Menu Plan Monday 5 - Week of August 15, 2011

This is what our family will be eating this week:

Special Notes: I recently signed up for "The Six O'Clock Scramble," which is a service you pay for that suggests a weekly menu. I like it because you can modify each week's menu according to your family's dietary needs and it helps me to expand my repertoire of dinners. One of the best features is the shopping list. Every ingredient is marked with a key that identifies which meal or side dish the ingredient is meant for. That way, if you are whizzing through the market with small children on the verge of an unexpected meltdown, you can quickly edit the list (in your mind) for the critical items you need for that night's meal, or the next few nights' meals instead of the whole week. Also, if you are a multiple location shopper, like me, you can easily figure out whether or not you have enough ingredients from one store to complete the meal. 

Monday: Black Bean Burgers (The Six O'Clock Scramble) with a side of sauteed yams and corn.


Tuesday: Honey Sesame Spaghetti (The Six O'Clock Scramble)

Wednesday: Black Bean, Fennel and Tomato Stew (The Six O'Clock Scramble)


Thursday: Moo Shu Vegetable Wraps (The Six O'Clock Scramble)

Friday: Apple Bacon Cheddar Frittata (The Six O'Clock Scramble)

Saturday: Coconut Chicken with Mango (The Six O'Clock Scramble)

Sunday: Leftovers (The Six O'Clock Scramble)



Further Inspiration:
Looking for more menu planning ideas? Check out "Meal Plan Monday" on OrgJunkie.com.


Info on Who I Feed:

Our family consists of myself, my husband, our preschool daughter and toddler son. Everyone has different food preferences. I love onions, garlic and peppers and flavors like stir-fries. I'm not fond of meat, but eat it sparingly. I don't ever eat pork (no, not even bacon), lamb, rabbit or veal. I love carbs. My husband is directly opposite - no garlic, onions or peppers, lots of meat. Our children fall in the range between us. 


I try to be budget-minded and healthful, but some weeks are easier than others. Every now and then I get on a diet type of kick. I'm going to label each week's meal plan according to the overall healthfulness of it. 


At the end of the week, I will make notes about whether or not we stuck to the plan, adaptations and how the meal went over.

Recipe: Summer Pasta with Garden Tomatoes and Basil

I have to remember to take a picture of this the next time I make it!

This recipe is very simple and it makes a delicious meal. As with any dish that is simple, you must make sure you are using the most fresh and flavorful ingredients. Right now, we get the tomatoes and basil from our garden.

12 oz penne pasta
2 pints small (cherry ish) tomatoes - washed and whole (minus stems)
1/2 cup chicken broth (can be substituted with vegetable - I use the Trader Joe's broth packets that you add water to)
1 small bunch basil - leaves torn
Shredded parmesan cheese to taste
sea salt to taste
black pepper to taste

Additional Onion / Garlic Sauce if Desired:
3 cloves garlic - roughly minced
1 small white or red onion - sliced thin or thick, depending on your preference
1/4 cup chicken / vegetable broth

Put water on to boil. While water is heating, wash tomatoes and basil. If adding garlic / onion sauce do the following at this point:

1. Slice the onion
2. Pour about 1 tbsp olive oil into a pan
3. Over high heat, add the onions and caramelize it  (start high until well browned, lower to medium to simmer out the sugar)
4. Meanwhile, roughly mince the garlic
5. As onion approaches your desired level of caramelizing, add garlic and lower the temperature until garlic is sauteed
6. toss in broth, stir and simmer for another minute or two
7. Pull off stove and set aside to add to pasta later

BACK TO THE PASTA:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions
2. During last minute, pull out 1 cup boiling water from pot
3. Throw tomatoes into pasta water for last 10 seconds of cooking pasta
4. Drain pasta and tomatoes
5. Return to pot
6. Toss in a little olive oil to prevent sticking
7. Mix reserved pasta water with 1 packet broth mix from Trader Joe's (or bouillon cube)
8. Add broth to pasta & tomatoes*
9. Dish out food
10. Top pasta with torn basil and cheese (the basil wilts easily which is why you add it after plating)

*If you opted for the garlic / onion sauce, add here. If you are like me and are the only one who will eat onions and / or garlic in your family, you can toss your added sauce in after plating.

Other Ideas:
You can easily add leftover meats to this dish and completely change the flavor. I often make extra to use as a hold over a few days later with a meat as a "fresh" leftover meal.

Dishwasher Lasagna

Holy cow. Now I've heard of everything.

Perhaps this is better served in my blog on thrifty living, since it capitalizes on using the dishwasher while you're washing dishes, but it also looks like a definite dinner disaster in the making.

Apparently it's possible to cook fish, and now lasagna, or anything else that can be cooked via a steam packet of tin foil, in your dishwasher.

Am I bold enough to put this on a future menu? I might just have to try it out.

Here's the step-by-step recipe on cooking lasagna with a dishwasher, and here's a video about it.

This is the penultimate dishwasher poached salmon recipe by Bob Blumer on Salon.com.  

Speaking of Bob Blumer, it seems his complete set of "Surreal Gourmet" articles are no longer on Salon, so here's a link to one of his books, "Surreal Gourmet: Real Food for Pretend Chefs."

Miniature Shepherd's Pies

I was inspired to make this when a friend and neighbor showed me how easy it was to prepare ahead of time and freeze for later. I've GOT to remember this as a stand-by for the children this fall! It'll make a great, tasty and hearty dinner on-the-go when things get busy!


Martha Stewart's Shepherd's Pies

(Image from Martha Stewart's site)

The Butternut Squash Tacos... My Way

I finally got around to making that luscious looking taco recipe.It came out pretty swell, and was super easy. I wonder why I wasted 2 weeks putting it off?

I bought pre-cubed squash from Trader Joe's. I couldn't find the chipotle peppers in adobo, so I just bought some chipotle salsa and used that as a substitute, which helped to make it less dry than it would have been. Used "La Tortilla Factory" corn tortillas -- can't be beat... Don't ever get "mission" brand - they bite.

Next time, I think I'd cube the squash more, probably caramelize some onions first, throw in some currents and black beans and call it a party!