Weekly Menu

I actually went grocery shopping on Sunday (my usual day) and I planned out the week. I don't have any of my farm box vegetables left, I used them or they just expired. It was a rough week- I felt like I was hardly home to cook and I wasted :(

Sunday (last night): Pasta with Pancetta and Leeks, Parmesan bread (frozen) from local bakery

Monday: Soy Ginger Glazed Pork Chops, Vegetable Fried Rice

Tuesday: Jim is at pool, Leftovers or Free-for-all

Wednesday: Buca Chicken (I've never blogged about this??? I will.)

Thursday: Garlic and Herb Pizza (new crust recipe from Baking Illustrated) with turkey pepperoni, green bell pepper, and black olives (maybe whatever else I get from the market on Wednesday)

Friday: Chipotle Chicken Skewers, sweet corn

Saturday: Spaghetti (I always add mushrooms, bell pepper, and ground beef to a jarred sauce), Garlic toast (my sister's technique)


Wow, some of our favorite rotation meals and I can't believe I haven't blogged about them before. I will!

Pasta with Pancetta and Leeks

This will be added to our meal rotation :) Jim really liked this, as I knew he would because it's a PW recipe- cream, butter, a little wine, pasta, fancy bacon! This was one easy recipe too. Two things to chop- the leeks and the pancetta. And then saute, add ingredients, and then serve. It really did come together in 15 minutes like PW said.

And there is BACON. Yum.

We thought a grilled chicken breast would be good with this, making the pasta more of a side dish. A salad would have been good too. I really didn't make much besides this pasta, it seemed wrong and indulgent to just have it without a salad or a vegetable so next time I will be healthier!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Pasta with Pancetta and Leeks.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Okay, first, this was more like a cake. The recipe said to use a bundt pan so I did gladly, it really doesn't get used often enough. But this was moist and chocolatey and goooood. I even put chopped pecans in this and didn't mind them! (I'm not a big fan of nuts.)

I will definitely make this again. It is a great way to use zucchini. I am concerned about how much sugar is in this recipe, and I did reduce it slightly by 1/2 cup. Maybe next time I would experiment with using honey or applesauce in place of some sugar too? I don't know...



We kept half of the "bread" around our house but I froze the other half in slices for my sister and brother-in-law. He loves zucchini bread!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Chocolate Zucchini Bread.

Colorful Bento

There's nothing too special about this lunch bento. I just like that there are so many colors. The macaroni and cheese is getting OLD. I wish this boy would eat something else!! I am trying. Oh, I also like the kiwi flower :)

Spaceship Theme

This lunch was a little heavy on the fruit but it's been our constant around here. James LOVES LOVES his grapes. And the cute little mandarin oranges. I made these little star shaped tortilla "sandwiches" with turkey and American cheese. I found out that James doesn't really care for the cheese? Weird. I am sort of glad- I've always found American cheese to taste really artificial, except in grilled cheese sandwiches. Mmmmm.

I just LOVE the little cutters that James' Tia Kristina sent over from Japan. I'm finding them so handy and fun for James. I've given him a slice of cheese and the little cutter shapes and he loves to cut them too. I cute all of these and put them on the edge of his plate. He ate only the tortilla shapes. I know that next time I should use sliced cheddar. The stars? He took a few bites. Progress :)

Grilled Chicken (and shrimp) with Lemon Basil Pasta

Dinner last weekend was a collaborative effort. My sister brought over some wonderful wine and an interesting shaved asparagus salad (I can post later if there is a request for the recipe- I think shaved asparagus, olive oil, shaved parmesan, pepper?) . I swear, I learn the best kitchen tips and ideas from my sister. I would never have thought of using asparagus this way but I'm going to have to try it soon!

We made a Pioneer Woman recipe because you just can't go wrong with that. I prepped the cheese and squeezed the lemon juice (4 lemons) early and that made it a lot easier. The sauce pulled together quickly and the chicken was great (salted and peppered only, not following the PW directions), and the Garlic Butter shrimp from the butcher was an impulse buy that worked out well! We don't deal with uncooked shrimp around here, and now I just don't know why we haven't. They are so much better than the precooked stuff I usually make!

The pasta was so lemony and fresh. The basil came from my basil plants. Everything was really good!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Grilled Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta.

Ice Cream theme

When James sees a Dairy Queen lately he will try to bargain with me about when we can go get an ice cream cone. I thought a lunch with some other kinds of ice cream cones might tide him over until it's time to hit DQ again!

I've been making simpler lunches because he doesn't eat much :(

Orange, cheese cut-outs, and PB&J in the shape of ice cream cones! I added a bit of jam on the outside to look like strawberry ice cream. James enjoyed the cheese the best.