Menu Plan Monday- Aug 3 through 16

You guys. Our second baby will be here in approximately 48 days.  WHAT?!  I have done next to nothing to prepare, other than growing this baby and trying to stay fit while doing so.  We did watch the movie "What to Expect When You're Expecting" last night, so that has to count for something.  Totally different from the months before Kyler arrived.  The nursery still looks nearly totally identical to the way we had it for Kyler (but I do have a beautiful pennant banner to hang up thanks to my crafty friends at my surprise "sprinkle"), we don't even own girly crib sheets yet, and the only "meals" I have frozen are banana bread and cookie dough.  And what am I doing in these last weeks? Oh, I'm making meals I know I won't have the time/energy/desire to make once baby girl is here! Obviously. I am so excited to meet baby girl and have a family of four, but I think I am going through a period of mourning over the upcoming loss of my "freedom." 

That being said, here are our menu plans: 

August 3-9
Sunday: out w/ some former coworkers :), G & K mac & cheese
Monday: Spinach & Cheese quiche (I used swiss & cheddar), Gazpacho (see below, recipe from Grant's Aunt Molly)
Tuesday: leftovers
Wednesday: Potstickers, brown rice, egg rolls, melon
Thursday: BBQ Chicken Thighs, Potato Salad with green beans & salsa verde,  spinach salad
Friday: Greek Meatballs (I baked these instead of frying), Hummus & pita, tomato & cucumber & feta salad
Saturday: cheese and chicken quesadillas, homemade refried beans, restaurant style salsa & chips

I also made Chia Seed Pudding for breakfast... Grant thought it looked like bird poop... but I enjoyed it :) 

Menu for August 10-16:
Sunday: Pizza on the grill! (1st time all summer... what?!)
Monday: Farmer's Casserole, fruit
Tuesday: cheese ravioli, salad, garlic bread
Wednesday: Crockpot General Tso's Chicken, brown rice, broccoli
Thursday: Pulled Pork (I am planning to freeze some of this, will also make in crock pot instead of oven), Sesame & Cilantro Vermicelli Salad
Friday: J & K to Akron!! (G out or leftovers)
Saturday: quesadillas or leftovers


Gazpacho
28 oz. can of whole peeled tomatoes 
1 jalapeño 
1 cucumber peeled 
4 scallions 
1 garlic clove 
1 red bell pepper seeded 
4 oz of EVOO 
1 bunch of cilantro 
2 oz white vinegar 
S & P to taste 

Put ingredients in blender, mix and serve! I added some sour cream on top. 


Have a good week... it's back to work for me :-/ Still SO SO SO thankful for my husband allowing me to work part-time from home so I can be with our kiddos! 

What I cooked: Summer 2013 (YES, this has been a draft for 12 months!!)

JULY 2014: Found this post from roughly a year ago... still a "draft."  Sigh.  I really do like blogging, and mostly, I do it so I can easily look back and see what I made.  Forgot about most of these recipes, so I'll have to try these again.  The first sentence of this next paragraph makes me laugh... funny, thought I'd have more time.  Not the case when you work while your kiddo naps!!

WRITTEN SUMMER 2013: 
Once I get used to being a WAHM (work-at-home-mom), I intend to start posting my weekly meal plan again.  Mostly for selfish reasons, because I like to click back and look at what we ate the year before when I'm in a rut :-) I know my some of my four faithful readers (that would be Katie, Emily T., Stacey & my Dad, shout out to you all!!) like when I post recipes I find and make.  I mean Pinterest is great and all, but we've all had some flops.  

Here are some tried and truly DELICIOUS things I've made this summer: 

Main Dishes

Stacked Roasted Veggie Enchiladas 
Sort of like my Mexican Lasagna, but vegetarian. I also added tomatoes.

Cilantro Lime Rice

I'll be alternating my other fave Mexican rice with this one from now on.

Ratatouille

I served it over brown rice. Perfect for using up summer veggies... and it's très français to have in the summer. 

Greek Meatballs

 made some tzatziki sauce to go with them (follow step 2 only of this recipe) 

Summer Vegetable Frittata

BBQ Pulled Pork

note: my crockpot can't hold all of the liquid, so I just pour in as much as will fit and still leave some room for when it starts bubbling. 

Beer & Italian Sausage Cheese Fondue

used apple juice to thin it out a little, didn't have fontina so I just used cheddar.  Served with bread, apples, carrots & broccoli. Yum!!

Salads

Chickpea Salad with Lemon, Parmesan and Fresh Herbs (ok, I used dried... but this is SO easy)

Tabbouleh (good use for the mint in my garden that is out of control)

Quinoa with black beans and hominy

Amazing Sweet Treats

Do yourself a favor and make these now... but then take some to a friend ASAP:

Snickerdoodles
amazing.  

Lemon Bars
so refreshing! 

Inside Out Chocolate Chip Cookies
I am not a huge chocolate fan, but these were one of the best cookies I've ever made.  The 5 adults and 2 kiddos that ate them at small group can vouch for that.  Thanks for coming friends, because otherwise I'd be eating these all week.
 
Easy Salted Caramel Brownies 
So easy, and SO yummy.