Black Bean Burgers with Cheese, Onions, Avocado and Sweet Potato Fries Thursday

Seems like the family loved this one. Whole wheat buns from Whole Foods... and black bean burgers topped with cheese, onions and avocados. The sweet potato fries turned out nicely. Cooper ate a hundred of them.

Leftovers from lunch and date night Wednesday

Thanks to Tita and Papa, we had some nice roll-up sandwiches left over from our pool day picnic today. The boys ate those up, along with some left over watermelon, pineapple, mandarin oranges, cheese, and Pringles.

Dad and I ate two slices of leftover jalapeno and pesto pizza from East Side Pies. We're going out for date night to balance our budget. You may notice more Ramon noodles for dinner in the coming months.

Stir Fry Salmon, Veges, and Noodles Tuesday

Tonight's meal came to me on the fly... no recipes whatsoever, just basically cleaning out the fridge and freezer. I boiled some whole wheat spaghetti pasta, then sauteed some veges-- garlic, onions, celery, green onions, and carrots. I then cut up some salmon and sauteed it, then mixed it with the veges and noodles. I stir fried it all with some peanut sauce. Topped it with a little soy as a condiment and wahlah... the kids and hubby loved it.

We also had some birthday cake with homemade frosting (who's birthday is it you ask? Well, I was saving the cake for Cooper's birthday, but he couldn't wait any longer. Eh- I can scrape up another $.89 and 3 eggs before Aug. 31st).

Bison Rib Eye, Grilled Potatoes Monday

The ribeye didn't get done on the grill... so I had to keep it coasting on the stove top.. not bad with a little soy sauce on top. The grilled potatoes were a big hit with the boys... lots of cheese on top!!

July 28- Aug 3 Menu

Monday- Rib Eye Bison and Potatoes on the grill
Tuesday- Stir Fry Salmon with veges/noodles/peanut sauce
Wednesday- Black bean burgers and sweet potato fries
Thursday- Spaghetti Pasta (or pesto?)
Friday- Black bean chili (with corn and peas)
Saturday- Tuna and couscous
Sunday- Bison ground meat something or other (maybe slop?)

Pesto, black olive, and jalapeno Pizza Sunday

Again with the East Side Pies. We need to buy stock in that shop!!

Seafood Pasta Salad Saturday

My friend Grace sent me this recipe (she actually found it in an old Betty Crocker cook book). This was so yummy and super easy to make. Unfortunately, Chaz didn't like the water chestnuts and was afraid to keep eating the pasta part.. but he did pretty good. Cooper slept through dinner again. Dad and I loved it!! The ginger in it is really nice.

5 oz. box of Q&Q vermicelli
2 grilled chicken breast cubed (or you could use a 8 0z. pack of fake crab meat if you want)
8 oz. can of sliced water chestnuts
1/4 cup of course chopped cilantro
2 medium carrots grated
1 cup of peeled and course chopped cucumber
Ginger Dressing ( below)

Cook vermicelli as directed on package, drain and rinse with cold water. Toss vermicelli, fake crab, water chestnuts, cilantro, carrots and cucumber with Ginger Dressing. Spoon onto a bed of lettuce if you want.

Ginger Dressing (so easy and you can make it ahead too)
1/3 cup mayo
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 T of soy sauce
1 t of sugar
1/2 t ground ginger
Dash of red pepper sauce, hot chili oil or hot sesame oil

Spicy English 7 Layer Salad Friday

Tonight is 4th Friday, so dinner must be ready and eaten so we can go play in the bounce house down the street--- thanks Kenny Dourham's backyard!!

So, we're trying this little number tonight. It's chilling in the fridge now:

INGREDIENTS

* 2 cups small seashell pasta
* 4 carrots, peeled and julienned
* 1/2 head leaf lettuce - rinsed, dried, and chopped
* 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
* 3/4 cup frozen green peas
* 1/2 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
* 2 cups mayonnaise (I used one mayo and one plain yogurt)
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar (only had organic sugar cane)
* 1 tablespoon curry powder
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
* 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Salmon Cakes, Salad, and Tomato Soup Thursday

The salmon cakes came out nicely. Chaz ate two patties and Cooper almost ate one (he was having a 2 year old moment and didn't want it so dad ate it. Cooper had 3 bananas). We also had some spicy mustard sauce, a beautiful salad that dad made (mixed greens, micro greens, avocado, and oil/vinegar dressing). We also had a few bowls of spicy tomato soup left over as a side. It was quite good.

More salmon cakes to come!!

Now to figure out what to make for Friday! Our kitchen is bare!!

See below for the apple snack that Chaz just had to wait to eat until daddy came home (we took a picture to show daddy instead).

Bison Burger Wednesday

Cheese bison burgers with onions, lettuce and tomatoes! Yum! The boys both ate their entire burgers (no onions, lettuce, and tomatoes for them though)!!

Pesto Pasta, Fruit, Vege, Peanut Butter and Honey Tuesday

We had a good 3 or 4 hours at the swimming pool this late afternoon, so we needed something quick with lots of protein.

Dad's playing tennis so he'll order a pizza later, but for the little guys and me we had this:



Orange slices
Apple slices
Carrot sticks
Pretzels
A big bowl of peanut butter and honey for dipping
Whole wheat spaghetti pasta with pesto and cheese.


It was actually quite filling and the boys munched away like they had been swimming all day! :) Hopefully bedtime will be as easy!

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili Pie Monday

This was actually a hit! The easiest meal ever and no complaints! Two cans of Whole Foods Black Bean Vegetarian Chili on top of Frito chips, topped with hand grated cheddar cheese. Two bowls and I'm full!!

We'll have to do this easy one again!! Although I'll add more veges next time (maybe carrots or celery on the side).

Salmon, Toasted Rolls, Edamame Sunday

The boys loved every little bit of this dinner. Grilled salmon with a honey/soy sauce glaze (and garlic, pepper, ginger, and rice vinegar), with toasted ciabata rolls (with rosemary and butter), and a big bowl of salted edamame. YUM!! I made a honey mustard sauce to go on top of the salmon. We also cooked up some more trout so that I can put it on a salad for lunch tomorrow.

July 20- July 26 Menu

Sunday- Salmon, Whole Wheat Buns, and Edamame
Monday- Black Bean Chili
Tuesday- Pasta of some sort
Wednesday- Bison Cheese Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries
Thursday- Salmon Cakes with spicy sauce (some vege or salad side)
Friday- Spicy English 7 Layer Salad
Saturday- Crab Pasta Salad
Sunday-

Pizza and Pasta Saturday

Here's to show the menu doesn't always stay stuck. Tonight is Pizza. We made tuna pesto pasta for lunch, so we forgot to get the grill going for dinner before 8pm. Such a lazy Saturday (right!! we spent the day cleaning, organizing, and making a compost bin... not easy when you have two kids and two dogs to deal with all day long!!).

Anyway, it's the weekend. We'll see if we can cook up some burgers or salmon tomorrow.

Mexican Restaurant Friday

Dario's got our dollars last night. I was so stuffed and lethargic after all that cheese on my enchiladas. I definitely can't do that too often.

The boys loved their bean tacos!

Pesto Spaghetti with Zucchini and Cheese

This was a great 5 star meal tonight! Easy whole wheat spaghetti pasta with sauteed zucchini (in olive oil and salt and pepper), mixed with pesto and fresh basil, and then topped with cheddar cheese. Both kids loved it.

We had fresh cut honey dew melon for dessert.

Honey Mustard Trout with Rice and Broccoli

The tried and true honey mustard trout was back tonight and yep-- it was just as good as ever!! My new favorite (and oh so easy!!). We paired it with brown rice, broccoli, some teryaki sauce and some nice red wine.

I was so full (we had cheese and crackers first) that I couldn't eat it all. Guess I'll have some yummy lunch tomorrow!!

Tuna Steak with Corn and Salad Tuesday

We marinated the tuna steak and cooked it like this:

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 (4 ounce) tuna steaks

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large non-reactive dish, mix together the orange juice, soy sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, garlic, oregano, and pepper. Place the tuna steaks in the marinade and turn to coat. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Preheat grill for high heat.
3. Lightly oil grill grate. Cook the tuna steaks for 5 to 6 minutes, then turn and baste with the marinade. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, or to desired doneness. Discard any remaining marinade.

We also made an oil and vinegar dressing for a mixed green salad with sesame sticks, walnuts, dried cranberries, and arugula. The corn on the cob was for dessert!

The boys had dinner earlier- scrambled eggs with cheese, carrot sticks, and lots of pretzely and cookie-type snacks.

East Side Pies Pineapple and Jalapeno Pizza

Unfortunately, because I had a meeting tonight, we decided not to cook out. Instead of the tuna steak, we ordered thin crust pineapple and jalapeno pizza from East Side Pies. It was soooo good... but ooohhh soooo bad!!

For lunch, the kids had a wide variety of goodies... although they've been slowly picking at it all day.

Whole Wheat Pasta and Honey Mustard Trout Sunday

We had a super yummy delicious dinner last night. I cooked up some whole wheat spaghetti pasta, threw in some olive oil, garlic, and basil.. then topped it off with some grated cheese. The boys ate that with some carrots. Hubby also grilled some trout- on top of onions with a great honey mustard sauce that I whipped up.

Family favorite!!

July 13- July 19 Menu

Dinner:

Sunday- Honey Mustard Trout with Pasta
Monday- East Side Pies - Pineapple and Jalapeno Pizza
Tuesday- Tuna Steak with Salad and Couscous
Wednesday- Trout with Brown Rice and Broccoli
Thursday- Pesto Cheese Pasta with Zucchini
Friday- Zippy Ground Bison Skillet
Saturday- Sockeye Salmon, Whole Wheat Buns, Edamame