Menu Plan Monday

Happy Monday everyone! I do have some updates and such but since it's Menu Plan Monday I'll wait and post them tomorrow.

I seem to do okay on my menu planning for the start of the week, then it seems things come up the second half of the week and I mix it up a bit. I use what I have on hand, but seem to change what we eat.

I guess the main thing is I'm using what I already have to make a meal. Like last week, I made a stir fry on Friday night instead of fajitas, and I made Salmon Tikka on Saturday (it was really good and details on this are below). A lot of the changes depend on what vegetables we get in the farmers market baskets on Thursday.

This week I'm trying to maximize food I already have in the house. Of course I need to go shopping for a few things, but I want to use the meats and fish that we already have in the freezer. And I want to use up the vegetables in the fridge too.

So I'm sure there will be some changes as the week progresses, but at the moment, this is what we have on the menu this week....

Monday - Left over Salmon Tikka, roasted cauliflower and curried chickpeas.

On Saturday I marinaded some salmon (cut into cubes) in some organic fat free yogurt mixed with some tikka spices and lemon juice. Then I stuck the cubes on skewers and broiled them for a few minutes. YUM! I served them with some roasted cauliflower (which is one of my new favorite things) and some curried chickpeas. For the chickpeas I just sauteed some diced onion - about 1/2 a small onion - in olive oil until they were soft. Then I added a can of chickpeas and stirred to coat - about a minute or so. Then I added a spoonful of Patak's Mild Curry Paste and added about 1/2 can of chopped tomatoes and simmered for about 20 minutes. Then I added a handfull of chopped baby spinach, covered and let simmer until the spinach was wilted and we were ready to eat. It was SOOOOO GOOD! Anyway, I'm having the left over's today.

Tuesday - Chicken with Green Olives & Prunes, broccoli and brown rice

This is something I really don't think Rich will eat so I'll be having it on a day he won't be home for dinner. I love chicken and green olives together and the picture just looks so yummy!

Wednesday - Something with turkey cutlets.

I have them in the freezer and they're quick and easy to cook up. Josh really loves baked potatoes so I'll probably serve them with a salad, baked potatoes. I really love cold roasted beets in vinegar. So if I have time to roast up some beets this week I'll do that and we can have them with the salad as well.

Thursday - Salmon, vegetables from my farmer's market basket and potatoes.

This is sort of a "Thursday staple" and you'll see it over and over again. We love salmon and I try to have fish a few times a week.

Friday - Baked Penne

Josh has his last baseball game on Friday night and who knows how long it will last. So I'll make this. It's from CleanEating and basically, brown up some ground white meat turkey breast, boil whole wheat penne, add some broccoli, mix the penne & meat with some tomato sauce (I like the Muir Glen Organic the best but use what you like). Throw the mixture into a casserole dish - top with a bit of low-fat mozzerella and bake at 350 for 20ish minutes. Easypeasylemonsqueezy - and delicious!

Saturday - Chili-Rubbed Tilapia with Asparagus & Lemon and potaotes.

You've seen this one before. It was really good so I'm doing it again.

Sunday - I have no idea. If the weather is nice, I'd love to do a barbecue. And since next Monday is Memorial Day, we've been thinking about trying to go camping that night... but who knows. We'll just have to wait and see.

As usual, I'm taking part in two menu planning blogrolls. For more ideas and menu plans, visit Menu Plan Monday at "I'm an Organization Junkie" and Chive Talkin's Menu Plan Blogroll (she had some really yummy looking things last week!)

I have heaps of oranges that I don't really know what to do with. In my search, I found this recipe for Cranberry - Orange Biscotti. I made them this week. They are really good and so easy to make! I used orange juice in lieu of the orange liqueur because that's what I had on hand. They were very good and would make an excellent teacher gift!