Weekly Menu, June 5

I don't know what it was, but I had some strange illness this week that knocked me out, literally. I was so tired, I felt like I dragged thru the week. I am glad we made it though. My son started swim team this week; his first team activity. He is loving it! The first swim meet was long, but not bad and we'll get a better groove as the season progresses.

We also attended one of our favorite summer activities. The local orchestra group has a day called the instrument petting zoo. Kids get to try various instruments including violins, trumpets, trombones, cellos, and xylophones, etc. I'm thinking I might have a budding musician so it might be time to look into some interment lessons. The question is, which instrument are we ready to listen to, ha.

This week I'm already feeling tons better. I woke up this morning with energy and I'm ready for a new week. We have lots planned, including another swim meet. We'll be carb-loading on Friday in preparation, and then adding more protein to our Saturday to help with his races. Should be a lot of fun!

	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Sunday	biscuits & jam bacon eggs	grilled cheese goldfish puffs strawberries	steak mashed potatoes salad
Monday	waffles strawberries	PBJ cheese its apple slices	chicken kabobs rice green beans
Tuesday	cinnamon toast sausage patty	meet & cheese crackers strawberries yogurt	tacos refried beans corn
Wednesday	egg biscuit sandwich	turkey roll ups chips cantaloupe	shredded  bbq sandwiches salad beans
Thursday	roll up pancakes sausage links	PBJ puffs grapes	cheesy chicken rice broccoli
Friday	welsh pancakes eggs	PBN raspberries grahams	spaghetti & meatsauce green beans garlic bread
mashed bn	biscuits HB eggs	mac n cheese carrot sticks	cold cuts cheese slices watermelon

Nothing too wild in the menu this week. I've struggled to stick to it the last couple weeks, so I'm going to keep it simple and get it done this week.

Quick Scalloped Potatoes

If it were up to my husband, we'd have these mashed potatoes with every meal. Unfortunately for him, I like a little more variety than that. So I am always on the hunt for other potato recipes that are simple and have a similar flavor to the mashed potatoes he so loves while being different enough that I'm not getting bored.

Every time my Mom makes ham, she also makes these awesome scalloped potatoes from a Martha Stewart recipe.  I finally asked for it and tried it a few times. My hubby wasn't sold, until I started making some small changes that made them more my style. It worked! He's finally on board with trying some different styles, and has even requested these a few times. Yeah!

The recipe is pretty flexible, you too can tailor it to fit your families tastebuds. We've had it with chicken, steak, and ham, but it would also taste great with pork chops. When slicing the potatoes, try not to go too thin. I use a 1/4" chopping tool; I found the Kitchen Aid Mixer attachment sliced too thin. I have not yet tried my slicing tool on my new Cuisenart food processor.


Quick and Easy Scalloped Potatoes

3-4 potatoes, peeled and sliced (Golden is best, but I used good-ole Russet just fine)
1 c heavy cream
1 Tbs butter
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbs onion, finely chopped
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp pepper (or to taste)
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

Pre-heat oven to 375. In an oven-safe coated cast iron pan (I use this Le Creuset pan) melt butter and sauté the onion. When ready, add the minced garlic and stir to combine. Pour in the cream and bring to a boil. Add potatoes, salt and pepper and reduce to a simmer. Simmer with the lid on, stirring occasionally for about 10-15 minutes. The potatoes should be tender, but not mushy.

Remove from heat and sprinkle the cheese on top. Without the lid, place it in the oven and bake until  the top browns and cheese melts, about 10-15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. Best served immediately.

*Adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe handed onto me from my Mom.

Weekly Menu, May 29

First week of summer has been wonderful! The kids and I have been enjoying all sorts of summer festivities. Picnics, trips to the park, puppet shows, it's been fantastic. And it's only just the beginning. Next week we start swim team and begin the trail of practices and meets. Changes up the menu a little... some of the practices are at dinner time and we'll want warm yumminess when we come home.

Last week it seemed we had some leftover over illness we needed to finish off, so we didn't get to try everything on the menu last week. So...we have some repeats. We'll try again this week. I have a feeling it will go well.

	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Sunday	oatmeal	PBJ goldfish puffs cantelope	pizza salad
Monday	waffles eggs	Pizza carrots grapes	hotdogs baked beans potato salad s’mores
Tuesday	bfast burritos	PBN crackers strawberries yogurt	meatloaf mashed potatoes green beans
Wednesday	roll up pancakes	grilled cheese goldfish cantelope	beef quesadillas corn refried beans
Thursday	biscuits & jams eggs	PBJ chips apple slices	crockpot ravioli casserole broccoli
Friday	toast sausage patties	cheese & crackers carrots & dip grapes	sausage penne pasta broccoli garlic bread
mashed bn	biscuits HB eggs	hot dogs chips cantelope	PBJ sandwiches crackers apple slices

This should be a good week. Let's do it!