Food on the Table

We have a busy week of soccer games and birthdays.  We’re also thrilled because our potatoes are ready from the garden!  We’ll roast them for sides this week and use our tomatoes in salads.

• Monday: Herb Basted Chicken Breasts with salad and sweet potato fries
  I love making these chicken breasts and then having some extra for later in the week.
• Tuesday: Greek Style Baked Salmon with Feta with marinated cucumbers and tomatoes
  I think the tomatoes from our garden will be ripe enough to use for the salad
• Wednesday: Broccoli and Chicken Pasta
  I’ll use the chicken from Monday night to make this one dish pasta.  I’ll make plenty for leftovers for them to heat up on Friday night.
  
  

  Vegetarian Spaghetti

• Thursday:  Vegetarian Spaghetti with garlic bread.
• Friday:  Hamburgers
  I have some patties and buns in the freezer.  This will be a simple meal served with roasted potatoes from the garden.
• Saturday:  Pizza Night
• Sunday: Lime and Cilantro Flank Steak with green chili cheese grits and salad
  The grits/flank steak combination reminds me so much of my mom.  I think I’ll celebrate being home with this comfort meal.

Have a great week!

This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday at My Life as an Organizing Junkie.

Spring is in full swing. Days full of warmth and sunshine make it the ideal time to pack up a picnic, gather the troops and head for nature. Whether that means taking a drive to get away, walking down the street to the neighborhood park or even taking a few steps to your own backyard, we’ve got a few ideas to help you plan your afternoon picnic.

1. Fill up on seasonal fruits and vegetables.

There’s no better time to take advantage of fresh fruits and vegetables than the warm seasons of spring and summer. Winter leaves most of us craving the goodness of fresh produce, so don’t hold back now. Fill up on cheap, yet luscious fruits and vegetables that are easy to bring along on picnics, while helping your meal stay healthy and inexpensive. For fruits, look for cantaloupe, cherries, pineapples and strawberries. After you’ve stocked up on your favorite fruits, fill up on fresh vegetables that your family loves. Keep an eye out for lettuce, springs peas, carrots and celery.

2. Go for the light and portable.

Preparing foods that are light and portable are not only easier to take along on the go, but also make less of a mess once you’ve settled down to enjoy your food. Sandwiches, trail mixes and crackers are inexpensive options that leave lots of room for individualization and creativity. Pair the crackers with fruit, make various deli meat and veggie sandwiches and throw together your preferred combination of trail mix goodies. Packing a meal tailored to each person also helps avoid food waste, which is just another way to help save you money.

3. Don’t skip out on dessert.

Saving money doesn’t have to mean skipping out on the best part of any meal, the dessert. Taking along a few simple homemade sweets is key to helping everyone stay happy and full. Baking desserts at home is not only cheaper, but also helps you know exactly what nutrients your family is, and isn’t, getting.  Cookies, brownies and granola bars are all tasty options that are a great way to finish off a tasty picnic meal on a sweet note.

4. Focus on the food.

Once you’ve got your meal planned, prepped and ready to go, don’t overthink the extras, which often leads to overspending. If you don’t already have an old blanket lying around the house, take a trip to your local thrift store for cheap, yet comfy options. Grab your home silverware and dishes to bring along before you waste money on unnecessary plastic alternatives. Use backpacks to store your picnic, which is not only cheaper than buying a basket, but also more convenient.

This post is linked to Frugal Friday at Life as Mom.

It’s going to be a good week with a variety of events including birthday parties, blogging socials, and some new recipes at home.  Since the weather looks good, I’m going to use the grill on several occasions.

Here’s what’s on the meal plan this week:

• Monday: BBQ Bratwurst Kabobs with rice
  These kabobs have everything – sausage, bell peppers, red onion and zucchini.
• Tuesday: Mexican Style Beef and Pasta with salad
• Wednesday: Greek Style Garlic Chicken Breast with grilled asparagus
  I’ll start marinating these in the morning then throw them on the grill in the evening.
• Thursday: Moroccan Inspired Apricot Braised Chicken with sautéed zucchini
  The dried apricots will make this a little sweet and after 30 minutes of simmering, it will be very tender.
• Friday:  Date Night
  A friend is hosting a surprise party, so we’ll be out on the town.
• Saturday:   Take Out
  There’s a great new chicken take-out place that I’d like to try.
• Sunday: Mini Meatloaves with steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes
  These little loaves look really cute, and don’t take as long to bake as one meatloaf.  I’ll use the leftovers to make meatloaf sandwiches for lunch this week!

This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday at My Life as an Organizing Junkie.

We often hear the mind-boggling statistics of food waste in America and across the world, though many of us aren’t quite sure how to avoid adding to those growing numbers. And if you haven’t heard any lately, here is a recent figure to keep in mind: The average American wastes almost 400 pounds of food per year.

When you let untouched groceries and leftovers go bad, you waste more than just food; you waste the energy that went into producing it as well as the money you spent to purchase it. Here are some tips to help you make the most of the edibles in your house right now.

1. Stick to what you need.

Though most of us go grocery shopping with the intention of consuming all that we purchase, it’s easy to pick up extras of this or that in hopes of avoiding multiple trips to the store later in the week. Trying to be smart by thinking too far ahead often leads to overbuying. And when you have more than you need at home, a lot of what you buy will end up in your trash instead of in your stomach. Don’t get carried away with unexpected sales and spur of the moment buys by planning ahead the right way – making a list and buying it once.

2. Take a few extra steps.

When you finally get home from the store and start putting away the groceries, take a few extra steps to make your food last longer. Put paper towels down underneath your vegetables in the fridge to soak up moisture and prolong freshness. Keep your bananas bunched together to prevent them from rotting too quickly. Keep spices away from dark, humid places to help them keep their flavor. Remembering a few simple tricks like this will help your food last longer, which will help you waste less and save more.

3. Freeze it for a rainy day.

Freezing is my favorite way to save food. It’s so easy, and the result is lots of edible food stored and ready for your consumption. There’s no end to the amount of food you can freeze for later. Only need half an onion? Chop up the rest and throw it in the freezer. Only need a few slices of baked bread? Wrap up the rest and throw it in the freezer. Avoid hard and lumpy brown sugar by – you guessed it – throwing it in the freezer. Even eggs can be frozen. Just pour mixed egg yolks and whites together into ice cube trays and pop them out any time you need them.

4. Don’t be too quick to judge.

According to the USDA, use-by dates indicate the last day for best quality, not the last day for safe consumption. Fruits and vegetables with cosmetic blemishes aren’t necessarily ready for the trashcan. If your honey is crystallized, heat it up for 30 seconds in the microwave (honey is nonperishable). If you aren’t sure how fresh an egg is, place it in water to test its freshness (fresh if it sinks, no good if it floats). If you have day-old bread, make croutons and breadcrumbs out of it (add parmesan for parmesan bread crumbs). Just remember to think twice when cleaning out your fridge and pantry and use your best judgment before heading for the trash.

This post is linked to Frugal Friday at Life as Mom.

Spring is in full swing and that means soccer games, dance recitals, and spring concerts.  Our soccer team – with the intimidating name the “Hamsters” – may not be racking up the points, but they are having fun.  Given the players’ special diet requests, the parents were laughing that the team should really be called the “Allergic Reactions”!

Here’s what’s on the meal plan this week:

• Monday: Herb Basted Chicken Breasts with sautéed zucchini and rice
  I’m going to make a few extra chicken breasts to put on salads for lunch this week.
• Tuesday: Avocado and Shrimp Salad with crusty bread
• Wednesday: Tilapia Asparagus Bundles with roasted broccoli
  Rolled protein is always fun… let’s see if we can get away with this healthy dish.
• Thursday: Shrimp and Feta Cheese Pasta with salad
  I’ll use some of the shrimp from Tuesday and just throw it over this pasta – super easy.
• Friday: Vegetarian Delight Pizza
  With all these vegetables, I don’t need to serve a salad!  I’m just going to use what I have left from the week and throw it on the pie.
• Saturday:   Date Night
  We’ve got a sitter, we just need a plan.
• Sunday:  Dinner Surprise
  This will be a combination of leftovers, or maybe take-out.  I ok not to plan for everything.

This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday at My Life as an Organizing Junkie.