I know most people aren’t thinking about what to make for dinner this week, but rather what to make for the 4th of July a week from Monday.  I always used to think of July 4th as the summer being half over.  Why is that?  We’re just getting started and I am going to enjoy every single second of it!  Do not fret about July 4th though.  Take a peek at this post from last year with a dozen or so menu ideas for a fab fete!

In the meantime, here is what I’m planning on cooking this week:

Continue reading

My younger daughter graduated high school this weekend and it was surreal, exciting and bittersweet.  When I had little ones, the days sometimes felt long because I was just exhausted from it all.  And I never believed anyone who said, “Enjoy it.  It goes fast.”  Before you know it, your kids have been promoted from one school to another and earned drivers licenses and then they’re off to college and you look back on the last 18 years dazed and confused.

If it wasn’t enough that my daughter graduated this weekend, Mr. Picky is being promoted from 6th grade to middle school and that does not come without a bit of fanfare.  My parents are visiting for all the events and it is great to have them here, especially my mom who has become my sous chef in the kitchen as I prepare for celebration dinners and recipe testing alike.  Yes, it’s a busy time, but we still have to eat!  Here’s a great dinner planner for this week:

 

Meatless Monday:  Marinated tempeh and tomato kebabs with minty cilantro lime sauce, basmati rice (from bottomofthepot.com) These kebabs are so good and a perfect intro to tempeh.  Use chicken if you’re afraid of tempeh.

Tuesday:  Stuffed zucchini/zucchini pizza boats, (I might add some browned turkey meat to the boats), herbed barley (make barley and then stir chopped fresh herbs in at end and a little oil or butter)

Wednesday:  Chicken Fajitas, tortillas, guacamole

Thursday:  Spiced wild halibut and lime skewers, green beans with sautéed shallots, green salad with avocado and Everyday Salad Dressing #2

Friday:  Baked Parmesan chicken caprese, lemony kale salad

Saturday lunch:  Tuna salad

Sunday:  Farro with feta, cucumber, and golden beets with mint vinaigrette, grilled vegetables such as zucchini, eggplant and carrots

 

What you can do ahead if you need to:

Sunday

Marinate tempeh and make cilantro lime sauce

Wash herbs for the week

Make marinara sauce (or buy it)

Monday

Prep zucchini boats and make filling

Prep vegetables for fajitas

Tuesday

Marinate chicken or steak for fajiats

Prep green beans

Make all salad dressings (green salad, kale salad, farro)

Wash and trim kale and salad greens

Friday

Make tuna salad

Cook beets

Prep vegetables to be grilled

 

Here’s where you can find all previous dinner planners.

Happy Sunday!  I am preparing this week for one graduation — can you believe my second daughter is graduating from high school?  The big news is that she has decided to go to the same college as her sister, which was sort of a surprise but certainly makes my life easier!  My parents are coming into town for the big event, which is why pasta is on the menu for Thursday and why I am stocking up on espresso and bread from Gjusta.  And my daughter picked out the menu for her graduation dinner.  Next week is my son’s 6th grade promotion, so there will be a lot of celebrating the next couple of weeks!

 

Continue reading

Happy Memorial Day weekend!  I hope you are having a relaxing few days and that you can take some time off.  We’re heading into barbecue season, which is good and bad.  It’s good because it’s so nice to cook outside and entertain in a relaxed fashion.  It also means the weather is more pleasant.  But what’s not great about grilling can be found in this post here.  Read up on how to reduce your carcinogens when you grill.

Memorial Day:  We’re going to a friend’s house for a BBQ and they always make several kinds of burgers.  Here are a few good ones.

Tuesday:  Slow-roasted Copper River Salmon (if you see this salmon, splurge!  It’s only in season for a very short time and it’s amazing!,) zesty potato skewers, sautéed spinach with garlic and a squeeze of lemon at the end

Wednesday:  Lemon-herb grilled chicken, grilled broccolini with parmesan breadcrumbs, cauli rice

Thursday:  Wheat berry and roasted veggie salad with lemon-basil dressing, feta, pine nuts (I’m taking this recipe and subbing wheat berries for orzo – although you could use brown rice, barley, farro or quinoa- and using my lemon-basil dressing from the bottom of this recipe)

Friday:  Ottolenghi clementine chicken(you can sub oranges if you can’t find clementines), turmeric rice, honey-lemon green beans

Saturday lunch:  Veggie sandwiches with hummus

Sunday:  Chickpea soccas (they’re like flatbreads made out of chickpeas flour)with mixed greens, vinaigrette and a fried egg

 

Here’s what you can do ahead, if you need to.

Sunday

Make all dressings and vinaigrettes

Wash all herbs and

Wednesday

Prep green beans

Make hummus

Do you think of Memorial Day Weekend as the unofficial start of summer?  If so, dust off the grill and get out those beach towels because summer is right in front of you!  In this week’s dinner planner, I’ve included some of my favorite early summer recipes.  I am also thinking about switching the Saturday dinner for a lunch idea since I actually don’t cook on Saturday nights unless we have people over.  It’s my one meal off!  But I do make lunch on Saturday and Sunday so I thought I could make a suggestion every week for a lunch idea.  Let me know what you think!

Continue reading

I am posting this week’s dinner planner a little early since I think most of you will not be shopping and organizing tomorrow, Mother’s Day!  At least I hope you get the day off.  My daughter is coming home from college this week and I could not be more excited!  She will be getting her hands dirty with me in the kitchen this summer since next year she will be off meal plan and will need to cook for herself.  You would think that all of my kids would be very competent in the kitchen, but think again!  😉

Continue reading