back in the saddle

Oh my...it's been like forever and an eon since I've participated in Laura's Menu Plan Monday. And honestly, I'm a total moron for ever having given up doing it on a regular basis. It is soooooo unbelievably healthy on both stress levels and on the bank account. And since I'm using this summer to get me started back on the road to organization (or at least a few steps back from complete and utter chaos), I figured this was the perfect time to get back to menu-planning.

Admittedly, this week is heavy on the super-easy type meals. But as I am just now wrapping up the school-year, I decided that was perfectly okay. (After all, I'll get in a lot more trouble from the school district for not handing in the fourth quarterly report on time than I will from my family for feeding them frozen ravioli for dinner, right?)

Monday:
*breakfast--oatmeal with brown sugar and fresh blueberries

*Lunch--sandwiches, pretzels/sunchips, cantalope
*Supper--pizza salad, veggie burgers, lemon snack cake

Pizza Salad: Cook, drain, and cool 16 oz. rotini. Add 2 large or 3 small chopped tomatoes, small bunch chopped green onions, and 8 oz. cheddar cheese cut into cubes. (The non-vegetarians in the house add sliced pepperoni to theirs.) Drizzle 1-2 Tbsps vegetable/canola/whatever oil over pasta mixture. Add 1/4-1/2 cup red wine vinegar (we use more because we prefer it tangy). Sprinkle with garlic salt to taste. Toss and serve.

Tuesday:
*Breakfast--bagels, orange smoothies

Orange Smoothies: In blender, combine 6 oz. can frozen orange juice concentrate, 1 cup of milk, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, and 20-ish ice cubes. (Original recipe called for twice the sugar, but it's totally not necessary.)

*Lunch--cheese dreams, pretzels/sunchips

Cheese Dreams: Place hamburger rolls open on broiler pan. Place slice of American cheese on each bottom. Top with 1 1/2 slices of facon. Broil on low until cheese melts, facon cooks, and bun browns. (Does not take long at all!) Top with tomato slices. Mayo or mustard works well as condiment.

*Supper--veggie chili, cornbread, watermelon, brownies (made with helper Max)

Wednesday:
*breakfast--frozen waffles
*lunch--FLTs, pretzels/sunchips, blueberry smoothies (made with helper Gray)
*supper--ravioli, homemade bread, cucumber wedges

Thursday:
*breakfast--cereal
*lunch--leftover chili, tortilla chips
*supper--stir fry, fruit salad

Friday:
*breakfast--pancakes
*lunch--veggie chicken sandwiches, leftover fruit salad

Weekend:
(We'll be leaving to go to a family reunion Friday afternoon, and will be back sometime Sunday. Will likely eat supper on the road.)
*to take--red grape salad, muesli bars, and peanut butter bars (made by Annie)

For many more menu ideas (all more exciting than mine!), check here. And many thanks to Laura, otherwise known to me as "Superwoman."