
I’ve been out of town on vacation and I’m starting my summer holiday from work. It gives you an elated feeling that you’ll be able to cook whatever you want, but you’re also feeling off-kilter from being away from home. I feel that I can only plan my menu for a few days. After that, I’ll feel more organized (and hopefully my home will feel that way, too — Suitcases, etc. are everywhere in my living room!) and ready to plan more exciting meals. Until then, I plan to keep things pretty simple and use a lot of my home storage items.
My goal this week is to visit our local farmers’ market (Wednesday evening). I’ll buy some produce from the grocery store today, but I can’t wait until Wednesday! I also plan to purchase and plant a tomato plant today. I might also plan a few other veggies, if I feel that they will survive our high 90’s / low 100’s heat.
Menu Plan for the Week (or at least the first few days) of June 16:
Spaghetti with sliced turkey sausage and chopped veggies –
I’ll use my store of whole wheat pasta and jarred marinara sauce, along with grocery-purchased turkey sausage. I’ll also use a variety of veggies, either from what I have on hand at home or from the grocery store: sliced mushrooms, zucchini, onions, carrots, garlic… Basically, I cook the pasta in one pot, while I cook the turkey sausage and chopped veggies (with a little EVOO), covered, in another pot. After the veggies are cooked and the turkey sausage is warmed up, I’ll add the marinara sauce (usually half of a 1 lb, 10 oz jar) and bring it to a simmer on medium heat. When the pasta is done, I drain it and add it to the other pot. Yum! This is usually enough to feed us for a few meals.
Foil Packet tilapia with rice and veggies –
I’ll cook instant brown rice (about 10 minutes to prepare – 5 min. cook and 5 min. off the heat) while I thaw individually frozen tilapia fillets for 30 minutes in cool water in the sink. I’ll put them on aluminum foil, spray the fish with cooking spray and season it with lemon-herb seasoning (Mrs. Dash), low-sodium salt, and veggies (onions, bell peppers, carrots…?). After wrapping them up, I’ll put them in the oven for 12-14 minutes at 450 degrees. The rice will continue to soften as the fish and veggies steam.
Pepperoni and mushroom pizza –
I’ll make whole wheat bread dough in my bread machine, separate and form the dough into 4 mini pizzas, and top them with marinara sauce and sliced mushrooms (leftover from making spaghetti), as well as pepperoni (and onions on my pizza).
For more menu ideas, see orgjunkie.com.
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