Menu Plan Monday: CSA Basket and the Start of Lent

In our CSA basket this last week, we got lots of fruit, plus:

-tomatoes

-avocado

-broccoli

-chard

-lettuce: greenleaf, iceberg & romaine

-cilantro

-tatsoi

-carrots

-kohlrabi

-yams

And we're making of it:

Saturday: miso soup with kohlrabi leaves & mushrooms

Sunday: chef salad (used kohlrabi bulb, lettuce, tomato and carrot)

Monday: turkey soup w/ basil rolls (from freezer stash)

Shrove Tuesday: pancakes w/ fixings and bacon 

Ash Wednesday: swiss chard and lentil soup (from this book), with yam fries

Thursday: taco salad (vegetarian, with beans)

I'm continuing to enjoy the challenge of menu planning with a CSA basket. It's fun to eat new things (kohlrabi was new to us this week), and I think we'll appreciate it especially during Lent.

For more Menu Plan Monday, visit OrgJunkie here.

peace of Christ to you,

Jessica Snell

Menu Planning from our CSA basket

We subscribe to a CSA, which stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Basically, we have a teeny-tiny share in a local farm, and our return for our investment is a big basket of food every two weeks. I never know what we're going to get, so it's like Christmas every time, picking up the basket and driving home with the sweet-spicy smell of basil wafting from the passenger seat, where the basket is riding. And when I get home, I have to unpack it all and come up with something to do with all that produce.

It's actually a lot of fun, and I love just having the produce around, because even aside from the planned dinners, I'm always finding uses for it in our lunches and snacks - throwing a bit of celery into a soup, or some tomatoes into pasta, or chopping up apples for snacks.

I didn't get a picture of our basket this week, but here's what we had in it:

Herbs:

-dill

-cilantro

-basil

Vegetables:

-celery

-red-leaf lettuce

-romaine lettuce

-bok choy

-zucchini

-carrots

-tomatoes

-onions

-potatoes

-butternut squash

Fruits:

-pears

-limes & lemons

-oranges

-grapefruit

-apples

And, of course, flowers.

And here's what we're making from it:

-salad from the lettuce and basil (and a few other veg)

-snacks from the fruit

Sunday: Chicken Salad with Dill, & crackers (using dill, onion & celery)

Monday: Cilantro Chicken & brown rice (using cilantro, onion & tomato)

Tuesday: Spicy Dill Rice (the combination of dill, cardamom and jalapeno sounds fascinating)

Wednesday: Veggie Stir-fry with Terriyaki Chicken (using bok choy, carrots, zucchini, celery and onion)

Thursday: Carmelized Root Vegetable and Meatball Soup (using butternut squash, potatoes, carrots and onion)

Friday: out

Saturday: Ham & Potato Soup (using celery, onion and potato)

For more menus, check out Menu Plan Monday.

peace of Christ to you,

Jessica Snell

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: tomato soup with basil grilled cheese sandwiches, and Crenshaw melon
Tuesday: freezer stash meal, with watermelon
Wednesday: pumpkin pie and whipped cream
Thursday: spicy peanut chicken over rice
Friday: dinner out
Saturday: sesame brown rice with shredded chicken and peanuts

The brown rice salad is a repeat, and I highly recommend making it the day before - it's one of those recipes that tastes even better the second day, y'know?

The spicy peanut chicken is a new one, and I'm interested in seeing how it turns out.

Tonight's dinner is the soup with grilled cheese (is there anything better than grilled cheese dipped in tomato soup?). But grilled cheese with BASIL - oh my. Just put some fresh basil in there with the cheese, and you've got something you'll think you should have paid twenty bucks for at a fancy lunch cafe. Mmmmm-mmm.

We don't have much room for a garden, but I do have potted basil growing on the patio! It's a summer must. :)

For more great menus, visit Org Junkie.

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

p.s. Oh, and the pumpkin pie for dinner? Sometimes, you just have to have pumpkin pie.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Easy Cinnamon Bread, lunch meat and fruit
Tuesday: Beef and Broccoli w/ rice, casaba melon
Wednesday: picnic cavier with corn chips, watermelon
Thursday: carne asada with corn tortillas, broiled grapefruit
Friday: dinner at folks;
Saturday: yummy pasta salad

I miss baking, but don't have time to do baked goods AND get a meal on the table every night - not with four small children to take care of too!

So I have a new strategy: every week or two, we have a baked good for dinner! That's the explanation of tonight's cinnamon bread supper. Last week we had a supper of apple-pear scones and bacon.

However, we got invited out for supper tonight, so intead of being the main dish, the cinnamon bread has become the dessert we're bringing along to our host's house.

For more menus, visit Org Junkie.

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

Menu Plan Monday

I'm a bit late, but I thought it'd be fun to join in anyway. So, here's what we're eating this week!

Monday: ham-and-cheese turnovers (from freezer), and gala melon
Tuesday: quesadillas w/ refried beans, and canary melon
Wednesday: huevos rancheros tostados, and gala melon
Thursday: dinner with extended family?
Friday: Asian spaghetti (double for freezer)
Saturday: moo-shu pork (double for freezer)

I'm loving the cheap summer melons at my local independant produce market. 50 cents each and SOOO sweet and ripe.

And I recommend using Trader Joe's garlic and herb pizza dough for the ham and cheese turnovers. Yum.

Here's the moo-shu pork recipe - I'm afraid I don't remember where I got it; maybe Family Circle or Woman's Day?

MOO SHU PORK
-Put 2 lb. pork (boneless) in crockpot w/ 1 cup hoisin sauce and 2 tablespoons fresh, grated gingeroot. Mix. Cook on low about 8 hours. Shred. Serve in flour tortillas with shredded carrots.

I know that sounds way too simple to be good, but oh my, it's delicious.

For more great menus, check out Menu Plan Monday at Org Junkie.

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

menu plan monday

Here's a recent yummy experiment:

You can find the recipe here. My husband really liked the sauce, but I personally thought the shrimp was the best part and (oh the shame) enjoyed more the plain shrimp I snatched from the colander before I added them to the dish (no worries, I was using precooked, not raw).

And here's what we're planning on having this next week:

Monday: Sesame Brown Rice Salad with Shredded Chicken and Peanuts
Tuesday: freezer meal
Wednesday: Pumpkin-Bean Soup (double for freezer)
Thursday: Creamy Chicken and Noodles (crockpot meal)
Friday: dinner at folks'
Saturday: Garlic Salmon Linguine

And here's the recipe for Garlic Salmon Linguine, which I received as part of a bridal shower gift from a lady at my church. If you don't like fish or garlic, DO NOT MAKE THIS. If you do like fish and garlic, you'll love this.

GARLIC SALMON LINGUINE
-1 (16 oz.) package linguine
-3-6 garlic cloves, minced
-1/3 c. olive oil
-1 can (14 3/4 oz.) salmon, drained (skin and bones removed, if desired)
-3/4 c. chicken broth
-1/4 c. minced fresh parsley
-1/2 t. salt
-1/8 t. chili powder

1) Cook linguine per package directions.
2) Meanwhile, in large skillet, saute garlic in oil. Stir in salmon, broth, parsley, salt and chili powder. Cook until heated through.
3) Drain linguine and add to the salmon mixture and toss to coat. Enjoy.

It's a really tasty, quick weekend sort of supper.


peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

Menu Plan Monday

This week my menu plans changed a little unexpectedly - my friend had a baby! So I'm making extra meatballs today to bring her family a meal later this week. The baby's a cutie too - I got to meet her at the hospital yesterday. She has the TINIEST HANDS I've ever seen on any full-term chickie.

Monday: turkey-jasmine meatballs with sauce over soba noodles, with roasted cauliflower (I'm skipping the baby bok choy part of the recipe)

Tuesday: soup from the freezer, with canned fruit and oatmeal muffins (if you have the BHG red plaid cookbook, you can find these muffins at the beginning of the bread page. They're only slightly sweet, with a yummy, satisfying flavor and texture.)

Wednesday: terriyaki chicken with rice and canned fruit

Thursday: cinnamon rolls, scrambled eggs and canned fruit

Saturday: Indian Spiced Chicken casserole

Sunday picnic: bean and cheese burritos and fruit


I got my terriyaki chicken recipe at my bridal shower, and it's been a favorite ever since (though I typically make it with 1 lb. of boneless, skinless chicken meat):

Marion Lee's Terriyaki Chicken
-3-4 lb. chicken thighs or drumsticks
Sauce:
-3/4 c. soy sauce
-3/4 c. sugar
-1. tablespoon sherry
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1 1/2" ginger, crushed

Marinate chicken in sauce ingredients 4 hours or overnight. Bake in shallow pan (with marinade) at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes (might be less with less chicken).


peace of Christ to you,
Jessica

Menu Monday

This week, our menu has two Irish nights on it, in honor of St. Patrick. Even if you're not Irish, you can get excited about St. Patrick; he was an amazing man, missionary, bishop and Christian.

Without further ado, here's what we're eating this week:

Monday: Corn-Sausage Chowder and fruit

Tuesday: My MIL is providing dinner, 'cause it's my son's first birthday!

Wednesday: Colcannon soup with Farmhouse Crackers (from the Irish food section of this month's Vegetarian Tiems)

Thursday: Orange Chicken with Rice Pilaf, and Broccoli with Red Pepper and Toasted Garlic

Friday: going to my parents' house (hmmm, this is quite a week for eating the grandparent's cooking)

Saturday: Corned Beef, Cabbage and Irish Soda Bread, what else? :D


Here's the recipe for the Corn-Sausage Chowder, which is pretty easy to make, and absolutely scrumptious:

-1 lb. sausage
-1 c. chopped onion
-3 c. chopped (1/2") potatoes
-2 c. water
-1 t. salt
-1/2 t. dried oregano
-1/8 t. black pepper
-1 15 1/4 oz. can corn, drained
-1 14 3/4 oz. can creamed corn, undrained
-1 12 oz. can evaporated milk

1) Cook and crumble sausage and onion till cooked an tender. Drain oil.
2) Stir in potatoes, water and spices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook almost 10 minutes, or till potato is tender.
3) Add corn and evaporated milk. Cook and stir till heated through.


I got that recipe quite awhile ago out of American Baby magazine, of all places!


peace of Christ to you,
Jessica