Weekly Menu for 8/19

And I'm back!

One of the nice things about doing this blog is that I have a record of previous menus.  When I just don't feel like figuring out what to eat, it is nice to be able to go back a bit and just grab a menu that I've already done. I know that the sales won't necessarily match up, but it is certainly more reliable than me trying to menu plan when I just don't feel like it.

Anyway, we are on to a new week and looking forward to some beautiful weather.  Pork chops are one sale, as are bratwurst, so those two things are making onto the meal plan for this week.  So we are having:

Pork Chops
Taco Salad
Smoked Sausage and Mac and Cheese
Sandwiches (requested by the kiddo)
Brats
Grill Something

There will be lots of grilling this week!  Add some grilled meat with fresh vegetables, and you have pretty much my husband's ideal meal.

So what are you having this week?

Weekly Menu for 7/29

It is hard to believe that July is coming to a close. In two weeks, school is starting up again.  I can't believe how fast the summer has gone!  Because of our record-setting heat, we haven't been able to be outside as much as I like.  Hopefully the temperatures will start cooling off soon.  Of course, as we head into our traditionally hottest part of the summer, I think dreams of cooler weather will have to stay dreams for a while longer still.

As much as the weather makes me want to just hole up inside, I still need to keep this family fed.  And to do that with as little stress as possible, I need to stay on top of meal planning.  Even though it feels like a fair amount of work to put it together every week, I know that it saves me time and stress in the long run.  It really helps on any given night to just look at my menu plan and know that I already have everything I need for those items.

This week is going to be heavy on grilling.  There were several good meat prices, so I'm taking advantage of those and putting them on the menu for this week.  I know it isn't the case for all kids, but grilled meats are very kid-friendly in our house.  Also, breakfast for dinner was a huge hit last week and it has been requested to be on the menu again this week.

So this week's menu is:

Cedar Plank Fish
Chicken Tacos
Grilled Pork Steaks
Breakfast (back by popular demand)
Grilled Chicken with Grilled Corn, Poblano, and Black Bean Salad
Hamburgers

We didn't get to have the Cedar Plank Fish last week, and since we are land-locked and almost all of our fish comes frozen, it didn't hurt to put it off until this week.  We are also having hamburgers again this week to use up the buns, etc. that we didn't need last week.  Both of those things will definitely help out my $100 budget!

Weekly Menu for 7/1

I don't know about you, but it seems that when the outside temperature goes up, my desire to do any major cooking goes down.  This is definitely the season of quick, easy meals for my family.  My crazy husband is still willing to stand outside in front of a hot grill on a 100 degree day, though.  That man is dedicated to his love of grilled food!  Have I mentioned that he also has a smoker?  He is planning on firing it up  for the 4th.  I have no idea what he is making, but whatever it is will be wonderful.  So this week, we'll have both a Grill Something and a Smoke Something on the menu.

Other than that, everything else I have planned this week requires very little cooking.  We are having pizza again to use up the other pizza crust that I bought for last week.  And we didn't get to the tacos last week, so they are on the menu again for this week, but as Taco Salad.  For whatever reason, taco salad sounds better to me this week.  With those things in mind, my menu for this week is:

Taco Salad

Grill Something

Pizza

Breaded Chicken

Smoke Something

Glazed Chicken and Szechuan Noodle Salad

The breaded chicken is something that my husband came up with.  I'll be posting the recipe in the next couple of days.  It is very simple, very tasty, and my kids like it.  

Weekly Menu for 6/24

Well last week's craziness has gone by and we are ready to settle in to a much more normal type of week.  Which of course means that I need to be thinking about what I'm going to be feeding my family this week.

A weekly menu plan isn't always in my list of fun things to do, but you can bet that I really appreciate it when we are wrapping up a busy and tiring day and I don't really have to think about what we're going to do for dinner.  Not to mention, it really helps out with our $100 budget.

This meal plan included a birthday dinner for one of my kids, so the ever-kid-friendly Pizza is on the menu for this week.  Since the diner of honor tends toward the picky side, our pizza topping will be pepperoni, Italian sausage, and cheese.  One of the nice things about pizza night is that my kids enjoy helping put it together.  It is a lot of fun seeing them standing at the counter and very carefully putting the toppings in place. Not to mention the added bonus of pre-dinner sampling.

So what are we going to be enjoying this week?

Pizza
Grill Something
Chipotle Pork
Hamburgers
Spicy Basil Chicken
Tacos

Very simple this week.  Summer makes me want to slow and have simplify.  What about you?  Do your habits seem to change with the seasons?

Pasta Salad

This is my basic pasta salad recipe.  You can change up the meat, cheese, veggies, and dressing to make it anything you like.  I stick to this basic combination most of the time.  This is a great basic meal on a budget.  And as an added bonus, it is very kid friendly.  My kids love being able to pick out each individual piece.  I do use both green and red peppers if the price is right.  If red peppers are really expensive, I'll just double the amount of green peppers and not use the red.

Pasta Salad
Serves 6

1 pound rotini
1 small summer sausage roll (about 8 ounces), cubed
4 ounces cheddar cheese, cubed
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, cubed
1/2 cup green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 cup grape tomatoes
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1 cup Italian salad dressing (more or less to taste)

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and rinse in cold water.

Meanwhile, chop remaining ingredients (except dressing) and combine in a large bowl.  When cool and well-drained, add pasta.  Add salad dressing to taste.  Toss well.


*I always have more peppers, tomatoes, and olives than I can use.  Chop the remaining veggies for a salad another time or use in a different recipe.  One ingredient, multiple recipes.  You can save money and decrease waste.

Pork Medallions with Maple-Glazed Apples

This recipe is really easy, but also really popular with my family.  Not only will my kids eat it, but my super-picky sister will eat it, too.  And sometimes it's harder to get her to try something than it is with my older son.


Pork Medallions with Maple-Glazed Apples
Serves 4

4 baking apples (Granny Smith, Gala, etc.  Pink Lady is my favorite), peeled, cored, and sliced
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 pork tenderloin, trimmed, and cut into 1 inch thick slices
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2-3 tablespoons canola oil (can use olive oil if you prefer), divided


For the apples, heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add apple slices and saute until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the maple syrup.  Simmer until the apples are tender, about 10 minutes.  Stir occasionally.

Pound pork slices until thin (1/4 inch).  In a shallow dish or plate, combine flour, salt, and pepper.  Lightly dredge pork medallions in flour mixture.   Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet pan over medium-high heat.  Add pork to pan in a single layer.  Cook 2-3 minutes on each side until the pork reaches desired level of doneness.  To serve, spoon apples over the pork medallions.


A couple of notes:
*I like to do the pork in my cast iron skillet.
*The pork usually takes me a couple of batches with the size of my pan, hence the extra oil.  Between the batches, add more oil to the pan as needed.
*If it will take a couple of batches to do the pork, turn your oven to warm and have a baking dish inside.  Remove pork from the pan to the baking dish as it is finished to keep it warm.
*This will serve 4 moderate eaters.  If you are serving big eaters, I would double the amount of pork and count on it serving 6.

Enjoy!