I've decided to begin posting a monthly menu (copying my sister-in-law's
"weekly menu" series), in case anything looks interesting to you that I don't get around to blogging about! As I have mentioned before, we do our shopping once a month in Spokane at WinCo, which is an hour south of us, since we live in a rural area (Safeway is 17 mi. away!). Although my menu often changes throughout the month, depending on what comes up, I always plan out one for the whole month before we do our monthly shopping trip. We will be heading down today, so I spent a lot time yesterday brainstorming and checking the cupboards. Side veggies often depend on what is on sale or what is in season and I don't usually know for sure until I get there, so I may make some changes to this after we get home! :)
A few notes on the menu: I don't usually plan anything on Sunday or Monday nights because those are my cooking "days off" (since Travis is a pastor, Sundays are very wearing days for both of us and Monday is our official day off) when we eat pretty light and either make canned soup, smoothies, eggs, sandwiches, throw taquitos in the oven, go out to eat or something else that requires minimal energy. Twice a month Travis and I have Date Nights on Mondays (ex. this month it is Oct. 4 and Oct. 18). He picks the days ahead of time so I can plan what to wear! ;) Then he either surprises me or we mutually decide where to go. Wednesday and Thursday nights are soon to be church activity nights (Awana and Home Group, respectively), so I tried to plan for something rather quick and uninvolved since we will be eating early. Saturdays I have just designated as "Soup Saturdays!" It is beginning to get chilly around here and Travis and I both love a good bowl of homemade soup!
Monthly Menu- October
Week 1 (Oct. 3-9)
Tuesday
Jewel's Pineapple Chicken with Rice and Roasted Asparagus
My sister just sent me this recipe for pineapple smothered baked chicken and I can't wait to try it!
Wednesday
Tilapia Fish Tacos with Avocado Salsa and Fresh Fruit
I have never tried fish tacos, but I'm excited for a new way to cook tilapia. This recipe actually come from a website of a lady who cooks Colombian food, so it should be good! :) Tilapia is one fish that hubby doesn't mind eating, so I sneak it in here and there as part of a healthy diet!
Thursday
Chicken Stir-Fry with Rice and Chow Mein Noodles
Yep, I'm cheating. I have stir-fry veggies in the freezer and stir fry packaged seasoning in the cupboard. One of these days I'll get around to making it from fresh vegetables!
Friday
Pizza with Homemade Whole Wheat Crust and Fresh Raw Veggies
I have a delicious thin crust recipe and it works well with whole wheat. I think we'll have garlic chicken, spinach and tomato pizza.
Saturday
Bean & Barley Vegetable Soup with Whole Wheat Honey Buttermilk Biscuits
I haven't tried this soup yet, but I wanted to try a vegetarian soup with barley, so I'll let you know how it goes. My friends from out of town will be here, so they can help with the slicing and dicing. The biscuits are amazing!
Week 2 (Oct. 10-16)
Tuesday
Spice Rubbed Pork Chops with Acorn Squash
I have made this several times and they are so quick and easy and soooo delicious! The combination of brown sugar, dry mustard and coriander give the meat a smoky flavor.
Wednesday
Beef Spaghetti and Green Salad
Classic. Need I say more?
Thursday
Slow-Cooker Lime Chicken and Rice with Corn on the Cob
New recipe from allrecipes.com. Rice and chicken cook together in the pot. Sounds easy!
Friday
Venison Chops and Roasted Potatoes
I still have these venison chops in my freezer, but I haven't decided how to cook them yet. I've made fajitas with them, but the best way was when I put them in the crock-pot with some cream of mushroom soup and served it over rice. They were rich, tender and delicious!
Saturday
Chicken Tortilla Soup with Tortilla Strips (of course) and all the trimmings
From the freezer. Always a favorite and always delicious!
Week 3 (Oct. 17-23)
Tuesday
Chicken with Garlic-Balsamic Reduction with Brown Rice and Brussel Sprouts
This is a delicious dish. Full of robust flavor and not too time consuming either. The brussel sprout recipe is one I want to try from Ruth Reichl's book "Garlic and Sapphires."
Wednesday
Breakfast Burritos with all the trimmings
Don't you love breakfast for dinner sometimes? This is a hearty one, warm tortillas stuffed with eggs, sausage, fried potatoes, cheese and sour cream. Yum!
Thursday
Baked Potatoes with Chili and toppings
Friday
Pan-fried Tilapia with Pepper and Lime served with Potatoes
A simple, quick and lightly delicious way to serve tilapia.
Saturday
Ham and Navy Bean Soup with Corn Muffins
From the freezer.
Week 4 (Oct. 24-30)
Tuesday
Ginger Pork Chops with Acorn Squash
A new recipe from a cookbook called "Fix It and Enjoy It" (healthy, quick and simple recipes).
Wednesday
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken with Rice and Roasted Onions
A new recipe from allrecipes.com. In lieu of a barbecue, I will be using my George Foreman counter top grill.
Thursday
Homemade Pizza with Fresh Fruit and Veggies
Pepperoni and olives on top!
Friday
Turkey Dogs with Chips and Fruit
Saturday
Chicken Noodle Soup and Grilled Cheese (or leftover Bean and Barley, if there is any!)
Yes, out of a can. Campbell's is a classic, you know! :)
Extras
We have potluck this Sunday, and I plan on bringing Cheesy Potatoes.
I've signed up to bring a meal on Tuesday to a dear lady in our church who is in the later stages of cancer, so I've decided to bake her a chicken breast with some roasted potatoes.
We have a board meeting later in the month (which I always make goodies for) and I will likely be making either Chocolate Cinnamon Cookies or my famous Snickerdoodles.
I am going to revamp my breakfast plan this month and try bran muffins and yogurt instead of cereal, so I'm going to make my own Bran Muffins (with real wheat bran!) and freeze them. I found a recipe for "Deep Dark Old Bran Muffins" on allrecipes.com that looks just like the ones I used to make for my mom!
Well, there it is! Happy cooking!
