Meal plan for July 29th – August 4th
The “heat” broke yesterday, and I feel like it’s possible to breath again. And perhaps even use my oven? The forecast is also calling for rain on Thursday, which would be the first rainfall in over a month. I’m sure the garden will love it, and maybe, just maybe it might be the magic ingredient in finally getting my 22 week old chickens to start laying. Ahem. Chickens, it’s time.
The blackberries continue to ripen around us. While picking on Friday, I had a superhero accompany me; my blackberry picking security is top notch!
While picking, a woman two streets over told me “the blackberries aren’t ripe yet. George told me”. I know this George, and he is kind of the busy body of that street. Well, I’m absolutely fine with everyone thinking that the blackberries aren’t ripe yet…it gives me an additional week or so of having the bushes to myself! Why on earth this woman would take the word of a neighbor, without walking 12 feet over to verify for herself is beyond me. She is passing up free fruit, but her loss in my gain. Suckah!
Troy and I celebrated our nine year wedding anniversary yesterday. Jack stayed with my father-in-law (MIL is at a wedding in California) last night, and Troy and I hit up a restaurant and went to see World War Z. Nothing says “happy anniversary” like two hours of me nearly peeing my pants. And this morning, Troy kept the traditional alive by screwing up my sleep with his snoring.
Meal plan time! Reminder, I only plan dinners, because breakfast is always smoothies or eggs with something, and lunches are always leftovers. We rarely eat dessert during the week, and our dinner drink of choice is water kefir soda.
Monday:: Meatless Monday! Tomato soup (using up my stock that I canned from last year’s garden) and grilled veg.
Tuesday:: Don’t tell Jack, but we’re taking him to go see Despicable Me 2 at the theater. Our local theater has $5 tickets all day on Tuesdays, and I think it will be a fun family night. We’ll be rocking PB&J and other homemade snacks during the show.
Wednesday:: Our newest favorite summer meal, grilled veg and chicken sausage. I’ll share the “recipe” later this week.
Thursday:: I’m winging it on Thursday. Typically we have dinner with the in-laws on Thursday, but MIL has been traveling for the last month or so. If we’re invited to stay on Thursday, we will. If not? Let’s be honest, I’ll probably head to Quiznos.
Friday:: Popcorn dinner. Yes, seriously we eat popcorn for dinner. It’s popcorn, leftovers, cheese slices, fruit, and cut up veggies. Everyone gets as much as they want, and no one leaves hungry. I adore Fridays because it is the easiest night of the week for making everyone happy!
Saturday:: This is also TBD, but I’ll likely make homemade pizza if the house isn’t too hot.
Sunday:: Family dinner at my parent’s!
This week I spent about $40 at the grocery store/local produce stand/farm. I ended up getting a gallon of raw milk because I’ve been on a yogurt crazy lately, and can’t keep enough homemade in the house. The vast majority of my budget has gone to local (100 miles away in Yakima) produce -peaches, plums, green beans, Walla Walla sweet onions, zucchini, cherries, and corn. I love summer!
What delicious things are you enjoying this week?
Ooh, I like Monday! I can’t wait for fall so we can go back to weekly soup and grilled cheese nights 🙂
Hi Sarah,
I wondered where in Seattle you’re at? I live in Mill creek, and have yet to find a really great farmers market that is all organic and decent prices. I love your blog!
Aimee
We’re way too far from you to make it an economical drive. ;-(
Happy anniversary! I’ve found a couple of new recipes that I’ve added to my rotation. Tonight we had this one: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/06/chicken-with-olives/ except without the butter and heavy cream. It’s good and my kids even ate it, except the olives and yellow peppers (I used one yellow and one red instead of two green.). I’ve made this one: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Busy-Mom-s-Chicken-Fajitas a couple of times recently and will be making again this week. Our grocery store makes whole wheat tortillas in the store so we’ll have the fajitas whichever day I go shopping so the tortillas will be fresh. Other than that I’ll be making pretty much the same old, same old, like cod, chicken curry, gnocchi, and maybe get my husband to grill something.
We have a local grocery store that makes tortillas too, and they’re AMAZING! The store is too far away to go often, so I stock up when I go and freeze them. Yum!
Happy anniversary! Yum about the free fruit. Wish anyone had apple trees around here. I love apples.
Thank you! No free apples? Sad day!
I just want to say that I LOVE your berry-picking escort! I also love that you let him leave the house like that! Some mommies would never dare to be seen with a dressed up child in public outside of Halloween. Good for you!
I let my youngest daughter wear a plastic tiara every day [for months!] to kindergarten. Other mothers asked me why I let her wear it to school. “Why wouldn’t I?” was my typical response. (Truth is, it made her happy and she looked sooooooo cute) After a couple weeks, there were several tiara-wearing kindergarteners!!
Isn’t marriage wonderful? After almost 21 years, my sleep is still disrupted by Hubby’s snoring. But he’s still a ‘keeper’. Happy anniversary. I wish you many, many more to come!
Considering my kid is naked most of the time, wearing a Hulk costume out and about is a victory! ;-D Love the kindergarten tiara trend!
Thank you!!
Love that you can get free fruit! I was tempted to get some of the cherries at the farmers market, but they spray them, bummer.
I took a farm fresh chicken (that I helped process!) our of the freezer, as well as some breakfast sausage, a pork roast, and some bacon. The chicken and roast will most likely be cooked in the crockpot, the sausage will be mixed with scrambled eggs, and the bacon, well, that might make it from the oven to the fridge, but it’s not likely.
We got a ton of chard, carrots, scallions, and beets this week from our CSA, so we will see what I make out of all that!
Whoa, I’m crazy impressed that you processed a chicken! I just don’t know if I have that in me, but I bow down to those who can.
I once took a whole chicken to roast, and in the last 30 minutes I placed 2 strips of bacon on top. Holy smokes that was yummy!
Ohhhh I love beets.
The processing wasn’t that bad. I didn’t have to actually kill the chickens, though I watched a few times so I could do it if necessary. By the time the chickens got to me, they had already been butchered and plucked. I helped clean them out, and really, it wasn’t much worse than cleaning out the gizzards for a Thanksgiving turkey.