Cozy Cottage Meal Plan Week 26 - 2020
- robynlarabee
- Jul 1, 2020
- 4 min read
Italian pasta salad, chicken saute with spinach and mushrooms, Mediterranean pork and orzo, Mediterranean lamb meatballs and a charcuterie board
Summer is here at last! There really isn't much better than campfires and sunsets, fireflies, and burgers barbecued over an open fire. I hope you and yours get to enjoy some of what makes summer so special over the next few months.
I've really been enjoying the American Redstarts this year. They are a warbler, and I didn't realize it, but they actually nest around here. I'm not sure if I've just never identified their call before, or if there really are more of them around, but this year, we have two pairs right in our yard. The first time I ever saw them was on the Bruce Trail in Lions Head, Ontario, and then last year I saw them on a trail near our house. Every time I've been walking lately, I've been hearing the same bird song, so one day, I finally stopped and searched until I spotted them. They are a very cute bird, and I love the way they flare their tails. The female is much paler (of course!), but still a pretty little bird. And they just sing and sing their little hearts out.
In addition to all of the wonderful outdoor things that I love about summer, I also love the lighter meals and all the fresh, local produce. My summer meal plans will definitely be taking advantage of that and will continue to get you in and out of the kitchen fast! One of my dearest friends recently told me that she gets exhausted just by looking at the photos of my meals! lol Trust me when I tell you that most of them have minimal prep time and come together really quickly and easily, especially this week! For me, meal planning means that when it's time to cook supper, I don't even have to think about what to make. And I know that because I've planned, my family will be eating (mostly!) wholesome, delicious foods that I don't have to spend hours making. So if you hate meal planning, why not use mine? If you don't like everything on the menu in a certain week, there are tons of ideas from the past year and a half to choose from. Mix and match, and please let me know your family's favourites!
On the menu June 21 - 27, 2020:
Sunday Hot dogs with Pasta Salad with Homemade Dressing and green salad
While not exactly the healthiest, there is just something about a hot dog sometimes. And this Italian-style pasta salad was amazing!! I used up some mozzarella cheese I had hanging around instead of the provolone, and everyone loved it. The dressing was super flavourful and so, so good. I think this is one of those recipes that you could totally customize to whatever you have on hand or whatever your family prefers. Sorry - no photo of this one, but do give it a try!
Monday Leftovers / takeout
Tuesday Chicken Saute with Mushrooms & Spinach with brown rice and Honeyed Carrots
I'm sorry, Jessica Fisher, but I don't think the name of this recipe really does it justice... This is a fantastic tasting dish, worthy of a restaurant menu! I really think it should have a fancier name... I served it over brown rice alongside her Honeyed Carrots (scroll down to the bottom of the first recipe in the link to find the Honeyed Carrots recipe). We all loved this meal! I also served a Caesar salad with this meal to round it out, but we really didn't need it. So far, I am enjoying Jessica's cookbook, "Good Cheap Eats: Dinner in 30 Minutes (or Less!)". If you're looking for a new cookbook, I would recommend this one. This meal was exactly as she said - less than 30 minutes including prep time, and it was worth every minute.
Wednesday Mediterranean Pork and Orzo with green salad
This is another super simple and speedy recipe that is very kid-friendly. The spinach is easy to pick out if your family absolutely won't touch it, but honestly, you barely notice it's there. I added some extra tomatoes and spinach to ours. Very good! Make your own salad or use a bag of salad mix and you've got a complete meal in under 30 minutes. This recipe also used ingredients we typically have on hand - another bonus.
Thursday Leftovers / takeout
In addition to favouring zucchini of late, there may be a bit of a "Mediterranean" theme happening around here. I can't help it if tomatoes and spinach happen to be two of my favourite veggies. This was another delicious, super quick, and light recipe, perfect for a hot summer's day. Somehow I always feel like meatballs are too much work to make from scratch, but these were super easy. You could even skip using the food processor to chop up the parsley, onion, and garlic and just mince them by hand. If your family doesn't like lamb (or just because beef is so good!), these would be amazing made with Trick's Creek Farm organic, grass-fed ground beef. They seriously cooked in 10 minutes which you have to love. This was a "feel-good", healthy meal that we all enjoyed. Plus it looks pretty on a plate!
Saturday Charcuterie Board
I've been seeing these beauties online lately, and I thought it would be a real treat to make my own at home tonight. And it was! I used grapes, strawberries, dried apricots and figs, red pepper jelly, and homemade strawberry jam. For cheese, I used blue cheese, mild Gouda, Emmental, old Cheddar, and some Brie. The meat was not what I planned since the package ended up being bad, but we had some Tuscan ham, some summer sausage, and prosciutto on hand which worked out great. To finish it off, I used some antipasto from the deli section (an assortment of olives) as well as some candied nuts and mixed nuts and a fresh baguette. So, so good!
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