It's oh so very fall

The leaves are red and gold, the sky is the perfectly clear blue we only see around here in fall, the days are crisp and the nights are nippy and I'm dreaming of stuffed squash, sweet potato soup, pumpkin bread, bean casseroles and pies, ahhh, autumn.

Meal Plan for Sept. 16-22

I'm going to start posting my full meal plans, for all meals. Hopefully this will help me to keep to this plan a little better.

Sunday, Sept. 16
breakfast: scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, toast and coffee (for O) or tea (for me)
lunch: grilled cheese sandwich and canned soup
dinner: spaghetti and meatballs

Monday, Sept. 17
breakfast: potato pancakes and bacon, fruit
lunch: homemade chicken noodle soup
dinner: beef and barley stew

Tuesday, Sept. 18 (yoga club 12-1, mom at work 1pm-5pm, football practice 6-9pm)
breakfast: oatmeal with cream and brown sugar, sliced fruit
lunch: leftover stew with 1 slice bread
dinner: grilled round steak, pasta salad

Wednesday, Sept. 19 (mom at work 1pm-9pm)
breakfast: toast and egg
lunch: leftover pasta salad with canned soup
dinner: Owen-Spanish Rice in crock pot, Me-choose healthy options from buffet at work

Thursday, Sept. 20 (yoga club 12-1, mom at work 1-5pm, football practice 6-8pm)
breakfast: oatmeal with cream and brown sugar, sliced fruit
lunch: leftover Spanish rice
dinner: sausage and peppers in a pita with salad

Friday, Sept. 21 (mom at work 1-5pm, football practice 5-6pm)
breakfast: scrambled egg and sauteed veg in pita
lunch: grilled cheese sandwich and canned soup
dinner: stir fry beef and veg with rice

Saturday, Sept. 22 (football game 3pm, must leave by 1pm)
breakfast: omelet and toast
lunch: ham and swiss sandwich
dinner: farmer sausage, potato and cabbage casserole in crockpot

Retooling weekend plan

Thursday: Pasta salad with bacon and smoked gouda or cheddar
Friday, Mom at work from 2-10pm: Beef and Barley stew in crock pot?
Saturday, Football game and O going to Beyonce show: canned soup and chicken club sandwiches

Plan for week of Sept. 9-15

I'm going to simplify my cooking and meal prep considerably this month, and depend on O to take over some of the work I've been doing. I just can't keep up working out of the house, homeschooling, taking care of the house, myself, and having a social life, on top of doing all the planning, shopping and food prep around here.

This week I'm working quite a bit, including this Sunday and Friday evenings, so O will need to do most of the cooking on those days.

Sunday: chili and rice
Monday: roast chicken legs with fried rice
Tuesday: Vegetable soup
Wednesday: Steak Sandwiches
Thursday: Beef and barley soup
Friday: leftovers
Saturday: chicken club and fries

Baking for the week

I will need to bake bread at least every other day this week, starting tomorrow. I would like to experiment with a new loaf, after 4 or 5 years, I'm finally getting tired of the Semolina Country Bread that's been our staple loaf.

I have white, whole wheat and semolina flour, as well as a little bit of specialty flours, though don't know how old they are, and they might not be usable, as well as all the whole grains and cereals in the freezer that I really need to get rid of. And O announced at dinner today that he really, REALLY loves grains, any grain, and will gladly eat it by the huge bowl full. Coming from a kid that wouldn't even consent to put a grain of rice in his mouth until he was 10, and only started eating whole grains without complaint this year, that's pretty huge. And a huge relief to my wallet, with the amount of food he's been taking in lately.

I'd like to experiment with a multi-grain/nut/seed bread, something that makes a good, moist, hearty sandwich bread. I'd love to make another batch of Morning Glory muffins, but they were a lot of work for not a lot of return. I'll see if I can hide them better in the freezer so O doesn't eat them all in 2 days. Maybe a loaf of banana bread with all the bananas in the freezer, or a pumpkin loaf, since it feels so much like fall lately.

Cleaning out the freezer

This week and next I will be eating out of the freezer and cupboard a lot, and will get to see what's actually in there. I'll be needing to brainstorm some recipes and meal plans to use up some pretty disparate ingredients, and some long-forgotten items.

Plan for week of Sept. 2-8

Sunday: pan fried salmon fillets, couscous or quinoa pilaf, sauteed broccoli

Monday: chick pea curry on rice with lentil dhal, hot lime pickle, yogurt and simple salad

Tuesday (Mom at work till 10pm, football practice 6-8pm)): beef stew in crockpot

Wednesday (library day, work 1:30-4pm): frittata with salad and fresh bread

Thursday (work 1:30-4pm, football practice 6-8pm): bean kale soup (freezer) with fresh bread

Friday (work 1:30-4pm): roast chicken leg, rice and salad or roast veggies

Saturday: Quick Beef Stroganoff