Menu Plan Monday: Summer Starts!

Last week of school!! Soon I'll have a high school sophomore and senior! With that in mind I've planned differently than in the past with the hope of less waste food and effort! Here are the POSSIBLE MEALS for this week (and next). Since I'm sure there will be friends in and out I've got a few geared to very local palates for the picky, picky little people who rarely eat with silverware and almost never touch healthy food! I cooked and froze several pounds of ground beef with onion and garlic and roasted a chicken and froze the meat in appropriate amounts for other meals. One chicken provided meat for last night's pizza, the hot chicken salad and the friend rice plus a little broth and scraps for the cats!  This weekend I'll likely cook more ground beef and another chicken or two if the price is low enough. I like things that can stay warm in the crock pot if one kid is going to be late. P picks up a lot of cash work right now and should for most of the summer--he's starving when he gets home and I don't want him eating a ton of crap. The crock-pot is a great thing!!!

I also have to stock the house for summer breakfast and lunches. I admit it, my kids eat Pop Tarts almost daily for breakfast during school. The "Pop Tart Season" officially closes at our house this I will be making breakfast burriots (they were sick of them this year totally for breakfast, but they've now been mentioned again) and other burritos for the freezer. I make these so they are healthy. Friday. In the summer P eats dozens of eggs, pounds of cheese and cubed ham and other stuff to throw in omlettes he makes himself. B will make boring white pancakes, yucky box mac 'n cheese or grilled cheese (sorry I will not buy processed cheese in plastic wrap or velveeta!). Both will be learning to cook a little more this summer. I do allow some garbage food like frozen corn dogs and pizza rolls because it IS vacation! Both LOVE homemade salasa and chips, too, so we have a lot of that. I keep veggies cut up for munching with Ranch dressing or other dips that I make. And pounds of fresh fruit and yogurt for smoothies!

Last night:
Thai Chicken Pizza (IMPROVED an already EXCELLENT recipe by adding zest of one lime and some lime juice to the sauce--just realized I did NOT add the ginger to the sauce--hmmm....have I missed that all along??) This is P's favorite pizza and one of my 2 favorites--the other being bbq chicken with sweet red pepper, purple onion, corn and a mix of co-jack cheese.

Tonight (after the final High School Choir concert)
Chili (made extra to freeze)
Cucumber Salad
Fruit

Tomorrow (by request)
Pierogis and Smoked Sausage (LOTS of Hillshire farm coupons around right now)
Green Beans
Pickled beets
Fruit smoothies

After Tuesday these are the "possibles"

Homemade Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
Peach Crisp

Sloppy Joes on Baked Potatoes with cheese
Green Beans
Fruit

Hot chicken salad (Crock Pot) [Couldn't find a link to my exact recipe so substitute slivered almonds and put in some green pepper and a lot of black pepper and much more cheese. Potato Chips (Ruffles type) crunched up on top.]
Peas/Mushrooms
Fruit

Chicken Fried Rice (save time and add coleslaw mix and or frozen peas/carrots to save on chopping time--cook rice ahead. My mom freezes it, but I don't have enough freezer space)
Fruit

Beef Terriyaki (for just US)
Rice
Steamed veggies

Leftover chili as "chilitos" (burritos with rice and chili)
Mexican Rice with cheese
Corn
Fruit

Tuna Rolls
Ranch coleslaw
Smoothies

Layered Hamburger Bake
Corn
Fruit

Black bean Quesadillas
Rice
Fruit

Other desperation meals when the uber-picky are with us:

Pancakes (only, of course, the boring white kind from pancake mix with no texture or flavor)
Scrabbled eggs with or without cheese
Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Tuna salad with only mayo for THAT ONE child.