Hi Friends!

...that is if I still have any. I'm back for a week before I take off for my LAST trip of the summer. So here's a week's worth of meals, and then I PROMISE I'll get back in my groove...

*Monday: Chicken Tortilla Soup-Burke was sick and we were out of town on Father's Day. So tonight we're celebrating with one of his favorites. And I normally make him a Banana Cream Pie for dessert, but tonight I'm going to simplify by making individual banana cream trifles (see photo above). Layer crushed vanilla wafers, sliced bananas, vanilla/banana pudding, whipped cream, and repeat 3 times. Garnish with a wafer and banana slice.

*Tuesday: Baked Potatoes with toppings

*Wednesday: Pasta with Tomatoes & Pinenuts and salad (I may throw some pine nuts on my salad too!)

*Thursday: Homemade Fish sticks & coleslaw Ryder's been begging for us to make fish sticks, and I've been craving some good ole' coleslaw. Perfect!

*Friday: Beans & Rice-going to try a pinto bean recipe that my Mom & I will be making for about 40 people in 2 weeks. We'll top our beans & rice with tomatoes, cotija cheese, avocados & onions.

*Saturday: Leftovers

*Sunday: Stuffed Peppers

Back at it...

Finally!!! I'm home! And ready to get cookin'! Here is our menu for the week--

*Monday: Lighter Chicken Pot Pie

*Tuesday: Red Lentil Soup with Sage & Bacon

*Wednesday: Stuffed Peppers with Cheddar and Sage Biscuits

*Thursday: Leftovers

*Friday: Portobello, Broccoli and Red-Pepper Melts

*Saturday: Spaghetti & French Bread

*Sunday: General Conference! *Breakfast=Cinnamon Rolls & Mini Frittatas *Dinner=Salmon & Roasted Root Vegetables

hungry...

Here is our menu for this week! I'm feeling hungry at the moment, so we're starting the week with one of my new favorites...

*Monday: Stuffed Peppers (I've been thinking about these ever since I made them a few weeks ago...I think they may be on my weekly menu fairly often from now on. :) & leftover Ciabatta bread

*Tuesday: Pita Pizzas (I just asked Ryder what he'd like this week for dinner and this was his pick!)

*Wednesday: Salmon (I'm going to coat the fish with s&p and a little cayenne and then make an avocado salsa to go on top--simply dice red onion, avocados and mix with a little lime juice--place on top of fillets after cooking fish however you'd like! I'll probably bake mine...) & cantalope (the most nutrient dense fruit---thanks, Page!)

*Thursday: Macaroni & Cheese (homemade, of course) & Broccoli

*Friday: Date night!

*Saturday: Leftovers

*Sunday: Peanut-Crusted Chicken Breasts & Asparagus (if you're worried that this is the third recipe in two weeks that calls for "white sandwich bread", I'm sorry. I rarely buy white bread, and since I did last week for the fish, I need to use it up! Just trying to be resourceful...even if I'm feeding my family empty carbs... :)

Happy eating!

weekly menu

*Monday: Lentil Soup (we had plenty of leftovers on Sunday, so I saved this for tonight's dinner!) & cinnamon-yam biscuits

*Tuesday: Salmon Steaks with Hoisin Glaze, Parmesan Steak Fries (see recipe below) & broccoli. This is one of our FAVORITE dinners...and it's SO easy!

*Wednesday: Lasagna Rolls & salad

*Thursday: Leftovers

*Friday: Grilled Cheese (If I've worked out that day, sometimes I'll even make these on pretzel bread! And we always add veggies to our grilled cheese....spinach, tomatoes, onions, avocado, peppers, etc.) & "red soup". This is Ryder's FAVORITE dinner. "Red soup" is just tomato soup. Either I buy yummy red pepper/tomato soup from Trader Joe's, or I just make my own (learned this from Amy...cream cheese, tomato juice, salt/pepper, garlic, canned diced tomatoes, milk, and whatever else you feel like adding!).

*Saturday: Leftovers

*Sunday: Stuffed Peppers, fruit & rolls


PARMESAN STEAK FRIES

-3 large egg whites
-coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
-3 baking potatoes
-1 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 425*. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk the egg whites with 1 teaspoon salt until frothy. Cut each potato into 6 long spears; add to the egg whites, and turn to coat.
One at a time, lift the spears out of the egg whites, shaking off excess; working over a plate, sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese until coated (do not shake off excess). Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake, without turning, until the potatoes are fork-tender and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.