One of the things we strive for when planning our menus is making everything fit together into one nice, neat little package. We look to use ingredients in different ways throughout the week so that we’re benefiting from the ability of do-aheads and being able to buy in bulk. We also benefit from a well-stocked pantry.
You’ll have to excuse me. I think it’s Tuesday or something. The kids had Monday off for Presidents’ Day. They had yesterday off for a teacher work day. I have one sick at home now. Today. Well, that makes today Monday? Tuesday? Definitely not Wednesday. I figure I’ll be pleasantly surprised when Friday shows up so quickly.
While I’m busy trying to figure out what day it is, you should head over to the SC Johnson Clean Start Challenge and vote for Team Beth. We’re working hard to spread awareness about bullying and keeping kids safe from cyber-bullying. Your vote will go towards helping us donate $10,000 to Love Our Children USA. Plus, you’ll be entered to win $5,000 yourself in the Clean Start Sweepstakes.
Monday – Whole Roasted Chicken
Tuesday – Butternut Squash Hash with Baked Eggs
Wednesday – Spinach Quesadillas
Thursday – Pasta Amatriciana
Friday – Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with leftover spinach and chicken wraps
The Preparation Shortcuts:
1. Save the leftover chicken for wraps. Make chicken stock with the carcass and save. Always make and save chicken stock for soups and other dishes.
2. Make the hash with pancetta rather than sausage. The rest of the pancetta will be used for the pasta.
3. Chop all the butternut squash for the hash and salad at once. Store 2-4 ounces for the salad in an airtight container for Friday.
4. Make chicken wraps with spinach tortillas and leftover chicken to accompany the salad. Leftover vegetables, like the extra half a bell pepper, can also be used at this time.
The Shopping List:
1 whole roaster chicken
1/2 pound shrimp
8 ounces thinly sliced pancetta
3 limes
1 red bell pepper
1 avocado
1 bunch scallions
fresh oregano
fresh basil leaves
bunch cilantro
watercress
1 large or 2 smaller butternut squash
1 package spinach tortillas (10-12 count)
1 14.5-oz. can Muir Glen Meridian Ruby tomatoes
6 ounces Parmesan cheese
2 cups habanero cheddar or pepper-jack cheddar
Pantry Items:
butter
eggs
milk
onions
potatoes
garlic
dry spaghetti
extra-virgin olive oil
white balsamic vinegar
oregano
cumin
sea salt
kosher salt
black pepperLast week from Food for My Family:
Korean BBQ: Kogi Tacos
Lifetime Moms:
Oscar Bites for Party Night
Babble’s Family Kitchen:
Lemon Curd: Make Your Own Spoonful of Sunshine
The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Lovers’ Cupcakes
Stopping over from MPM. Menu looks amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Happy Cooking!
Looks like a flavourful and healthy week ahead!
🙂
Valerie
Love your menu this week. Just checked out the two pasta sauces at Fresh Tart blog- they look awesome!! Hope you are happy Friday is here & that everyone is well 🙂
I love your ideas! Thank you for sharing them. I, myself, only grocery shop once a month so this blog is VERY useful to me!
I heard some teriffic info on NPR about roasting chicken. I tried it and will never go back to my old method. They recommended starting the chicken on high heat, say 400F, for 15 minutes, then cover the chicken loosely and turn down the heat to 300F and roast it slowly for the rest of the cooking time. For an average size roasting chicken, I find that to be one hour. It comes out golden and delicious but never dry and overcooked—truly perfect every time. (Of course, you want to let it rest for 10 minutes after cooking like you do with all meats to allow the juices to reabsorb.) With whatever seasonings I have on hand, this has turned out for me to be the go-to way to roast chicken.