Menu Plan Monday

I've actually been doing lots of menu planning but usually don't bother to post it on the blog. Since I have a few minutes of baby-sleeping-on-me-and-toddler-napping time, I'll do it this week. I am excited about starting a year-round farmshare (Pumpkin Ridge Gardens) in June! Somehow having to choose vegetables at the grocery store is more difficult for me than being forced to figure out how to eat the ones that show up at my door.

Monday
B: homemade granola
L: leftovers in fridge
D: at Warner Pacific function

Tuesday
B: homemade granola bars
L: remaining leftovers or borscht from freezer
D: sausage and kale lasagna

Wednesday
B: cereal, milk
L: borscht (from freezer)
D: mango sausages, green salad

Thursday
B: granola
L: borscht
D: with family

Friday
B: cereal
L: sandwiches, fruit
D: leftover lasagna

Saturday
B: eggs
L/D: clean out the refrigerator of any remaining leftovers or make something quick and easy

Sunday
B: granola bars
L/D: EASTER, bringing ??

Welcome Miriel Salome!

Welcome Miriel Salome!

Menu Plan Monday

Yes, I actually have been doing menu planning for the past few weeks. I just didn't feel like taking the time to type it up on the blog :). I am having some significant trouble coming up with lunch ideas that are easy, fast and nutritious and don't involve eating leftovers from a previous dinner (since I like to use those for a future dinner). Any ideas??? I also want to incorporate more vegetables into our meals (including lunch), especially mixed into things so Mr. Texture-Picky 2-Year-Old will eat them more often.

Monday
B: leftover steel cut oats, leftover apple crisp
L: out at Hot Lips pizza (why oh why does the tastiest pizza ever have to be almost $4 per slice??)
D: spaghetti squash with Romano and pepper, salad, protein?

Tuesday
B: cereal, milk
L: squash leftovers
D: pan-fried chicken breasts, collard greens, whole wheat couscous

Wednesday
B: oatmeal
L: leftovers
D: with family

Thursday
B: cereal, milk
L/D: Thanksgiving feast! Bringing pecan pie, olive/pickle/vegetable tray

Friday
B: whatever we have in the fridge
L: ??? any ideas?
D: leftovers or Sunday's dinner plan

Saturday
B: cereal, milk
L/D: probably in Seattle

Sunday
B: oatmeal
L: ???
D: curried chickpeas with mustard greens and sweet potato (recipe from a friend, taken from Greens, Glorious Greens), brown basmati rice

Pecan Pie Recipe

Somehow in her years of cooking, my mom has come upon the perfect recipe for pecan pie (and given it to me). It seems to me that, since it's so incredibly easy to make pecan pie, I shouldn't be getting any acclaim for making it, but I get multiple requests in multiple circles to make it every Thanksgiving and Christmas, even from people who don't normally like pecan pie. So just in case you need a super easy, tasty and Southern pie recipe for any of your holiday gatherings, this one should do the trick. Happy eating! (PS - don't even think about counting the calories, just enjoy.)

Southern Pecan Pie

3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1+ tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup pecans
1 9" deep-dish pie crust

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients except pecans (and pie crust) and stir until well blended. Gently stir in pecans. Pour into crust. Bake 50-55 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Notes:

• As much as you may be tempted (like me!), don't add extra pecans! 1 1/4 cups is the exact amount that sits flat and beautifully on the top of the pie - any extra will make the top buckle and look ugly.
• The whole "until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean" thing will probably never quite happen, so just stick to the 50-55 minute time period, or a few minutes less if you have a convection oven. I tried waiting until the knife came out clean once, ended up baking the pie for something like 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 hours and ended up with a chewy, sticky mess.
• For the pie crust, homemade is always best, and it's actually not that hard. I would stay away from the recipes that call for vinegar and an egg, though - for some reason the flavor doesn't seem to go well with this pie (although it's great for apple or rhubarb). Recipe follows...

Simple Pie Crust

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening or butter
4-5 Tbsp cold water

Sift flour and salt together; cut in shortening or butter until pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp water over part of mixture, toss with a fork and push aside. Continue until all is moistened. Form into a ball. Roll to desired thickness on a floured surface. Makes one (or possibly 1 1/2, depending on how thick you like your crust) single-layered crust.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday
B: yogurt
L: PB&J
D: leftover salad and some other totally random stuff because I didn't plan ahead :)

Tuesday
B: cereal
L: grilled cheese, fruit
D: pasta with asparagus and goat cheese, salad with cucumbers and carrots

Wednesday
B: cereal
L: crepes with lemon curd and whipped cream
D: dinner with family

Thursday
B: pancakes
L: PB&J, fruit
D: potato gnocchi with fontina, pancetta or bacon, green peas, mushrooms and shallots

Friday
B: leftover pancakes
L: grilled cheese, fruit
D: slow cooker Korean short ribs, brown rice, kale or broccoli

Saturday
B: protein shakes
L: open-face quesadillas with jack-o-lantern faces
D: leftovers

Sunday
B: cereal
L: hummus and tortillas
D: more leftovers

Monday
B: yogurt and/or cereal
L: PB&J
D: Slow-cooker Roasted Winter Root Vegetables, oven-roasted chicken

Sugar and Spice...

... and everything nice, that's what little girls are made of!

Menu Plan Monday

Monday
B: yogurt (YoBaby, needs to be eaten since it's a few days past the date...)
L: PB&J, grapes
D: leftover chicken, mashed potatoes (Gavin gets mac & cheese or grilled cheese, since he doesn't like chicken or potatoes - crazy kid!)

Tuesday
B: cereal with milk
L: PB&J or grilled cheese, yogurt
D: grilled eggplant sandwiches with mozzarella and parmesan, corn on the cob

Wednesday
B: pancakes (fresh) or waffles from the freezer
L: tomato sandwich with mozzarella, cucumbers, carrots
D: with family

Thursday
B: cereal with milk
L: ???? (I need some easy lunch ideas!)
D: Cream of carrot soup (recipe from our CSA, we'll see how we like it), bread

Friday
B: leftover pancakes or waffles from freezer
L: hummus and crackers/tortillas, fruit
D: with family again, bringing ???

Saturday
B: eggs, toast
L: ????
D: Enchiladas Suisas, Mexican beans, rice

Sunday
B: cereal with milk
L: quesadillas, fruit
D: leftovers