My REAL menu

This week I had a pretty decent menu planned for myself and the little guy. It was designed to use things I had in the fridge, freezer, and pantry without too much spent at the grocery store or too much time in the kitchen. And then, The H's trip was canceled. That's a good thing! But it also means that our plans need to change. I cannot, in good conscience, serve Mr. Fish-and-Wheat Allergy a tuna melt on a multigrain sandwich thin. Nor can I make him eat another shapeless bean burger patty. He went out of his way to eat the two he had last week as it is.

So, as I puttered in the kitchen this morning doing other prep--making hummus, chopping organic celery and green onions, cleaning out the cheese/meat drawer and the freezer, boiling edamame--I thought about what I could pull together instead. Some of the dinner options I listed yesterday will become my lunches.

Here's what I came up with for dinner:

Monday - Gluten free pizza with pancetta, marinara sauce, sundried tomatoes, green onion, feta, and kalamata olives. I'd love to do a frittata and maintain the integrity of "Meatless Monday" but since we had brinner last night and went out for breakfast this morning, I cannot reasonably coerce my boys into eating one more egg or pancake this early in the week.

Meatless CrockPot Tuesday - Now we're talking! Black bean soup with green onion, frozen corn, chipotle chiles, crushed tomatoes (I love these), vegetable broth, lime, and cilantro with cheese and avocado for serving. Oh, and peach salsa with Trader Joe's soy-flax tortilla chips.

Wednesday - Chicken burgers with drunken peppers (using gluten free beer, of course) and roasted red potato "fries."

Thursday - Baked ziti-style rice pasta with spinach and meat sauce, using leftover cooked turkey from the lasagna I made on Saturday, marinara from Monday, and the end of the 40-lb tub of organic spinach that is lurking in the fridge. (It wasn't *that* much, but it did come from Coscto...)

Friday - Perhaps individual pizzas after the first day of our yard sale. The crust mix makes one large and two small (at least, that's what I MAKE it make) so I won't have to mess with making it fresh. Or, if I have time to get a few things at the store, we could have the Eat-Clean Egg Salad that I was going to make for me and the little guy.

Saturday - I'm tired just reading this. Let's go to the Cheetah.