Meals?

 Would you believe the family expects meals AGAIN this week? Sigh. This week I have absolutely no appetite thanks to a bit of a cold bug. Hopefully it is just a cold bug! Hubby got to do shopping last night for me after he got off work. Kids are attending in person school.... I did verify their 'rules' and if they have no symptoms they can go.  No, I have not done any testing. Just rest and comfy soups and lots of liquids. I even took tea with honey with me in the car to pick up kids yesterday from school! I dislike tea a lot... and only resort to it with funny feeling throats. Not sore, mind you just off.

On that note - I felt like soup. I really wanted chicken enchilada soup (to use those 2 avacado's in the fridge. I'll have to remind Aidan he can have guac for a snack) but figured I should shy away from the tomato in that so went with a nice beef barley. I pulled the prime rib bones from the freezer Monday morning with a slice of the prime rib. I boiled up the bones with some chicken and beef broth and veggies and barley. I cut off the beef from the bones and cut the other slice up and added it back in. Yummy. I had it for lunch and dinner yesterday and lunch again today. The honey oat bread is just out of the oven.... waiting to end lunch with a nice slice with some butter. 

Monday - the kids had Berber chicken with some baked sweet potato fries. Em had a Kiev and Aidan had broccoli and cheese. These seem to be hit or miss lately and the last month I have not been able to find the Kiev (herbed butter one). I saw a 6 pack the last time I was at Publix and grabbed it. I also have a 6 pack of the cordon blue (Em won't eat these because of the cheese - lactose intolerance) and a 2 pack of the broccoli and cheese. Something for the kids to easily grab and bake if they turn up their noses at dinner!

Tuesday - Mexican chicken and rice skillet - since it is quick and Emily has a FFA meeting after school so we will be late getting home and this one is easy for Greg to make for us.

Wednesday - pan grilled Pork Chops, roasted red potato with rosemary and a green veggie.... or beets. I have not decided yet! Might have both =)

Thursday - Southwestern Egg Rolls. I even got Egg roll wrappers for this instead of using the flour tortillas. I might bake them... but will probably fry them in a pan with a little oil. I wing it a bit and double the recipe - everyone loves these! They tend to go in the kids lunches the next day. I usually just cook up a couple handfuls of spinach instead of frozen. Serve with ranch dressing. Thursdays are my day off so I usually feed the sourdough starter and make some soft pretzels with the extra batter. The kids enjoyed having them when they got picked up from school for the ride home last week.

Friday - after talking with Mom this morning...... I'm thinking shephards pie! We have not had this one in years. It will be interesting to see if the kids will eat it. I remember my Mom browned the beef with a little onion, salt and pepper. Then put it in the bottom of a glass casserole. Add a can or two of corn - including the juice. Then top with homemade mashed potato. A few pats of butter on top and pop it in the oven to brown the top a bit and heat through. When I went to college - they served theirs with a beef gravy over it which was a great addition.

Saturday - Shrimp Scampi (I hope I am hungry by this point again or I will delay this meal!) over pasta.  A salad and maybe some home made bread. Another one we have not really done before. Getting sick of baked salmon and cod so switching up the seafood a bit. It was this or crab cakes but I don't have the crab on hand. I'm the only one that will eat scallops - they just don't know what is good, silly family! The shrimp is in the freezer. The kids actually like tuna (bleck - I do not!) and will eat tuna from the packet (Aidan) or a can drained with some mayo and pickles (Em and Greg). The cats get the juice - they enjoy tuna days!

So that is my tentative meal plan for the week. I have added links to recipes I reference for my meals. Notice I said reference.... I use them as a guide and modify to tastes and what I have on hand. 

Time to test the bread and head back to work.

If you are in the USA - Hopefully you have exercised your duty to vote in the election already or will be doing so today. I sincerely hope the results are clear and both sides respect the will of the people without any unrest or questioning. We need to get back to a united country and not a deeply divided one.