Menu August 30 thru September 4

I begin college classes again this week, so I will be gone 3 nights a week. My oldest does a great job helping out in the kitchen. She often participates in planning the meals she will be preparing when I'm gone.

Monday: BLT & Chips

Tuesday: Oriental Pork Wraps

Wednesday: Steak, Green Beans, Baked Potato

Thursday: Roast Pork Sandwiches, Cheesy Noodles

Friday: Beer Braised Chicken

Saturday: Vegetable Beef Soup

Sunday Cookout with Friends: Salsa and Bean Dip with Chips, Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Smoked Chicken, Pasta Salad

Visit Laura for more Menus and Recipes

Healthy Lunches Part II

School has begun and I'm happy to report we're all packing healthy lunches (so far.) I purchased several bento boxes on e-bay. They are not big, so they are great for portion control.

Chicken Salad with Apples, Hard Boiled Egg, Pickles, Olives and Baby Corn

Smoked Salmon Spread, Vegies, Grapes, Blueberries, Wasabi-Soy Almonds, Crackers

This fun hamburger bento box caused my children to actually fight over who was going to pack a lunch. I would have bought them years ago if I had realized, it doesn't matter what you pack, just what you pack it in!

Cheese, Carrots with Ranch, Celery with Peanut Butter in the Hamburger Box. Crackers and a Cookie packed seperately

Breakfast in a box: Yogurt and Fresh Peaches

Hopefully this trend will continue. I would like to see the kids (and myself) pack healthy, tasty lunches most days of the week. So far so good.

The kids do not have access to a microwave. What kinds of cold lunches lunches do you pack?

Julia Child's Birthday and menu plans

August 15th is Julia Child's Birthday. I rarely have to look very hard for a reason to cook a themed menu, so I opened Mastering the Art of French Cooking, invited a friend, and we made a lovely summer dinner with Julia's wonderful recipes.

We roasted garlic and served it with brie and baguettes while we worked on dinner.

Our main course included Bifteck Hache A La Lyonnaise (Ground Beef with Onions and Herbs,) Puree De Pommes De Terre A L'ail (Garlic Mashed Potatoes,) Tomates A La Provencale (Tomatoes Stuffed with Bread Crumbs, Herbs and Garlic.)

For dessert we made a cold fruit compote, Peches Cardinal (Fresh Peaches with Raspberry Puree.)

Our dinner plan was guided mostly by a trip to the farmer's market, Saturday, where we found peaches and raspberries, garlic, tomatoes and artisan bread. The onions and some herbs came from my garden.

Menu plan August 16 - 22

School starts on Wednesday, so lunches will have to figure into our plans again. My daughter wants to pack some of the bento style lunches I took during summer school, it's easiest to pack those the night before. My son is a PB&J guy and he can fix those on his own before school, getting them into his backpack and out the door is usually the biggest stumbling block for him. I have good kitchen facilities at work and we often plan meals that 2 or 3 of us can enjoy together, but I'll be packing for the first couple of weeks until we get into a regular routine. My lunches will consist of leftovers and fresh fruits and vegies.

Monday: Ham and Cheese Spoon Bread (made with whole kernel corn meal we watched being ground at Spring Mill, pictured here), Tossed Salad

Tuesday: Deli Sandwiches, Chips, Carrot and Cucumber slices

Wednesday: Wednesday Night ant the Nic Picnic, BBQ Pork Sundae, Corn Bread

Thursday: Back to School Night, dinner TBD

Friday: Pan-fried Walleye, Coleslaw, Foil Packet Potatoes

Saturday: Chicken Kebabs, Salad,

Sunday: BBQ Pork Belly, Corn on the Cob, Beans

With school starting, MPM will most likely turn into menu planning Saturday so I can plan and go grocery shopping during the weekend, but I'll still post them here to share with Laura and everyone else who is a fan of the Organizing Junkie.