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.

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!

Finally! An End to Those Pesky Dinnertime Dilemmas

I've been looking for a tool such as this:

"What the Fuck Should I Make for Dinner?"

Could come in handy, if anything for a laugh at least.

Actually, my "old standards" for "aaaack! I forgot to shop and am supposed to serve dinner to two little children in 10 minutes!!!" are:

• Microwaved fish sticks with ketchup*
• Microwaved Amy's pizza bites thingies*
• Microwaved anything else in the freezer*
• PB&J's*
• Quesadillas*
• Cheesy omelets*
• Canned veggie chili*

*All the aforementioned are usually "served" with: a side of peas / green beans / carrots / whatever's not totally limp, wilted or moldy from fridge


My universal go-to's if I have 20-30 minutes and only pantry / regular fridge fare are:

• pasta with frozen veggies thrown in for last few minutes, tossed with marinara or chicken stock
• oven-cooked fish sticks (wicked classy! we pull out all the stops some nights!)
• veggie chili cooked with frozen ground turkey

What are some of your emergency dinners for little children?

Healthy Tacos for Taco Tuesday!

These healthy tacos look so yummy. We do a couple of "taco Tuesdays" a month over at our house - often on a Monday or Wednesday, rarely on a Tuesday. Ordinarily, we do it with ground turkey breast, but this variation looks delicious. Butternut squash is heading out of season, but I'll keep this in mind for this fall!

Follow Up: 
I tried this recipe (finally!). Delicious! Here's my post on that sweet taco action.


Soft Tacos with Sauteed Winter Squash and Chipotles