Time for another week of menu planning! I know some of you are wondering “Jenn-what happened last week?” Well to tell the truth I did make a menu plan, but then I didn’t get it posted and after a few days it seemed like it was just too late, so I followed it but never put it up.
But on to this week. We are on our second to last week of school-yes, our kids are still in school-so there are a few things to work around.
1. Yankee Bill as usual will not be home on Wednesday night-it’s pool night
2. The kids have swimming Tues & Thurs at 5:00, so it’s either early dinner or heavy snack and late dinner.
3. Friday is a half day of school-so the kids will be underfoot in the afternoon.
4. Yankee Bill and Buddy might be going on a “guys camping trip” nearby on Friday night & Saturday, so although I’ll have to buy and send meals for them, it may be just Princess & I for dinner.
5. As always, I aim for a fish, venison & meatless meal during the week.
6. I have some Venison Tenderlion Steak and Bratwurst defrosted, as well as leftover Ham from last week. I also have some grape tomatoes that are all wrinkly & icky but that would be fine in a sauce or curry. In the garden I have Tat Soi that is ready to be picked and used, as well as some lettuce.
7. I’ve got trout in the freezer that my brother in law caught-you know, the guy who loves to fish but hates to eat it 😉
8. Sunday is Father’s Day!
Taking all that into account here is my game plan:
Monday: Venison Stir Fry with Rice
The Venison tenderloin is delicious, but honestly they are pretty small packages. I’ll stretch the meat by using it in a stirfry along with some of the Tat Soi from the garden and a smattering of other veggies (onions, celery, cabbage, carrots) that I have on hand. Served over a bed of white rice it will be a lovely dinner. That’s my Venison meal for the week-plus it uses the Tat Soi from the garden.
Tuesday: Crockpot Baked Trout, Potato Salad and Carrots
Tuesday is a swimming night. . . but it’s sort of the only night that the fish meal works in due to various other things. I didn’t want to cook it and then reheat (blech-reheated fish just doesn’t sound appetizing) but I was worried about the timing otherwise. That’s when a light bulb went off–I wonder if you can cook fish in a crockpot! I did a little googling and came up with this recipe on A Year of Slow Cooking: Crockpot Lemon and Dill Salmon with Spinach. Now I’ve got a couple of small whole trout, not a salmon filet, and I’m not going to run out and buy fresh spinach. . . but the theory here should work! The main thing is that it gives you two hours on high for the fish to cook. That means if I get it ready a bit before we leave for swimming they should be done around the time we get back. I can’t wait to try it and see how it works out.
I’m going to pair it with Potato Salad, because I’ve got a couple of poor sad looking potatoes that need to be used up and I don’t feel like having another rice or pasta night on the menu. The carrots will be canned from last year.
Obviously this is my fish meal for the week.
Wednesday: Salsa Chicken on Tortillas with Mexican Slaw and Sliced Tomatoes
I love making Salsa Chicken. It’s one of those recipes that is so easy you almost feel embarrassed to call it a recipe! It’s great for Wednesday because a crockp0t meal will fit into my day’s plans. I’m trying a new Mexican Slaw recipe which I can make up ahead of time and let sit in the fridge until dinner time.
Thursday: Spaghetti Carbonara with Green Salad
Although I typically use bacon in my Spaghetti Carbonara recipe, this week I’ll use up a bit of the leftover ham (the rest will get tossed in the freezer) to make it. Add in a green salad made with lettuce grown in the garden (and some other foraged greens like a bit of Garlic Mustard and Plantain) and you have a meal. This uses up more garden produce (the lettuce) as well as the leftover ham. I’ll probably make it ahead and feed it to the kiddos before swimming, then let them grab a bowl of cereal later in the evening if they are still hungry.
Friday: Girls Night Out
So if the boys are heading out to do guy stuff, Princess and I will head out to do girl stuff. That girl stuff will most likely involve eating dinner out. We’ll probably eat Mexican, because Buddy doesn’t really like that-so we rarely choose Mexican on the occasions when we do eat out.
Saturday: Leftovers
I’ve got an event to go to on Saturday. The boys may still be camping, so if it’s just Princess & a babysitter a quick meal of leftovers or even a sandwich is enough.
Sunday: Stuffed Blue Cheese Burgers & Teriyaki Shrimp Skewers with Potato Pancakes and Spicy Grilled Vegetables
I want to make Yankee Bill something special for Father’s Day. He and the kids love my Stuffed Blue Cheese Burgers, so I’ll make those and serve them on some especially nice rolls. Since the grill will be all heated up I’ll add some marinated shrimp and a variety of vegetables tossed in some chili oil & spices. Instead of the typical “french fry” accompaniment, I’ll make up some potato pancakes!
Hmm. I failed on the meatless meal this week, and that bratwurst is still in the fridge. Maybe it will be a good lunch?
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Are you interested in learning more about menu planning? Check out my post “Why Plan a Weekly Menu” .
For more great menu plan ideas, head on over to Menu Plan Monday at the Organizing Junkie.
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