I have fallen completely off the wagon in regards to my menus and after Ryan gave me an intervention, I decided to actually go to the store today.  I was able to keep the bill under $200, but by less than $3.  We were out of EVERYTHING!

Here is my proof that I only blog for myself.  The weekly menu posts get by far the most traffic (besides pictures of my son with his hand in his pants).  It’s an easy post too.  I don’t have to come up with clever wording or a story of any kind.  But yet, this is one of the first posts to go by the wayside.  Even my friends tell me that they love the menu posts – no love for my friends either, until today.

Monday – Vegetable Tian – This is basically vegetables that are sauteed and then baked with cheese.  I’ll post the recipe at the end of this email.  I got it from a local magazine when we lived in Iowa.  The recipe is from Chef Kim Zesiger from the Redhead Restaurant in Solon, IA.  I made this and served it over a bed of brown rice.

Tuesday – Chicken and Cashews in Lettuce Cups – It’s been in the upper 80’s for the last few weeks and I can’t handle eating heavy meals when it’s hot outside – I apologize for all of you in the rest of the country where it is in the triple digits.  Living in San Diego has made me a wimp when it comes to extreme temperatures.  This is a really good light meal and the kids like it too.  I have to leave the cashews out for Rory’s portion since he is allergic, but it’s good with or without the nuts.

Wednesday – Foil Packet Fish Crockpot Recipe – The recipe calls for Tilapia, but I had a bad run with Tilapia and it started tasting like dirt so I pick up any other white fish at the store – cod, sea bass, flounder, halibut, etc.  This time I got rock fish.  I was really skeptical of this recipe because warm mayonnaise makes me want to vomit, but it’s actually very good.

Thursday – Tortilla-Black Been Casserole – I don’t know if I have ever made this or not, but it sounds good enough to eat.  It’s also vegetarian (that’s two meatless meals this week!)

Friday – Beef Fajitas – I subscribed to e-diets after I had Kamryn to lose the baby weight.  If you need to loose some lb’s, this works well, but I quit doing it because I had to buy too much stuff and wouldn’t get a chance to use up the entire amount before it went bad.  For example, I would need 1/2 an onion for something and the other 1/2 wouldn’t get used that week and thus would end up in the trash.  Anyway, the recipe is at the end of the post.

Saturday – Turkey Burgers or ribs – Ryan has some ribs that he is going to smoke and he wasn’t up for it last weekend so maybe we’ll have those next weekend.  If he’s still not up for it, we’ll have turkey burgers.

Sunday – It’s My Birthday! – I’m sure my husband has a glorious meal to make for me or is already planning an extravagant dinner out somewhere (with a 5 year old and a 3 year old of course).

I’m also going to make a Midwest Summer Staple:  Creamy Cucumbers!  I ate these every summer and it’s been awhile since I have had them.  They are a perfect side to any dinner or I’ll probably end up eating them for lunch too.

Recipes:

Vegetable Tian

4 to 6 medium zucchini, chopped or sliced

1 medium onion chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup Gruyere cheese, or any firm, rich cheese will do

Fresh choped parsley

Olive oil for sauteing

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Sautee the onion for about 4 minutes, then add the zucchini.  Continue sauteing zucchini for about 6 more minutes, or until zucchini is slightly brown, adding the minced garlic about halfway through.  Add enough wine to deglaze the pan, but do not drown the zucchini.  Then add the chopped tomatoes and parsley and cook for 2 more minutes.  Spread the mixture into a casserole dish and stir in the shredded cheese, sprinkling the last of the cheese on top of the casserole.  Bake at 325 degrees covered for 15 minutes, then uncovered and brown the cheese on top.

 

Steak Fajitas (From e-diets)

Flour tortillas

1lb steak, cut in strips

1 Green pepper

1 small onion

Cheddar cheese

Chili powder

sour cream

tomato

olive oil

 

Slice all meat and vegetables into strips.  In a skillet, heat oil on medium and stir-fry steak until slightly golden, about 4 – 6 minutes.  Increase heat to medium-high and add vegetables and chili powder to skillet.  Continue to cook, stirring frequently until vegetable are tender but still firm, about another 2 – 3 minutes.  Chop tomato and add to the mixture.  Spread mixture over tortillas, sprinkle with cheese, top with sour cream and serve.

 

Creamy Cucumbers

1 1/2 c miracle whip

1/2 c sugar

1 t salt

1/2 t pepper

1/3 c vinegar

Peal and slice 3 or 4 large cucumbers and 1 large onion – mix and sit overnight.

 

Happy eating!