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July Monthly Meal Plan 2012

 

Pan Seared Scallops
Any one else ready for a change of pace?  Is your summer bucket list calling?  I’ll be taking a little break from regularly scheduled meal planning this month as I enjoy some family vacation time.  Today I’m sharing our general meal planning ideas that are easy to assemble, great for hot days and use lots of fresh ingredients.  I figure it will be a fun time to cultivate some new recipe inspirations from Pinterest.
-Hamburgers with native corn (2 weeks early this year)
-Grilled Chicken with a salad and homemade salad dressing.
-Grilled/ Pan seared Fish.  The scallops above were pan seared with a little olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper.  Super fast and the kids like them.  Since we are staying in Gloucester we will probably have fish or lobsters once a week.
-Steak Tips with grilled zucchini or summer squash
-Grilled Pork Tenderloin
-Mac and Cheese with ham and corn for lazy nights.
-Hot Dogs.  (We buy Applegate or something with no nitrates/nitrites)
-Pulled Pork Sandwiches (crock pot)
-Salsa Chicken (crock pot)
-Frittata with fresh veggies and herbs
 
It will be a fun month at the beach with lots of family and friends visiting.  We try to keep the menu simple and let everyone pitch in to pull it all together.  Some how it always just works.  When in doubt, just serve ice cream. It makes everything better in the summer.  I guess that’s why July is National Ice Cream month!
Do you stick with regular meal planning over the summer? Leave a comment with your favorite summer meal to make.

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I love to hear your feedback and comments. Stop by and visit Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter for more conversation!  Or get posts delivered via Email or RSS Feed. Thanks!  For more meal planning ideas, stop by Meal Plan Monday.    

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Menu Plan June 24

This week’s plan revolves around what I got at the farmers market on Sunday, using our garden harvest, and cleaning out the refrigerator before vacation.  We have TONS of salad greens so we may be having additional side salads all week, plus lettuce on any lunch sandwiches.

The Pioneer Woman Pantry Pasta

Monday~ Pantry Pasta and Broccoli from the market. We will do a meatless version of this recipe.
Tuesday~ Frittata with fresh herbs and sautéed bok choy on the side.  The eggs are from Lawton’s Dairy farm in Foxboro.
Wednesday~Clean Out Refrigerator Night
Thursday~ Veal Chop, also from Lawton’s Farm. Still need to research best way to cook it. Please share if you have a good recipe!
Friday~ Scallops from Globe Fish. Probably keep it simple and pan sear with some EVOO and salt and pepper.  And more salad.

We bought the Keith variety of garlic scapes.

It was garlic scape day at the Neighborhood Farm at the market today.  Did you know there are lots of different varieties of garlic scapes? I used some already in the pesto I made today.  They are also great chopped up and mixed in with scrambled eggs.  Maybe I’ll use some in the frittata this week.

What are you making this week?

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I love to hear your feedback and comments. Stop by and visit Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter for more conversation!  Or get posts delivered via Email or RSS Feed. If you have an extra minute, say hello on Facebook.  If you don’t connect from time to time, Random Recycling will drop from your feed. Silly Facebook techy stuff …Comment or like a post and you are more likely to see my future posts. Thanks! For more meal planning ideas, stop by Meal Plan Monday.  

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Seasonal Meal Planning June 17

We put a lot of time and effort in our garden this year and it’s finally paying off.  There are tons of greens to eat, herbs to harvest and the first pepper of the season is ready.  I have had to rethink meal planning so I incorporate as much of of our fresh veggies into each dinner.  Almost every lunch consists of a quick run outside to grab some fresh lettuce for sandwiches.  This morning I chopped fresh chives for our scrambled eggs.  Even with all the different ways to use our fresh herbs, I think we have enough already to dehydrate a batch to save for later.

The farmers market run today was primarily for Father’s Day dinner.  I picked up Beef Tenderloin and a Sirloin Steak from John Crow Farm.  Grass fed beef is so superior to grain fed I’m not sure I can go back.  We also grilled a halibut fillet that was lovely from Globe Fish.  Our strawberries from MacArthur Farm went into a strawberry-rhubarb galette I made this afternoon to celebrate the two favorite Dads in my life.

The temperature is expected to rise this week so I’ve planned lots of grilling for the week ahead…

Monday~ Salmon Burgers. (had to skip them last week in favor of boiled lobsters my Dad gave me.  Who wouldn’t, right?)  We also have corn on the cob to cook up and probably more salad to stay on top of those garden greens.
Tuesday~ Hamburgers.  Possibly thinking zucchini on the grill but will have to make a trip to the store.
Wednesday~ Grilled chicken, homemade salsa with our cilantro, hot pepper and farmers market tomatoes.
Thursday~ CORN or Eggs.  Or we toss all the leftovers into scrambled eggs!
Friday~ Pizza night.  We have used a lot of our fresh basil on pizza lately.  Maybe it will be a pesto pizza night?!
Saturday~ it may be date night so I’ll leave this one open.

Your turn! What’s on your menu this week?

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I love to hear your feedback and comments. Stop by and visit Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter for more conversation!  Or get posts delivered via Email or RSS Feed. If you have an extra minute, say hello on Facebook.  If you don’t connect from time to time, Random Recycling will drop from your feed. Silly Facebook techy stuff …Comment or like a post and you are more likely to see my future posts. Thanks! For more meal planning ideas, stop by Meal Plan Monday.  

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Meal Plan June 10 with Local Ingredients

The Neighborhood Farm spread of fresh greens

Today was the day.  Opening day of the Needham Farmers Market.  I’ve been working on this for two years so it was a really special to see it all come together.  The vendors had a successful day, the weather was stellar and everything went according to plan.  Best part of all, I now have some locally grown meat and produce to enjoy in the coming days.

Sunday~ Grilled salmon picked up at the farmers market.  We used a lemon garlic rub on the salmon fillets and grilled them.

Monday~ Beef hotdogs from Foxboro Cheese/Lawton Family Farm.  Real beef, no nitrates or nitrites and the farmer said I will see real meat when we bite into the hot dog.  “Not a pink circle” Farmer Ed Lawton had a lot to say about the meat raised on his farm and I expect to pick up a lot more this season. He also sells raw milk at his farm if you are looking for it.

Tuesday~ Teriyaki Salmon Burger.  They were a hit last week so we got some more since they were on sale.  We mixed up our own tartar sauce for the topping.  Just a little mayo and some relish.  I get relish from Whole Foods since it’s nearly impossible to find relish at a regular grocery store without high fructose corn syrup.

Wednesday~ Pulled Pork Sandwiches.  I’m pulling out the crockpot and working on a list of favorite recipes to utilize the crock pot in the summer.  There is no reason to put this great task-maker away, especially when you don’t want to heat up the kitchen in the hot summer season.

Thursday~ C.O.R.N….Clean-Out-Refrigerator-Night

Friday~ Pizza night!  I’ll be sharing this week what pizza night means to our family and share a great new product we reviewed, Summit Pasta sauce.  Did you know you can get 6 vegetables into a sauce that kids will love?!

It’s your turn…what is on your meal plan for the week?

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Meal Plan June 3

Happy June!  The beautiful weather we had has been replaced by chilling wind and rain.  However we did kick off the weekend with a great picnic with our playgroup.  I made my chocolate chip cheesecake cookies and there wasn’t one left.  There will be a picnic post coming up soon with a big giveaway!

This week is crunch time as the new Needham Farmers Market opens next Sunday.  I am involved in getting all of the vendors organized so there may be less posts this week as I help everyone get ready for our very first market.  I’m so excited to pick up some fresh fish, grass-fed beef and loads of produce on Sunday as I make my meal plan.  I’ll share pictures of our opening next week!

Sunday~ Hamburgers, salad and brown rice with fresh chives.
Monday~ Maple Glazed Salmon, Roasted Green Beans with Parmesan and Rice
Tuesday~ Kids having hot dogs and Trader Joe’s shelled edamame
Wednesday~ Sautéed Chicken Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
Thursday~ Pesto Ranch Chicken (leftover freezer meal)
Friday~ Pizza night!

I’m also going to test out a new snack this week~ Cinnamon Honey Wheat Thins. Don’t they look delicious?! And you can pronounce all of the ingredients…

What are you  making this week?
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I love to hear your feedback and comments. Stop by and visit Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter for more conversation!  Or get posts delivered via Email or RSS Feed. Thanks!  For more meal planning ideas, stop by Meal Plan Monday.    
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Monday Meal Plan May 28

I hope everyone had a lovely Memorial day! It was a fun filled family weekend for us so the meal plan was a bit delayed. The warm weather is inspiring me to do more grilling and keep some of the heat out of the kitchen.

Monday~ Grilled chicken breasts and whatever veggies we can find in the house.
Tuesday~ Grilled salmon burgers. This will be a first for both us and the kids. Let’s see how it goes. I’m thinking asparagus on the grill too and a little rice.
Wednesday~ Lemon and mushroom chicken in the crockpot. I use a whole chicken stuffed with one lemon cut in half and a few other spices. The recipe is from Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook.
Thursday~ Daddy is carbo loading for his charity century ride on Saturday. We will have a sausage and chicken baked pasta dish and a green salad.
Friday~ Pizza night! Our playgroup (of 50) will have the first summer picnic dinner at our local playground.  I’m on dessert duty so I’ll share later this week what I’m making.

What’s on your list to make this week? Remember, you can get a sneak peak into what I am making by following my favorite recipe board on Pinterest.

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I love to hear your feedback and comments. Stop by and visit Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter for more conversation!  Or get posts delivered via Email or RSS Feed. Thanks!  For more meal planning ideas, stop by Meal Plan Monday.    
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Monday Meal Plan May 21

Is it really the last week of May? Where has the month gone?  The weather has finally turned and we started the week off with our favorite hamburgers on the grill, corn on the cob and Cape Cod potato salad.   Madison is still outside enjoying her homemade popsicle of pink lemonade and frozen blueberries.

You can get a sneak peek into what I’m planning for the week by following my Favorite Recipe board on Pinterest.  Although truth be told I think I need to create a Sweet Shop board for all the dessert recipes I’m pinning.

Monday~ Autumn Chopped Salad.  Yes it’s spring, but it looks great.
Tuesday~ Pesto Ranch Pasta Bake.  I’ll be adding in some cooked chicken to our dish.  Rounded out with a green salad and fixings from our local farm stand.  Local asparagus time too!
Wednesday~ CORN.  That’s Clean-Out-Refrigerator-Night for you newbies.  Kids and adults have split dinner time this night so it’s a great chance to eat leftovers.
Thursday~ Steak Tips, Sweet Potatoes Fries.
Friday~ Pizza night.

Memorial Day is at the end of the week. Time to plan ahead for some packable treats and cookout goodies.  I plan to break out my new Joy the Baker cookbook since there in an entire chapter devoted to perfect picnic snacks.  Plus I created a new Summer Holiday board in Pinterest so there will be some patriotic dessert ideas if you are looking for inspiration.

Have a great week!

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I love to hear your feedback and comments. Stop by and visit Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter for more conversation!  Or get posts delivered via Email or RSS Feed. Thanks!  For more meal planning ideas, stop by Meal Plan Monday.    
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Meal Plan Monday May 14

Happy Mother’s Day!  I hope all the many Moms reading this had a lovely weekend, cooking or not.  We went away to Gloucester to our favorite bed and breakfast.  We spent a lot of time just walking around, eating ice cream and visiting family.  A perfect weekend, plus it was a nice break from the computer.

Why is it that May is always so busy?  It must be that end of school year rush that gets everyone in a tizzy.  Somehow we have lots of evening events the next few weeks so meal planning was a bit trickier than usual.  Groceries will be delivered to our door tomorrow afternoon so we should be ready to go for the rest of the week.

Monday~ homemade teriyaki marinade for Natural Sirloin Steak, steamed spinach and rice.
Tuesday~ I’m headed to Magic Beans Drool Baby Expo, then dinner out with Daddy!
Wednesday~ White Chicken Chili from my favorite Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbookalthough I swap out Great Northern beans for easy Cannellini beans.
Thursday~ Panko Crusted Fish (pollock) and sweet potato fries.
Friday~ Chicken Pizza.  May have to add some fiddleheads again like last week.

Have a great week!

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I love to hear your feedback and comments. Stop by and visit Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter for more conversation!  Or get posts delivered via Email or RSS Feed. Thanks!  For more meal planning ideas, stop by Meal Plan Monday.    
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Meal Plan Monday May 7

Happy Monday! Did you celebrate Cinquo de Mayo or the Kentucky Derby this weekend?  We are doing a delayed celebration with our Wednesday feast of Black Bean/Avocado/Corn salad.  The stores have lots of “mexican” inspired ingredients on sale so it’s a good time to tweak your menu to add in some spicy bean dishes.

Monday~ Seafood Pasta from the Pioneer Woman. I sat down with Pinterest this week to make my meal plan.  This one just looked easy and delicious with both scallops and shrimp included.

Tuesday~ Boston event for Mom and Dad so kids will get Wheels Up Pasta, a mix of wagon wheel pasta, apples and cucumbers courtesy of Parents magazine.

Wednesday~ Black Bean, Corn and Avocado Salad with Grilled Chicken from Once Upon a Chef.  I’m hopeful this will be a winner with the kids since they both like bean dishes.
Thursday~ It’s Mom’s Night Out ~ fend for yourself 🙂
Friday~ Pizza night.  My goal is to start making some fun pizza’s I find in Cooking Light that incorporate more greens into the pizza.  I’m thinking arugala and chicken…
This week for snacks will be will dehydrating bananas, pineapple and making strawberry fruit leather.  Plus we made a big “no bake” granola bar recipe from the Healthy Snacks to Go Recipe Ebook.  It is sweet and close to a Quaker chewy granola bar.  Except you can pronounce all of the ingredients.
Mother’s Day forecast looks good so we will head to the beach for the first walk of the season followed by a potluck cookout.  Time to plan for a dessert to share, maybe Carmelitas? 
Hope everyone plans now for a stress free Mother’s Day! Enjoy.

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I love to hear your feedback and comments. Stop by and visit Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter for more conversation!  Or get posts delivered via Email or RSS Feed. Thanks! For more meal planning ideas, stop by Meal Plan Monday.    


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Menu Plan Monday April 30

Happy Monday!
This week’s dinner started on Sunday with Grilled Halibut Steaks.  If you ever wonder how to grill fish, I always suggest starting simple with a little olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and a squeeze of lemon once it’s done.  Let it grill till it flakes easily and you are good to go.

Up this week is a fairly easy menu with crock pot favorites since my better half is traveling part of the time.

Monday~ Chicken Cacciatore and pasta. This recipe is from Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbookwhich is my go-to slow cooker recipe book, besides Pinterest.

Tuesday~Whole Chicken in the Pressure Cooker.  I’m out of chicken stock so it’s time to stock up the freezer.
Wednesday~ Yogurt Chicken.  Got the recipe at the Chobani event for kids this weekend. I’ll share later this week.
Thursday~ CORN~ Clean out refrigerator night!
Friday~ Hot Dogs  (Volunteer night for me so it needs to be quick and easy)
Saturday~ Date night at Sweet Basil’s…so good.

What’s on your menu this week?

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I love to hear your feedback and comments. Stop by and visit Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter for more conversation!  Or get posts delivered via Email or RSS Feed. Thanks!     

For more meal planning ideas, check out Plan It, Don’t Panic ebook with tips, tricks and menu plans ready to go.  Or Menu Plan Monday with OrgJunkie for hundreds of meal plan ideas.  

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