recipe online that sautes it with garlic and ginger, so I'm going to incorporate that recipe into a chicken stir fry meal.

I'm really looking forward to trying new recipes and produce this summer from the CSA.  We are splitting a half share with our friend's family, so that it won't be so overwhelming.  My son had fun checking out the farm twice last week, once at an open house/tour and then also at our pickup.  We had the chance to chat with a beekeeper while there and even tasted honey from the honeycomb.  The honey was delicious!  

On the plan for dinners this week:

Monday: Memorial Day...if it doesn't rain, we will have a BBQ with hot dogs and sausage, beans, chips, salad.  

Tuesday: Grilled chicken over salad greens

Wednesday:  Stir fry chicken, including our bok choy and rice

Thursday: Buffalo Bleu Chicken pasta salad (See my recipe below!)

Friday: Homemade pizza, salad

Weekend: TBD

 

I used to link to a recipe for a great Buffalo chicken pasta salad that I discovered online that is really yummy.  When I just checked it to link it here, I got a blocked virus attack notification from that website, so I will not link it here again.  I know that I modified the recipe, so here is how I make a buffalo bleu chicken pasta salad:

• Cook 8 oz of bowtie (or other shape) pasta till al dente.  Set aside. Chop up or shred one or two cooked chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces.  Toss chicken with Frank's hot sauce, to taste.  Chop up two ribs of celery into tiny bits.  Add to chicken mixture.  Add 2-4 cups of baby lettuces or baby spinach to the pasta.  Add a few tablespoons of bleu cheese dressing and toss with the pasta and lettuce mixture.  Then top with the chicken mixture and combine.  Sprinkle some blue cheese on top and serve!  Add more hot sauce or dressing to taste.  

What's on your menu plan this week?  I'm linking up to Organizing Junkie. 

Menu plan Monday for the week of May 21, 2012

Monday: Flatbread pizza

Tuesday: My birthday!!  Not sure what we'll do, but the kiddo and I will have Big Plans!  :-)

Wednesday: Breakfast for dinner, probably waffles with strawberries and bacon

Thursday: chicken parm, 360 style, with pasta

Friday: chicken and broccoli stir fry with rice

Weekend: TBD

 

For my birthday my son wants to make vanilla cupcakes.  Not my personal favorite, but his, so we may do it.  Depends if I can conquer my latest sinus issues.  For my birthday I was hoping to go to Longwood Gardens, but it's threatening to rain, so we'll save that trip for another day.  I am also hoping to make some strawberry ice cream, as we went strawberry picking last week and I have a bag of berries waiting to become something yummy...the other bag we've been snacking on all weekend long!

I'm linking up with Organizer Junkie for this menu plan.  

Menu plan Monday for the week of May 14, 2012

After a busy weekend full of activity and cleaning/preparation for Sunday, along with a killer virus that knocked me out for a few days, I am ready for a new week!  

We have a lot of leftovers from our Sunday lunch, including lots of bagels, salad greens and deli meats.  So, the first few days of the week will focus on using them up, although I did freeze half of the bagels.

Monday: grilled chicken over salad greens and veggies.  

Tuesday: Ham and cheese quiche, salad

Wednesday: Slow cooker Mango chicken and rice

Thursday: Alice springs chicken copy, salad

Friday: Burgers on the grill, if the weather is nice, as predicted!

Saturday: TBD

Sunday: Spaghetti night!  Kiddo said that spaghetti is his favorite food????REally??  I had no idea!  

What's on your menu for the week?  I'm linking up to the other menu planners on Organizing Junkie. 

Menu plan Monday for the week of May 7, 2012

I'm a bit stumped as to what to make this week, but I know I have ingredients for Monday's pasta bake on hand, as well as a lot of frozen veggies in the freezer.  I'm trying to cook from the stash, so to speak, as I'd love to clean out our freezer a bit this week.  I tend to stop at Whole Foods and Trader Joes in the mornings while the kiddo is in preschool, after I am at the Y, so I don't go home before preschool pickup.  I ALWAYS forget to bring ice packs, so I usually buy a bag of frozen veggies to keep my cold stuff cold.  I need to use up those bags of veggies, as they are taking over!

For Dinners:

Monday: Cheese and Sausage pasta bake

Tuesday: Mushroom and chicken pot pie in the crock pot

Wednesday: Taco night

Thursday: Spaghetti and meatballs, salad

Friday: Buffalo chicken pizza and salad

Weekend: TBD

For lunch: 

Chicken vegetable soup

Chicken salad with pitas

 

Last week I made homemade chicken tenders using this recipe for Twisted Chicken.  I thought they were very tasty, but they came out slightly brown, which turned off the kiddo!  He is just too darn picky.  I'm wondering if I make a chicken veggie soup with alphabet noodles in it if he'll try it.  He can be so confounding at times.  Over this past weekend the kid that will not eat plain old pizza because of the sauce, ate our favorite pizza at the shore with us.  He insisted that it didn't have sauce, but it did, only just a bit.  He keeps us on our toes.

What are you making this week?  Check out the other menu plans over at Organizing Junkie!

Menu plan Monday for the week of April 30, 2012

Seriously, how is it possibly May already?

Since we are reducing our TV viewing this week, I'm focusing on trying to make some easy meals this week that I can have the kiddo help me prepare.  It will keep him occupied, teach me patience, and maybe help with his picky food choices.  He has already requested breakfast for dinner one night, which most likely he'll ask for pancakes.  I also dug out a cookbook I used to use for him when he was a toddler.  In it they show how to make grilled cheese waffles.  My kiddo decided he no longer likes grilled cheese after eating it for almost three years.  We are down to very little lunch options, so I need to get some fun things back into his repertoire.  Maybe making waffle sandwiches with PB&J or cheese will be fun?  

Monday: I made a roasted chicken on Sunday night and have half of it left.  We'll be making chicken quesidillas and salads from the leftovers.  See below for my recipe.

Tuesday: Breakfast for dinner

Wednesday: Twistin' chicken fingers made at home with the little chef! Served with a salad

Thursday: Chicken and broccoli stir fry with rice

Friday: Pizza night! Salads!

Weekend: TBD

 

I don't usually follow a recipe for making quesadillas.  They are the easiest thing to make and can be filled with whatever ingredients you like.  One of my favorites is to add a bit of BBQ sauce to shredded chicken and then spread the chicken mixture onto one tortilla, top with shredded cheddar and then top with another tortilla.  Bake at 350 F until cheese is melted and the tortilla starts to brown.  My other favorite way is even easier: top a tortilla with a bit of chopped up chicken, sprinkle of cheddar shreds, and a few spoonfuls of mango or peach salsa.  Add another tortilla to the top, then bake and slice into wedges.  A pizza cutter helps slice up the quesadilla.  I prefer baking them, although many recipes call for frying them a bit.  Baking them means less added fats.  

What are you cooking this week?

Check out all the great menu plans on Organizing Junkie!

 

Menu plan Monday for the week of April 23, 2012

We had a taste of real spring and summer weather last week and took advantage of it by eating outside on the patio as much as possible!  Now the kiddo is requesting daily backyard picnics, although as I write this it is raining and we are waiting to see if the forecasted nor'easter moves in and floods us with rain.  

Monday:  Pasta and meatballs, salad

Tuesday: Grilled teriyakki chicken on salad

Wednesday:  shrimp tacos with mango slaw with black bean, corn and tomato salad

Thursday: Turkey meatloaf (will halve the recipe!), with parmesan roasted broccoli (It's Ina night here! LOL)

Friday: Buffalo chicken pizza (pizza dough topped with hot sauce, shredded or sliced chicken, half cup of mozzerella cheese, sprinkle of bleu cheese crumbles on top, baked for 10-12 minutes at 425 degrees F on a pizza stone.  Serve with ranch or bleu cheese dressing.

Weekend: We will probably be out for dinner on Saturday, but on Sunday I want to roast a chicken.

What is on your menu this week?  Check out all the menu plans on Organizing Junkie!

Menu plan Monday for the week of April 16, 2012

This week I'm planning to make more salads and lighter meals.  We've had increasingly warmer days and it's makes me want to eat lighter meals, cook less and play outside more.  Of course the calendar is saying it is really only April and not July.  I also had a really good salad over the weekend, a chopped Mexican salad.  The dressing was a bit too hot, but I want to create a similar version for dinner. 

Monday: Mexican Chopped Salad with honey lime dressing

Tuesday: Chicken Cacciatore in the crock pot with pasta

Wednesday: Buffalo chicken pasta salad

Thursday: Grilled chicken with Greek orzo salad

Friday: Waffle Pizza?  My kid insists he doesn't like pizza with sauce.  It's making me crazy.  He used to like it!  I am on a mission to find a version of pizza that will appeal to him, or to get him to eat "regular plain" pizza again.  I found this recipe for waffle pizza that looks interesting.  I may end up making Chicago style pizza pot pie.  Who knows! 

 

My kid's picky eating is really annoying.  I've been trying the stance that he has to try what we are having, but it doesn't always work.  He thinks he only likes chicken fingers and french fries, but he has even started not eating that.  We made a concession Sunday night and let him order chicken fingers, but insisted on a different side dish...he chose apple slices and ate all of them, minus the skins.  I need to revisit the kid-cook books I have and let him pick out some recipes to try.  I'm so looking forward to fresh local fruit season!  This week I'm going to work on him trying grilled chicken again.  Another food he used to eat but now won't try.  It's my favorite way to cook chicken all summer, so he better get used to it!

In my search for great salad recipes, I this one that I want to make in the future:

Chicken, Nectarine, Almond and Feta salad from Alli n' sons, a new blog I just discovered!

 

Linking up to Orgnaizing Junkie's menu plan Monday!

Menu plan Monday for the week of April 9, 2012

After over a month of sinus problems that have led into allergy problems for all of us, I am completely wiped out.  We had a very busy week last week filled with lots of fun activities, as it was preschool spring break. (Seriously, preschoolers need spring break?) This menu plan is so late, and I'm just tired. 

Monday: I made this awesome spring dish: Salmon with orzo and asparagus with lemon-dill viniagrette.  Yum! It was just what we needed after a weekend of eating rich foods and candy!Tuesday:  We have leftover ham, so I will be trying this recipe: Ham Fettuccine Bake

Wednesday: Baked chicken with broccoli and rice

Thursday: Pasta and meatballs...planning to make homemade meatballs this week with ground turkey.  Hoping the kid will eat them.  Salad too.

Friday:  Pizza night! 

Weekend: TBD....we are going to a Phillies game on Sunday, so we may end up eating out, depending upon the timing of the game and transportation.  

What's on your menu this week?  Check out Organizing Junkie for more menu plans!

Menu Plan Monday for the week of April 2, 2012

Last week's menu plan went well.  I tried all three new recipes and all turned out tasty.  Of the three, the Chicken Piccata was my favorite and very easy.  I had a bag of meyer lemons that were close to going "bad" so I got out my citrus juicer and juiced them all.  I froze the juice in an ice cube tray to use for future dishes or lemonage and saved enough to use in the Chicken Piccata.  I did not have caper in my fridge, so I left them out, but will buy a jar to use this recipe again.  The white chicken chili was good too and there was enough leftover to freeze to use for another meal in the future.  The shrimp was ok, but I didn't love the sauce.  

This week is a busy one, as the little guy is on "spring break" and we have a busy week planned.  (I still can't believe preschoolers need a spring vacation!)  

On the menu for this week:

Monday: Sticky Chicken to make soup (my husband is the one now sick...it never ends! He could really use some homemade soup!)

Tuesday: Chicken enchiladas or quesidillas with left over sticky chicken. 

Wednesday: black bean soup, a family favorite recipe!

Thursday: Lemon Teriyaki Grilled Chicken drumsticks (using Gold'n Plump Drumsticks) served with rice and veggies

Friday:  Pizza and salad night!

Saturday: we are celebrating Easter with my family.  I think I'll make a cake!

Sunday: we are going to a brunch with my inlaws.  I may make a small ham in the crockpot that day so that we can have a small dinner when we get home.  

In addition to this menu, I have plans to make sugar cookie cut outs for Easter with the kiddo.  He also wants to make soft pretzels, one of his favorite foods!  I am hoping to also make some festive spring popcorn to give to his cousins this weekend.  I'll post instructions and photos later in the week!

Check out the other great menu plans over on Oranizing Junkie!

Menu plan Monday for the week of March 26, 2012

I'm trying out some recipes from Simply Recipes, a site I've been using for years for great recipes.  I found three on there that I haven't tried before.

Monday: Chicken Piccata

Tuesday: Manicotti with meatballs....I bought this from our local Italian market, who makes awesome food!

Wednesday: White chicken chili, using ground chicken from Gold'n Plump.  Based loosely on linked recipe.

Thursday:  Happy Shrimp Stir fry with rice

Friday:  homemade pizza, salad

Weekend: TBD

I'm linking up to Menu Plan Monday on Organizing Junkie!