Last Week's Menu...

It's HERE!  It's FINALLY SPRING!!! 

 We've waited long enough and we're finally rewarded with sunshine and 50-60 degree weather!

Monday:  Ham Steaks, Baked Sweet Potato, Steamed Green Beans, and Pineapple rings

I LOVE ham!  If you mention this to my brother or sister, they will most likely share a not-so-flattering story from childhood about my love affair with ham.  Despite my interest, I have actually only made it a handful of times in the 15 years of marriage and mom-hood.  You see, my husband is NOT a ham-lover.  In the early years of our marriage, I was so focused on trying to make him happy that not making my favorite meals was just another part of life in which I yielded to him.  I know, it's pretty dumb.  He'd say so too.  A few weeks ago at Easter dinner, I noticed how my children gobbled down the ham steaks.  Especially my youngest- and pickiest- son.  A smile lit my face as I realized that they had inherited my love for ham!  And so, this night's dinner was a nod to all of the ham lovers out there!  After searing the steaks on the stove, I cooked them on the grill for a few short minutes.  I paired the steaks with pineapple rings (which I lightly seared on the stove top), oven-baked sweet potatoes (topped with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon), and green beans.

Tuesday:  Burritos, Homemade Guacamole, and Chips

This burrito recipe comes from my mother-in-law.  I cook up some ground turkey seasoned with 1/2 of a packet of taco seasoning.  After I get that cooking a bit, I add the other 1/2 of the taco seasoning packet with a 14 oz. can of brown gravy and a 4 oz can of tomato sauce in a small sauce pan.  Stir and heat this up to make your burrito sauce.  While the sauce and meat are cooking, I dice up onions and tomatoes, and chop up some lettuce.  I also like to make my own guacamole using 3 avocados mixed with garlic salt, cracked pepper, a splash lime juice and cilantro.  Once the meat is cooked, I put one scoop of meat and whatever toppings each family member likes in the middle of a burrito-sized tortilla shell.  Wrap it up & flip it over so the seam side is down on the plate.  Ladle a few spoonfuls of the burrito sauce on top, give it a sprinkle of shredded cheese, and heat for 30-45 seconds.  *Mom Tip:  heat the youngest kid's burrito first so it has cooled off by the time the last burrito is ready.

Wednesday:  Spaghetti &Meatballs, and Salad

As I mentioned two weeks ago, every other Wednesday is crazy for me.  Between work, picking up kids, cleaning the office, and dropping kids off at practice, I just don't have time for dinner prep.  Spaghetti is one of my husband and daughter's favorite meals...and also one they can make on their own if I don't get home in time.  I usually prep the salad the night before so it's ready to pull out of the fridge. I keep a bag of heat and serve meatballs in the freezer just in case I haven't made any from scratch.

Thursday:  French Dip Sandwiches, and Banana-Blueberry Fruit Salad

If my husband and eldest son had their way, this meal would be on the menu every week.  I lightly butter hoagie buns and toast them in the oven for about 5 minutes on the higher rack in the oven.  While the bread is toasting, I boil 14 oz. beef broth with one envelope french onion soup mix and add in 1/2 pound of thinly sliced Roast Beef deli meat.  I also slice up one green pepper and one yellow onion and saute them lightly in 1 tbsp butter.  Once the bread looks toasty, I layer 1-2 slices of Swiss cheese (or Muenster for my picky kiddos), 2-3 slices of meat, and a few green peppers and onions.  Bake them, open-faced, on a baking sheet for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.  Serve the sandwiches with a ramekin bowl of about 1 cup of the soup/broth mixture.

Friday:  Burgers and Chips

Friday + Sunshine = Grilling on the patio!  I prefer to make my own burger patties out of ground turkey.  I tend to make a different concoction each time, but the basic recipe generally involves an egg or two, Worcestershire sauce, steak seasoning and bread crumbs.  Knead all of the ingredients together, form into patties, and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes.  

Saturday:  Strawberry Spinach Salad

I usually take the weekends off from making full-blown meals because, honestly, menu planning on weekends is futile.  Our schedule is usually so busy that we grab a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or Qdoba burrito bowls on the run.  Every once in a while, I'm actually home for lunch.  The kids still grab their hot dogs or make quesadillas in between running in and out of the house (I love that they're old enough to do that!), but sometimes I'll have the time to put together one of my favorites.  This salad is so summery and so quick to throw together.  I just throw a handful of pre-washed spinach into a bowl, cut up a few cucumbers, sizzle up a slice or two of bacon (then crumble it), add in a few cherry tomatoes, and toss it with some Raspberry vinaigrette dressing.  I had a few La Choy Chow Mein noodles on hand, so I sprinkled them on top for fun too.