Back to School

We've been back to school now for 4 days now and I am already exhausted. Orientations, open houses, soccer practice, lunches...oh my. I am determined to follow the advice I give my 4 year old and "make better choices" this school year. For me that means keeping it simple, not complicating an already chaotic schedule by volunteering for one more thing, or saying yes to anything that isn't full of joy and ease for me. That is of course easier said than done, but so important for my sanity and the sanity of those around me. I am pulling out some of my favorite tricks for meal planning now that we're in the school routine full swing. In keeping with caring for me, I have already scheduled a massage into the extra time these tricks have given me back.

I have worked a few of those tips and tricks into this weeks plan and hope that you to will nourish yourself as the summer comes to a close and all year long. This weeks CSA box has mixed greens, romaine lettuce,broccoli, easter egg radish, cilantro, swiss chard, cucumber, canteloup, gala apples, dapple plums and reed avocado.

You'll see I've worked in some lunch ideas into this week. With school back in session it's time to start thinking about those lunchboxes (for the kids and mom and dad) again!

Sunday
Citrus-Garlic Roasted Chicken
We'll have this with suateed swiss chard in garlic and olive oil and a salad on Sunday night. I'll save the left over chicken and make chicken salad for sandwiches and wraps for lunches this week. For the salad I'll make a double batch of Monday's pasta salad dressing and use it tonight and Monday (less work on a Monday yeah!)

I'm also making a quick Baked Oatmeal (Recipe is from my new favorite cookbook, Super Natural Everyday by Heidi Swanson who also has a great blog 101 Cookbooks) We'll warm this up and serve for breakfast this week. It's easy, delicious and a healthy start to the week...and Mondays are hard enough as it is! Sooo nice to have this waiting for us in the morning.

Uses the swiss chard and mixed greens

Monday
Broccoli and Feta Pasta salad (Recipe below)
     Tip: this can also be made into a double batch for lunches this week

Uses radishes, cilantro, cucumber and broccoli

Tuesday
Homemade pizza and a Cesear Salad
     Tip: I use Trader Joe's pre-made pizza dough

Cesear Dressing;

1 cup mayonnaise or greek yogurt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Worcestershire
1 clove of garlic (minced)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 c Parmesean cheese
1 tbsp of milk or half and half

Mix all ingredients together and shake or whisk until well blended.

Toss over romaine salad and add croutons if you like.

Uses Romaine

Wednesday

Leftovers

Thursday

Creamy Avocado Gazpacho with Tomato, Green Onion and Crunchy Garlic Croutons
* stay tuned for this recipe...I have a friend who's going to share!

Uses Avocados

Friday
Free day

Saturday
Summer BBQ!

Garlic and Sea Salt Peel and Eat Shrimp
From Grill Every Day by Diane Morgan


3 large cloves garlic
1 tablespoon sea salt
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh oregano leaves
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds large shrimp (26/30 count) in the shell, deveined

Prepare a medium hot fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill on medium high.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the garlic, salt, and oregano and process until minced. With the machine running, pour the olive oil through the feed tube and process until the marinade is well blended.

Reserve 2 tablespoons of the marinade for basting. In a bowl, toss the shrimp with the remaining marinade until well coated. Set aside while the grill heats.

Oil the grate. Remove the shrimp from the marinade and arrange them directly over the medium-hot fire. Grill, turning once, until the shrimp turn pink on the outside and are just opaque on the inside, about 2 minutes per side. Baste the shrimp with the reserved marinade as they grill. Transfer the shrimp to a serving bowl.



Broccoli Pasta Salad
Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 8
Yield 1 servings

Ingredients

• 1 box Penne pasta
• 3 cups Broccoli
• 8 tsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 2 tsp Honey
• 6 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2/3 cup Organic Peas (frozen)
• 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 3 sliced radishes
• 1 sliced and diced cucumber
• 8 oz Light Feta Cheese

Directions

1. Cook penne in a pot of boiling salted water according to package directions. Add the broccoli florets for the last three minutes of cooking. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, mustard, honey and olive oil in a small jar with a pinch of salt and pepper. Shake well with lid on.
3. Toss the pasta and broccoli with half of the dressing in a large bowl. Stir in the peas and red pepper flakes and leave to cool.
4. Once pasta is cool, add the chopped herbs, radishes, cucumber and feta. Toss with the remaining dressing, add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy, keep it simple, joyful and easy and let me know if you have questions by posting a comment or feedback!