And.... it's August.

We just returned from a short vacation... and it was so much fun.  It's been years since we got away as a family, and it was wonderful.  How could it not be awesome, when we got to see sights like this one???


So we got home on Friday, and Saturday I did some cooking.  I finally made the Eggplant Rollatini, which we'll have this week.  (It looked and smelled yummy!)  I also made a big batch of homemade macaroni and cheese, and pureed some butternut squash from the garden to 'hide' in there.  Ds#3 ate some this weekend, and I froze the rest.  Gotta get those veggies in my boy however I can!

So things may get switched around a little this week, because I know we will have a couple of occasions to get together with friends, but here's the plan:

Sunday~ Beef short ribs in the crockpot, green beans, mac'n'cheese for ds#3, low-carb linguine for hubs.  Zucchini brownies for dessert (we were given the largest zucchini I've ever seen.  Really.)

Monday~ The now infamous Eggplant Rollatini, tossed salad

Tuesday~ Chicken breasts in mushroom gravy, whole wheat egg noodles, green beans, corn on the cob.  (It's National Ice Cream Sandwich Day, so that's my plan for a special dessert!!)

Wednesday~ Chef's salads

Thursday~ Cookout with friends!!!  Burgers, chicken, sausage, perhaps baked beans, coleslaw, deviled eggs, etc, etc...

Friday~ Strata, bacon, perhaps some diced potatoes, and watermelon or canteloupe (both were given to us, and we'll polish off whatever's left of them!)

Saturday~ Probably leftovers. We'll make it interesting with National Rootbeer Float Day! (I am having fun finding out about these wacky food holidays.)

So what's cookin' at your house?  Share at Menu Plan Monday!

The last July Menu

Sigh.
It's the end of July, and that signals so many things.
First, we are going on a mini-vacation this week, so that is a good thing.
Next, the end of July means that August is almost here.  That means summer is almost over for us. (That is not a good thing.)
And we didn't follow the menu plan very well this week.  Par for the course!


I'm giving up on the Eggplant Rollatini for now.  I've made an oven-baked version of Eggplant Parm this week that has been super yummy - it's not layered with cheese or doused with sauce; it's kind of deconstructed.  I made the eggplant, and it's covered in panko, which means it's super crispy which I love.  I've got homemade tomato sauce to dip it in, so I can eat it like an appetizer, or layer it with cheese and sauce it for a heavier dish.  Yummmmmm.

I made several jalapeno poppers for hubby this week - enough for him to snack on for a few days, and some for the freezer! (I slice mine in half to make them easier to manage.)

We did have the Pesto Chicken and it was yummy.  I used the leftovers mixed with pasta and some Laughing Cow cheese for lunch.  I loved the smell of basil in the kitchen.

This week will be a short week as far as the kitchen goes, because we'll be out of town for a few days...  seeing old friends, taking in a baseball game, and going to the LEGO store!!

So here's our plan this week:
Sunday~ Leftovers: turkey, butternut squash casserole (which was VERY yummy), watermelon.
Monday~ out to dinner to celebrate my grandpa's birthday.
Tuesday~ Some feat of leftover wizardry to use up all the perishables before we go.
Wednesday - Friday~ no cooking for Mom ;)
Saturday~ back to our routine, probably lunch with friends, and an easy crockpot dinner involving some kind of chicken (because that's what we have the most of!)

So, what's cookin' in your casa?

July Menu #3

We switched things around this week.... again... but that's okay.

I thawed the turkey and roasted it on Friday, so instead of having the Eggplant Rollatini on Saturday, we had turkey.  We've also got butternut squash in our garden, so I picked a couple and made a butternut squash casserole kind of like this one, and I put a streusel topping on it (brown sugar, pecans, etc...yummmm.).

So this week:
Sunday~ Leftover turkey, butternut squash, collards (cucumbers for me)
Monday~ I may attempt the Rollatini tonight, with optional pasta for non-adventuresome types.
Tuesday~ Pesto chicken (I will make pesto from the abundance of basil in our garden), tomato mozzarella melts (which we did not have last week), and Garden Delight noodles that I love from Ronzoni (they help me get veggies into my child when he resists them in their natural form!!)
Wednesday~ Layered taco dip, quesadillas
Thursday~ BLT wraps
Friday~ Burgers (preferably on the grill, if hubby feels like it; if it's too hot outside, I'll just cook them on the stove), mini ears of corn on the cob
Saturday~ Omelets, bacon

I'm finding that lunchtime is a trouble spot for us...so in order to prevent a trip out to lunch every day, I'm concocting a plan.  Sandwiches are a no-go, since hubs is limiting carbs, so I've got to be a little more creative!  Here are my thoughts, and I'd love to read yours...

• Salads (topped with tomatoes, cukes, hard-boiled eggs, cheese, and various lunchmeats)
• Leftovers (which works on an extremely limited scale)
• Meatballs with various combinations (tomato sauce, peppers & onions, perhaps pasta)

So we'll see how this works.  If we do each option twice, that puts us in good shape.  Lunch for ds & me is much easier since I can include pasta and wraps (chicken nuggets are always a fave!), so we'll see how this works for my man.

Get some menu inspiration at Menu Plan Monday!

July Menu #2

Last week, I planned out a menu for the whole month.  And so far, we've only switched around a couple of things, sticking fairly close to the plan. :)

Last week, we had everything on the plan, except I swapped chicken bbq for pork, and I didn't thaw the turkey... so on Saturday, I pulled up sausage with peppers & onions from later in the month, and we had that instead.  Which meant that I also had to improvise for Sunday's menu....

So here's the plan for this week:
Sunday~ Chicken taco soup (used leftover chicken from Alice Springs Chicken which was not covered in cheese & mushrooms)
Monday~ Seven layer southwestern salad with taco-seasoned meat from the freezer
Tuesday~ Hot dogs on the grill, nachos, jalapeno poppers, and Cracker Jack in honor of the MLB All-Star game!
Wednesday~ Hoping I can sneak some leftovers in here... or maybe I'll roast the turkey in the freezer...  hubby informed me that we are going out to eat with a friend...
Thursday~ Roast in the crockpot, green beans, baked potato for ds#3, cucumber salad, and perhaps tomato mozzarella melts

Friday~ Leftover roast, etc.
Saturday~ Thinking I might try this Eggplant Rollatini recipe as we've got tons of eggplant ripening in the garden, almost anything with sausage pleases my hubby, and I've got homemade tomato sauce that needs using.  And ds#3 can have pasta if he's not feeling brave. :)

July Menu #1

Oh how I loved having all my boys home... we had a great time.
And I cooked... a lot.
And they ate... a lot.
And there were no leftovers.

I had forgotten how they can devour a table full of food.


This week, we're back to 'normal', and here's our plan.

Sunday~ Burritos and tacos, with homemade taco seasoning from Heavenly Homemakers, lettuce, homemade salsa, cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips.

Monday~ Happy Independence Day, USA! We are planning an all-day outing, visiting a Library of Congress exhibit and our city's annual 4th of July celebration, followed by fireworks (my favorite part!!). We will eat as we go, just enjoying the day.

Tuesday~ Back at home, we'll have cheese omelets with all the veggies from our garden, and bacon or sausage for the guys.  We'll also have strawberries or watermelon, depending on what's left!

Wednesday~ Alice Springs Chicken in the crock pot, green beans, and sliced tomatoes, both from our garden.

Thursday~ Pulled chicken BBQ, collard greens, coleslaw, homemade mac'n'cheese

Friday~ Flatbread pizza

Saturday~ Sliced turkey & gravy, collard greens, sliced tomatoes, Swiss beans

Visit Menu Plan Monday and share your plan!
Or stop by On the Menu Monday and link up!