Menu and Job Plans: July 7 - 12

I'm a little late this week.  I do have good reason.  I went out with Mama yesterday.  We'd meant to go out earlier in the week but she had some minor surgery and didn't want to leave home.  I couldn't blame her a bit. I sat down on Friday to plan out meals for the month and got through about ten days worth without a trip to the grocery store needed!  I was going to work things out a bit further but about then John called from the living room, "Did you know Katie was coming down today?"  No....Suddenly we were busy trying to get housework done and replan our meals for the day to include two more.  It all worked out beautifully.  I had time to rest before she arrived and we had food enough with leftovers for John to take in his work lunch on Sunday.  Just right.

I will be going to the grocery this week.  I may not need food so much (a few produce items, milk, bread) but I do need all that other stuff that gets tossed in the grocery budget: Comet, vitamins, paper plates, paper towel, garbage bags.  I hope I can save a bit of the funds to put towards a trip to the meat market the first part of August.  I'm including in our weekend meals, but I only need four main meals this week.  We've got to go grocery shopping one day, I'll be out running errands another and we're going to be away from home one day.

Fried Eggs, Toast/Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls
Steak, Baked Potato, Salad
Cereal with peaches
I made up my usual biscuit dough, rolled it out and spread with melted butter, sprinkled with brown sugar and cinnamon and topped with both fresh (frozen) blueberries and some dried blueberries.  I rolled up jelly roll style and cut into rolls.  These were very good, moist and flaky.  I did put a light confectioner's sugar glaze on top when they came out of the oven.  I'll make these again.  I think I want to try them with peaches instead of berries.


Bagels /Cream Cheese, Leftover Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls
Pepper Steak Pizza, Salad, Peach and Berry Crisp a La Mode
It was John who suggested the pizza idea.  We halved a steak for our meal and then used the second one to make our pizza for four.  Katie decided we should make it similar to my Italian Pepper Steak which I serve over rice or on Onion Rolls for sandwiches.  So she sauteed the onions and a variety of bell peppers until just barely tender, then poured over FFItalian dressing.  I had made the pizza dough and grabbed a little butter/garlic/Romano cheese mixture I keep in the fridge for garlic bread spread and dabbed that on the bare crust, then we topped with the cooked steak and crisp tender veggies and added shredded cheeses on top.  Yummy.
The Peach Crisp used up all of my peaches.  Unsure I'd have enough fruit once it cooked down a bit, I dumped in the last of the blueberries from the cinnamon rolls and added in all the black berries I picked (about a pint).  It made one of the prettiest and best tasting crisps I've had.  I served with ice cream melting over the top.

Scrambled Eggs, Grits, Toast
Baked Chicken with Mango Curry Sauce, Yellow Rice, Chick Pea and Tomato Salad, Leftover Fruit Crisp
Roast Beef Sandwiches, Chips
The sauce is a bottled mixture.  It was pretty good.  It's Archer Farms Mango Curry Grill Sauce.  I bought it at Target off a clearance end cap a couple of months ago.  I had bone in chicken pieces that I topped.
I opened, drained and rinsed a can of chickpeas and mixed a bit with some of the Counter Top Pasta Sauce I'd made.  That wasn't a bad salad at all.  I think the addition of a little cucumber would be awesome.

Fried Eggs, Hash Browns, Sausage, Apple Fritters
Counter Top Pasta Sauce, Pasta, Cheesy Garlic Bread, Salad
Nachos with Everything
I had some Roma tomatoes that were fast approaching the over ripe stage, so I diced them and made up a batch of this sauce.  I shared the recipe before: diced tomatoes, minced garlic, oregano, parsley, salt/pepper, olive oil and a dash of vinegar or lemon juice.  Let sit on the counter top all day so flavors blend.  I made mine Friday and put in the fridge.  I let it come to room temperature and mixed with the hot pasta.

Pancakes, Bacon
Open Faced Meatloaf Sandwich, Pub Fries, Sliced Tomato and Lettuce Salad
Turkey Wrap Sandwiches, Pickle Spears, Plums
Leftover meatloaf with thinly sliced onion, a bit of catsup and sliced cheddar on toast is run under the broiler. I cut up the last of the potatoes (they were spoiling pretty quickly this time) and put them in water to keep in fridge.  This removes a lot of the starch.  I'll fry, sprinkle with coarse salt and parsley and serve with a sprinkling of apple cider vinegar.

I was pretty surprised when I started striking things off this list today...Last week sort of went "Ka-Plewy!" and blew up on me.  I wasn't home as much as usual and was so tired and weary when I was home that I just wanted to sit comatose and rest.  It just goes to show that even a little bit done in the time available adds up.  That and running to catch up this morning by doing a nice Monday routine.

Last week:
Deep clean the living and dining areas  (it's all one big room).  This involves:
Cleaning fans
Washing curtains
Dusting walls
Removing books and dusting then reorganizing them
Culling a few more items and trying to better organize surfaces and undercover sort of...

I would also like to:
Bake Challah
Get cookie dough prepared for freezer
Prepare a special cake or dessert for July 4th   Peach Berry Crisp
Grill out on July 4th even if it is just the two of us.  It's John's last holiday at home this year and I want to celebrate and enjoy.John didn't want to grill.  We had a nice time anyway.

This Week:
Finish the month long menu plan.
Grocery/birthday shopping.
Tag and take a few items into booth.
Get guest room straightened up once more.
Finish decorating the back porch and get new photos up.
Summer wreaths or hangings for both doors.