Menu Monday #11

After another weekend on the road, it is nice to be settled back in at home again this morning. We are grateful for the shorter road trips to see family in Ohio again, but there's still nothing like being at your own home. I tend to steer towards the authoritarian (military) parenting style when it comes to some things, like naps and mealtime. Unfortunately, these are things that are harder to control away from home. Perhaps due to the very structured life/schedule we lead at home, it has made the boys not as easily adaptable to other situations, which often leads to tired, cranky kids when we are away from home. Ugh. It also leads to children still sleeping as I type this at 9 am this morning!

We enjoyed our Saturday evening at a family reunion with hubby's mom's relatives. A big picnic-style dinner of ribs, pulled pork and assorted sides and desserts filled us up as we caught up with everyone. It was my (and the boys) first time meeting some of the attendees since it was my first time attending a reunion with this side of the family. It was an evening of good food, good conversation and good times for the kids.

I am happy to report that last week's Lasagna Cups were a success! Super fun and tasty too. This one will definitely be added to the rotation. :)

Sunday: Out to eat

We got a late start back home, so we had to grab something quick to eat on the road. Did you know Burger King has sweet potato fries right now? I don't know if it was because they had been sitting too long or because they are deep fried, but they weren't that great. :( Their grilled chicken sandwich was pretty good though. I guess I had never had it since we are normally Wendy's people if we have to eat fast food.

Monday: Blackened salmon over brown rice, oven roasted parmesan broccoli

Yep, salmon again! You can bet I will have this one on the menu every week now until I a) get sick of it, or b) it gets too cold to grill. Neither of those are likely to happen anytime soon. :) The boys will have tilapia again.

Tuesday: Slow-cooker salsa chicken in whole wheat tortillas with Cajun-steamed corn

I need a quick meal since I am headed to Ethan's preschool orientation tomorrow night!! :o I know, I still can't believe that one yet either. Yes, I am sure there will be tears when preschool starts on the 7th. Hopefully just from me, and not Ethan! ;) This is a great meal to get on the table quickly. The chicken cooks most of the day, then I can just heat the tortillas and corn and we are ready to eat in 5 minutes!

Wednesday: Caprese burgers, baked sweet potato fries

I saw this idea for a burger awhile back and have been wanting to give it a try. I'll make traditional burger patties, using lean ground beef. We'll grill those, then top them with a slice of fresh mozzarella, a slice of tomato, a few basil leaves and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. All of that on a toasted whole wheat English muffin. Sounds delicious, so I am hoping this one turns out great!

Thursday: Grilled BBQ pork chops, mac 'n cheese, pan fried parmesan green beans

We'll grill some pork chops, topped with our favorite, Montgomery Inn BBQ sauce. On the side, I'll make Kraft mac 'n cheese. It's the only kind Ethan will eat (we've tried lots of different homemade varieties at home and at restaurants) and I haven't made it in months, so we'll indulge a bit. :) They make lots of different kinds now and I buy their whole grain variety. I actually prefer it to the original and feel a little better about serving it. ;) I also make their reduced-fat/calorie version (listed on the box), by decreasing the amount of butter and using skim milk. I actually think this tastes better too. I must admit that mac 'n cheese is one of the only things I prefer from the (blue) box to homemade. I guess because I grew up eating so much of it? I don't know. It's also one of the only things I prefer as leftovers, and I normally hate leftovers. I think it's because it's even more dry the next day when you nuke it and that is how I prefer my mac 'n cheese...not creamy and saucy. Weird, I know, but I guess Ethan gets that from me. Haha!

Friday: Out to eat

Downtown Johnson City (the Hands On! Museum) will be hosting a "Touch a Truck" event where you can come and see (and touch!) all kinds of different trucks. When I saw this, I knew it would be super exciting for Ethan, so we're hoping to make it there for this. :) While we are downtown, we'd like to check out one of the local restaurants there.

Saturday: Margherita pizza

I ended up changing last week's menu a bit since we would be eating pizza Friday night at Josh's parents' house. So instead of making Margherita pizza last Thursday, I made a Margherita pasta instead. I prepared whole wheat rotini, then mixed in some fresh garlic, crushed tomatoes, chunks of fresh mozzarella and basil leaves. It was pretty good and Noah gobbled it up, so I think it's a keeper!

Happy meal planning to you all this week! And yes, little Noah is still sleeping at 9:45...he was one tired little boy!!