Menu Plan 8/2/10

and Other Ramblings...

Last week, I made a cold pasta salad spinoff of this BLT Pasta recipe.  I truly just experimented and added stuff in until I liked the way it tasted.  Here's what I included:

• whole wheat rotini pasta
• crumbled nitrate-free bacon
• cheese - fresh mozzarella cubes and parmesan
• chopped leftover uncooked veggies - carrots, zucchini, tomatoes
• red onion sauteed in a little bit of bacon drippings
• For the dressing I used more bacon drippings (gasp!), some vinegar, some lemon juice.
• garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, basil, salt, pepper

I could have added hard-boiled egg, avocado, green pepper, and olives, but the avocados weren't ripe yet, and I forgot about the other items. You could add whatever you want.  I may have added a tiny bit of sugar, but I can't remember. I'm sure you could also use olive oil, there would just be a different flavor, obviously.

It was really good.  We all liked it, and it made for an easy one-dish dinner.

Ok, on to the plan for this week...

Breakfasts:
Eggs and Toast
Simple Soaked Pancakes with Syrup
Milk
Fruit

Lunches:
PB&J Sandwiches*
Yogurt or Cheese
Carrots
Fruit

Dinners:
Monday - Soft Tacos, Salad
Tuesday - Leftovers
Wednesday - Easy Sloppy Joe's on Buns, Baked Zucchini & Tomatoes with Cheese
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Homemade Pizza (didn't get to it last week), Salad
Saturday - BLT's, Seasoned Potato Wedges
Sunday - Leftovers

Dessert:
Healthy Strawberry Shortcake

*Is it possible that I have PB&J'd my 3 year old out at so early an age? :)  She now requests "just jelly" sandwiches.  However, she will eat a couple handfuls of raw almonds on the side or for a snack.  So I feel ok about it.  Do any other 3 year olds ask for raw almonds?  I probably should soak them or something to make them more digestible, but I haven't gotten there, yet.

I am thinking of going "no sugar" again (more like "no sweet treats").  I'll let you know.  Probably after my baby turns one next week (!)

For my daughter's first birthday, I made these Carrot Cake Muffins.  I am thinking of making them again for my son's first birthday.  Any other semi-nutritious suggestions?

Have you noticed that we have been eating less chicken lately?  That might change in the winter when I am not buying fresh chicken from the local farm (that is pricier) and so then I buy the cheaper stuff.  I know some people store up a bunch of fresh summer food for winter but we don't have a deep freeze, and so I don't worry about it too much.  Having limited options simplifies things in a way.  I am enjoying our summer food now, though.  We are eating more locally produced food than we ever have before.

I know this is nerdy, but I used to look forward to checking out the grocery ads each week.  I still look over them, but I don't get nearly as excited about them as I used to.  The good deals that I actually want to buy are fewer and farther between.  I've probably mentioned before, I almost always have my kids with me when grocery shopping.  So with produce, dairy, and meat being from alternative local sources, keeping the remainder of the shopping limited to Costco, Aldi, and Whole Foods is where I'm at these days.  And the occasional run to Target/Wal-Mart (not my fav) if there is other random stuff we need.  That still sounds like a lot of shopping, doesn't it?  I feel bad about not going to my local grocery stores as much as I used to, though.  I really like them.

As for my 2 new Costco items, I like them.  As far as taste, I can't tell any difference between regular and nitrate-free bacon.  But then again, as much as I like bacon, I am no bacon connoisseur.  I wasn't sure on the tortillas at first, but I have decided they are a great compromise.  They are like homemade tortillas without the mess and work.  You do have to cook them, but that part is easy, easy.  They do contain canola oil, which I am not a huge fan of (I'd rather they contained butter or coconut oil), but with only a few other ingredients, they are much more wholesome than the premade ones which are full of ingredients that I cannot pronounce.

Happy food planning.