Menu!

It's been a while {a busy/lazy meals sort of while} but let's DO it!

Sunday: Asparagus and provolone omelets.
Monday: Smoked turkey kielbasa with white cheddar on buns and steamed broccoli.
Tuesday: Warm butternut squash and chickpea salad with goat cheese. 
Wednesday: BBQ out.
Thursday: Noodles! With butter and capers!!
Friday: Black beans and rice with salsa.
Saturday: Butter chicken with rice, steamed broccoli, and naan.

Happy eating folks!
xoxo, natty ♥

Greenery.

Today was an even more beautiful day than yesterday; what a tonic those first few nice days are! Heck, ALL nice days are a Good Thing.

Let's think about food this week. Part of doing menus, even when I don't stick to it, is that it helps us to eat at home rather than out. Oddly enough, with the myriad carry out options around us, we have been eating out a lot less than when we lived in San Jose. I think it's because we wouldn't drive just to get dinner {too much traffic here} and it's been either too hot, too cold, or too tiring {we're weak} to venture out the half mile or so to get food. But we've started to dabble in delivery {every place does it; amazing!} so it's especially valuable for me to plan out these meals.

Sunday: tuna melts and roasted bell peppers.
Monday: curry simmer sauce with tofu, bell peppers, and zucchini, along with rice.
Tuesday: pasta with pesto and a bit of a salad.
Wednesday: steamed green beans and sunchoke soup; I've had these guys languishing around for a while and this soup needs to happen.
Thursday: left over soup and salad.
Friday: black beans and rice with a salad.
Saturday: frozen pizzas {they're much fancier than they sound} from TJ's and a veggie.

Also, last night at Trader Joe's I picked up this gardenia, adding to our apartment garden.

Gardenias are a love language of mine and I'm so glad to have this addition to our home; that blossom up there just happened this afternoon and there are many more little buds waiting to open up - amazing!

I need to get a  decent looking pot to put this guy into since that plasticky stuff just isn't sustainable as far as how I try to decorate our home.

Have a great week y'all!

xoxo, natty ♥

A better late than never but still uninspired menu plan.

Who knows what the weather gods will bring us in the next 24 hours but I am trying to control our eating a bit...and by the way Becs, nice title on today's post; that's one of my favorite phrases!

Sunday
Left over chili from our cook-off on Saturday night; someone brought {& left a lot for us!} white chicken chili that was delightful and went quite well with the salsa we made.

Monday
Same as night before but with steamed broccoli to add some vitamins.

Tuesday
Boxed mac & cheese, steamed kale, steamed green beans with lemon pepper.

Wednesday
My guess is black beans & rice with roasted bell peppers.

Thursday
This could be a left overs night or perhaps quiche if I get my act together.

Friday
I'm volunteering at a church event that includes dinner so that's taken care of!

Saturday 
That's a great question! I've really been craving chicken and I have a delicious Turkish lemon/green olive chicken recipe that's been wanting to be tried out so hopefully that's what will happen.

Happy eating!
xoxo, natty ♥

For to be eaten!

What's on the menu this week folks?

Sunday: As a semi-vegetarian these days, I still crave meat some times so tonight we had boneless pork ribs in cream of mushroom soup, rice, and asparagus.

Monday: I think I might finally try that butternut squash minestrone I mentioned last week. I had a hankering for pasta on the day I was supposed to make this.

Tuesday: Leftovers, please.

Wednesday: Mikey's got soccer on this night so I might do the pasta thing again since he isn't a huge fan of these particular carbs.

Thursday: I think I'm going somewhere this night so maybe, hopefully, leftovers from the night before? There's also a masala curry simmer sauce in a jar that I have which I could crockpot with some bell peppers this day.

Friday: Pumpkin black bean soup {thanks Becs!}. I have several cans of pumpkin in the cabinet that should be put to use.

Saturday: Sunchoke soup.

Lots of soups on the agenda this week...it's not freezing but I think we're still in warm soup territory.

Have a peaceful and productive week Dear Reader!
xoxo, natty ♥

Le Menu.

As glorious and decadent as it would be for us, I don't think we'll ever again have the privilege of eating/carrying out for dinner several nights a week. There was a time {when we were living with family} that we rocked that lifestyle but, then again, we were living with family.

With that in mind, I actually really enjoy cooking. Yes, there are nights where I dread the daunting task of taking care of dishes {because it's a necessity to have an empty sink and dishwasher before one can begin any food preparation} and I don't relish putting away left-overs but on a whole, I really love my little kitchen and the things that come out of it.

I've seen other bloggers do the weekly menu thing and I think I might take a stab at it, though I'll spare you pictures. I've been trying to keep a hand-written weekly menu to help with grocery shopping but I kind of like the idea of having them here {and sorted by electronic label} so that I can go back and recreate something delicious.

Without further ado, this week:

Sunday: hhhhmmm...I can't remember! Oh yes, veggie stir fry and rice. We didn't use any special sauce or anything, just S&P, a drop of sesame oil, and soy sauce. Future amendment: add a protein - this dish was all carbs and veggies.

Monday: lentil soup in the crockpot; I used Trader Joe's ready-made lentils {which are great} and threw in some left over cooked greens, carrots, and mushrooms. It's a broth based soup. To start it, though, I sauteed some onions and garlic in a regular pan and threw in a generous teaspoon of cumin to toast at the end, then I transferred it all to the slow cooker. Salad and steamed artichokes on the side.

Tuesday: Mikey made mushroom melts using the peppers that they sell at Potbelly's sandwiches. And steamed baby bok choy.

Wednesday: I heard about butternut squash minestrone somewhere and I have designs on attempting this soup for Wednesday.

Thursday: Leftovers, hopefully, because I have an evening meeting and would like to eat before I go.

Friday: Date night! At a real live restaurant.

Saturday: This is kind of another date night. We're going to an event for the school I'm working at. Dinner may or may not be involved. If not, probably we'll do something easy-sloppy like boxed mac & cheese {at least it's Annie's!}.

Do you compile a weekly menu Reader? Is it helpful? Something to look back at?
 
And to finish off this post, last night I watched Season 1 Episode 2 of Downton Abbey and I'm hooked.
xoxo, natty ♥