Menu Plan 9/6/2010

Not only is it Meat Free Monday, it is also Menu Plan Monday. :)  Normally I plan my menus on Sunday, but I was a bit lazy this week. And we had so many leftovers that we just had leftovers Saturday night, and I made the fish tacos last night...

It's been a good week menu-wise. Dinner has been done in a timely manner, and there hasn't been any scrambling. And since we are homeschooling again this year, that has been a huge help. Hopefully this week will go as well. And since we are talking about homeschooling...we are still using the Virtual Academy through k-12.  Last year was crazy because we started in the middle of the year, and then discovered that we were expected to complete a year's worth of studies in a semester. Well, we were up for the challenge. And the new challenge this year is that school started last week, and there have been some last minute schedule changes, i.e. they've placed my son in some high school classes (he's in 8th grade), which aren't completely loaded yet. So I expect we will be playing some more catch-up this week. So MENU PLANNING IS CRUCIAL!    :)

So, without further ado, here is this week's menu:

Sunday

Fish Tacos

Corn Salad

Monday

Cream of Celery Soup

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Salad

(I know this is a repeat, but this soup is so good, 

and I got yet another bunch of celery in my Bountiful Basket...)

Tuesday

Pasta with Caramelized Onions, Cabbage, and Ham

Salad

Wednesday

Black Bean Chili over Sweet Potatoes

Salad

(this one sounds weird, but the reviews are all good)

Thursday

Roast Beast

Carrots

Potatoes

Salad

Friday

Swiss Chard Manicotti

Salad

Saturday

Spaghetti Supper with Friends

(Potluck)

Hopefully this will be an awesome week. It's a busy one, that's for sure. And just while I'm mentioning stuff...my daughter turns 21 today. Of course, she lives 2 hours away from me, so no cake and ice cream, but I wanted to mention that I'm thinking of her, and of course I've called. her. :)

Yes, I really am a slacker :)

 I know I've been MIA for quite a while, but life has been just kinda crazy. :)  Anyway, I wanted to share one of the things I've been up to (see below!), and that ties in to what's going on now: School's Starting! Which means I have to get on the ball with menu planning. Keep in mind that I'm Vegetarian for a Year, but my family still eats meat. So, I will be posting my weekly menus here--which will be veggie heavy, but there will still be some meat entrees as well.

I've joined a fruit and veggie co-op called Bountiful Baskets. The basic premise is this: At the beginning of the week (Monday - Tuesday OR Tuesday - Wednesday depending on what state you are in) you go to the website to make a contribution. On Saturday you drive to your pick-up site and pick up your produce. The produce is sorted into two laundry baskets--one for fruit and one for veggies. You need to bring your own container to bring the produce home in, as the baskets stay at the site.

When we first started this, the closest site was a 45 minute drive away, and that site was every other week. The next closest site was Las Vegas, which is a 60+ minute drive. I was hooked after the first time, though, and decided that this was something that needed to be in my neighborhood, so I contacted BB to figure out how to get a site started closer.

The fruits and veggies have pretty much saved me this summer. As a veg with almost no inspiration on veggie meals, it's no big deal to roast up some veggies or throw together a salad. And that funk is starting to pass, and I'm starting to get inspired by the produce I'm getting--some of which I don't normally buy because of expense (example: pineapple), and some which I've never even had the opportunity to buy (example: white asparagus).

A New Year and a ...New School?

No, we're not moving. Yes, it's the middle of the year. We have decided to homeschool Steven for the rest of the year. Or, kinda homeschool him. :) We are transferring him to Nevada Virtual Academy, which utilizes the awesome K-12 curriculum, but is still considered "public school".

This isn't a decision that we entered into lightly. Our daughter started disliking school in the 7th grade, and it just went downhill from there. Steven has been asking for quite a while to be homeschooled, but his grades are now starting to slip, so we did a lot of soul searching and question asking, and finally made the decision.

And now I'm excited about it. Is that weird?

So, in addition to writing, now I get to teach as well. It really is a new year!

Back to School

Crazy times are here again! School started Monday and we've been trying to get back into the school routine. So far, so good. We've had dinner every night, and my son Steven has had a lunch every day. I thought I posted about the trials and tribulations of finding the perfect lunch box, but it must have just been a post in my head.

No. I found it. I must be a bit crazy.

Anyway, we settled on the To Go Ware Two Tier Tiffin Box.


Our backup plan is something similar to this:


He prefers the tiffin box, however, because it does a better job of keeping his food separate. Very important, especially when you are 13.

We were at the store shopping for possible lunch options, and they were offering a sample of this pasta salad. It was so good, we immediately picked up all the ingredients (except the tomatoes--the girl didn't make it with tomatoes and he loved it exactly the way it was).

Smoked Cheddar and Turkey Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked wagon wheel pasta
• 8 ounces smoked cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2" cubes
• 8 ounces smoked turkey breast, cut into 1/2" pieces
• 2 cups small broccoli florets
• 3 plum tomatoes, sliced (optional!)
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup green onion
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/3 cup milk.

Cook and drain pasta. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, parmesan, and milk; blend well. Combine pasta and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add mayo mixture and toss to coat. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate. Prepare for gifts and accolades once your friends and family taste this salad.