Family Bites

Meal Planning Monday

There is something about the first week of school that propels me into high organizational mode.  Since the beginning of last week I have organized all of my spices, our pantry cupboard, the freezer and the boy's bedroom closet.  Rob and I have also built them a custom desk for their room (it looks so good!) and I've stocked the freezer with cookie dough, pizza dough, pizza sauce, fresh peaches and blueberries which are sliced and ready for smoothies and lots and lots of corn. Knowing that we're coming into a busy week of school, hockey, baseball, work for me and Rob's annual four-day golfing trip, it's nice to know that things are in place and we're ready to go.

Despite the warm temperatures I'm feeling a little influence from fall in my meal planning this week.  As you'll see we have soups and casserole-style meals on deck which will allow me to use up the goods from my freezer clean-up while giving me leftovers for lunches.  Something I haven't missed packing over the past ten weeks.

Here's what we're eating for dinner this week.  How about you?  What are you planning to cook to up for your family?

Monday:: Zucchini risotto, cucumber and mint salad

Tuesday:: Mixed mushroom soup with homemade bread and salad

Wednesday:: Simple sausage and apple cassoulet, green and yellow beans

Thursday:: Lobster mac and cheese, peas with lemon

Friday:: Homemade pizza and caesar salad

 

Meal Planning Monday and An Update

Reading my Twitter feed last night, I realized that some of you have kids who go back to school today!  I can't believe that school starts so early in some parts of North America, and I'm grateful to have three more weeks with my kids at home.  

We have some local (but fun!) things planned for this week, cousins coming for a few days to play, a birthday party and then we're off on our annual camping trip.  This year we're heading to Vermont and Lake Placid, which will be our third trip to the Adirondacks.  Both Rob and I are unplugging while we're gone, and I can't wait.

Before we leave though, I wanted to share with you a few places that you can find me other than here at Family Bites.  I'm over at the Eat Savvy Blog twice a week sharing kitchen tips and ideas for breakfasts, lunches and snacks. In the past few weeks I've talked about the many ways to enjoy watermelon, my favourite knives, how the book The Help inspired my cooking, and what kinds of foods and recipes are meal deal breakers.  

I'm also excited to share that I'm now blogging for The Huffington Post (Canada edition).  I know, right?  Big! For me, anyways.  Last week I wrote about winning friends and influencing people with good food, and I expect to be in the space once a week talking about plenty of topics relating to food and family.

So, now that the summer update is out of the way, let's talk dinner.  This week's meals are simple ones, as I've planned them to allow me to use up what's in the fridge and freezer in order to leave nothing left behind when we go away.

Monday:: Creamy polenta with garlic greens and a fried egg

Tuesday:: Veggie and couscous pie, mixed green salad

Wednesday:: Fish tacos

Thursday:: Make your own grilled pizza bar

Friday:: Turkey burgers and grilled corn

 

Meal Planning Monday

I'm looking forward to dinner this week.  I've planned five nights of simple soups and seasonal meals and I'm excited to eat, and cook, them all.

We're into the last four weeks of summer vacation and trying to revel in each and every day we have.  In addition to our meals, we're also hoping to make a few batches of ice cream, rather gelato, this week as Ben has decided that ice cream makes him feel sick to his stomach, but milkshakes and gelato are okay.  I will truly miss the quirky habits of both my kids when they grow of out of them, and for now I'm happy to make "gelato" if that's what makes everyone (Ben) happy. I love kids.

We're also planning picnics in the park for lunch, a few batches of frozen banana bites, a trip to an amusement park and possibly even a day at the beach. And if I can sneak in a trip to an antique store or market at some point, I will end the week as a very happy mama.

 

Monday:: Corn and Cheddar Chowder (again!)

Tuesday:: Taco salad

Wednesday:: Chimichurri chicken and black bean salad

Thursday:: White bean and summer vegetable soup, corn bread muffins

Friday:: Lobster rolls and grilled corn

 

 

 

Meal Planning Monday

Hello, August.  How did you get here so quickly?  I'm not sure how it's happened, but summer is officially half over, and I'm feeling a little panicked that our vacation to-do list still has so many items yet to be crossed off.

We're now making a strong effort to do one fun thing each day, for next thirty-one days, and this will include things like watching movies outside, eating dinner in the park, making waffles and taking a train somewhere.

This week we're planning two excursion away from the house for our dinners.  One will be a Parisian picnic in the park, and the other is a pizza bbq down by the lake.  For that meal, we'll be packing up our little camping grill and heading off to the waterfront park for bbq pizzas and baseball.

How is your summer going?  What are you cooking up this week?

 

Monday:: Corn and Cheddar chowder, salad, homemade bread

Tuesday:: Parisian picnic in the park

Wednesday:: BBQ Chicken, grilled corn, coleslaw

Thursday:: Rice, roasted veggies and eggs

Friday:: BBQ pizzas in the park, mixed greens salad

 

 

Back Home (and Meal Planning Monday)

               

I'm back home after spending most of last week in New York City with Ben and Jackson, my sister and my five month old niece.  We drove there and, to quote the border guard, were "quite brave" to tackle the trip with three young kids.

It was a great week though, and the kids were troupers as they traipsed through the streets of Manhattan in the obviously obtrusive heat, with sweat-beaded brows, sore heels and strollers that are seemingly offensive to the NYC public transportation officials.

               

But as fun as it was, it is even better to be home.  And coming back, means a return to cooking and meal planning.  I like this week's menu a lot.  I think it's really representative of how we most like to eat, and while some weeks are more popular than others, I do think this week will thrill the masses.

                 

What have you been cooking up these days?  Anything exceptional?  Please feel free to link to any great recipes you've made or come across, in the comments section.

Monday:: Pasta with peas, basil, parmesan and olive oil.  Salad.

Tuesday:: Grilled sole sandwiches on baguette with chipotle aioli.  Mixed greens.

Wednesday:: Taco salad with corn, avocado and pinto beans.

Thursday:: Lemon-oregano chicken skewers, warm pita, tzatziki. Salad.

Friday:: Grilled pizza with mushrooms and goat cheese.

 

Meal Planning Monday: Simple Summer Foods

Simple summer meals are on my agenda this week.  Think lots of salads, fresh fruits, room temperature foods, breads, cheeses and even ice cream.  That's right, ice cream.  We made a summer fun to-do list and one of the activities that made the cut was an ice cream sundae for dinner. As now that it's the second week of summer, it's time to deliver.

What have your dinners been composed of lately?  Are you grilling every night?  Eating outdoors?  Keeping cool in the A/C?

Monday:: Taco salad with pinto beans and cheddar

Tuesday:: Lobster salad rolls

Wednesday:: Ice cream sundaes

Thursday:: Nicoise salad (served family style)

Friday:: Harry Potter day!!  I have no idea what our dinner plans will be, but I know we'll be in the theatre at 6:30pm for the movie.....

Meal Planning Monday and Eggs Magda

I'm not ashamed to admit that we're not grilling every night.  

Simple dinners like this still have a place on our table despite the neighbourly scent of hot charcoal wafting through the backyards each night, and when I'm spending my Sunday afternoons whooping my kids at tetherball watching my boys play, it's hard to pull myself away from the competition fun in order to cook a fancy dinner. 

This week I still have eggs on the menu, but I'm also putting some fun seasonal foods on offer too.  Here is what's on our meal plan for dinner.  How about you? What are you cooking up these days?

Monday: Grilled pizza with leftover veggies and goat cheese

Tuesday: Egg fried rice 

Wednesday: Chimichurri chicken, warm potato salad with peas

Thursday: Mini Italian sliders with romaine and radicchio salad

Friday: Lobster rolls and salad with lime and avocado 

Those eggs you see above? They're knows as Eggs Madga, a slow scrambled combination of eggs, parsley, Dijon and brie. They were a hit with everyone including Ben, my non egg-loving boy, who declared them "nice", which is a strong compliment from an 11 year old who's generally too busy scarfing down the food to notice what's actually on the plate.

Scrambled Eggs Magda

• 10 eggs (see note)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Pinch of salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 cup of gruyere, grated (or brie chopped into small pieces)

Beat the eggs with a fork.  Stir in the salt, pepper, parsley, Dijon and Brie (gruyere).  

Melt the butter in a large skillet set over medium high heat. Add the egg mixture and cook, stirring gently with a wooden spoon or spatula.  Keep the liquid moving around the pan, turn the heat to low if the eggs seem to be cooking too quickly.

The eggs are done when they are creamy, thick and soft, about 10-15 minutes.

Note: We use 10 eggs because feeding two tween boys is akin to feeding five adults.  Feels free to use less if that works better for your family. 

Meal Planning Monday

As I sat down to write up this week's meal plan I was practically horrified to see the word "June" appear across my page.  For those of us with school children, June means that there are approximately 24 days left in this school year.  It also means end of year concerts and parties, spring sports, social gatherings, good byes, vacation planning, and a constant nagging in the back of the brain asking me "what the heck are you going to do with the boys for 69 days (yes, I counted)".

Just kidding.  I really love having the kids home for the summer.  We're building a vacation wish list of things to do, and have a long sheet of paper taped to the wall for our many ideas.  The markers are kept nearby and when we think of something fun we add it to the list.  

One of my wishes is to teach each of the boys to make one complete meal.  I recently picked Jackson up from a playdate and while I was chatting with the mom in her foyer, her eldest son walked by and told his mom he was going to start the hors d'oeuvres for the dinner party they were having later that evening.  I was so impressed and thought that's exactly where I want my boys to be in a few years time.  In fact, I keep telling Rob that my wish is to send them both off to University armed with the knowledge of how to cook their lady friends a fancy meal.  

But for now I'll let them finish out grades three and five, or what's left of them anyways. Here's what we're cooking up for dinner this week.  What's on your weekly meal plan?

Monday:: Frittata, roasted potatoes, strawberries etc.

Tuesday:: Grilled lemon-rosemary chicken, asparagus and crostini with goat cheese

Wednesday:: Mini burgers, romaine salad with avocado, apple and asparagus

Thursday::  Egg-fried rice with veggies (we've been eating this once a week and we love it)

Friday:: Make-your-own grilled pizza night

 

 

Meal Planning Monday: Vegetarian Style

"Let's eat vegetarian next week, okay?" 

These words came from Rob's mouth on Friday morning.  Rob, my meat-lovin' man, decided that he consumed enough meat over the past few weeks, and that he'd like to try veggie living for the week.  I was not going to complain.

So, here we are on Monday, day two of our vegetarian experiment.  Last night we had a delightful penne primavera with ricotta and lemon.  It was light and fresh and incredibly filling.  The rest of the week sounds pretty tasty to me as well, don't you think? Let me know if you're at all interested in our little experiment, and if so I'll post our meals all week long and let you know how we're doing. 

Here's our vegetarian meal plan for the week.  What are you eating for dinner these days?

Monday:: Black bean and corn nachos, chopped romaine salad with lime vinaigrette

Tuesday:: Egg-fried rice with carrots, snap peas and sprouts

Wednesday:: Potato pizza with rosemary and feta, mixed green salad

Thursday:: Asparagus and caramelized onion quiche, lemon-pepper peas 

Friday:: Portabello mushroom burgers with brie and roasted garlic aioli, sweet potato fries

Meal Planning Monday

How did it become Monday already?  I apologize for the radio silence here on the blog.  My website provider did some behind the scenes updating leaving the blog in an almost-inaccessible format over the past few days.  I'm still not certain it's up and running the way it should be (are you having trouble accessing the pages?) but I'm hoping it will sort itself out today.

How was Mother's Day?  We had a lovely day and I was the recipient of breakfast in bed made exclusively by the boys, and a raised garden bed put together for me by Rob and my Dad, who is here from BC this week.

Speaking of which, because we have company and my Dad is spending time between our place and my sister's home, we're not eating dinner the way we normally do.  For example, tonight we're heading for dinner.  What a treat for a Monday night, don't you think?  So I'm offering a lose meal plan for the coming days, leaving room for adjustments, if necessary.

Last week I was working on a upcoming article and took to Twitter to ask my fellow food writers and blogging friends this questions: What is your best cooking/kitchen organization tip for busy moms?  The answers were great but almost all of them were about meal planning and being organized in the kitchen. Interesting. And I completely agree.  I've probably never asked this before, but are you meal planning these days?  Do you find it helps you to feed your family well?

Here's what we're hoping to eat this week.  How about you?

Monday:: Out for dinner

Tuesday:: Weekend leftovers - hamburgers and salads

Wednesday:: Sticky chicken thighs and drumsticks, salad, rice

Thursday:: BBQ - we have yet to decide exactly what we're going to BBQ

Friday:: Homemade pizza night