Menu Planner – Week of October 8th

After last week’s dive back into the wonderful world of menu planning, we’re in full kitchen swing here. There’s just something about the leaves turning color and the air turning crisper that inspires me to cook up meals that warm the heart as well as the body. This week I’m adding some comfort foods to the mix and working my way back into the test kitchen for some baking.

I threw myself a change-up this week and hit the grocery store on the way home from church Sunday. That means most of our fresher menu items will be popping up early in the week. I rarely cook on Sunday evenings, but with all sorts of things packed into my fridge, I couldn’t resist. We still had leftover pizza from Friday, which took care of the kids, so I whipped up some Pineapple Fried Rice for Mr W and I. I also have two loaves of Banana Oatmeal Bread with Dark Chocolate shavings in the oven as I write this. Hopefully it will be tasty enough to be worth posting.

Here’s what’s on tap for this week:

Monday

Monday’s dinner will be a bit of a mish-mash. I’ve got some portobello mushroom caps left over from Friday’s grocery run  and I need to use them up, but the kids won’t eat them. That means stuffed mushrooms for the grown-ups paired with a family friendly dish. Since we’ve made our monthly Trader Joe’s Run and I’m all stocked up on goat cheese again, our old favorite of roasted tomato pasta with goat cheese and olives will make an appearance.

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Portobello
Spaghetti with Roasted Tomato Pasta & Goat Cheese
Fresh Salad
Pan Roasted Asparagus

Tuesday

One of the nice things about having a deep freeze is the constant supply of meat just waiting to be thawed. We buy most of our meat in bulk, frozen, and as close to organic as we can afford. That means I’ll be able to pull out several chicken breasts from my last Trader Joe’s run for Chicken Enchiladas.  Since my Cilantro plant has miraculously survived being indoors for the last few months, I’ll throw together a knock-off of Chipotle’s famous rice as well.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas (I’ll sub in Greek Yogurt instead of Sour Cream)
Cilantro Lime Rice
Sweet Corn
Fresh Salad

Wednesday

Chances are I’ll be cooking twice on Wednesday. Our barn is nearly 100 years old and it’s time for it to get a little bit of work done to get ready for winter. To that end, Mr W will be teaming up with some of our friends to get some new siding put in place.  It’s going to be in the 50’s, so I’m planning to take them some warm hearty soup and some fresh baked bread for lunch. Since I’ll be in the kitchen anyway, I figure I’ll throw together a lasagna to pop in the oven later that night.

Broccoli Cheese Soup
Homemade Crusty Bread
Homemade Lasagna
Fresh Garden Salad
Green Beans

Thursday

This will actually be the last night I’ll need to make dinner this week as we’ve got a long drive out of town on Friday night, a friend’s wedding on Saturday and then a flight to Vegas for a conference on Sunday. We’ll pull some more chicken breast out of the freezer to grill and I’ll be trying my hand at turning spaghetti squash into a cheesy au gratin to see whether it will earn family approval.

Balsamic Grilled Chicken Breast
Spaghetti Squash Au Gratin
Pan Fried Garlic Brussels Sprouts
Sweet Peas

Friday

Since I’m guessing the rest of you do NOT have the excuse of a long road trip to keep you from the kitchen Friday, I figured I’d throw another few recipes at you for the weekend anyway. These are from my recipe Pinboard and are ones I hope to try before too long.

Tilapia with Garlic Butter
Roasted Parmesan Green Beans
Summer Vegetable Tian

Saturday

And finally, a little something for the weekend. Regular readers know we’re big fan of Asian feasts in this house and I’m always searching out some new options. I’ve got quite a few stored up on my Pinterest boards, so I’ll share a few options with you in case you want to do a little weekend experimentation.

Kung Pao Chicken
Chicken and Lemon Potstickers
Homemade Yum-Yum Sauce (the kind from Hibachi places…YUM!)

Sunday

While Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest, it’s also a great day to get in the kitchen to make a delicious treat while you rest later. Here are a few items from my dessert pinboard that I haven’t yet had a chance to try.

Bite Size Pumpkin Spice Donuts
Pumpkin Chocolate Cupcakes
Apple Cider Caramel Cookies