Dinner Planner - Week of May 29, 2017

Happy Memorial Day weekend, friends. I always feel very pensive on Memorial Day more than other holidays. I am so thankful to live in a free country, one that values women’s rights and free speech, among many other things. But this freedom has come at a price. And I just want to briefly express my heartfelt gratitude to the men and women who serve our country so bravely and to their families who also make a huge sacrifice. In my professional space, Memorial Day weekend represents backyard BBQ’s and recipes for red, white and blue tarts. And it is always a good thing to be able to relax and spend more time with the people we love. But I don’t let these days go by without also saying my prayers for those have lost their lives so that we can enjoy our freedom.

Life goes on, and I do hope you are having a lovely weekend. I have another dinner planner ready to go:

Memorial Day: Slow cooker pulled BBQ chicken sandwiches with cole slaw, corn on the cob, mixed berry oat bars
Tuesday: Gluten-free pasta with 5-minute cherry tomato sauce and shrimp (add the shrimp the tomatoes just as the tomatoes are done and saute until the shrimp are cooked through – about 3-4 minutes), grilled broccolini

Wednesday: skirt steak fajita bowls: steak fajitas with sautéed onions and peppers minus the tortillas, brown rice, guacamole and salsa, and simple cooked black beans

Thursday: Mediterranean turkey and zucchini burgers, grilled veggies with lemon-basil dressing

Friday: slow roasted Copper River Salmon, grilled asparagus, and charred corn salad with tomatoes and avocado

Saturday lunch: Chickpea and deconstructed pesto salad

Sunday: Pizza chicken from Melissa Clark, green salad with everyday salad dressing #2

Here’s what you can do ahead if you need to:

Sunday

Make BBQ sauce, unless you buy premade

Make oat bars

shred cabbage for slaw

prep broccolini

Make salad dressing

Tuesday