Kitchen Comforts

Spring Menu Plan 2010

Spring Menu Plan

Dinner

 

Monday

Roasted chicken sandwiches with sundried tomato, avocado, and swiss cheese

 

Tuesday

Steak salad

 

Wednesday

Teriyaki Bean Curd and Green Beans

 

Thursday

Maple Dijon glazed grilled pork chops

Creamed corn

Asparagus

 

Friday

Fish Tacos

Spanish Rice

 

Saturday

Greek Hamburgers

Oven Fries

 

Sunday

Indian Chicken

Autumn into Winter::3 Week Menu Plan

First Week

Sunday

Meatloaf

mashed potatoes

mixed green salad with pomegranate, goat cheese, and pecans

Basic Bread

Monday

Pasta Bolognese (or other pasta)

Green salad

Basic Bread

Tuesday

Garlic Chicken and Angel Hair pasta

roasted broccoli

Wednesday

roasted chicken

sweet potatoes

mixed green salad with pomegranate, goat cheese, and pecans

Thursday

Chicken and Cream Cheese Enchiladas

Spanish Rice

Friday

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Brussels Sprouts with maple glaze

Saturday

Cream of Tomato Soup

Grilled Cheese

Download Fall Menu Week 1

Week Two

Sunday

Get Yo' Man Chicken

Butternut risotto

green beans

Monday

Curried Chicken Soup

Pumpkin Bread

Tuesday

African meatballs

couscous

mixed greens

Wednesday

Rotisserie Chicken and Swiss Paninis with Sundried Tomatoes, Spinach and Swiss Cheese

Thursday

Slow Cooked Pork Chops with Apples and Onions

Sweet Potatoes

Brussels Sprouts

Friday

Pasta with Spinach Pesto

green salad

Basic bread

Saturday

Flank Steak

Baked Sweet Potatoes

Salad

Download Fall Menu Week 2

Week Three

Sunday

Rustic Chicken

Butternut Risotto

Roasted Broccoli

Monday

Chicken Tikaa Masala

coconut rice

Tuesday

Chili

Grilled Cheese

Wednesday

Split Pea Soup

corn muffins

Thursday

Beef Stew

cornbread

Friday

White Bean Soup

Rustic Bread

Saturday

Fajitas w/ Grilled chicken

Download Fall Menu Week 3

Menu Plan for Lent

Monday
Roasted chicken (recipe here)
Sweet potato fries
Green salad

Tuesday
Flank steak
Mashed potatoes
green beans (recipe here)

Wednesday
Black Beans and Rice (using Marisa's black bean recipe-ya'll will have to beg her for it;-)
Green Salad

Thursday
Pecan crusted chicken thighs (recipe in this thread)
Risotto
Amazing broccoli (recipe from Michele)

Friday
Homemade pizza

Saturday

Pasta Fagiole soup (cheat here--they sell these at Bloom and at Amazon)
Beer bread

Sunday
Confetti casserole

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Monday
Chicken enchilada casserole
Spanish rice
Green salad 

Tuesday
Hamburgers
Mashed potatoes
Green beans (recipe here)

Wednesday
Red Beans and Rice
Green Salad

Thursday
Curried chicken soup (recipe here)

Friday
Homemade pizza

Saturday
Tortilla soup (cheat here--they sell these at Bloom)
Beer bread

Sunday
Tortellini w/tomato sauce

Winter Dinners

Monday: Spaghetti Carbonara with sourdough bread and apple cider (I've found that I can whir 2 cups of cottage cheese in the food processor and replace the half and half with it and bump up the protein in this dish considerably).
Tuesday: White Bean Soup or Curried Chicken Soup 
Wednesday: Mexican Beef Bake
Thursday: Chicken Parmesan with angel hair pasta and garlic roasted broccoli or the "Letter of the Week" dinner recipe.
Friday: Spanakorizo and roasted sweet potatoes
Saturday: Beef Stew
Sunday: Beef or Chicken Pho

Weekly menu plan for late Autumn and Winter

Breakfast:
Granola
Buttermilk and Oat Pancakes
Fruit Smoothie
Pumpkin Bread

Lunch:

Grilled Cheese or Quesadillas or leftovers

Dinner:
Monday: Beef Stew with sourdough bread and apple cider
Tuesday: Chicken Pho
Wednesday: Cream of Tomato Soup  and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Thursday: Kung Pao Chicken
Friday: Spanakorizo and roasted sweet potatoes
Saturday: White Bean Soup or Curried Chicken Soup 
Sunday: Pasta with Bolognese Sauce, garlic roasted broccoli or the "Letter of the Week" dinner recipe.

A Weekly Summer Menu

In some houses there is talk of astrological seasons versus meteorological seasons; in our house, there are culinary seasons. When the produce started to look like summer, I polled the children and came up with our menu plan. Since Lent, I've stuck to a menu that is all mapped out for the week and then I repeat it every week. Two dinners a week are meatless--on Wednesday and Friday. And I plan with an eye towards making our five-a-day easily. Frequently, leftovers from the night before become lunch the next day. And almost always, there is fruit for dessert. And every week, we have the same basic grocery list. I can't begin to express how this simple principle of a weekly plan has eased the stress out of my life. I've done "Dinner's in the Freezer," Once a Month Cooking, dinner co-ops, and six week rotations. None of them are the stress-buster simplifying to a weekly plan is. At first, my inner foodie protested. But then, I settled in to cooking seven meals very well and having those meals really reflect the abundance of the season. The weekly plan changes with the seasons, just as we are tiring of the menus. Of course, there are times that we deviate from the plan. But not many. So, without further ado, here's the summer food:

Monday
Grilled herb chicken
corn on the cob
fresh tomato, basil, and mozarella salad
watermelon

Tuesday
Taco salad

Wednesday
Pasta with roasted fresh tomato,basil, and garlic sauce
grilled broccoli
tossed salad with mesclun, gorgonzola, grapes (or raspberries), and toasted slivered almonds

Thursday
Steak and Potato Salad

Friday
Pasta pesto or Pasta with Garlic and Parsley
Stir-fried green beans
tomato, basil and fresh mozarella salad

Saturday
Greek hamburgers
big salad
tomatoes

Be sure to visit Sarah and Plainsong for the Loveliness of Summer Food Fair!

What's for Dinner?

Dinner Meal Plans

Monday:  Taco Salad (Paddy)

Tuesday:  Whole Chicken on the grill, garlicky green beans, sweet potatoes. (Christian)

Wednesday: Spanakopita meatloaf (we discovered that these hamburgers from last summer benefit from the addition of a couple of eggs and make really  nice meatloaves), roasted potatoes, big salad (Paddy)

Thursday: Chicken tenders, sweet potatoes, big salad (Katie, Nicky and Stephen)

Friday: Firecracker red beans, pineapple rice pilaf, and big salad. (Mary Beth)

Saturday: Jenn's Coffee Pot Roast, risotto, and a big salad. (Mary Beth)

Sunday:  Mega Nachos (Christian) This is just tortilla chips in a great big, wide flat bowl with chili, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, fresh salsa.

The child in parentheses is the dinner helper/cook.