Half-baked Homeschool

• Monday - Maple-brined Pork Chops with Green Beans and Sweet Potatoes from the freezer
• Tuesday - Spaghetti Night
• Wednesday - Broccoli Quiche with Pumpkin Muffins
• Thurday - Tuna Tetrazzini (which is really just Emeril trying to avoid calling it what it is: Tuna Noodle Casserole)
• Friday - Pizza Night
• Saturday - Soup/Sandwich Night : Hot Dogs with Chili from Freezer
• Sunday - Leftovers
  

Ok, so Thursday is going to be a tough sell, but at least it's not like the casserole many of us grew up with in the 70's. There's no "cream of anything" soup in it. And it still has the one and only redeemable ingredient from the original. No, not tuna...potato chips on top. Which means, I suppose, that Shortbread will be eating only potato chips that night.

You can pop over to I'm an Organizing Junkie to see what the other meal planners are doing this week; maybe some of them have groceries...

It's getting cooler here, especially at night, so I'm beginning to think more about soups and stews, which I love to cook and to eat. That will also give me a chance to use some of the vegetables I froze this summer, since I missed the farmers' market this week and am low on produce. Also, we're studying Japanese and Chinese history this week, so we'll dabble in some Asian cuisine.

I've posted before about the meal plan outline that I use every week. Due to some schedule changes, it's been modified somewhat, so I put the categories in this plan too.

• Monday (vegetarian) - Curried Lentil Stew and Brown Rice


• Tuesday (spaghetti) - Spaghetti Night


• Wednesday (meal to match history/geography study) - Gyoza


• Thursday (seafood) - Chili-Lime Glazed Salmon w/ Cornbread casserole and Green Tomato Salad


• Friday (Pizza) - Grilled Pizza with Olives, Peppers, and Onions


• Saturday (soup/stew or sandwiches) - Chili


• Sunday (big Sunday dinner) - BBQ Chicken, Green Beans, Yellow Squash w/ Bacon and Onions, Cheese Biscuits, and Homemade Frozen Pumpkin Yogurt with Maple syrup for dessert.

I just love being able to have stew and chili in the same week; if the highs get down into the 60's, we'll have to have soup everyday!

Every Saturday I'm one of the first folks in line at our local farmer's market. I buy most of my meat and all of my produce there, and I like to finish before it gets too hot or they run out of anything. If you're there and you're standing between me and an egg vendor when the woman in charge rings her cowbell, watch out! - you're likely to get mowed down. I have to have my eggs; my family can eat/use up to 2 dozen a week. We're practically clucking.

When I get home with all my goodies (including eggs), I lay it all out, so that I can plan my menu around what I've purchased. All of my decisions are based on what's available, and I think there's a broader lesson in that for me. Not being able to have whatever I want, whenever I want it, forces me to accept the circumstances and to look for the blessings in what I have. If okra's what you've got, then be thankful for it and find a way make okra that you love.

That said, I skipped the okra this week. I did get a gorgeous watermelon, alongwith cabbage, pattypan squash and some Golden Delicious and Honeycrisp apples ( the first of the season). The tomotoes in my garden have stopped ripening, so I picked up a couple of those, too.

Here's the plan:

• Monday - Spaghetti Night (Whole wheat spaghetti and grass-fed beef)
• Tuesday - Brunswick Stew (Crock-pot night)
• Wednesday - Toasted Ciabatta with Apples and Cheddar or Hummus and Peppers plus Cabbage -Carrot salad with Yogurt Ranch Dressing
• Thursday - Pepper Jelly-Glazed Salmon on Goat Cheese-Corn Bread Pudding with Garlic Greens (Seafood Night)
• Friday - Grilled Pizza with Squash, Bacon and Onions plus Margherita Pizza (Pizza Night)
• Saturday - Grass-fed Local Beef Burgers with Salad and Watermelon (Sandwich Night)
• Sunday - "State Fair" Local Chicken with Creamy Aioli Potato Salad and Green Beans

If I'm ever going to prepare any of this, I need to get to bed!